How difficult is the hike to Machu Picchu?

by | Altitude Training Information, Hiking, Climbing and Mountaineering

By this point, you’ve likely scrolled past your fair share of social media pics backdropped by the mysterious Peruvian city in the sky—aunts and uncles communing with shaggy llamas, friends clambering up dirt paths, workmates teetering on a stone outcropping, peering down at the ancient city.

Machu Picchu is one of the most visited tourism destinations in the world. On average, it attracts close to 1.2 million visitors a year and was voted one of the new seven wonders of the world in 2007. The site has become so popular that the Peruvian Ministry of Culture, in an attempt to preserve the site, has had to set a limit of 2,500 tourists entering the citadel a day.

The site’s popularity, however, significantly underplays the effort it takes to get there. At nearly 8,000 ft. above sea level, Machu Picchu is perched amongst one of Peru’s highest mountain ranges. Meaning whichever route you take to reach the Inca Citadel, you’ll have to deal with some major altitude adjustments.

Before embarking on your Inca adventure, check out these potential pitfalls to ensure you’re prepared for the trip.

Feeling funny?

The most pressing concern when ascending to high altitude—defined as any height above 8,000 ft.—is altitude sickness. This occurs when the body doesn’t have enough time to adapt to decreased air pressure and oxygen levels. Symptoms include dizziness, fatigue, shortness of breath, and loss of appetite.

While not everyone who hikes to Machu Picchu will be afflicted by altitude sickness, those who are may see their Inca adventure come to an abrupt end. To prevent this from happening, take Diamox one to two days before starting your hike. The medication helps reduce symptoms and eases the adjustment to altitude.

It’s also a good idea to take the hike slow. Your body needs time to acclimatize to the altitude. To help with the acclimatization process and to make sure you have enough energy, keep yourself well hydrated and fed throughout the hike. The porters cooking your meals should help with this, but it’s still a good idea to throw a hydration pack in your bag and some high calorie snacks.

If you do start to experience symptoms, stop and rest for at least a day. If they don’t go away, it might be time for you to turn around.

Choose a trail, any trail

There are many ways to get to Machu Picchu. The most popular is the Inca Trail, a four-day, three-night hike through lush cloud forests, ancient Inca ruins, and majestic Andean peaks. In 2002, however, the Peruvian Ministry of Culture introduced permits for the trail, limiting the number of people to 500 a day (approximately 300 of those permits are allocated to cooks, porters, and guides, leaving only 200 for tourists).

To hike the Inca Trail, you have to book it months in advance. It isn’t a particularly long hike, spanning only 40 kilometres, but it is straight up some steep Andean paths. The trail hits its peak at Dead Woman’s Pass (named after the crests that resemble a woman’s supine body) standing 13,828 ft. above sea level.

If you weren’t able to secure a permit, don’t worry. There are other options. The Salcantay Route is much easier to book and just as scenic. Taking anywhere between five to eight days, this mule-assisted hike passes by the 20,500 ft. Mount Salcanty, one of the most sacred peaks in Inca religion.

You pass Mount Salcanty at an altitude of 15,000 ft. before plunging into a subtropical cloud forest, eventually passing the ancient Incan ruins of Llactapata, nearly as rewarding a sight as Machu Picchu.

If you’re looking for a more moderate hike—one that involves a train—try The Lares Route. Taking between three to five days, this trek leads you through the Lares Valley, home to Peruvian locals who still practice Inca traditions like raising herds of llamas and weaving cloth. Along the way, you pass by the 18,000 ft. Mount Veronica and a number of high-altitude Lakes. The trail ends near the Ollantaytambo ruins, only a short train ride away from Machu Picchu.

Dress for the weather…all of it

The higher you ascend, the more the air pressure decreases and the further apart the air molecules spread, causing the temperature to drop. Yet, in the case of Machu Picchu, you may also experience a scorching midday sun that has you sweating through your jacket. To deal with the swings in temperature, wear layers. This way you can shed them as you hike.

When you book your trip, be wary of the time of year. End of November to beginning of April is Peru’s rainy season. Many of the trails are closed between these months, but in case you do manage to book a hike during this time of year, bring a waterproof rain jacket and tent fly. You never know when you might get caught in a downpour. Starting each morning’s hike soaking wet is a surefire way to catch a cold.

Get in shape!

