Orthotics Are a Mystery

“I guess the main thing to note is that, as biomechanists, we really do not know how orthotics work.”
– Dr. Joseph Hamill, University of Massachusetts professor of kinesiology

Orthotics. Some people swear by them. Some people swear at them. (That would be me.) Some of them cost a few bucks at the grocery store. Others cost several hundred dollars and must be fitted at a podiatrist, physical therapist or chiropractor. So what about them? Do we need them or not? (And if they are important for our health, how did the Egyptians, the Romans, Gengis Kahn, the Vikings, etc. ever manage march across the earth and conquer everything in site without them?)

All runners and other fitness enthusiasts–anyone who wears shoes really–must read the latest dispatch from the New York Times Personal Best section titled Close Look at Orthotics Raises a Welter of Doubt. It’s a fascinating discussion on how and why orthotics may or may not work. As the quote above indicates, no one really seems to know what these things actually do for the feet. There are several important points in the article.

Analysis of Orthotics

Dr. Benno Nigg, professor of biomechanics and co-director of the Human Performance Lab at the University of Calgary in Alberta has made a career of researching orthotics. He makes a point that I’ve observed in my own experience with orthotics, namely that they tend to work in the short-term. However he says that idea that they are supposed to correct mechanical-alignment problems does not hold up.

Further Dr. Nigg says, “If you do something to a shoe, different people will react differently.” Different feet react differently: One person might respond by increasing the stress on the outside of the foot, another on the inside. Another might not respond at all, unconsciously correcting the orthotic’s correction.

The article discusses something I’ve heard discussed among those who make orthotics. That is, there are different ways to make orthotics. Depending on where you go, you’ll likely get a different device. Dr. Nigg conducted a study in which a runner went to several different orthotics makers and each one made him a distinctly different orthotic to “correct” his pronation. He liked two of them–yet they each were made differently. More research by Dr. Nigg yielded the following:

“They (orthotics) turn out to have little effect on kinematics — the actual movement of the skeleton during a run. But they can have large effects on muscles and joints, often making muscles work as much as 50 percent harder for the same movement and increasing stress on joints by a similar amount.”

“As for ‘corrective’ orthotics,” Dr. Nigg says, “they do not correct so much as lead to a reduction in muscle strength.”

Support for Orthotics

Several seemingly well-educated people voiced support for the use of orthotics. Jeffrey P. Wensman, director of clinical and technical services at the Orthotics and Prosthetics Center at the University of Michigan makes a sound argument when he says the key measure of success is his patients feel better in orthotics.

(On that note, I think it’s wise that if you’re in an orthotic and feeling good, running fast and all is well, then don’t change anything.)

Seamus Kennedy, president and co-owner of Hersco Ortho Labs in New York says there are hundreds of papers and studies showing that orthotics can treat common foot ailments.

So maybe there’s a lot of solid evidence in favor of orthotics right? Well… The article states:

“In one recent review of published papers, Dr. Nigg and his colleagues analyzed studies on orthotics and injury prevention. Nearly all published studies, they report, lacked scientific rigor.”

Maybe the lesson is to be skeptical of orthotics makers who show you evidence of the benefits of orthotics.

What About Flat Feet?

The article goes on to profile someone who has flat feet and his quest to “correct” this issue. Every orthotics provider he went to attributed his injury to his previous poorly made orthotics and goes on to provide him with different orthotics.

(The article mentions this fellow has an “injury” though there’s no mention of what this injury is. I’m not sure if we’re to take his flat feet as an injury.)

Dr. Nigg explains that flat feet shouldn’t be any problem. Our arches are an evolutionary leftover of when we used to grip trees with our feet. This is interesting to me because I recall reading elsewhere a study of third-world populations that never wear any sort of supportive shoes. Their feet tend to be flat yet there are far fewer numbers of the type of musculoskeletal injuries we have in the U.S. So maybe these all important arches aren’t all that important?

My view on all this is that orthotics are of limited use and the science behind them is quite murky. I’ve used several different types of orthotics and I’ve had either no results or I’ve experienced increased discomfort. I think they are far from an essential component for human health and performance. That said, on an individual basis, an orthotic may be very helpful.

