Originally Posted by
Quinn8it
Carleton- I know you have said this before, but can you expand on how you would create or modify a program based on cadence and speed alone?
while i have had very good success in a season with no data other than top speed and time- recorded with a stopwatch and cheap speedo that cost less than $50 total. That is simply recording progress. And times are Condition dependent.
Using Power allows you to record output on race days and then create training situations based on the output for a specific duration.. Its like knowing your 1-rep Squat Max and then doing rep-schemes based on a percentage of that number. all the while you know the relation between training output and race day output and you can know that if output in training is raising- so is race day... its like using a "1-rep-max calculator".. "if i can do this set of intervals at X-watts then my 1-off effort is likely X+Ywatts
how would you change a days training based on cadence data?
When I was watching John Coffee with his young athletes at his gym, it was enlightening...and seemed familiar to what I have been doing.
Coffee watched every rep that these athletes (19, 20ish) did. Clean & Jerk, Snatch, Box Snatch, Box Jerk, etc... He'd say, "OK, add 5 more lbs." "OK, take off 10." "Do one more set", etc... they never missed a rep (that I saw).
They didn't come into the day saying, "I'm going to snatch X lbs today for Y reps and Z sets" It was all based on his feel. That feel came from decades of him coaching, lifting, and watching. I assume that he watched the speed and confidence they had in each rep to know how well they "owned" the weight and he'd adjust accordingly.
With track, especially sprinting, we should train to cadence ranges, not power. Basically, for say a flying 200M, ride the biggest gear that you can max out at 140rpm with. If you are touching 145-150rpm, then the gear is too small. If you aren't touching 135rpm, then the gear is too big.
You'll see your progression as your gear choices go up (and your speed).
When we squat, we squat the same reps at around the same speed and we measure progress by how much weight we can move at those reps at that speed, right? Same concept. Just like when you are doing your working sets and you are moving it really fast off the ground...time to add a few more lbs. And if you are struggling and moving the weight slowly, then maybe you should go down a few lbs to complete the set(s).