This one should be obvious, but if you’re going to attempt a four-day hike at high altitude make sure you’re physically prepared. You don’t want to be the person gasping for breath after the first couple hours. Not only will it ruin the experience but it will hold back the group.

In order to prepare for the hike, focus on cardio exercises like running, walking, and swimming. Try to introduce these exercises into your daily routine a few months before your trip. And if you really want to be prepared, come in for a workout at Altitude Athletic Training in Toronto.

 

We can help make sure you’re training effectively to resist fatigue and maintain high energy on your trek. Exposure to the altitude environment will help you pre-acclimate to reduce and prevent symptoms of altitude sickness. You can find some more benefits here: Hiking, Climbing and Mountaineering. Machu Picchu will feel like a walk in the park after working out with us.

Altitude for Rehab and Re-conditioning

by | Altitude Training Information, Endurance, General Fitness, Power

Why altitude training will help your clients get better results during rehab?

Most of us expect to lose some level of conditioning when we get injured. But that doesn’t have to be the case.

Altitude training for sports rehab can be used to create a stimulus that maximizes aerobic output, while reducing training intensity and load on recovering tissue.

Therefore, sessions at simulated altitude (i.e a walk on the treadmill in a simulated altitude chamber or a spin on the bike with an altitude mask) can be done at lower intensities with greater benefit and help recovering clients maintain cardiovascular fitness while injured.

The goal is to mitigate the de-conditioning effect and accelerate the re-conditioning process, providing maximum aerobic adaptations during recovery.

Injuries are never easy, but with intelligent program design and training, clients can get back to full fitness faster and stronger than before.

Minimize De-conditioning, Maximize Re-conditioning

Altitude Athletic can facilitate the return-to-fitness process using specific altitude protocols designed to maintain cardiovascular fitness during injury.

Protocols can be either passive (Intermittent Hypoxic Breathing*) or active and built for varying levels of exercise tolerance.

*Intermittent Hypoxic Breathing (IHB) consists of breathing very low oxygen air from a stationary position (seated) in a series of intervals interspersed with sea-level breathing.

altitude training for sports rehab

Altitude Training for Sports Rehab: Training Recommendations

  • “My client is recovering from an injury and can still exercise.”

If you have a client who can still train actively, use an active intermittent hypoxic training protocol.

For instance, a protocol that has been used for this scenario is 30 minutes of continuous aerobic exercise as close to 75% of max heart rate as possible at 14.5% O2. The goal is to ease the client into a reconditioning program that still elicits a greater performance adaptation. Therefore, reconditioning is more effective and faster than it would have been at sea level.

  • “My client is recovering from an injury and cannot tolerate exercise.”

If your client is struggles to exercise – for example an elderly individual or someone with cardiovascular disease – use a passive breathing protocol. These protocols are based on a tolerance test, for example: 4-6 rounds, 3-5 minutes ON 3-5 minutes OFF at 14.5%-10% O2.

With severely de-conditioned individuals, passive exposures can increase fitness level, aerobic capacity, exercise tolerance, performance and quality of life. Passive exposures can also offset some level of de-conditioning.

Opportunities for Physios and Clinics

By building altitude training into your client’s rehabilitation, you now have a solution to minimize unnecessary de-conditioning and maximize re-coniditioning at the acute and post-injury stages. The result is happier clients, better results achieved faster and greater success for your practice.

You’ve also opened the door to populations with low-exercise tolerance who previously had few solutions for re-conditioning. Intermittent Hypoxic Breathing is game-changing for their health and quality of life. The opportunities provided from this new market will offer a huge boost to your business.

References

(1) Training High-Living Low: Changes of Aerobic Performance and Muscle Structure with Training at Simulated Altitude

(2) Endurance Training in Normobaric Hypoxia Imposes Less Physical Stress for Geriatric Rehabilitation

(3) The effects of intermittent hypoxic training on aerobic capacity and endurance performance in cyclists

(4) The Effects of Aerobic Exercise at Hypoxic Condition during 6 Weeks on Body Composition, Blood Pressure, Arterial Stiffness, and Blood Lipid Level in Obese Women

(5) Effects of systemic hypoxia on human muscular adaptations to resistance exercise training

(6) The effect of acute exercise in hypoxia on flow-mediated vasodilation

(7) Intermittent hypoxia increases exercise tolerance in elderly men with and without coronary artery disease

(8) Intermittent hypoxia training as non-pharmacologic therapy for cardiovascular diseases: Practical analysis on methods and equipment

See Results Faster – Why Altitude is Great for the Busy Professional

by | Altitude Training Information, General Fitness

altitude training for the busy professional

With many of us back to the office – we can no longer be as generous with our lunchtime workouts. If you can squeeze a lunchtime workout in, often it’s less than an hour — which isn’t much if you factor in transit time to the gym and showering after the workout. So, how do you get the most out of your workout in the shortest amount of time and see faster results? Training at altitude presents an ideal solution to this dilemma.