Sports and Pregnancy

So I emailed several acquaintances and asked for blog post ideas. A former client suggested I discuss exercise considerations for the pregnant athlete. Seemed like a good idea to me. Being that I’m a man and I and my wife have no kids on the horizon, I don’t give much thought to pregnancy but perhaps I should.

Like a lot of our general fitness information, much of the popular information for the pregnant athlete falls on the very conservative side. On some issues though there is not a consensus. On other issues there is very little research. It seems possible though that healthy, active mothers-to-be can safely exercise beyond these conservative limits. Most of my information came from an article titled the Pregnant Athlete from the IDEA Health & Fitness Association. It’s a very complete and well researched article. I suggest you read it if you’d like more information on this topic. Meanwhile, here are a few things to consider for pregnant athletes.

Currently Exercising vs. Starting New Exercise

There is a solid consensus that it is safe for athletes to continue exercising once pregnant. There also is a consensus that women unaccustomed to exercise should not start exercising when pregnant.

Sport and Exercise Selection

First and foremost it seems like a good idea to choose an exercise modality that’s safe. At any stage of pregnancy, a strong enough jolt or impact to the abdomen can severely damage the fetus. Therefore choosing low-risk sports and activities is vital. Martial arts, downhill skiing, mountain biking (perhaps road biking too), and skating (roller and ice) are a few examples of sports in which NOT to engage while pregnant. Running is safe for many pregnant women. Swimming, walking, cross-country skiing and strength training may be very good ideas.

Heart Rate Recommendations

Physicians commonly recommend pregnant athletes keep their heart rate at 140 beats per minute (bpm). Anyone who exercises knows that 140 bpm is fairly low. The 140 bpm recommendation was put forward in 1985 by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The ACOG has since left that recommendation behind in favor of using the Rate of Perceived Exertion Scale or RPE. Women should pay attention to how they feel when they exercise. If everything feels OK then good. Don’t exercise to blithering exhaustion though.

Heat

One concern about vigorous exercise or exercise in the heat is hyperthermia or a high body temperature and possible overheating of the fetus that could lead to birth defects. Research however has yet to show any higher rate of birth defects among women who exercise at high intensities. To the contrary, women who exercise can more effectively dissipate heat. The following paragraph comes from the article, the Pregnant Athlete:

“It is during the first trimester that the fetus cannot regulate its own body temperature and is most susceptible to the mother’s. In this period, pregnant athletes should be cautious about exercising in hot conditions and for long durations. They should wear light-colored, breathable fabrics to keep cool and should drink water throughout the day and during exercise bouts; their urine should be diluted to the point that it is virtually clear in color. Some experts recommend that pregnant athletes take their temperature either vaginally or rectally (orally is less accurate) immediately before their longest weekly workout and again immediately after, before the body cools down. Clapp recommends a temperature increase of no more than 1.6 degrees Celsius (3 degrees Fahrenheit [F]) and a postexercise temperature no higher than 102 degrees F (Clapp 2002).”

Strength Training

There’s not much research on strength training and the pregnant athlete. The ACOG guidelines recommend a single set consisting of at least 12 to 15 repetitions without undue fatigue for each resistance exercise. My guess is that pregnant women can probably lift a little heavier but looking for your PR on the deadlift probably isn’t wise during this time. Moderate exertion sounds fine.

(I’d be quite interested to see what sort of levels of exertion we might see in pregnant women in 3rd world countries; places where avoidance of taxing physical labor isn’t an option.)

Flexibility Work

Relaxin is a hormone that increases joint mobility. Production of relaxin goes up during pregnancy so as to soften and relax the pelvic structure in preparation for birth. Because of this increased flexibility, it’s generally recommended that pregnant women should not seek to increase their flexibility.

(I personally don’t recommend static isolated stretching for anyone [look here, and here]. Active or dynamic flexibility work is the way to go for several reasons.)

Further Information

The National Forum on Pregnancy and Sport was conducted in Sydney, Australia, in 2001. What follows is a summary of the medical advice presented:

Medical evidence suggests that healthy pregnant women (with normal pregnancies) can participate in sports without affecting the course or outcome of the pregnancy. (The panel did make some provisos in terms of type, intensity, duration and frequency of exercise.)

