Increasing stamina/endurance

kaiserrussel

Hi all

I was wondering if I could get some advice as to how I can increase my stamina. I am in my second year back training/recovering from a serious leg injury and I firstly find that I have lost a couple of yards of pace.
I play GAA with my local club and I basically wrote off last year due to constant niggles and dragging hamstrings, quads and severely tight back/glutes. Another issue I was suffering from was tight hip flexors.

I completely get that I can’t ask for medical advice here on the forum but rest assured I am dealing with a physio at the moment to rectify the back and hip flexors/glutes etc

The mistake I made during the winter is that I didn’t fully address theses issues and am trying to rectify now.

What I do find though is my general fitness is starting to improve again (slowly) and I would like increase as much as possible. I would have been a half back or a midfielder the year I broke my leg.
Ideally I would like to also try to gain back even a yard of lost pace but if this is not possible I would at least like to increase my endurance as much as I can

I spoke briefly recently with a friend and he mentioned the concept of doing some runs, 70/30% pace etc.

I was hoping someone could advise here as to how I could incorporate this into some additional training for myself?
How would I do this?

Thanks all

nice_guy80

one of the best ways to improve endurance and stamina is actually to do proper workouts in the gym that are suited to GAA games

ie
train the muscles and energy systems to work for longer under stress

most of the fatigue in GAA games comes from high intensity tackling, movement on the ball and tracking off your marker, not from long running

so if you replicate this in the gym, by doing mini circuits of exercises then your endurance and stamina will improve

kaiserrussel

nice_guy80 wrote: »

one of the best ways to improve endurance and stamina is actually to do proper workouts in the gym that are suited to GAA games

ie
train the muscles and energy systems to work for longer under stress

most of the fatigue in GAA games comes from high intensity tackling, movement on the ball and tracking off your marker, not from long running

so if you replicate this in the gym, by doing mini circuits of exercises then your endurance and stamina will improve

Thanks nice_guy80 for your message, I do get what your saying but I want to increase my general level of fitness in general and not only for GAA, there was a point where I could comfortably run 5k in 20 or so mins, I know this is not anything to be too proud of but I would like to get back to that level again, I feel like I have had to start out literally from scratch again

nice_guy80

kaiserrussel wrote: »

Thanks nice_guy80 for your message, I do get what your saying but I want to increase my general level of fitness in general and not only for GAA, there was a point where I could comfortably run 5k in 20 or so mins, I know this is not anything to be too proud of but I would like to get back to that level again, I feel like I have had to start out literally from scratch again

yeah
but the best thing is to build up your body in terms of strength (weights), mobility (movement - actually the hardest thing to do) and flexibility (joints and muscles)
get it to a point where it can handle a lot of training and recovery is improved

then build up the cardio running (which is tough on the body, especially lower legs) so it can be supplemented by cycling, swimming etc

kaiserrussel

nice_guy80 wrote: »

yeah
but the best thing is to build up your body in terms of strength (weights), mobility (movement - actually the hardest thing to do) and flexibility (joints and muscles)
get it to a point where it can handle a lot of training and recovery is improved

then build up the cardio running (which is tough on the body, especially lower legs) so it can be supplemented by cycling, swimming etc

Thanks nice_guy80, maybe I gave a mixed message above, When I said I feel like I have had to start from scratch what I meant was that when I came back training last year my fitness was completely rock bottom. I have been training this year, albeit hampered by tight glutes etc, I am not suffering as bad as last year.I did put in some work in the gym throughout the winter. and am working on flexibility in these tight/affected areas every day.I guess what I am trying to get here is some help with a "fartlek" (Friend mentioned this to me) type program to help me.
I was thinking that I could get some help with a program that I could use the local pitch.Mixing Jogging and running faster

I hope my ask is more clearly defined

any advice would be greatly appreciated all

cheers

Will Heffernan

kaiserrussel wrote: »

Hi all

I was wondering if I could get some advice as to how I can increase my stamina. I am in my second year back training/recovering from a serious leg injury and I firstly find that I have lost a couple of yards of pace.
I play GAA with my local club and I basically wrote off last year due to constant niggles and dragging hamstrings, quads and severely tight back/glutes. Another issue I was suffering from was tight hip flexors.