It's What's in the Air That's Different

Efficiency is one of the greatest assets of altitude. Training in an environment with less available oxygen triggers physiological adaptations (changes in the body) that can lead to fitness and performance benefits. And due to the unique demands altitude puts on the body, results can be seen in less time than the same workout at sea-level. Adaptations include: 

  • Increased Mitochondrial Density: Hypoxic conditions stimulate the production and density of mitochondria within muscle cells. Mitochondria are responsible for aerobic energy production. With more mitochondria, muscles can generate energy more efficiently, leading to improved endurance and performance. This efficiency means athletes can achieve the same or greater physical output with less effort and in less time compared to training at sea level.

  • Enhanced Capillary Density: Exposure to hypoxic environments promotes the growth of new capillaries that deliver oxygen-rich blood to muscles. This increase in capillary density enhances oxygen delivery and nutrient exchange, improving muscle endurance and recovery. As a result, athletes can sustain higher-intensity efforts for longer periods without experiencing as much fatigue, ultimately making their workouts more productive in less time.
  • Improved Muscle Buffering Capacity: Muscles adapt to hypoxic stress by improving their ability to buffer and remove metabolic byproducts like lactate. This adaptation delays the onset of muscle fatigue during intense exercise, allowing athletes to maintain higher workloads and intensity levels throughout their training sessions. By reducing the recovery time needed between sets or intervals, athletes can complete more effective workouts in a shorter total time.
  • Enhanced Oxygen Extraction and Utilization: The body becomes more efficient at extracting oxygen from the bloodstream and using it within muscle cells. This efficiency improvement supports higher aerobic capacity and optimizes energy production during exercise. Athletes experience improved stamina and can perform more work per unit of oxygen consumed, maximizing the effectiveness of each training session.
  • Increased Respiratory Efficiency: Training in hypoxic conditions strengthens respiratory muscles and enhances lung function. This improvement in respiratory efficiency allows athletes to breathe more effectively during exercise, taking in more oxygen and expelling carbon dioxide more efficiently. As a result, athletes can sustain higher-intensity efforts for longer periods without becoming as breathless, ultimately improving overall workout efficiency.

You will be working harder at altitude. For instance, your heart rate will be elevated and your cardiovascular, pulmonary and oxygen utilization systems will be working harder to meet the energy demand required with less oxygen available.

Higher Efficiency, Lower Impact

Despite being harder in some aspects, people are often surprised to learn that altitude training is much easier on the joints. You can work at a lower impact with less wear and tear on the body, and get the same if not better benefits than sea-level training in less time.

While commonly praised for its physiological benefits among professional athletes, an adaptive approach to exercising at altitude can enhance anyone’s overall fitness. Efficient in burning more calories during a given amount of time than at sea level, the time-crunched gym-goer can get a great workout completed in as little as 30 minutes — a reasonable amount of time to squeeze in to busy days.

Simulated Altitude Training

This all sounds great – but this whole time you may have been wondering how on earth you are going to get up to altitude if you live in a sea-level city, like Toronto. That’s where simulated altitude training comes in.

Altitude training is exercising in, sleeping in, or simply inhaling the oxygen-reduced air that you find at high altitudes. Simulated altitude gyms are one of the best methods for replicating high altitude conditions at sea-level. Picture a gym that is fully-equipped with treadmills, bikes, squat racks and dumbbells but encased in a high-altitude chamber.

personal training, science and analysis

It's All in The Science

The latest research on simulated altitude training shows greater improvements in body composition, overall fitness and health factors for the same amount of training at sea-level. In one study, participants saw a greater increase in muscle mass with 7 weeks of altitude training compared to participants doing the equivalent sea-level training. The altitude group saw an increase in muscle mass of 1.80% compared to the sea-level group, which saw an increase of just 0.38%. Also, the altitude group saw a significant decrease in fat mass of 6.83% compared to the sea level group, which actually increased their fat mass by 1.26%.  To read the full study, click here.