Pregnant athletes should avoid maximal-intensity exercise, have a thorough cool-down period of gentle exercise, avoid excessive stretching and jerky ballistic movements, ensure adequate fluid intake and pay attention to core body temperature.

The fetus is extremely well protected from blows to the abdomen during the first trimester (first 3 months) of pregnancy.

The risk of abdominal injuries during sports (for both men and women) is extremely low. Current research indicates that fewer than 2 percent of all injuries, including those that occur during contact sports, involve the abdomen or chest area.

The pregnant woman, herself, is best placed to know (generally from discomfort and lack of coordination) when to stop participating.

Pregnant women should seek advice from medical professionals and, if appropriate, seek a second opinion.

No medical evidence has linked adverse outcomes for the fetus (including miscarriage) to sporting injuries. Statistics and research on adverse outcomes following severe or catastrophic trauma to pregnant women relate almost exclusively to road trauma and domestic violence.

Stories of Pregnant Athletes

Finally, if you’re interested, Pregnant athletes don’t have to sit out is a story from ESPN. Several amateur and professional athletes are profiled as they balanced their lives as competitors and mothers-to-be.

References:

Clapp, J. 2002. Exercising Through Your Pregnancy. Champaign, Il: Human Kinetics.

Recovery Strategies, Heat Acclimation Training for Cyclists, Healthy Lifestyle vs. Genetics

We’ve got three useful articles to point out. One deals with recovery strategies for runners, specifically why damage is a good thing. (I imagine this information will apply to other types of athletes–cyclists, swimmers, weightlifters/bodybuilders for instance). Another article discusses research into how training in the heat can increase cycling performance in both hot and cool conditions. Finally, research suggests a healthy lifestyle can affect cardiovascular health more than genetics.

When Damage Is A Good Thing

Steve Magness is a Washington, D.C. area runner and exercise scientist who writes a blog called the Science of Running. Recently he’s written a piece for Running Times called When Damage is a Good Thing. Magness does a good job of explaining the training adaptation cycle:

“We improve from training by putting our body through stress that it normally does not encounter. When the body encounters these stressors, whether it is a decrease in oxygen, increase in lactate or low glycogen stores, it responds by increasing our ability to deal with the stressors, thereby improving our running performance. The stress, recover and adapt cycle is the foundation of training.”

Most important to the article though is the discussion of how recovery methods such as anti-inflammatories, ice baths, and antioxidants may impede the adaptations we’re looking for. Magness states:

“All of this scientific theory and research sounds good, but what does it mean practically? It doesn’t mean that antioxidants, ice baths, Advil or taking a Gatorade while running is necessarily bad. It means using those items at the wrong time or after the wrong workout could negate some of those hard-earned training adaptations. The key is to understand when it’s beneficial to use those methods and when to avoid them.”

Read the whole article to understand the strategy Magness recommends. It’s certainly an issue worth pondering if you’re a serious athlete–endurance athlete or otherwise.

Heat Conditioning for Cyclists

Science Daily gives us an article titled Exercising in the Heat May Improve Athletic Performance in Cool and Hot Conditions. Researchers at the University of Oregon studied two groups of cyclists: one group underwent heat acclimation while training and the other group worked out in a cool environment. What did the researchers learn?

The study found performance increases of approximately 7 percent after 10 heat acclimation exposures. “In terms of competitive cycling, 7 percent is a really big increase and could mean that cyclists could use this approach to improve their performance in cooler weather conditions,” said researcher Santiago Lorenzo.

Healthy Lifestyle Wins Out Over Genetics

The final article, Healthy Lifestyle Has Bigger Impact on Cardiovascular Health Than Genetics, also comes from Science Daily. There are two big points from this article which discusses two studies.

To stay healthy in older age, five key healthy behaviors should be adopted while young. Those behaviors are: not smoking, low or no alcohol intake, weight control, physical activity and a healthy diet.
One of the studies states, “only a small proportion of cardiovascular health is passed from parent to child; instead, it appears that the majority of cardiovascular health is due to lifestyle and healthy behaviors.” Thus we see that poor genetics is sort of a straw man when it comes to determining our health. It’s our own behavior that’s far more important.