I completely get that I can’t ask for medical advice here on the forum but rest assured I am dealing with a physio at the moment to rectify the back and hip flexors/glutes etc

The mistake I made during the winter is that I didn’t fully address theses issues and am trying to rectify now.

What I do find though is my general fitness is starting to improve again (slowly) and I would like increase as much as possible. I would have been a half back or a midfielder the year I broke my leg.
Ideally I would like to also try to gain back even a yard of lost pace but if this is not possible I would at least like to increase my endurance as much as I can

I spoke briefly recently with a friend and he mentioned the concept of doing some runs, 70/30% pace etc.

I was hoping someone could advise here as to how I could incorporate this into some additional training for myself?
How would I do this?

Thanks all

Just train harder.

nice_guy80

Will Heffernan wrote: »

Just train harder.

doesn't always get results
especially lots of running

Oryx

Don't just train harder.

Endurance comes from base training, which is steady and sustainable. Intense work has its place, but it taxes the body more and requires recovery.

nice_guy80

Oryx wrote: »

Don't just train harder.

Endurance comes from base training, which is steady and sustainable. Intense work has its place, but it taxes the body more and requires recovery.

except he wants it for GAA matches

jugger0

Suicides, sled pushes, circuits etc... going on pissy runs for 30 mins to an hour wont cut it.

Make sure you're doing Romanian deadlifts and glute ham raise for your posterior chain too.

kaiserrussel

nice_guy80 wrote: »

except he wants it for GAA matches

Thanks all so far for the advice

I am first and foremost interested in making gains for GAA, but I also enjoy going for runs 5k would have been my main type of run before my injury but I recently ran a 10K for the first time (Toughatalon 10K obstacle course) and I enjoyed them. SO I wnat to increase my general Base fitness also.
I do take Will H's point that I need to "Train Harder" but I thought there could be something more specific I could do, like for example some sort of interval training based on the size of a GAA pitch that I could do.

thegreatiam

kaiserrussel wrote: »

I do take Will H's point that I need to "Train Harder" but I thought there could be something more specific I could do, like for example some sort of interval training based on the size of a GAA pitch that I could do.

While the advice always has a little merit, take it here with a pinch of salt, there may have been an element of trolling in that post.
Not at you directly, but i believe Will H was making a point from another thread, you were just caught up in it.

kaiserrussel

thegreatiam wrote: »

While the advice always has a little merit, take it here with a pinch of salt, there may have been an element of trolling in that post.
Not at you directly, but i believe Will H was making a point from another thread, you were just caught up in it.

Thanks thegreatiam, I guess that does make sense, I have read some of Will H's advice in the past and it is generally quiet detailed.

Will any chance you could take a second pass at my earlier post?

nice_guy80

jugger0 wrote: »

Suicides, sled pushes, circuits etc... going on pissy runs for 30 mins to an hour wont cut it.

Make sure you're doing Romanian deadlifts and glute ham raise for your posterior chain too.

some of this

my advice would be see a strength and conditioning coach who will do out a structured program aimed at improving your overall strength which will improve stamina/endurance and be a huge help in GAA games
its worth the initial small outlay of money.

mini182

kaiserrussel wrote: »

Thanks all so far for the advice

I am first and foremost interested in making gains for GAA, but I also enjoy going for runs 5k would have been my main type of run before my injury but I recently ran a 10K for the first time (Toughatalon 10K obstacle course) and I enjoyed them. SO I wnat to increase my general Base fitness also.
I do take Will H's point that I need to "Train Harder" but I thought there could be something more specific I could do, like for example some sort of interval training based on the size of a GAA pitch that I could do.

This may be of help. To increase your general base fitness long runs such as your 5-10km are important as they build your aerobic capacity. In a GAA match there is a mixture of aerobic and anerobic work and having a strong aerobic base you'll recover quicker from sprints etc. (Anerobic). To train the systems try look at 'fartlek training'. For more specific training mimic what is done on the pitch in your running e.g. mixture of sprints, jogging, running backwards etc.

Clearlier

You've got to think about how your training fits together.

I can tell you that tempo runs (warm up, 20 mins at a pace that makes it difficult to get words out, warm down) will help your lactate threshold.