By leveraging these physiological adaptations through hypoxic training, busy professionals can achieve greater fitness gains and performance improvements in less total workout time. The combination of enhanced energy production, improved endurance, and reduced fatigue translates into more effective training sessions that yield measurable results sooner than traditional sea-level training methods.

It’s time to see faster results. For more info on training at Altitude, check out our memberships and follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

Climbing Kilimanjaro? Here’s Why You Should Be Doing Simulated Altitude Training

by | Altitude Training Information, Hiking, Climbing and Mountaineering

Kilimanjaro Summit Image

You’ve decided to climb Kilimanjaro. At 5,895 m, you’ll be tackling the tallest mountain in Africa. Are you ready?

Being physically prepared is critical to a successful climb. You want to think back on your trip with fond memories of reaching the summit and feeling good, not turning back early. For most of us, these trips are an expensive, once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing. Having to cut your trip short due to altitude sickness, lack of fitness or both is a shame. Especially because there are tools out there to help prevent that from happening.

 

Simulated Altitude Training for Climbing Kilimanjaro

If you live at sea-level and can’t easily access the mountains, you may want to consider what’s called ‘simulated altitude training’. Simulated altitude training is exercising in or breathing air with less oxygen to replicate the thinner air you find up in the mountains. Simulated altitude is created by decreasing the percentage of oxygen in the air below 20.9% oxygen (the amount of oxygen in the air at sea-level).

From sleeping in an altitude tent to lifting weights at an altitude gym, simulated altitude training methods can be used to get you ready for Kilimanjaro. We break down the two most commonly used methods below:

 

Method 1: Intermittent Hypoxic Training

Intermittent Hypoxic Training (IHT) is living at sea-level and exercising at altitude. If you’ve got a stationary bike or treadmill at home, you can use a simulated altitude training mask to breath hypoxic air while you’re training. Otherwise, there are special gyms that can actually simulate altitude with no masks needed. 

These shorter duration workouts at simulated altitude are designed to provide a greater training intensity. They trigger physiological adaptations that can improve overall health and performance. These adaptations require a minimum training period of 4-6 weeks, 3-4x per week. Sessions should last around 60 minutes.

 
Simulated Altitude Gym – Intermittent Hypoxic Training

Perform Better at High-Altitude

IHT optimizes the body’s ability to use and process the oxygen available to it. Why does that matter to you as a hiker preparing for Kilimanjaro? Because when your muscles and tissues use oxygen more efficiently, you can sustain longer periods of exertion. This becomes especially important when there is less oxygen available to you at high altitudes.

Another good thing about training your body to use oxygen more efficiently? You’ll reduce reliance on supplemental oxygen. Usually, climbers do not need supplemental oxygen to climb Kilimanjaro or reach the summit. But, if you find yourself in a position where you do need it, training at altitude can help extend the life of your oxygen tank.

 

Delay Fatigue and Recover Faster Between Treks

The more you can push away the start of fatigue during your trek, the better. In altitude environments, metabolic by-products associated with fatigue build up quicker with less oxygen available to the muscles. (Think of that burning feeling in your legs during a hard spin class). Training at simulated altitude can reduce and delay the onset of fatigue during physical activity by increasing the buffering capacity of metabolic by-products. We’re essentially making our bodies better at pushing away these fatigue-causing by-products.

 

Method 2: Live High, Train Low

Live high train low (LHTL) is living at high altitudes and training at lower altitudes (close to sea-level). Living in an altitude environment stimulates changes in the blood that can lead to improved performance and help with pre-acclimation.

If you live at sea-level, it’s not easy to just pack up and move out to a place like Flagstaff, Arizona where you can live at 2100m and a short 30-minute commute can get you to 950m. An easier option? Sleep tents and larger altitude tents can be set up at home, so you can get 6+ hours of high-altitude exposure and then be back down to sea-level in seconds. This strategy requires a minimum of 3-4 weeks. However, 6-12 weeks is better so that the altitude can be ramped up slowly.