More News & Questions on Stretching

Stretching–and whether or not to do it–is one of the most debated issues in health and fitness. What’s the final verdict? (I’ve given my opinions a few times already here, here, and here.) Does Stretching Before Running Prevent Injuries comes from the New York Times and it’s the latest comment on the issue. The article discusses a study from USA Track & Field that involved about 3000 runners over the course of three months. These subjects were split into two groups: one group followed a pre-run stretching routine, the other group did not stretch. (From the description, the stretching group engaged in static isolated stretching, or what many of us would recognize as stretching: bend over and stretch the hamstrings for 20-30 seconds for example.) Both groups followed the same running program. The result? Both groups experienced the same injury rate. Thus, pre-run static stretching does not appear to help guard against injuries. There is an exception though.

The study states:

“If runners who normally stretch prior to running were assigned to stretch, they had a low risk of injury but if they were assigned not to stretch, the injury risk was double those who kept stretching. It’s this result that most startlingly exhibits why people consider stretching to prevent injury. This study shows that those who are comfortable with their pre-run stretching routine should maintain it. They risk injury if they discontinue their pre-run stretching. For runners comfortable without pre-run stretching, they don’t necessarily improve their injury protection by starting a pre-run stretching routine.”

As I see it, the broad point to take from this observation is that any changes to your program should be undertaken slowly. That goes for adding speed work, hill work, more mileage or engaging in barefoot running. Sudden dramatic changes may leave you sidelined.

Four laps around this radio equals a mile.

Many of us listen to music while we exercise. (Some of us even proceed to sing and dance too.) Do you think it makes you stronger? Faster? Is it easier for you to grind through your workout with music? The New York Times Health Section tells us more about why we like music and how it affects our performance.

The Times piece describes research done at Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences in Liverpool, England. Twelve male cyclists listened to music set to three different tempos. Popular music was played either at the regular tempo, increased by 10 percent, or decreased by 10 percent. Researchers tracked heart rate, power output, pedal cadence, enjoyment of the music and perception of exertion.

Participants rode faster, produced more power, had higher heart rates and enjoyed the faster music more. In contrast, slower music brought on slowe rides, less power, lower heart rates and less enjoyment of the music which stayed the same. Interestingly, participants perception of their effort didn’t drop with the increased music but rather it went up. Seems the music motivated them to ride harder.

There may be an upper limit to the effect of music on our performance though. Research shows the following:

“While running on a treadmill at 85% of aerobic capacity (VO2max), listening to music will not make the task seem easier in terms of information that the muscles and vital organs send the brain. Nevertheless, the runner is likely to find the experience more pleasurable. The bottom line is that during a hard session, music has limited power to influence what the athlete feels, but it does have considerable leverage on how the athlete feels.”

What we’ve got here is a nice thorough intermingling of auditory input, psychological motivation, and physiological performance. It’s fascinating that though we may very much feel the effect of exhaustive work, we can through music actually perceive the work differently. Does anyone still think there’s some sort of difference between the “body” and the “mind?”

Results of three military studies showed that prescribing shoes based on foot shape made no difference in the rate at which injuries occurred in Army, Marine and Air Force basic trainees, who spend quite a bit of time running. That’s “no” as in none, sports fans.

Any runner is familiar with the idea that certain shoes are made for certain types of feet. We’ve got motion control shoes, neutral cushioned shoes, stability shoes…. The idea being that these different types of shoes help guide feet in the healthiest most efficient manner. This concept has been challenged by three military studies. Army, Air Force and Marine studies all had similar results.

“We found no scientific basis for choosing running shoes based on foot type,” said Bruce Jones, M.D., injury prevention program manager at U.S. Army Public Health Command (Provisional), Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.

The most recent study looked at 1400 Marine recruits. Men and women were randomly assigned into two groups. One group got shoes matched to their foot type, the other group received stability shoes. Similar to Army and Air Force studies, the recruits with shoes prescribed according to foot type experienced the same rate of injuries as those in the control group, regardless of other factors, such as age, sex, race and smoking habits.

I wonder what the shoe companies have to say?

These findings echo statements found in Noakes’ Lore of Running. He refers to a study by Stacoff (1998) of orthotics. The study found that the orthotics–thought to control pronation of the foot–didn’t actually change ankle motion in the test subjects. Though this study refers to orthotics, it’s quite likely that shoes designed to control pronation produce similar results. So if shoes are prescribed to a runner based on his or her foot strike pattern, and if we’re expecting to see that foot strike pattern altered in a certain way, then the expected outcome is unlikely.