I can also tell you that multiple intervals of about 3 - 5 mins in length (gradually extending from 20 - 30 mins of work and reducing recovery between reps from 100% of the time spent running to 50%) will help your VO2 max but if you haven't got a reasonable aerobic fitness base (lots of slowish running) in place already the gains you'll make will be smaller than they might be. Also, most people more or less max out their VO2 max improvements after 6 - 8 weeks.

For GAA I suspect that most people would like to be quicker but maybe your strengths lie in reading the game in which case your higher lactate threshold and VO2 max will help you get to where you know the ball is going to be, recover quicker and generally cover more ground that anyone else.

Think of running training as a pyramid. Slow running is at the bottom of the pyramid, sprinting is at the top. If you do very little slow running and lots of fast running you end up with a top heavy pyramid which crashes down (injury).

You're coming back from an injury which probably means that you were relatively inactive for an extended period. The base fitness that you develop as a youngster goes as you get older if you don't look after it. It won't help much in the short term but your best bet for the moment is probably to focus on adding in some slow running to your schedule. Start wherever you are and build it up slowly. You should notice small improvements every six weeks. Stick at it and keep building the amount that you train (continuing to stress your body) and you'll feel like a new man in about 6 months time albeit a little slower than you'd like. At that point you can start working on the next level of the pyramid.

All that said, as I said in the beginning you have to fit in this extra training with what you're already doing with the club. Analyse yourself what training is being done and with the pyramid in your head plan your extra training to get as balanced a personal pyramid as you can. Keep in mind that balance doesn't have to be over a day or a week but can be over months or even years.

N.B. I haven't much idea about how to fit any weight training into this.

P.S. Think of the level of the pyramid as having the following levels (there are other levels for someone focused on running but I think that this would suit you):

easy running (warm up pace)
tempo - as described above - progress can be achieved either by extending time or speed but you will need to slow slightly for longer runs
VO2 max - pace you could hold if you went all out for about 10 mins
fast - about what you could hold for 3 - 400m
Sprint - fast as you can.

nice_guy80

Clearlier wrote: »

You've got to think about how your training fits together.

I can tell you that tempo runs (warm up, 20 mins at a pace that makes it difficult to get words out, warm down) will help your lactate threshold.

I can also tell you that multiple intervals of about 3 - 5 mins in length (gradually extending from 20 - 30 mins of work and reducing recovery between reps from 100% of the time spent running to 50%) will help your VO2 max but if you haven't got a reasonable aerobic fitness base (lots of slowish running) in place already the gains you'll make will be smaller than they might be. Also, most people more or less max out their VO2 max improvements after 6 - 8 weeks.

For GAA I suspect that most people would like to be quicker but maybe your strengths lie in reading the game in which case your higher lactate threshold and VO2 max will help you get to where you know the ball is going to be, recover quicker and generally cover more ground that anyone else.

Think of running training as a pyramid. Slow running is at the bottom of the pyramid, sprinting is at the top. If you do very little slow running and lots of fast running you end up with a top heavy pyramid which crashes down (injury).

You're coming back from an injury which probably means that you were relatively inactive for an extended period. The base fitness that you develop as a youngster goes as you get older if you don't look after it. It won't help much in the short term but your best bet for the moment is probably to focus on adding in some slow running to your schedule. Start wherever you are and build it up slowly. You should notice small improvements every six weeks. Stick at it and keep building the amount that you train (continuing to stress your body) and you'll feel like a new man in about 6 months time albeit a little slower than you'd like. At that point you can start working on the next level of the pyramid.

All that said, as I said in the beginning you have to fit in this extra training with what you're already doing with the club. Analyse yourself what training is being done and with the pyramid in your head plan your extra training to get as balanced a personal pyramid as you can. Keep in mind that balance doesn't have to be over a day or a week but can be over months or even years.

N.B. I haven't much idea about how to fit any weight training into this.

P.S. Think of the level of the pyramid as having the following levels (there are other levels for someone focused on running but I think that this would suit you):

easy running (warm up pace)
tempo - as described above - progress can be achieved either by extending time or speed but you will need to slow slightly for longer runs
VO2 max - pace you could hold if you went all out for about 10 mins
fast - about what you could hold for 3 - 400m
Sprint - fast as you can.

