Speed Development for Running, Biking and Swimming

A fellow MFP member recommended I write about speed development. I was pretty excited at this suggestion, as it's something I am currently working on right now for myself. As a note, even though speed work is used in speed development, speed development is not speed work. With that, enjoy!

What is Speed Development

Generically speaking, speed development is improving your max speed that you can go in a given sport; I'll focus mostly on running and cycling, but it can probably apply to many other sports, but I don't do them, so I am only able to speak to what I know.

I was originally a sprinter, so speed development was what I ate, slept and lived. When you are sprinting 100 meters or heading down the runway for the long jump, you need to some serious speed. You need your fast-twitch muscles going at full blast. And there are tons of workouts, both cardiovascular and strength, to build this. However, my focus here, as with most of articles, is on endurance sports. The concept is still the same, but the execution is a bit different.

Slow-Twitch and Fast-Twitch Muscle Fibers

Everyone has at least some slow- and fast-twitch muscle fibers. Some people are genetically lucky and have large amounts of one or the others; hence Usain Bolt and his outrageous fast-twitch fibers. For the rest of us, there is typically more of a balance, with each person leaning more on one side or another.

Slow-twitch muscle fibers contract slowly but allow you to sustain an activity for a longer period of time. Conversely, fast-twitch muscle fibers contract quickly allowing for powerful bursts of speed, but fatigue quickly. This is why you won't be running that marathon at the same speed you just ran down the basketball court on a break-away. If you are, then you probably aren't reading this and are winning lots of marathons.

As an endurance athlete, you rely heavily on your slow-twitch muscle fibers. There are many instances where you need to use your fast-twitch though, and most endurance athletes focus too much on their slow-twitch. As a quick note, there are technically two types of fast-twitch, but I am just going to focus generically on fast-twitch.

The Key in "Fast"

So, with all of that said, the goal is to force an endurance athlete to engage the fast-twitch fibers more often and for longer duration. The generic running plan will have mostly easy and long runs, with hopefully some tempo and interval work included. However, these plans still don't really force you to use those fast-twitch fibers. Most training is designed to make sure you can handle the load for the duration of your event, so the plans focus on slow-twitch fibers.

But if you want be faster, you need those fast-twitch built up. There are many ways to do this, but cardiovascular training is where we focus. There are strength routines to help build your muscles so you can sustain the load and have that extra "umph" of power.

But why is speed work not speed development? Well, quite simply, speed work is running a certain pace for a set period of time. Yes, it can force you to improve your overall time, which does mean you are going to get faster. But that isn't speed development, that is just improving your overall time.

Speed development is all about being able to engage your fast-twitch fibers when you need them. It's also about having your body functions coordinating at all levels; metabolic, cardiovascular, mechanics, etc. This coordination conditions your body to be more efficient at higher levels of energy expenditure, which translates into great speed gains because you can now engage and sustain longer.

How to Build - Start with Your Core

If you are coming off injury or typically just run. bike or swim just for the sake of doing so, then you may be lacking the muscles you need to do the workouts for this. For example, tossing in hill work on your run or ride is huge, but you need strong glutes, lower back, hamstrings and quadriceps. Basically your high impact support muscles, or core, needs to be well built. If it's not, you are easily prone to injury and you MUST build them up FIRST!

As I have mentioned before, a simple way to build core that I use is NTC (Nike Training Club app) workouts. However, you can do whatever you prefer to build up your core. But once you have a good base, you are ready to start developing your speed.

Intermittent Intervals in Longer Workouts

One of the easiest methods to implement is adding burst intervals into your activities. For example, for a 2-hour bike ride, you might have a segment in the first 30-minutes where you do some very fast intervals of going at a certain power level, cadence or heart rate for short bursts, say 5 x 1-minute with some short rest between each interval. Then at 1 hour 45 minutes so that again. For an hour run or ride, you might do this once at the early part or latter part of your activity. I personally steer clear of pace-based anything, as I believe it restricts your potential, both physically and mentally. This is my opinion however, and many coaches, plans and books out there will focus on a pace.