That’s not to say the right shoes and/or orthotics won’t work for an individual. But the mechanism by which these shoes and inserts work is unclear. At the very least, these studies suggest that we don’t really know why a certain shoe or orthotic may work for someone. Nor can we predict accurately the right type of shoe/orthotic someone needs based on looking at their foot type.

These make you faster. Lift them. Don't run with them.

In Part I of this post I discussed some of the evidence and ideas behind the idea that distance runners benefit from explosive movements and heavy strength training. In Part II I’ll discuss some of the exercises and workouts which you might incorporate into your current program.

First, when we talk about strength or “resistance” training programs we can think of several methods including plyometric or jumping exercises, weights, hill running or running with parachutes attached to the runner. This discussion will focus on jumping exercises and weight exercises.

Jumping Exercises

Also known a plyometrics, these exercises include but aren’t limited to the following:

Be careful with depth jumps. Impact forces generated from landing off of a box can be enormous depending on the height of the box involved. Think of box height like you would weight on a bar. Start with a low box and work up to higher boxes.

Weight Exercises

These are total body exercises employing barbells. Avoid machines like leg extensions and leg curls.

Deadlifts
Front squats
Back squats
Squat jumps
Cleans (with many variations such as the power clean)

Frequency

Plyometric and strength work should not be used more than three times per week. Rather than simply pile this work on top of your endurance work, two sources (here, here) suggest replacing 20%-30% of endurance training time with explosive or weight training. The point being that you don’t need to spend very much time doing this work in order for it to be effective.

Reps & Sets

– Bounding: You may think of bounding in terms of distance or reps. This is short duration/short distance. For example, bound the length of a basketball court or for 20-30 yards. Or bound for up to 10 reps. Start with two sets and add one set per week up to 10 sets. Recover fully between sets. THIS ISN’T ENDURANCE WORK.

– Box jumps, power step-ups: Go no higher than 10 reps. Use the same set scheme described above. Recover similarly.

– Depth jumps: Again, be careful. Go no higher than six reps per set and no higher than 10 sets. Recover at least 30 seconds between jumps and recover fully (up to three minutes) between sets. Only use depth jump workouts once per week. Progress to depth jumps only after several weeks (2-3) of jumping and bounding. Don’t start with depth jumps.

– Weight exercises:

Lift heavy and always use perfect technique. The rep range is 1-5. Work to the point where you know you can get one more rep and stop. (For more on this topic, read Train to Success Part I and Train to Success Part II.) You may get more reps just get them in subsequent sets. Use as few as two sets when you begin and progress over the course of weeks to as many as 10 sets. (10 sets of 2 reps for instance.)

A good method of tracking your lifting is to multiply weight x reps x sets. For instance: 200 lbs x 3 reps x 5 sets = 3000 lbs. If you’re doing three workouts per week then you can add the totals together to get your weekly score. Follow the 10% rule for running with your weight program, that is add no more than 10% per week either through weight or volume to your weekly score. You may use the same scoring method for your jumping work.

Jumping or weights?

You could use an infinite combination of jumping and/or weight exercises but why not keep it simple? For example, you could use one jumping exercise exclusively for all workouts for one to three weeks then use one weight exercise exclusively for the same amount of time. Take a week off then start over with new exercises. The research suggests that it doesn’t take a lot of time or many exercises to get the results you want.

Workout intensity should build over the weeks. Take a break then start over at a slightly higher intensity than where you previously started. Your workouts may vary during the week. Don’t set your workouts in stone. Depending on how you feel you may use higher or lower volume (reps and sets) or you may vary your intensity (weight). All of this variation is known as known as periodization.

Is it working?

The research suggests these methods work to increase running ability. One way to make sure you’re progressing is to test yourself. This is fairly easy. Select any distance you want (1 mile for instance) over a standard course. Run the mile each week and track your time, average heart rate and rate of perceived exertion (RPE). If you are progressing then your run time may decrease, and/or your average heart rate may drop, and/or your RPE may drop.

What else?

