Common question on anaerobic speed reserve:

Should the speed range be from critical speed and not maximal aerobic speed?

NO.

Here is a breakdown why.

(and this particularly matters if you work with sports in the 1-5 minute duration). Disclaimer.

What is clear:

Anaerobic speed reserve and critical speed have important meaning for training prescription,

But this thread is about performance estimation (the origin of this questions

So what is performance estimation?

One of the most important aspects of⚽talent development is to understand the profile of future players.

As the game evolves, so too will the skills and physicality required to perform at the top level.

Here are 8 skill based characteristics players of the future must have...

(According to FIFA technical advisor, and ex Arsenal Manager, Arsene Wenger) 1. Taking in information before receiving the ball

2. Analyzing and evaluating this information

3. Using this information to think ahead and make quick decisions

No better example than Messi:

https://x.com/JoePompliano/status/1693727222132015121?s=20

🚨New pro athlete breakdown🚨

Giro d’Italia case study dives into the precise daily training periodization that powered a pro-cycling podium.

Here are the essential insights for squads with endurance-profiles. Proactive training density spacing of high-moderate intensity efforts:

• Didn’t perform 3000 kJ (units of energy spent) or an important amount of MIT and HIT for >2 consecutive days

• Following 2 consecutive days of HIIT or High- moderate, energy expenditure and intensity were capped on the third day

Latest on anaerobic power reserve prescription.

New high intensity training study compares the training response from:

30% Anaerobic power reserve vs 130% maximal aerobic power

Let’s dive in.

(For those who want more confidence in conditioning outcomes squad wide) 24 well trained rowers

Performed 6 weeks of high intensity training at

30% APR (MAP +0.3 x Maximal sprinting power)
or 130% MAP

The prescription was as follows…

New research in ⚽ shows how to get more consistent improvements in more of your players.

Stay ahead of the game with the evolving science that is reshaping training prescription…

For those interested in:

• Anaerobic speed reserve

• 30-15 VIFT

• Maximal aerobic speed What was performed?

30 national level football players were

Randomly placed into ASR, 30-15 IFT, or MAS groups.

• 20 % ASR = (MAS+0.2) X ASR

•120% MAS

• 95% VIFT

Here are 3 changes I made to middle-distance and team sport training,

When I got clarity on what anaerobic speed reserve is, and is not.

(That you can apply right away) #1 I lowered the importance of training anaerobic power/capacity year round.

e.g all-out 15-45s efforts.

In reality: you are 3-5 sessions from maximizing that adaptation,

And mechanically well prepared to do so,

If you are training maximal sprinting speed every week.

What are the primary adaptations you get from low + moderate vs high intensity training?

Here's are the targets emphasized with each method... Low intensity training and moderate, (critical speed)

Improves mainly;

• Peripheral adaptations (blood transport networks - capillaries, muscle machinery - enzymes etc)

• That target muscle oxygen extraction and efficient energy production

The unbalanced scientific narrative around endurance performance has to stop.

It is not simply:

• Lactate threshold

• Running Economy

• VO2max

• Durability

Because having endurance but no speed is not enough to win at the top.

Both speed and endurance are required.

Examples from the last week ft Ingebrigtsen, Cheptegei, Kipyegon & Hassan. Women's 10km Budapest World Championship 2023

‘Sport science runs the risk of being irrelevant to coaches,

If training research continues as it is’

A conclusion from a new international survey of coaches,

Here are the findings

(for those wanting to close the application gap) 105 international coaches were surveyed on the factors they felt drive training adaptation:

• 31% had 15+ years experience

• 58% worked with individual sports

• 32% worked at international level

Want to maximize your muscle power?

Here's a breakdown of key factors that you can train,

In order to create you next performance breakthrough.

(Lessons from the frontline of elite cycling) Most important factors:

• Muscle size

• Muscle fiber type

But the relative influence change at slow or fast pedaling rates...

Don't waste time testing anaerobic energy systems in running and team sports.

After 8 years of exploring this area, it's evident these tests don't show what you think they do, and can result in misguided training choices.

But it's not all bad, there's a better alternative. When I refer to the anaerobic energy system, I refer to tests that target:

• Anaerobic capacity

• Anaerobic power

• Maximally accumulated oxygen deficit

• Maximal anaerobic running power

These all target capturing the red triangle below.

And here's the issue...

What is an energy system and why does it matter to you?

The body has 3 systems,

That combine to support your speed and endurance performance energy needs, as intensity and duration changes.

Here's a breakdown: 1. Phosphagen system

Produces energy at high rate,

But low capacity.

Example: in a maximal sprint (e.g 100m)

Ready to asses your ⚽ squads aerobic fitness in pre-season?

Here's how to set up a 6-minute maximal speed time trial in just 5 easy steps:

https://twitter.com/Gareth_Sandford/status/1666823164712873984?s=20

1. Setting up the pitch.

Either use a measuring wheel around the outside of the pitch to mark out the distance.

Or ask your groundsman to paint an oval around the outside of the pitch. 500m would be a good distance.

According to Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the current Olympic champion in the 1500m,

'Training too hard' is one of biggest mistakes athletes make.

This is just one of several profound training principles he shared in his interview with @Cathal_Dennehy

Here is a breakdown. twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 'One of the biggest problems is people train too hard.

Mostly because of a mentality that they don't believe in themselves, so they have to put it down in training to give them confidence.

That's the wrong mindset.'

(And a good reminder as championship season approaches)

Short term-plyometric training improves running economy in highly trained middle & long distance runners,

4.1% improvement @ 18km/hr, after 9 week intervention

Here is a breakdown of exercise selection & ideas of where to start ⬇️ Exercise prescription from 9 week training plan:

Team sport physical preparation tension:

"Everything must be specific to the game."

You are correct on the importance of technical and tactical elements, and this drives about 90% of the training week.

But what is the risk with a sport-specific training ONLY approach? Technical and tactical sport specific training are the ‘centre piece’ of daily training design.

You should not be concerned about getting enough sport specific exposure.

The risk is that when you rely on sport specific work alone (e.g with the ball)...

High speed and sprint running distances in the EPL⚽2014-2019,

Have (on average) increased by a moderate amount across 5 seasons.

With clear individual differences below across season and playing positions. High speed running classified as: >5.5 m/s

Sprint running distance classified as: 7 m/s +

The important questions for a physical preparation teams are...

Durability in world class endurance sport becomes a differentiator between the podium and the rest.

Here are some 1500m-5km training sessions with examples from senior athletes,

(And what to do if you are not in the world class bracket just yet) Example workout:

3*800 @ 1500m pace. 3-5 mins rest.

Performed once in the final training phase pre-championship,

10-14 days out from the peak race of the year.

Is prescribing small volumes of sprinting speed often (4/week),

Better than two larger exposures per week?

New data for team sports, showing a 'bang for buck' training exposure. Here is the training they did:

What is the role of fatigue in differentiating world tour and professional road cyclists?

(Featuring power profiles and durability in endurance performance). Population sample:

World tour (WT) riders on average had 2X the riding experience (and training age of pro tour (PT) riders)

Sprinting is like a hammer striking a nail.

Fast rotation + stiff collision upon impact.

Here are 4 characteristics contributing to 10+ m/s sprinting speed. • Large thigh angular velocities

• Fast vertical velocities of the lower limb at touchdown

• Stiff ground contact

• Rapid deceleration upon contact (to recycle for next step)