GAA games are all about high intensity running/tackling/playing the ball and then active rest until the next one comes along - which can only be replicated on the field in small sided games/drills or in the gym doing weighted mini circuits at high intensity. that is why I recommended mini circuits at the start.

speed endurance is what is needed for running
so if you were really looking to improve that you'd do long sprints
and then lots of speedwork to beat your opponent to the ball (which can be incorporated in the gym as part of warm up)

Clearlier

nice_guy80 wrote: »

GAA games are all about high intensity running/tackling/playing the ball and then active rest until the next one comes along - which can only be replicated on the field in small sided games/drills or in the gym doing weighted mini circuits at high intensity. that is why I recommended mini circuits at the start.

speed endurance is what is needed for running
so if you were really looking to improve that you'd do long sprints
and then lots of speedwork to beat your opponent to the ball (which can be incorporated in the gym as part of warm up)

I think that the OP is looking to improve his general fitness which given his injury history and his current difficulties is a sensible long term strategy. For a player without an injury history and just looking to improve their fitness I would have thought that development of the lower levels of the pyramid would take place in the off season with a shift towards the higher levels as the season gets closer and then maintainence during the playing season.

I don't know anything really about training for GAA (last played when I was 9) but I have read David Matthews say that 800m training is ideal for GAA players. If he's right then my advice isn't too far from where the OP should be going.

BTW - Speed work as part of a warm up - was that a typo?

nice_guy80

Clearlier wrote: »

I think that the OP is looking to improve his general fitness which given his injury history and his current difficulties is a sensible long term strategy. For a player without an injury history and just looking to improve their fitness I would have thought that development of the lower levels of the pyramid would take place in the off season with a shift towards the higher levels as the season gets closer and then maintainence during the playing season.

I don't know anything really about training for GAA (last played when I was 9) but I have read David Matthews say that 800m training is ideal for GAA players. If he's right then my advice isn't too far from where the OP should be going.

BTW - Speed work as part of a warm up - was that a typo?

nope.
Incorporate it as part of warm up. in the gym.

David Matthews? does he play GAA? coach it?

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/nothing-left-to-chance-as-dublin-shape-up-for-summer-29297297.html

ecoli

nice_guy80 wrote: »

David Matthews? does he play GAA? coach it?

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/nothing-left-to-chance-as-dublin-shape-up-for-summer-29297297.html

Irish 800m record holder and he does coach it (The cork hurlers physical trainer)

However I think you are on the right track regarding long sprints. David Matthews references were a combination of aerobic and anaerobic power of a 400m runner which would be the closest to GAA specific fitness coupled with the strength of an 800m runner for the endurance of a full match.

Short bursts of speed are required for game play but you also have to have the endurance for a match (which can be over 10k worth of work in any game). Lactate clearance also plays a factor in terms of the active recovery in between "in play action"

For aerobic power long hill sprints would be one recommendation coupled with a well thought out specific strength and conditioning programme however this should be co-ordinated with your physio and should not be attempted until the issue is resolved (trying to strengthen a tight and contracted muscle is just going to make the problems worse)

nice_guy80

ecoli wrote: »

Irish 800m record holder and he does coach it (The cork hurlers physical trainer)

However I think you are on the right track regarding long sprints. David Matthews references were a combination of aerobic and anaerobic power of a 400m runner which would be the closest to GAA specific fitness coupled with the strength of an 800m runner for the endurance of a full match.

Short bursts of speed are required for game play but you also have to have the endurance for a match (which can be over 10k worth of work in any game). Lactate clearance also plays a factor in terms of the active recovery in between "in play action"

For aerobic power long hill sprints would be one recommendation coupled with a well thought out specific strength and conditioning programme however this should be co-ordinated with your physio and should not be attempted until the issue is resolved (trying to strengthen a tight and contracted muscle is just going to make the problems worse)

Cork have gone backwards in the last 5 years in hurling. I wouldn't be touting his involvement

big difference between football and hurling fitness
trust me, I play both

more power and speed needed in hurling with high intensity clashes/activity. that is why hurlers are generally heavier than footballers.
far more running in football, but strength and power also needed

jive

ecoli wrote: »

Short bursts of speed are required for game play but you also have to have the endurance for a match (which can be over 10k worth of work in any game). Lactate clearance also plays a factor in terms of the active recovery in between "in play action"

For aerobic power long hill sprints would be one recommendation coupled with a well thought out specific strength and conditioning programme however this should be co-ordinated with your physio and should not be attempted until the issue is resolved (trying to strengthen a tight and contracted muscle is just going to make the problems worse)

At club level not many people, if any, would clear 10k in a game. I doubt anyone at intercounty even covers 10k regularly.