Remember to taper your gym work as you would your running work. Don’t start a new strength program in the middle of your season. Start this program before the competition season. Workouts should be brief and robust. Done correctly, these workouts should not negatively impact your run workouts. To that point, strength workouts should be separated from your hard running workouts. Both your strength workouts and your runs should be high-quality.

Engage in some sort of dedicated joint mobility program before, after and possibly during your workout. Z-Health is a fantastic method to prepare your body and nervous system for hard work. Addressing joint mobility and joint awareness will keep you pain free and performing at your highest potential.

Don’t lift weights in your running shoes! They’re not made for that. Running shoes put your heel up on a wedge which may promote hyperextension at your low back. Further, the squishy cushioning will impede proprioception or your sense of how to interact with the ground. Choose a flat-soled shoe preferably with a thin sole. The Converse Chuck Taylor is a good choice as are Vibram 5-Fingers.

(Are you sure I won’t bulk up???)

YES! If you could bulk up you would’ve already bulked up.

In conclusion…

It may seem counterintuitive that distance runners can benefit from heavy weight lifting and explosive jumping exercises. These things don’t much resemble distance running! However the evidence is in and it’s growing. Don’t waste your time in the gym doing high-rep/low-weight lifting–stuff that feels like endurance work in other words. Leave the stuff that feels like endurance work… for… well… endurance work! Use your time in the gym to build strength.

Strength Training for Runners: Part I

Many runners I speak with in the gym believe that in order to improve their running, they need to lift weights in a fashion that’s similar to running. That is, they believe lifting very light weights for many many reps (thus creating an endurance-like situation for their muscles, heart and lungs) will lead to better performance. Conversely, many endurance athletes see no reason to lift heavy weights. They often believe they’ll become muscle bound and/or injured. (Besides, when was the last time the winner of a 10k stopped to deadlift for three reps?) The fact of the matter is, runners–both sprinter and distance runners–will benefit from lifting heavy weights and/or explosive movements. There. That’s what I have to say. Now let me explain…

Strength is your friend.

Strength is like money: No one ever complains that they’ve got too much. (Please let me know if, after a race, the 2nd place finisher said to the camera, “I’d probably have gotten first if I’d just been a little weaker.) Stronger muscles will propel you faster and/or further. Our view of endurance however may clash with our view of strength. They may seem like two very different concepts. We may think that endurance is strictly a heart & lung thing. Strength and endurance aren’t that different though. Strength and endurance are very strongly linked. And for the endurance athlete, improving muscle strength will also improve his or her endurance.

Several studies have indicated strength training increases endurance performance in cross-country skiing, running (here, here, here) and cycling (here, here, here). Explosive exercises and very heavy strength training (1-5 RM) have been researched and shown to improve running economy, anaerobic power, and lactate threshold. (Further discussion and references can be found here and here). Thus, exercising in a fashion that’s very different from running–that is a very few seconds of explosive movement and/or lifting very heavy objects a few times will benefit an activity done at a much lower intensity for a much longer time. So while it’s obviously vital to engage in your endurance sport of choice in order to improve in that sport, the addition of the right strength training protocol will increase your performance. What’s at work here?

Physiology

Endurance performance is more than just the heart and lungs. Several sources (here, here) have suggested that neurological and muscular factors play important roles in endurance performance. We know this because several of the above studies show an increase in performance with no improvement in VO2 max. That is, the heart/lung function didn’t improve–but something did! Improvement in running economy is indicated in several studies.

We should consider a couple of effects of explosive and heavy weight training. First, the muscle fibers used in running are likely made stronger via these methods. Thus muscles can generate more force and a more powerful stride. Second, more muscle fibers may have been drawn into action, again making for a greater ability to drive forward during stride. The results from either of these situations is that we should be able to use less energy to run just as far and as fast as before–AND we should be able to run farther and faster period. Great!

What about muscle and weight gain?

Many runners are worried about gaining weight from lifting too much heavy weight. The fear is reasonable in that any sort of weight gain will likely slow down a distance runner. (The right amount of new muscle mass in a sprinter however may be beneficial.) The reality is though there is nothing for a runner to fear from lifting heavy. There are several reasons.

First, putting on lots of muscle is mainly a function of eating. To put on mass, one must eat like a grizzly bear: several sizeable meals per day (not just snacks), gobs of meat, lots of all sorts of food. This sort of eating can’t be done unconsciously. There must be intent.

