There are many types of training for running the 800 meters. It's a 50-67% aerobic and 33-50% anaerobic event, making it one of the most difficult runs to train for.
Steps
Step 1. Start strengthening your muscles
Start with 3 sets of 8-10 on each leg muscle group. The goal is to train the muscles to maximize their ability to exert themselves for a long time, but also to train those stabilizing muscles that are often overlooked by runners. Doing 3 sets of 8-10 takes your body beyond just lifting weights (creating phosphate energy), but staying within the limits of maximum endurance benefits. Lifting helps to extend the potential increase in strength, which increases the potential length of effort, and consequently the potential running speed, especially when lean muscle mass is added, not just volume. Replace every fourth day of lifting with plyometrics exercises to ensure maximum conversion of strength into explosiveness and running speed.
- Exercises on the abductors / adductors must be emphasized to avoid injuries due to excessive pronation and knee problems (imbalances that cause the knee not to slip into the joints and consequently irritate the cartilage), including, among others, iliotibial band syndromes, tears, tendonitis, etc.
- Typical program: Day 1 = squats, abductors, adductors, calves. Day 2 = lunges, leg extensions, pushups. Be sure to include torso exercises, such as back extensions and abdominals, and some chest and shoulder exercises to balance.
- Other lifts that should be included involve the lower back and hip flexors, muscles that are often overlooked. Leg raises, pushups, and extensions on a knee-high platform are great ways to strengthen these muscles.
- Lifting sessions should last less than an hour. For this, use circuit training approaches (for example, while resting from squats, do push-ups).
- Recovery should include a protein / carbohydrate snack within an hour to maximize anabolism. (Protein helps carbohydrate intake. A balanced diet should contain enough protein, so protein cocktails are unnecessary - the body can produce most of the amino acids). A nice glass of chocolate milk is ideal.
- You can get the same results without lifting, by incorporating football, basketball or the ultimate Frisbee once a week, to strengthen the stabilizing muscles, explosiveness and rotation. It is no coincidence that footballers rarely have problems with overexertion or slow rotation.
Step 2. Increase overall fitness in the base season, ie the beginning of summer
The anaerobic system can reach 95% of its training potential for 6 weeks. Consequently, the only summer training should focus on aerobic conditioning and endurance. It can either be a cross-country training program or something like this:
- One long run per week, to form oxidative enzymes (up to 24km, but no more than 1/4 of the weekly distance), 2 days of hill sprinting, including fitness exercises, 2 days of lifting, and basically a lot of running until you reach at least 48 km per week.
- Mileage is very important for 800 meters. While sprinters can normally get by with 50-60km / week, many 800m professional runners have to go as high as 100km / week to maximize fitness and solidify aerobic achievements.
- Note: Unless you have achieved mileage first, do not increase more than 10% or 5km in any given week. For example, for someone running 60km / week, the mileage per week after a break should be 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 35, 45, 50, 53, 55, 50, 55, 58, 60. Note like as the mileage nears its maximum, the mileage increase per week decreases and the short mileage weeks serve to catch up. Most 800mers need to reduce mileage every third week by around 20-30% (for example: s1 = 60, s2 = 60, s3 = 45, s4 = 60…) to avoid physical and mental exhaustion. Put this information in your schedule!
Step 3. Increase the intensity at the end of the summer period to include high-level aerobic exercises and start the specific training for running
Once you've formed your mileage, start including lunges at the 800m pace. For example, 12x100 @ 800 with 300 walking. This serves to strengthen speed and build muscle memory / effectiveness without exaggerating and / or compromising aerobic condition. Also include 5K workouts (eg “tot” minutes at 5K pace, “tot” recovery minutes, with a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 20-25 minutes). A great way to ensure that you do not tire your athletes, while still stressing the various physiological systems, is by doing mini-cycles of 3 weeks (for example, in 3 weeks you do a timed run, one day of resistance intervals, 2 days of 5K intervals, one day of 3K intervals and one day of 200m hills), so that workouts are 33% anaerobic, 33% maximum oxygen consumption and 33% efficiency.
- It can also be done at a limit pace by those who focus on XC (the training would be "tot" minutes at a slightly lower pace than 10K with one minute of recovery, starting from 2 to 6-10 minutes). The cut-off step is the step where a stable amount of lactic acid accumulates in the blood (~ 4 mM). Further effort will lead to a significant increase in the accumulation of lactic acid and will not improve the body's ability to form and get rid of lactic acid. Therefore, it is an effort and not a step.
- Typical week: Sunday: 25 km; Monday 10 km + 10 of hills; Tuesday: 6 km x 6 minutes with one minute of walking, LIFTING; Wednesday: REST; Thursday: 15 km + shots in the hills; Friday: 10 km + 12 x 100 @ 800, LIFT; Saturday: 12 km relaxed.
Step 4. Increase your training in the fall
Start including 5K step intervals. Intervals can start at 400 and go up in 3-5 minute intervals (for example, 6 x 1K @ 5K with the same recovery time). Long runs increase the number of mitochondria, capillaries and blood flow, decreasing the heartbeat (i.e. the infrastructure). Maximum oxygen training, on the other hand, increases the body's ability to take in oxygen, absorb it into the blood, and then deliver it to the muscles (like cars using infrastructure), while training at the limit helps to eliminate training by-products (maintenance workers). Therefore they are all important and each have their own task. Maximum oxygen consumption should replace training on Friday, which can take the place of one of the two days of shooting in the hills or switch to Saturday. At this point, the athlete should be in excellent aerobic and resistant shape, but not "fast". Downhill or backwind sprints should be added to reinforce rotation.