Last year I was running ~14k to up my endurance for football but found hill sprints to be far more beneficial or at least the results were more noticeable. I would alter between distance running as well as interval training and I'd be leaning more towards the latter due to the nature of the game, e.g. do 3 interval days for every distance day. In terms of weight training during the year I'd just stick to deadlift, squat and bench (maybe throw in some other compound movements but I wouldn't spend too much time doing isolation exercises if performance on the pitch is your goal).

Maybe other people will have different opinions and theories but as someone who plays the game and as someone in a similar predicament to OP last year I found interval training to be far more beneficial to my game than distance running.

Clearlier

nice_guy80 wrote: »

nope.
Incorporate it as part of warm up. in the gym.

Perhaps we have different definitions of speed work? I would think of it as training designed to improve your speed. I would think of a warm up as something to prepare your body to train so use the movement patterns that you expect to employ during the training session/match. This wouldn't preclude some short sprints as part of the warm up but the purpose is very different to speed work where you're trying to improve your speed.

An interesting article. Clearly the focus is on economy of movement first which would have the added advantage of reducing the likelihood of non-impact injuries. I would be really interested in seeing and understanding exactly how the periodisation works. I wonder what is done in pre-season preparation and how much of an effort is made to develop elements of fitness during the playing season. The reference to 8-9 peaks suggests that some attempts are made.

Clearlier

jive wrote: »

At club level not many people, if any, would clear 10k in a game. I doubt anyone at intercounty even covers 10k regularly.

Last year I was running ~14k to up my endurance for football but found hill sprints to be far more beneficial or at least the results were more noticeable. I would alter between distance running as well as interval training and I'd be leaning more towards the latter due to the nature of the game, e.g. do 3 interval days for every distance day. In terms of weight training during the year I'd just stick to deadlift, squat and bench (maybe throw in some other compound movements but I wouldn't spend too much time doing isolation exercises if performance on the pitch is your goal).

Maybe other people will have different opinions and theories but as someone who plays the game and as someone in a similar predicament to OP last year I found interval training to be far more beneficial to my game than distance running.

I would expect you to see a much greater short term gain from interval training than from distance running. In the longer-term however your gains from interval running plateau after about 6-8 weeks and it's difficult to make progress from there through intervals alone. If you're happy at that level then that's fine but if you want to move up a level then you have to work at a lower level of the pyramid that I mentioned in an earlier post.

All that said all intervals were not created equally and you can do forms of interval training to address all levels of my pyramid. They do get a bit contrived at the bottom of the pyramid but the basic principle would be longer and slower for the bottom of the pyramid and shorter and faster for the top.

kaiserrussel

Hi All

I just wanted to dig up this thread now as part of my next question, thanks All for the advice. To let you know I did some of All of the above since my last post and I did find an improvement.
I was wondering though to keep on this upward curve what can I do for the winter? is it possible to continue with the 5-10K runs and incorporate this into the Insanity workout? I had started to dabble in insanity last winter but I tied to focus on getting back running again.

I finished up with my club a couple of weeks ago and I have since taken a rest of sorts.

I want to spend the next couple of months working on my own before preseason starts up again

kaiserrussel

kaiserrussel wrote: »

Hi All

I just wanted to dig up this thread now as part of my next question, thanks All for the advice. To let you know I did some of All of the above since my last post and I did find an improvement.
I was wondering though to keep on this upward curve what can I do for the winter? is it possible to continue with the 5-10K runs and incorporate this into the Insanity workout? I had started to dabble in insanity last winter but I tied to focus on getting back running again.

I finished up with my club a couple of weeks ago and I have since taken a rest of sorts.

I want to spend the next couple of months working on my own before preseason starts up again

can any one offer some advice here?

Alf Veedersane

If you're doing Insanity, see that out. From what I've seen of it, it's very much a cardio-based workout.

When you've done that, you can try the HIIT and tempo runs.

kaiserrussel

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

If you're doing Insanity, see that out. From what I've seen of it, it's very much a cardio-based workout.

When you've done that, you can try the HIIT and tempo runs.