Second, we have the genetics issue. It’s very likely that people gravitate to endurance running because they’ve been dealt a hand of genetic cards that facilitates running. This same hand of cards DOES NOT facilitate growing large muscles. Thus there is often a self-selection process that sees certain people participate and excel in endurance sports while others may tend toward strength-and-power sports or bodybuilding–activities that in order for the participants to excel, require large amounts of muscle mass.

Third, explosive and heavy strength training doesn’t build big muscles. (Huh?) These methods are far more stimulating to the nervous system than they are to actually growing bigger muscles. That is, we’re looking at getting the brain to cause more muscle fibers to fire in order to create an explosive movement or lift something heavy. A different process is at work for growing muscles, and this process is better stimulated by lifting moderate weights for roughly 8-15 reps.

To give a further example, if we look at sports involving weight classes (boxing, wrestling, martial arts, weight lifting, power lifting for example) we see that many of these athletes need to get stronger without gaining weight. Otherwise they’ll end up in a weight class in which they can’t contend. These folks need to get stronger but not bigger. (Sound familiar?) How do they do this? They lift heavy.

Next, I’ll discuss workouts based on these factors.

Train to Failure or Train to Success? Part II

In Part I of this post I gave evidence that training beyond our limits or “training to failure” may not be the best

This guy could never fail.

strategy for enhancing athletic performance (or just every day performance for that matter.) Training smarter but not necessarily harder is a concept worth considering. The correct amount of training at the correct intensity is key, not just more more more—harder harder harder!! Observations and instruction to exercise at an appropriate intensity are found in both the endurance running world and the strength and power realm.

Tim Noakes’ Lore of Running is a superb text for anyone who’s a serious runner or run coach. At the other end of the physical performance world is Pavel Tsatsouline’s Power to the People!. This is also an excellent book on very heavy strength training, primarily the deadlift and side press. Both books encourage top physical performance through very hard work. Both authors though consistently tell readers that most workouts should essentially be moderate in intensity. Running workouts should not be races. Weightlifting sessions should not be hell-bent-for-leather torture fests. Rather both activities should leave the participant feeling energized.

Scottish ultramarathoner Bruce Fordyce is quoted in Lore of Running:

“My training advice is going to be different… because I place my emphasis on rest and recovery. I do believe in hard training, but there is only so much hard training that the body can take. , and the timing and duration of any hard training phase is very important. During the hard training phase, never be afraid to take a day off. If your legs are feeling unduly stiff and sore, rest; if you are at all sluggish, rest; in fact, if in doubt, rest.”

Further advice from other running coaches cited by Nokes includes:

New Zealand coach Arthur Lydiard: “You can’t train hard and race hard at the same time.”
American coach Jack Daniels:
- “Don’t leave your race on the training track.”
- “Alternate hard and easy days, in fact only two to three hard days per week.”
American exercise physiologist Stephen Seiler:
- “Build the program around two high-intensity interval sessions per week.”
- “Most of the non-interval training should be at fairly low intensities.”
- “If you are not training easily enough on the easy days, you will not be able to train hard enough on the hard days.”

So we have words from the endurance running world on the importance of focusing your hard efforts to a few specific workouts. As well you should balance these high-effort bouts with truly easy recovery work. How about the other end of the spectrum? How do we train for maximal strength without failing?

“If after your exercise, your bath and your rub-down, you feel fit to battle for a kingdom, then your schedule is right.”
– Earle Liederman, Secrets of Strength, 1925

Power to the People! presents the idea of training with very heavy weights–not to the point of fatigue. The idea being that it’s tension of the muscles via lifting very heavy weights for a very few reps (five or fewer) that leads to greater strength, not the fatigue of the muscles that occurs when using many reps. Tsatsouline states:

“The most intelligent way to develop strength is to lift much heavier weights than than most weekend warriors play with but to terminate your sets before your muscles fail.”

Further, he cites Russian strength expert Robert Roman:

“…besides, as the result of fatigue [from many reps], the last reps of a set are performed against a decreased excitation of the nervous system. This impedes the formation of the complex conditioned reflex loops needed for further strength development.”