 

Reduce Risk of Acute Mountain Sickness

LHTL can lower the age of red blood cells and increase hemoglobin mass (hemoglobin is an oxygen-carrying protein). These changes in the blood can help reduce and prevent symptoms of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). Also, many people struggle when sleeping at altitude. Fatigue will increase the risk of something going wrong on the mountain. Sleeping at altitude in the weeks leading up to your trip will help your body get used to the reduced oxygen and improve quality of sleep.

 

Final Thoughts

Climbing Kilimanjaro is a physical challenge. Many people underestimate the fitness required for this mountain. (Or say they would have enjoyed the trip more had they been in better shape). Simulated altitude training will not only help you get in shape for the climb, but also prepare you for the altitude. Then, your hard work will be rewarded by a beautiful, peaceful and enjoyable climb.

 

 

References:

(1)

(2)

(3)

Altitude Athletic is Toronto’s first and one of the largest altitude training facilities in the world. We’re here to help you prepare for your next big climb, event or meet your health goals. Click here to learn more about what we do at Altitude.

Contact Us

A Conversation With Justyn Knight – Canadian Record Holder and Olympic Track Star

by | Altitude Training Information, Endurance, General Fitness, Power

“Don’t be scared to fail, I fail all the time” – Justyn Knight

At the end of the February, we capped off The Altitude 5K Challenge. This was a challenge for runners of all levels to see who can run the fastest 5km on the treadmill when the altitude chamber is set to 9000ft elevation.

After a month that saw all sorts of runners from the community come out and participate in some friendly competition, we were left with our winners. Congratulations to our top runners – Dan Rowland and Catherine Dawe – on running the fastest times of 18:20 and 23:00 respectively in the male and female categories.

To top off our event, I was able to do an interview via Instagram live with one of the world’s fastest 5km runners, Justyn Knight. It was full of laughs, heartfelt words and some “off the track questions.”

If you are unfamiliar with Justyn, he has a fairly impressive resume on the track. Justyn competed at the Tokyo Olympics, placing 7th overall in the 5000m race. He’s also the Canadian record holder for the indoor 1500m. He holds the second fastest 5000m in North America running a time of 12 minutes and 51 seconds. He’s a two-time world finalist, two-time NCAA champion and jokingly the best self-proclaimed dual athlete in the Greater Toronto Area (he actually might be right).

In today’s blog post, I will be highlighting some of Justyn’s responses in case you don’t have time to watch the entire interview. I get you are probably busy!

 

All Things Justyn And Running

“Was running always your passion?”

To some people’s surprise, for quite some time running was NOT his passion. Justyn was all about the “balling life” and lived and breathed basketball for much of his life, including high school. He actually got into running by accident, well sort of an accident. Although he was a stand out basketball athlete, he was not doing well in gym class, and to boost his mark he had to go run 5km.

Wearing only basketball shoes and shorts, he started his run and set a 5km school record. From there, he realized that he should give running a shot. But this came at a cost of choosing between running and basketball. I think he made the correct decision.

“What are some tips for someone just getting into running?”

Truly falling in love with running is something Justyn thinks is extremely important, it is not something you can do for 10 hours all day like shoot hoops, pucks or playing volleyball. It is a different type of fun, so you have to find ways to keep it fun. He also said, “Notice and internalize your wins in running, those will help you keep going no matter how small they are.”

“What are your tips for someone pursuing a career in running?”

Pursuing a career or any professional sport is extremely difficult and not glamourous like people might think it is. There is a lot of time spent in the proverbial “trenches of training”. You are on a journey that won’t be a straight line to the top. Don’t compare yourself to others because you have no idea where that person is on in their journey. We also live in a day and age of social media.

People posting their workouts can create a comparison culture. Justyn felt this when he would see people training paces that he wasn’t doing and sometimes felt discouraged. Running is very independent, so have faith in the way you are training. The greatest sprinter of all time – Usain Bolt – didn’t have very nice facilities or the best technology. So fancy isn’t always better.

 

Justyn On Tackling BIG Goals

Justyn has his own little spin when it comes to setting goals. You have probably heard of the acronym S.M.A.R.T goals – with the “R” standing for realistic. Well, when you compete at the highest level you probably have to do things a little differently and cliché acronyms might not work. That’s why Justyn talked about setting unrealistic goals for himself.