No I am not doing Insanity at the moment, I am trying to come up with something to help me get an edge over myself even for next year as a GAA player by training hard myself during the winter off season.

I thought if it was possible to either combine or include both at the same time I could get benefits of both. If I stop running now for 60 days or what ever the length of insanity even the 5K ones then will I not lose all that work that I have put in the last while?

Alf Veedersane

kaiserrussel wrote: »

If I stop running now for 60 days or what ever the length of insanity even the 5K ones then will I not lose all that work that I have put in the last while?

No.

I ran a 10k back at the end of April. I ran one 10k distance in 4 months and managed to complete the Samsung 10K in 45 mins. Not that it's a brilliant time but it wast he best time I ever recorded for a 10k.

If you're doing something to keep a good level of fitness, you'll lose very little, if anything, in 60 days.

That said, I'm not saying don't do any running if you're doing Insanity. One run a week would keep you ticking over nicely.

Clearlier

3 questions that will help to answer your question.

Where are you at the moment fitness wise?
What areas of your fitness do you want to improve?
You said that you did some of all of the above. What does that actually mean. Give me a typical weeks training - not an ideal one but a typical one of what you've actually been doing.

One piece of advice for now. If you're not already keeping a training diary start doing it.

ecoli

My advice with the likes of Insanity and P90x is that they are difficult to try and do half a$$ed. My advice would be given your background you will probably actual be fine endurance wise following Insanity. The workouts are very much high intensity with a lot of plyometric work as such you are going to be quite well conditioned for short burst style sprints.

This should set you up nicely going into pre season training even to the point where you will get away without the endurance style runs

kaiserrussel

Clearlier wrote: »

3 questions that will help to answer your question.

Where are you at the moment fitness wise?
What areas of your fitness do you want to improve?
You said that you did some of all of the above. What does that actually mean. Give me a typical weeks training - not an ideal one but a typical one of what you've actually been doing.

One piece of advice for now. If you're not already keeping a training diary start doing it.

Where are you at the moment fitness wise? No where near where I would like to be, I need to lose about a stone, I trained hard all year but am still near 15 stone. Ideally for me I would like to be 13.5-14.

What areas of your fitness do you want to improve? I would like to increase my ability to get round the field and up and down. I used to be a player around the middle third, ie mid field or half forward. in the couple of games I played HF this year I just did not have the legs to get up and down. Bearing in mind I am 29 so maybe I am just getting slow too!

You said that you did some of all of the above. What does that actually mean. Give me a typical weeks training - not an ideal one but a typical one of what you've actually been doing.

Typical weeks training this year would have been,
Mon - Run -5-7K
Tues - Club Football/hurling training
Wed - rest
Thurs - Club Football/hurling training
Fri - rest/jog
Sat/Sun match

kaiserrussel

ecoli wrote: »

My advice with the likes of Insanity and P90x is that they are difficult to try and do half a$$ed. My advice would be given your background you will probably actual be fine endurance wise following Insanity. The workouts are very much high intensity with a lot of plyometric work as such you are going to be quite well conditioned for short burst style sprints.

This should set you up nicely going into pre season training even to the point where you will get away without the endurance style runs

that's a fair point, I just found that when I did it for 2 weeks last winter I didn't have the legs for the club endurance training and as I mentioned I didn't have the "engine" to get around the field as I used to prior to injury.
i was thinking that by combining it with running you get the best of both worlds. I also had notions of trying to play something like 5 a side soccer for the winter as well to try to keep on top of the GAA type runs, (Short & fast)

Clearlier

kaiserrussel wrote: »

Where are you at the moment fitness wise? No where near where I would like to be, I need to lose about a stone, I trained hard all year but am still near 15 stone. Ideally for me I would like to be 13.5-14.

In my experience it's best to forget about exercise as a means of reducing weight. Leaving aside the whole calorie is not a calorie argument/discussion/assertion, if you agree (and it varies according to several parameters including weight and metabolism) that you burn about 100 kcals in a mile of running and there are 3,500 kcals in a lb of weight then you're looking at running 35 miles in order to lose a lb of weight. That's a lot of activity for relatively little gain and that's before you address your increased appetite. I've been 3 stone overweight, run 50 miles per week and gained weight.