However, you MUST switch this up. Don't always do your intervals at the beginning or just at the end. Yes, it's nice to build that kick in your run to cross that finish line looking like an Olympic sprinter, but we are working on building your speed, not just finishing strong.

The Hills Pay the Bills

Do you love running on that flat path with the pretty nature? Me too, but that isn't going to develop my speed. Just doing hill workouts isn't going to either, although it's going to make me one strong runner. Adding hills (up and down) into a longer duration workout is key. For example, you might do an hour run, where the "flats" you keep a consistent and relaxed speed, keep a consistent but fast pace downhill (I emphasize CONSISTENT because it really forces good muscle control and form), and then do gradual increase in speed for the uphill. As a note, I am not recommending doing super long hills in this scenario. Also, if you are in a hilly area with very steep grades, then you will need to adjust accordingly.

Other Information

I could write about this forever, and in a lot more detail. However, I like getting people interested in concepts. If you are looking for more specific workouts, Runner's World is always a good place to get some workout ideas, as is just going to a search engine and searching for Speed Development.

There aren't many new books I like, but some decent one I have used in the past are as follows:

• Developing Speed (Sport Performance Series)
• Developing the Core (Sport Performance Series)
• Runner's World The Cutting-Edge Runner: How to Use the Latest Science and Technology to Run Longer, Stronger, and Faster
• Explosive Running: Using the Science of Kinesiology to Improve Your Performance - Mostly have this book here because it has great dynamic warm-ups
• Runner's World The Runner's Body: How the Latest Exercise Science Can Help You Run Stronger, Longer, and Faster

Building Plan: Week 2 Complete

Last week was Week 2 of my training plan. Overall, I saw a good amount of improvement in my workout consistency. I still missed a cadence run workout, which I really did not want to miss. However, I let getting ready for Thanksgiving be my excuse for not getting it done. Shame on me, but I'll be good this week no matter what.

My strength sessions keep improving. I did a fit challenge last week and pretty much passed out afterwards. I am really impressed with the improvements NTC (Nike Training Club) has made to the workouts and the app. I am really enjoying using it and seeing great gains each week, both in strength and mobility.

My running keeps improving. I was able to get complete my cadence runs at 180 spm for all 3 reps. I will be moving on to Week 2/3 of my plan. Words cannot express my excitement!

I did not get my other cross training in, which was disappointing, but I will focus on that this week. I am not going to let a holiday be an excuse. It's my job to make the time!

I am still having trouble with my weight, but my main goal was to get consistent with my workouts first. I am almost there, so I will be focusing on weight next.

Anyway, hope everyone is doing well with their goals and have a wonderful, happy and safe Thanksgiving!

Week 1 Progress

So, MyFitnessPal isn't working for posting my fitness Blog there. I am pretty angry at them, but it can't be helped. Therefore, I will just post everything here. As a note, I am now on Week 2, but it's been almost 2 weeks with MFP support having no clue how to fix the issue.

Last week was week 1 of my training plan. My current focus is rebuilding my running, which involves cadence training and complementary strength and cross training. 

So, I was not as successful as I would have liked, but I still made the effort. I missed 2 of my runs, which I was no happy about, but I got in all of my strength sessions and the long bike trainer session. 

Compared to prior weeks where I was doing 10 minute cadence runs, my run this week saw an improvement in cadence, which was awesome. I was so dead afterwards though. I am in the avg HR zone of 78% max hr for my runs, and peak at 98%.  However, I recover within 30 minutes, post-run, so I am pushing myself but not past my limits. This is why I am currently seeing week-over-week progress. I am really shooting to not have more than 1 session of plateau. 

For my strength, I am seeing constant improvement in strength and flexibility. However, I still have a ton of core muscle groups that are insanely weak. I will keep focusing on them. I am starting a Nike Training Club (NTC+) 4-week workout routine that is going to help with this. 

