Energy Systems Development Guide For Spartan Racing

Energy Systems Development, or ESD, in all honesty is a fancy name for cardiorespiratory exercise. If you are trying to train for a Spartan Race you need to get your cardio training in but traditional cardio training rarely works. ESD is a much more appropriate terms for what we are trying to accomplish so we refer to this type of training as Energy Systems Development.

 

You don’t need a degree in exercise physiology and bioenergetics to understand what you are trying to do here (it can help but is not necessary). I teach these subjects at a community college in San Diego. I will start a lecture with the question, “How do we make energy?” This is typically followed by blank stares. I often have to check to make sure I did not grow a second head.

 

One brave student might shout out that we eat foods with carbs, fats, and proteins that we use for energy. This is often a misconception, that food is fuel for our body. Foods contact macronutrients (carbs, fats, and proteins) that are broken down. We break these molecules down to break bonds and release energy that we can use. But the food is not the fuel, ATP or adenosine triphosphate is. Without boring you anymore with physiology to be brief we have three systems in the body that we use to generate ATP. Improving the efficiency of these three systems in referred to as ESD.

 

When we exercise each of these systems is working hard to supply us the energy we need to continue working out. If these systems cannot keep up with the pace you are trying to go you will fatigue and slow down. The more efficient these systems work the less energy you spend during your training and the further and harder you can go.

 

You goal of your training program is to improve each system so they all work together more efficiently. Most people will only focus on one. When you go into a typical gym or see people running outside you will typically see someone going at a moderate to lower intensity effort for a longer period of time. While this training is important it should not be the only type of training you should do.

 

The purpose of this article is to help you get started setting up your training program from assessment to application of the different types of workouts. Along with this resource you will also find our done for you training programs for the various distances of races you will be performing. This article will explain what each of the workouts entails so you will understand the done for your programs better and learn how to apply them.

 

The Assessment

 

It is always recommended that you know where you are starting from in any training program. If you have not checked out all the assessments that we recommend on the Spartan Underground website I suggest you check it out. For the purposes of your energy systems development you can start with a 1 mile run or 1.5 mile for time. This is just a simple and effect way to measure your cardiorespiratory endurance.

 

Another assessment that we recommend is the ventilatory threshold test. For this test you will need a treadmill with a HR monitor. For this test you can perform it on your own and just need to evaluate your breathing patterns.

 

Here is how you perform the test. First you will start with a 5-10 minute warm up of low intensity. When you are ready to start the test you will increase your intensity. Start by increasing the speed until you hit a confortable running speed, and then increase the incline. So when you begin just raise the mph up 1 or incline up 1. Perform that intensity for 1 minute. At the end of the minute you will record your HR and say the alphabet. Really you can say anything but we are using the talk test so it is good to use something familiar. For the alphabet you can recite it until the letter P. That will be good enough for the purposes of this test. If you can do this without any pauses for breathing, then increase the intensity again and repeat for a minute. You will continue to do this until you notice you have to take a breath during the alphabet. When this happens you will record what you Heart Rate is. This is going to be your ventilatory threshold 1. You will continue the testing procedures until you get to the point where you are uncomfortable saying the alphabet and have to pause considerably to breath. Mark this HR down as your ventilatory threshold 2.   This is the completion of the test. Now you have two HR that you can use to better plan your running programs. These will determine what intensity you should be running.

 

The Workouts:

 

Now that you have your heart rate numbers you will know the appropriate intensity for each workout. The goal is not to just go balls to the wall as hard as you can. You will be very strategic in your workouts to maximize the results. Remember your goal is to train all of the energy systems not just one, so intensity levels will be very important.

 

Slow Long Distance Training

 

This type of workout is what most people are use to doing so we will start with it. The name tells it all. The purpose of this workout is to be lower intensity (slow) and work on improving duration. This type of training is great for enhance your fat utilization for fuel so you spare your glycogen stores for when you need them (like jumping an 8ft wall).