Of course, it takes some mental toughness to know you that you will likely fall consistently short of your goals. Justyn’s theory is that if he shows up to practice and trains for that unrealistic goal, falling short of his goal will still put him in a place of success. Races rarely go perfect. Even if you did everything right you can’t control what others do in the race. In his mind, if he just set realistic goals, he might not perform at the level he wants to.

 

Overcoming Failure

“People will say that was an L (loss), but to me that L stands for lesson, and you can always learn from a loss” – Justyn Knight

People looking from the outside in often just see Justyn as this incredibly successful runner. You hear the stories of the winning moments far more than the losses he had endured through his running career. He had two pivotal moments in his running career. The first one was during college when he first paced 143rd and then one year later came in 4th. The second was when he turned pro, he came in 25 pounds over race weight, running his slowest time ever and placing dead last.

He kept that race bib wrote his time on it and put it up on his fridge as a reminder of the disappointment he felt, and what he was working towards everyday. Justyn has a unique way of dealing with his failures. He doesn’t simply ignore them. But rather, immerses himself in his feelings and “feels bad” for himself for around 2 days before he bounces back. Once he bounces back, he remembers not to take today for granted because it will impact tomorrow.

 

 

Celebrating Successes

Justyn would not be where he is today if it wasn’t for his talent and incredible work ethic. He shared some of his sweetest memories of racing. In 2017, he went to the world championship finals and was racing against people he watched on TV. These were people who he looked up to as role models.

Prior to the race, he looked at the final heat and felt like he had no business being in that race. Yet he still placed in the middle of the pack in 9th position – a milestone so young in his career. His all-time favourite memory was not at the Olympics. But rather winning a national championship with his team at Syracuse University. Running is a very independent sport. But when you win as a team and you can share that experience it just makes it so much more magical.

 

Fun Facts About Justyn

“Who is your childhood hero”

Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, their work ethic was unmatched and that’s what I strive for.

“If you were to pick an animal that most closely represents your personality traits, what are you choosing?”

My little cockapoo dog, we both get up to no good.

“If you were going on a first date where is the first date taking place?”

Couldn’t give away his secret…..but he does love the cheese cake factory.

“What is your middle name”

Marcus

“What is your go to pump up song”

Rumors by Lil’ Dirk

“What is your pre race meal?”

It was chicken parmesan in college but now I don’t have to have it anymore because competing internationally you don’t know what food you will have access to.

“Do you do any cross training?”

He does weight training and plyometrics, but doesn’t really know his plan, just does what the coach tells him to do.

(As someone who trains lots of athletes, I can verify this happens more than often, even at the professional level.)

“Would you ever do a group run led by yourself for the local fans of Toronto?

Yes! As long as people are going to show up….so if you are in the Toronto area and love running be on the look out for this post.

 

 

It was an absolute pleasure to interview Justyn Knight, he is truly a one-of-a-kind person. He’s down-to-earth, humble and fiercely competitive. But he also knows not to take life so seriously and have some good laughs. He is a true leader in his community on and off the tack. Thank you Justyn!

You can follow him on Instagram @justyn.knight for more updates on his career and maybe a chance to participate in a community led run by the legend himself, stay tuned!

Training for Strength – The Power of the Sprint

by | Altitude Training Information, General Fitness, Power

Whether you’re looking to build endurance, improve your running economy, or build strength and power, including high-intensity sprint-based workouts is one of the best tools to integrate into your training arsenal.

 

There are many different types of workouts for endurance athletes. But today we’re going to focus on the benefits of high-intensity training, particularly sprint-style.

 

Sprint-interval workouts (SITs) offer three main benefits:

 

  • Improved time to exhaustion (aka, improved endurance)
  • Increased maximal running speed
  • Improved time trial speed (aka, improved running economy/speed)

 

“Low and slow” training has garnered a significant amount of attention in recent years as many endurance athletes have touted its benefits. Low-intensity, high-volume training can indeed be an effective way to train, but for athletes who are looking to improve on specific aspects of their performance or who feel they have “plateaued”, introducing SIT training can help to break through these performance ceilings.

 

Sprint Training: What and How?