For my bike trainer session, it was rough; really rough. I had a super active day doing yard work and carrying many heavy things up and down stairs for most of the day. And this was also my first cadence ride on my trainer. I was over 10 rpm below my goal average, and I thought I was going to die in the 30-minute session. But that's fine; the sky is practically the limit for how much improvement I can make on my cycling.

Looking forward to more consistency in Week 2 of my program. Hope everyone is working at their goals! 

Nike Apps (for iPhone)

I had done a post a while back on NTC (Nike Training Club) and I figured it was time to just talk about Nike's other app offerings for iOS.

• Nike+ Running (Free)
• Nike+ Fuel (Free)
• Nike Training Club (Free)

As you can see, the theme here is "Free". For now, I have a review on Nike Training Club you can check out.

The main reason for bringing up Nike+ is that it's still a very strong community and they have great tools to really help people succeed. There are tons of alternatives out there, and yes, Nike+ isn't as much of a focus anymore since Nike discontinued the FuelBand and there hasn't been as much focus on Nike+ from Nike.

So let's dive in! The main reason I like these apps is because they are really well built and useful. Aside from being required to create a Nike+ account, there really isn't any downside I can find, unless you are someone that needs extremely detailed statistics. Nike has designed their apps more around the idea of social fitness and the average user. This means that someone just starting out won't get overwhelmed by too many features and screens. In addition, the learning curve is fairly flat, so if you know how to use your iPhone, you can easily use these apps.

The other reason is that I love the way Nike has built the social and rewards aspect so fluidly into their apps and site. One of the hardest things for people to do is stick with a plan to improve fitness, have a healthy lifestyle, achieve a fitness goal, or the like. One of the easiest solutions is to take the journey with someone, which is easy to do with Nike+. You can setup goals, challenges, and share your progress.

In regards to additional tracking, you can link your Nike+ account to other 3rd party sites / apps; some popular ones include MyFitnessPal, Garmin, TomTom, Apple Health, Google Fit, and more.

So, now for a brief overview of each app, which I will have follow-up posts on more details for Running and Fuel.

Nike+ Running

This is basically your standard app that allows you to track you run; indoor or outdoors. You get standard information which is very important to beginner or seasoned runners / walkers. First off, you will be able to track your distance, total time, and average pace. In additional, you will see your total count of runs, total miles overall, Fuel Points, and how you rank compared to friends (assuming you use the social piece).

One thing I always loved was how you could integrate your music into your run. You can create a Pace Station which allows you have you music sync up to your pace to keep you motivated and consistent. This is partnered through Spotify. Or you can just select a playlist you already have.

During your run you will get alerts, such as each mile completed, as well as be able to see your current distance, average pace, heart rate if you have a bluetooth HR monitor, and elapsed time. You will also see what song is playing and have the ability to change tracks.

Once completed, you can add a picture if you want to make the session more memorable. For example, if you are running a race, you could add a finish line selfie. Finally, after your run, you will see a map of the course you ran/walked, total time, average pace, elevation gain, average heart rate if you used a HRM, how you felt after the run, the temperature, and the current mileage on your shoes. You can also share your session with all of the popular media sites.

I want to mention that if you are using a FuelBand or an iPod nano, you can utilize this for indoor running. Now, it is not the most accurate, but you can get a foot pod which is surprisingly accurate for tracking. However, it's best for steady paces, and does not do well with large fluctuations in pace. Interval training works well though.

I also have to mention Apple Watch. You basically have the same functionality, but on your watch. As with most apps, you will need your phone with you for GPS and HRM.

Nike+ Fuel

If you still have a Nike FuelBand, then you use this app to sync all of your information. As a note, I am pretty sad Nike got out of the tech arena, as the FuelBand and their GPS watch really set the tone for the current wearables market today. Anyway, the app is very standard for any activity tracker; shows you steps, activity levels throughout the day, and your Fuel Points. You can view extra detail on your activity level as well; viewing day, week, month or year. You can view your progress, how you are doing on your goals that you defined, and how you are doing versus others. In addition, you get social updates your friends. You can also see you summary of all of your training sessions. This app integrates with NTC for activities. In addition, you can use your iPhone 5 or later if you don't have a FuelBand. You pretty much track what Nike calls Nike+ Sessions.

