Concurrent Aerobic & Plyometric...

Any good comments, ideas, articles etc on this subject. My partner is entering the police service recruitment in 12 months.

Her goals include a 5cm increase in vertical jump and 3k run. She is also very small and has an inferiority complex :slight_smile: about her strength, power and combat fitness. She does Aikido & Muay Thai.

Heres a rough idea of the type of program she is building:
· Week 1: Running (1hr 2-3 X week) and Heavy *(85-100%) upper body.
· Week 2: Plyometrics and upper body explosive moves including: *65-85% Bench-Row, Push Press-Hang Clean, Chins-Dips. - Lower Body: Squat, Plyometrics.- Core: Deadlift, crunches, twists and side bends.
· Week 3: Contrast loading from the power-lifts to tyre flipping, sledgehammering, rope climb, bag & pad work, discus, side tyre flip & core, plyometrics, sprints & agility.

Maintenance runs are done on anaerobic weeks and vice versa with condensed plyometric work on run week.

Concerns are:

  1. The 2 weeks between hard runs. The maintenance runs should prevent detraining.
  2. Combining week 2 & 3 and having to choose between the barbell lifts and the tyre flipping, sledgehammering, rope climb, bag & pad work.
  3. Recovery.
    What do you think, too many eggs in 1 basket?

A lot of these principles come from Intensity and Pavels’ newsletter as well as Deepsquatter, T-mag, Check Institute etc.

*Louie Simmons 2001 Percent Training: What is it really? Part II

The keywords is “12 months”.
Why don´t do a program that first creates the bodyweight, strenght and jumping power that is desired and only do some maintenance runs during this period.
Then switch to training that more mimicks the events that is put in use during the testing.
Certan skills that is hard to learn like ropeclimbing should maybe be present during the whole time, if she can do this allready then it´s maybe something els thats perticulary hard to master.

Over a year some 4 months for strenght,power and a little polymetrics. Some runing maybe in the form of short repeted 100-200 m runs.
3-4 months for power and more polymetrics but now more in the form that is being testet plus some special drills for the events that is the hardest. Gradualy increase the distans that is being run.
4-5 months for the final traing where every event that is being tested should be trained.
Running isn´t my strong side but my suggestion is some shorter runs like 2-4 k then ones a week a little longer like 6-8 k.

The conjugate method of periodization which it looks like you’re doing is certainly one way to look at it…Although it is a little more complicated to set a program up that way it certainly will work. Since she has a whole year to achieve these goals you might consider, rather than having each week focusing on something different have a gradual shifting of focus in each performance indicator over time but without every completely neglecting any one area. For more information I would suggest you take a look at some of Coach Davies Renegade programs as well as read Mel Siff’s Supertraining book if you get a chance.

The 3km run will take about 11-15 minutes. Rather than training with one hour steady runs, your friend would do better training hard and short. Say 4 by 800 metres or 3 by 1000 metres at a pace about 10 seconds better than her current 3000 metre race pace. Start with 2 minutes between each run and decrease the rest by 15 seconds each weak, then retime the 3000 after a month. Best of luck

What are the sprints for. in a recent q and a on his site, poliquin dismissed sprints for judo or jujitsu (i forget which one) and suggested a more effecitve in his oppinion alternative.

Thanks for the perspective everyone. Ill go check Polquins site right now.