 

There are many different approaches to introducing sprints into your routine. In fact, research has shown that completing 3 workouts per week for even just two weeks will result in improved performance. In this case, the workouts consisted of 4-7 rounds of 30 second “all out” sprints with 4 minutes of rest in-between. However, it has also been found throughout the duration of a full training program, no more than 20% of total training volume should be made up of high-intensity work. This may increase propensity of injury as well as create levels of bodily stress that are too difficult to recover from when total mileage is very high. As with all good endurance training plans, finding the right balance between volume and intensity is highly individualized.

 

In general, we recommend that beginner athletes (those who have been running or cycling for less than 1 year) start with a higher-intensity workout once per week. More seasoned athletes can do two, while being careful to plan other hard workouts far enough away from hard efforts to allow the body to recover. For example:

 

Sunday: Long Run

Monday: Off/Easy Cross Train

Tuesday: High Intensity (Tempo or Interval)

Wednesday: Recovery Run

Thursday: Off/Easy Cross Train

Friday: High Intensity (Tempo or Interval)

Saturday: Recovery Run

 

Remember that within any given run, there are loads of options and variability. For example, a tempo run may consist of all-out 30-second efforts like in the research. Or it may consist of something like 4 minute intervals at 70% of maximal effort. Changing things up is key!

power athlete male sprinters

Cons of SIT Training

 

From an injury standpoint, full-blown, 100% effort workouts should be used sparingly as they are quite challenging on the body. The amount of load associated with using muscles to their maximum capacity is quite a bit higher than just going for an average run. If the body isn’t used to this, tendons and muscles may rebel – resulting in muscle strains.

 

The other consideration for many people is that true sprint work is…hard work. To truly expend 90%+ of our maximal effort requires a high level of self-discipline and tolerance to discomfort. Of course, for those aiming to push the limits, this is part of the process. However, that doesn’t necessarily make it more fun. Here’s where you have to use some psychological tricks. Music and group classes are two great ways to turn a hard workout into a social competition.

 

Pros of SIT Training

 

As we mentioned, the performance gains from SIT training can be substantial. Another part of this equation is the improvement in mental toughness. In any race, long or short, comes a moment of self-doubt or inner critic that tells you that this does not feel good and to stop, now! The gifted athlete will recognize this feeling. They’ll learn to recognize it as a normal part of competition, even a good part of competition, and learn how to override it.

However, this can take practice. You are less likely to experience true, full fatigue with a slower workout. But when muscles are burning and the lungs and heart are pumping hard, it can require all you’ve got to not pull over to the side and stop. Experiencing this again and again, and also in the company of others can train you for what’s inevitably going to happen during race day so that you’re prepared to face discomfort head on.

Other Ways to Boost Speed and Power

 

One of the basic principles of training is the “Specificity” principle. Essentially, training specificity states that in order to achieve the greatest gains in our ability to perform a chosen task, the majority of our training must be spent performing that task or tasks that are extremely similar to it. Basically, what you practice is what you do. Going for a long walk won’t really help you with marathon training. Hours on an elliptical won’t improve your 100m sprint time. So, if you really do want to work on speed and power as a cyclist, you’ve really got to spend some time in the saddle.

 

However, there are other ways to help improve the body’s strength and conditioning. Primarily through specific strengthening exercises to targeted specific muscle groups. Exercises like squats, deadlifts, and lunges completed at high weight/low reps can improve the number and size of muscle fibres. This can assist you in being able to move faster and stronger. Note that specificity still applies here – someone engaged in cycling is best to focus on quadriceps and glute musculature while runners are wise to focus on the “springy” muscles like calves.

 

Finally, for runners in particular, another way to improve form, strength, and endurance is to add hill reps into your training program. Going up hills, focus on explosive power from your glutes, and high knees lifting through the hips. On the down, focus on trying to keep your feet underneath you and letting gravity do the work. Begin with 5 reps of 30 second uphill sprints, walking down. You can increase this number week to week and go as high as 10.

 

Remember – it never gets easier, you just get faster! And that’s the goal with sprint training!

 

About the Author

Lauren Roberts is a Registered Physiotherapist and Founder of The Running Physio in Toronto. For more information on her team, the clinic, and for more running and endurance sport blogs, visit www.therunningphysio.ca.

 

References:

Jerome Koral, D. J. (2018). Six Sessions of Sprint Interval Training Improves Running Performance in Trained Athletes. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 617-623.

Seiler, S. (2019). What is Best Practice for Training Intensity and Duration Distribution in Endurance Athletes? Human Kinetics Journals, 276-291.