In short, to lose weight, fix your diet.

kaiserrussel wrote: »

What areas of your fitness do you want to improve? I would like to increase my ability to get round the field and up and down. I used to be a player around the middle third, ie mid field or half forward. in the couple of games I played HF this year I just did not have the legs to get up and down. Bearing in mind I am 29 so maybe I am just getting slow too!

Is it that you're too slow to keep up with play or that you don't recover quickly enough so that you can keep up with the first play or two but are short of energy/puff after a few runs? It's important because you address these in quite different ways. The first requires a focus on speed and economy of movement and the second a focus on endurance. There is some crossover obviously but you'll get better at what you train at so it's worth training on what you want to improve.

kaiserrussel wrote: »

Typical weeks training this year would have been,
Mon - Run -5-7K
Tues - Club Football/hurling training
Wed - rest
Thurs - Club Football/hurling training
Fri - rest/jog
Sat/Sun match

You're training/playing for 5/6 days a week. Do you plan to continue that level of commitment or reduce/increase it? Are you managing any injuries? Are you a member of a gym? Do you do any core and/or weights work?

Sorry to keep coming back at you with questions but the more I understand about your situation the better the advice I think I can give.

discus

Clearlier wrote: »

You've got to think about how your training fits together.

I can tell you that tempo runs (warm up, 20 mins at a pace that makes it difficult to get words out, warm down) will help your lactate threshold.

I can also tell you that multiple intervals of about 3 - 5 mins in length (gradually extending from 20 - 30 mins of work and reducing recovery between reps from 100% of the time spent running to 50%) will help your VO2 max but if you haven't got a reasonable aerobic fitness base (lots of slowish running) in place already the gains you'll make will be smaller than they might be. Also, most people more or less max out their VO2 max improvements after 6 - 8 weeks.

For GAA I suspect that most people would like to be quicker but maybe your strengths lie in reading the game in which case your higher lactate threshold and VO2 max will help you get to where you know the ball is going to be, recover quicker and generally cover more ground that anyone else.

Think of running training as a pyramid. Slow running is at the bottom of the pyramid, sprinting is at the top. If you do very little slow running and lots of fast running you end up with a top heavy pyramid which crashes down (injury).

You're coming back from an injury which probably means that you were relatively inactive for an extended period. The base fitness that you develop as a youngster goes as you get older if you don't look after it. It won't help much in the short term but your best bet for the moment is probably to focus on adding in some slow running to your schedule. Start wherever you are and build it up slowly. You should notice small improvements every six weeks. Stick at it and keep building the amount that you train (continuing to stress your body) and you'll feel like a new man in about 6 months time albeit a little slower than you'd like. At that point you can start working on the next level of the pyramid.

All that said, as I said in the beginning you have to fit in this extra training with what you're already doing with the club. Analyse yourself what training is being done and with the pyramid in your head plan your extra training to get as balanced a personal pyramid as you can. Keep in mind that balance doesn't have to be over a day or a week but can be over months or even years.

N.B. I haven't much idea about how to fit any weight training into this.

P.S. Think of the level of the pyramid as having the following levels (there are other levels for someone focused on running but I think that this would suit you):

easy running (warm up pace)
tempo - as described above - progress can be achieved either by extending time or speed but you will need to slow slightly for longer runs
VO2 max - pace you could hold if you went all out for about 10 mins
fast - about what you could hold for 3 - 400m
Sprint - fast as you can.

Awesome post, Clearlier. Do you coach out in bournemouth by any chance? I'd love to have someone look at my running.

Clearlier

discus wrote: »

Awesome post, Clearlier. Do you coach out in bournemouth by any chance? I'd love to have someone look at my running.

Sort of, I formally help one guy and informally dispense advice to anybody who'll listen

If you're in the area I'd be happy to try and help but I'd warn you that I know very little about biomechanics. What little I do know is in the area of what training delivers what results and how to piece together a plan. I wouldn't describe myself as knowing an awful lot but I keep adding to what I do know and challenging what I think I know so that hopefully at some point I'll actually know something!

cindy11

Increasing stamina is mainly linked to the right nutrition and hydration after and before workout!

Clearlier

cindy11 wrote: »

Increasing stamina is mainly linked to the right nutrition and hydration after and before workout!

It's not.

Lack of nutrition/hydration can diminish performance although it varies according to how trained the subject is. If it were the main reason then people could run fast marathons with minimal training.