Step 5. Continue in the winter
Now is the time to focus on the specifics of running. Workouts should now be 3 days a week and can often have a biweekly cycle (every 14 days could include one of maximum oxygen consumption - 5K -, one at limit, one at 3K, one @ 1500 step and 2 @ 800 / 400). For example, workouts of 8 x 300 @ a given pace of 1500 up to 5 x 600 @ 1500. The length of intervals should not exceed half of the run and the total distance at this pace should not exceed 2.5 times that of race (at that point, if you make it, it's not your race pace, or you're recovering for too long!). You can also simulate the race (600 @ 800 or 400 @ 800, 1 minute, 200 @ 800).
- MAKE SURE you keep up with a focus on rotation, otherwise you will struggle on the 400. Running the 4x4 at any indoor venue is a good way to turn a run into a workout at top speed.
- Take some light days or days off if needed for competitions, but train (i.e., don't take 3 days off to recover after a competition).
- The lifting should be reduced to one day a week to compensate for the increase in intensity of the workouts, but it can be replaced by plyometrics (deep jumps, alternating step on the appropriate bench, lunges, kicked run …).
Step 6. Step up in the spring
Now is the time to blow up the anaerobic system. An excellent workout is 8-12 x 200 @ 800 meters (at the pace you can keep that day) with 200 meters of walking. This workout will increase your body's ability to produce lactic acid, be relatively relaxed mentally, and it's a good third workout. Running 4 x 400 at a given 800m pace is a fantastic way to train your body to run fast despite the fatigue. Practice these workouts at a given pace with intervals both at the “pace of the first lap” (given pace -2 seconds) and at the “pace of the second lap” (given pace +2 seconds).
- Lifting should be minimized and focus on plyometrics for building fitness.
- You should focus on the longer intervals (such as 400 at 800m stride) and work towards the desired stride (i.e. 5-6 x 300 striving for 800m stride with ample recovery).
- Additional focus on training at the 400m pace should also be included, as the 800m time is limited in part by the duration of the speed, i.e. how fast the athlete can run the 400m (the 400m x 2 + 12 second time). = a roof that is difficult to overcome).
Step 7. Decrease
It should be a moderate cut in quantity, a slight increase in quality, and an easy couple of days before the race. We are natural hunter-gatherers: as a result, cutting the mileage too much will cause your body to go into hibernation. A workout of 200, 300, 300, 200 to simulate your desired race pace is a great simple workout, followed by 6 x 150 @ 400 to build up speed and rotation. Again, don't cut your mileage by more than 20%, but limits and maximum oxygen consumption should be kept to a minimum (i.e. no more than 10 minutes per week of effort at these steps to reinforce maintenance of physiological adaptations.).
Step 8. Relax after the season is over
Take 2 weeks off to recover for the following year. Lifting is recommended, but other than that, have fun!
Advice
- Include weeks of "rest" when you need it (for example, if you go on vacation, do half the kilometers you usually would, to allow your body to recover and maximize the physiological benefits of training).
- Mixed training, especially running / swimming in the pool, is a great fun way to increase physical fitness, make conversation and avoid leg injuries caused by excessive fatigue (tears, iliotibial band syndromes …).
- Set smart goals. Exercises out of your league are a great way to break up and get injured. Again, the trick is in the gradual increase.
- Focus on gradual improvement. Reach maximum oxygen consumption ranges no more than once a month. Focus on the effort, as the body oscillates between its own energy demands as it continues to grow and form muscles, mitochondria, blood vessels, etc.
- Make a plan and stick with it. Find someone you trust and use them as a guide, whether it's some online training plan (many coaches publish their own) or a set of tips from your physical education teacher. There is a plan, so stick to this and trust us, as there are no plans that can guarantee you fast and / or continuous results within a week.
- Good natural physical shape, with particular attention to explosiveness and rotation, plays an important role in the possibility of improving in the 800 meters. Don't overlook your youthful athletic roots, as other athletic skills (in moderation) can strengthen the body's muscle memory in a non-monotonous way.
- Avoid the temptation to run during training. Again, it will only expose you to injury and mental exhaustion. Mid-distance runners, in particular, only have a certain number of times they can push themselves to the limit without crashing… don't waste your best runs in training!
- Avoid the temptation to run at a race pace every day. The body needs time to recover. In the words of Bowerman: "Fatigued, recover, repeat". It's a simple cycle, but many coaches and athletes misunderstand it by trying to follow in the footsteps of some Olympic athlete who has the best coaches in the world, plenty of time to recover, and probable illicit drugs. Bowerman's principle always applies, regardless of physiology.
Warnings
- Consult your doctor before starting any training program.
- Make sure you're exercising right while lifting weights and / or doing explosive exercises to avoid injury.
- Make sure you have proper nutrition and sleep, or you will only destroy the body without adequate anabolism.