Nike+ Training Club - NTC

As I noted above, you can read my full review on this app. Basically, it's a fitness trainer on your phone. The app includes workout plans for all types of goals and personal schedules  (I love the 30 minute workouts). The app syncs with your music, gives you alerts and counts reps for you. In addition, if you aren't sure how to do a move, there is a video for every move to show you proper form and technique. There are tons of paid apps out there, and yes, there are many apps you can customize your workouts to your heart's content, but there are still few apps that offer such a solid and well rounded set of workouts for FREE! I still use NTC a bunch, but being a triathlete, I typically use apps that allow for fully customized workouts, such as Fitness Builder.

As you can see, Nike really offers a 1-stop shop for anyone who wants to get fit and healthy, or for anyone who is seasoned and needs solid and reliable tools. Enjoy!

Nike Training Club - NTC

I wanted to review a bunch of the Nike apps, as I really like the simplicity, yet effectiveness and usefulness of them. The first app on the chopping block is NTC, Nike Training Club. As a quick note, I am reviewing from an iDevice perspective, as I do not have Android or other mobile OS. With that said, let's dive in.

Walkthrough

First off, you'll need a Nike Plus account. You can either sign up with your own e-mail or use your Facebook account. I am not a fan of how much companies get when I use a Facebook login, so I use it as little as possible, but that is just me. You have less logins to worry about if you use your Facebook account though; that is pretty nice. Anyway, you can learn about the Nike account on your own.

The intro screen is nice and simple. The Swoosh is for the home screen, with My Workouts you can view your recent and saved workouts, Progress shows your training totals in minutes as well as the general info from your workout, and Rewards are the typical Nike fashion of encouragement, which is pretty effective. I do want to note that if you want heart rate and calorie burn information, you will want to get a heart rate monitor, such as the Polar FT40 or similar. The Quick Start option will let you go immediately to the last workout you did, if that is the one you want to perform. Get Workout allows you to browse a very healthy list of workout routines, including:

• Get Lean
• High Interval Cardio Drills to Slim Down
• Get Toned
• Light Weights and Intervals to Add Definition
• Get Strong
• Increased Weights and Reps to Build Strength
• Get Focused
• 15-minute Workouts to Target Specific Areas

After you select what you want, you select an intensity level:

• Beginner
• You Average 4-5 Workouts a Month
• This is really for someone who is not used to doing strength training or is wanting to get back into strength training
• Intermediate
• You Average 2-3 Workouts a Week
• If you have been doing strength training, then you still may want to ease into things with Beginner, or you can take the plunge
• Advanced
• You Average 3-5+ Workouts a Week
• You really want to have most of your current workouts focused on strength training and have a good base
• Typically you will work up to this; it's definitely challenging

Now you will get to see all of the workouts available in the level you selected. The list in the example above is from Get Strong - Beginner. Don't worry if you have no idea what Workout Routine to choose, select one and you can view the workouts and even click on each workout to see a video of that workout.

If you want to listen to music during your workout, go for it! It will be lowered when the voice is instructing you to do your next workout, if you need to switch sides, or just shouting out some encouragement. Then, select Do Workout and go!

During the workout you can Pause whenever you need. Also, if you get to a workout you either don't know or can't remember what to do, you select the Play button and can view the workout. This in essence pauses your workout, so after the video, you will be required to resume. 

The workouts have some simple warm-up and cool-down built in, but if you are a person who is typically very stiff before workouts or suffers from post-workout soreness, I highly recommend additional warming up and/or cooling down.

The Bottom Line

Regardless of any misgivings people have with Nike, this application and its workouts are completely free. It's one of the best free workout routine programs I have tried out. Sure, there are better paid ones out there, but free is free. And you will get a workout from these routines. Now, if you are a BeachBody or hardcore CrossFit convert, then even some of the Advanced workouts may not feel as challenging as you would want...but chances are if you are one of those people, you aren't interested in this app in the first place. Enjoy the burn!