So in practical terms, what are we talking about? The experts are suggesting that most of our workouts should be of the submaximal variety. Don’t make every run a race. Make your races races. If your running workout consists of 20 sprints then at the end you should feel like you could run 22 sprints. If it’s a long-run day then you should finish knowing you could run one more mile. Feel good at the end!

When lifting, terminate your sets before total exhaustion sets in. End the set and/or the workout knowing you could lift a few more reps. Feel that you’ve conquered the workout, not that the workout conquered you.

Am I advocating easy workouts? NO!! What I’m suggesting is that your hard efforts should be very focused and specific. Don’t dillute your hard work by trying to go hard all the time. (If you do, you’ll probably just be going “medium-hard.”) Further, your hard work must end in success and not in sloppy failure. Otherwise you will only have set the stage for more sloppy work. Work very hard when it’s called for and balance the effort with easier efforts, relaxation and restoration. Then come back to the next hard workout ready for success and new achievements.

Train to Failure or Train to Success? Part I

Nike says “Just Do It.” The people in Gatorade commercials look like they’ve worked within an inch of their lives. The Crossfit mascot is a character called Pukie the Clown. “I want you to push me,” is something trainers hear all the time from clients and potential clients. Classes known as “boot camps” are have been very popular the past few years, complete with yelling, hollering and foot-dragging exhaustion. We want to “test our limits.” What’s the observation here? If some exercise is good for us–then a whole helluva lot must be extra super awesome!!! That’s how we do it in America right? Some = Good. LOTS = GREAT!!! This type of thinking sells but does it actually result in greater physical ability?

I’m reading a great book in Pavel Tsatsouline’s Power to the People!. It’s very much making me rethink the way I train my clients as well as myself. The book is all about heavy strength training–not bodybuilding mind you. We’re talking strength not size. Interestingly, I’ve noticed some parallels to advice given in the classic running book by Tim Noakes, Lore of Running. How could it be that training for the expression of brief maximal strength might share anything at all with endurance running?

Key points of advice given in both texts amount to this: Train to the point of success, not to exhaustive failure. As Noakes puts it:

The single most important reason most runners are prone to overtraining is, I believe, that we lack the ability to make an objective assessment of our ultimate performance capabilities. We simply will not accept that we are mortal and that we have a built-in performance range beyond which training and other interventions cannot take us. We believe that the harder we train, the faster we will run, and we ignore the evidence that indicates that this is blatantly untrue. Thus we train harder and run worse. And then, in the ultimate act of stupidity, we interpret our poor races as an indication that we have undertrained. Consequently we go out and train even harder.

Similarly, Pavel states:

“From Eugene Sandow to Yuri Vlasov, the strongest men and women in the world have never trained to failure! Cut the ‘do or die’ rhetoric, take a long hard look at yourself, and tell me what are your odds of becoming another exception? If ‘training to failure and beyond’ is so hot, how come your bench has been stuck at 185 lbs. since Arnold’s first movie?”

Also from Pavel:

“Ed Coan squats 875 lbs. x 3 and calls it a day although he knows he could’ve fived that weight. Heavy training not to failure sure worked for Coan who has set nearly eighty world records.”

Is this surprising information? Maybe not if we consider the nervous system and the SAID (Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demand) principle. Simply stated, our nervous system always adapts to exactly what we ask of it.

If we swim a lot then we tend to be able to swim. If we ride a bike frequently then we adapt to bike riding. If we lift heavy weights then we tend to get stronger. (Also, if we sit hunched over a desk for enough of our life, we tend to be hunched.) To the point of this post, if we train the nervous system to move our bodies successfully in clean, efficient form be it running, lifting, rock climbing, getting groceries–whatever–then we are training to succeed. If however we spend enough time going to failure–that is to the point where our technique becomes sloppy and inefficient–then the nervous system says, “You want to practice doing this exercise in poor, sloppy form? Okay. I’ll adapt to that.” Thus we develop poor, sloppy movement patterns. The result of prolonged poor movement may be tendonitis/tendonosis, bursitis, arthritis–all sorts of itis-es: pain, in other words.

So what does success feel like? We’ll find out in Part II of this post.

Denver Fitness Journal

All Things Health and Fitness by Kyle Norman, MS, CSCS, FMS, RRCA Running Coach

Endurance Training