coachsci.sdsu.edu/.../ultra40a.pdf
There is a method, which is referred to as the Rushall method which Michael Andrew uses.
Was wondering if you had any critique about this. If this sort of training is a good idea and what are the problems.
Would this also be good for longer events? Like the 400 IM?
Thanks!
I tried it. It's really, really hard to do it self-coached. You will definitely get better at super-short distances (25s!) But to do them on the short intervals with enough consistency for the supposed aerobic conditioning to kick in without a coach or a partner to keep you going is next to impossible. When you're pushing off for that 19th 25 on :30 and you need to blast it to keep it under :13 and you know you have to do it eleven more times after that, you'll give anything to be back doing some long, boring, non-race-specific pull set. Or, you'll find an excuse to stop and go home. At least, that's what I did. In other words, ultra-short is ultra-stressful, and definitely not a shortcut or "easy" way to improve your times. Done properly, it might work better than "traditional" training, at least for 100s. But it's too hard to do it properly solo.
For a 400IM? If you've already got a really solid 400IM, I can see the ultra-short being beneficial, in that you can hammer your desired pace into your muscle memory. But you'll still need to keep that conditioning up. If you don't have the conditioning to do it well already, don't even bother.
I tried it. It's really, really hard to do it self-coached. You will definitely get better at super-short distances (25s!) But to do them on the short intervals with enough consistency for the supposed aerobic conditioning to kick in without a coach or a partner to keep you going is next to impossible. When you're pushing off for that 19th 25 on :30 and you need to blast it to keep it under :13 and you know you have to do it eleven more times after that, you'll give anything to be back doing some long, boring, non-race-specific pull set. Or, you'll find an excuse to stop and go home. At least, that's what I did. In other words, ultra-short is ultra-stressful, and definitely not a shortcut or "easy" way to improve your times. Done properly, it might work better than "traditional" training, at least for 100s. But it's too hard to do it properly solo.
For a 400IM? If you've already got a really solid 400IM, I can see the ultra-short being beneficial, in that you can hammer your desired pace into your muscle memory. But you'll still need to keep that conditioning up. If you don't have the conditioning to do it well already, don't even bother.
