“Quality over quantity”
‘Total distance covered’ will be the main variable to manage load/volume.
“We have a rule that each sprint should be 95%, or better of their best sprint time in that workout.”
E.G. 40m in 4 sec = best time. 95% of 4.5 sec = 4.27~ sec. If they drop bellow 4.27~ sec it tells you the athlete is getting slower and gives you an indication to autoregulate and potentially cut the workout from there. The purpose is to let time dictate total sprint reps.
Too many people get stuck in the rut of thinking they need to write the sprint workout on paper before the session. With sprint training and power development the number one game changer is basing your workouts on “quality” – and the quality of that day. So many variables will influence the quality of the sprint: everything from weather, sleep, nutrition, CNS etc which can make the reps from one workout vastly different from another.
Intensity doesn’t = effort.
Just because your trying to run really fast doesn’t mean your operating at your maximal intensity potential.
Intensity refers to a % of their time. Effort is a subjective measure to which your exert energy.
The more advanced (stronger) the athlete is the more a speed/power session will crush them because of their high force outputs/how explosive they are. The faster you are the less reps you will need because your outputs are so high. It may not look like a lot on paper but focus on quality v quantity.
Both Cameron and Joe emphasize separating the conditioning days from the sprint days AKA the high intensity days from the low intensity days.
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Spoken By Joe Defranco, Transcribed by Alex Sandalis