Which Comes First, Cardio or Weights_ - Alex Hutchinson [107]
Is endurance or sprint speed more important in field sports like soccer?
For decades, sports scientists have focused their attention on two opposite ends of the athletic spectrum: endurance and speed. But the demands of sports like soccer, rugby, and basketball don’t fit neatly into either one of these pigeonholes. Time–motion studies using GPS and video tracking have found that top soccer players cover up to 7.5 miles over the course of a typical match, which certainly requires endurance. On the other hand, games are won and lost when one player beats another to the ball by a few inches. The same analyses find that players make somewhere between 20 and 60 short, all-out sprints during a match, each lasting two to four seconds and covering 10 to 30 yards. It’s this “repeated sprint ability” that separates good players from great ones, and scientists have finally started studying how to improve this trait.
The first time you sprint during a game, about 80 percent of the energy you need is provided by short-term fuel sources that don’t require any oxygen, while the remaining 20 percent is aerobic. With short recoveries between sprints, the aerobic component rises to about 50 percent when you make your third sprint, and eventually reaches about 75 percent for each sprint after you’ve been playing for a while. At this point, according to McMaster University researcher Stuart Phillips, you’re relying on carbohydrate stores in the same way long-distance runners do. As a result, the optimal fueling strategies are essentially the same as for endurance challenges: make sure your carbohydrate stores are full before the game starts (see Chapter 10), and keep topping them up throughout.
So what’s the best way to improve your ability to keep sprinting late in the game? In a 2010 study, French researchers compared two approaches. One group of elite teen soccer players focused on developing their explosive strength once a week, performing a series of drills, including vertical and horizontal jumps, hurdles, and sprints. Another group focused on repeated sprint training, doing up to three sets of six shuttle sprints (running 20 meters, touching the ground, then returning to the start position as quickly as possible) with about 20 seconds of rest between sprints. Both groups improved the maximum speed for a single sprint, but only the second group improved their times for repeated sprints—a crucial distinction, since several studies have found that performance on repeated sprint tests is a strong predictor of better performance in matches.
Similar patterns are seen in other sports. Rugby is similar to soccer, with players covering about six miles and spending about 25 percent of that time in the “critical performance zone” where they’re chasing a ball or an opponent at close to maximum intensity. In ice hockey, players cover only about 2.5 miles but spend half that time in the critical performance zone. Basketball players, competing on a smaller surface, cover about 1.3 miles and spend 20 percent of that time in the critical performance zone. Each sport has slightly different demands, but they all have a start-stop rhythm that you can prepare for by doing repeated sprints with short rests and rapid changes of direction.
CHEAT SHEET: THE COMPETITIVE EDGE
• Gradually reduce your training volume by 41 to 60 percent over a period of 8 to 14 days before a competition to maximize performance. Don’t change training frequency or intensity.
• Sex before competition is unlikely to have any physical effects but could affect mental readiness. Stick to a familiar routine.
• Downing a slushy ice beverage can lower your core temperature enough to boost endurance on hot days.
• Caffeine is a powerful performance enhancer, acting as a stimulant and directly on your muscles; coffee has less predictable effects due to its complex mix of ingredients.
• Competing in a familiar environment may offer