 

This can be hard to do for some but it is important to keep this intensity low. You will use your VT1 HR for your guide. Your goal is to perform 45 minutes + at this intensity. How long you go will depend on the race length you are training for. We will have a done for your program available on wwww.spartanunderground.com based on the Sprint, Super, Or Beast.

 

A sample workout might be a 60 minute run maintaining your HR at your VT1 level the entire time. This would also be a great place to throw in a hike up a mountain to get some hill work in.

 

Aerobic Interval Training

 

These workouts will enhance your bodies ability to produce energy aerobically but also improve the glycolytic system. Since it is an interval workout you will alternate between periods of higher intensity with lower intensity. These are aerobic intervals so they should not be very high intensity. Just slightly higher.

 

Your goal will to perform a work interval of 2-5 minutes alternated with a recovery interval of the same duration. Your goal for intensity is to keep your HR between your VT1 and VT2 numbers. Your hard interval will be closer but not over your VT2 and your recovery should drop it back down to your VT1 or close to it.

 

A sample workout might be 8 rounds of 5 minutes just below VT2 with 5 minutes around VT1.

 

Tempo Running or Race Pace

 

These types of workouts are often called race pace training because you are hitting high intensities that you typically would race at. These are going to be shorter workouts since they performed at high intensities. You goal is to maintain your HR at your VT2 level. You will try and stay at this intensity anywhere from 15-40 minutes. Think of this as a really long sprint. You are staying at the hardest pace you can hit for that time.

 

A sample workout would be perform 30 minutes at your VT2 intensity.

 

Fartlek Training

 

I know sounds like a made up word, but it is a real and effective training method. This is a Swedish word that translates to “speed play.” This is almost like a running game you are going to play. It is a form of interval training but there is not set. For this workout you will perform 30-60 minutes of running with random intervals. When you feel up to it you will run at a high intensity. This is usually set up by a distance or a time. For example if you are running outside you might decide to sprint to the end of the street your are on and then slow down again. If you are on the treadmill you might just decide to do a 1 minute hard interval or just run hard for as long as you can and then slow back down.

 

You will repeat this pattern throughout your run. It is impossible to give a sample workout because it will be random intervals during your run. Your HR should be tween VT1 and VT2 throughout the run though.

 

High Intensity Interval Training

 

HIIT will be similar to aerobic intervals, but now you will focus on intensity levels at or above your VT2 and the duration will be much shorter. Work intervals will last anywhere from 20 seconds to 2 minutes. You recovery will be slightly longer than your work. Look for a 1:3 ratio to start and you can adjust longer or shorter. The major mistake people make is they do not allow enough recovery and they cannot hit these high intensities for each interval. These types of workouts are focusing mainly on the first two energy systems so you need to make sure you recover. If not you are still training aerobically primarily.   These workouts will last typically 30 minutes or less.

 

A popular training method that is being used for HIIT are 10-20-30 workouts. Research has shown this to be an incredibly effective way to improve Vo2 max with much shorter workouts. In this method you will perform 30 seconds of lower intensity jogging, 20 seconds of higher intensity running, and then 10 seconds of sprinting. You would repeat this series for a total of 5 rounds or 5 minutes. Then rest 2-5 minutes and repeat for 2-5 rounds.

 

A sample workout might be 6X400m sprints with 3 minutes walking/jogging recovery. Or we can get a great hill workout in to practice the inevitable hill climbs you will face during a race. You could do 6 x 60 second hill sprints with the walk down your recovery.

 

Supra-maximal Interval Training

 

Our next interval workout is of the highest intensity. These are essentially all out sprints. Your HR will be hitting levels above your VT2. You should not be able to maintain this intensity for more than 20 seconds. Work duration will be anything under 20s of maximal intensity followed by a longer recovery. You will need a 1:6-1:10 work to rest ratio but adjust as needed for your level. Here we are primarily targeting the first energy system, although you can see improvements in the other systems as well.

 

One clear example is from the Tabata study. If you are not familiar this was a famous study using incredibly high intensities. The format was 8 rounds of 20 second all out sprints followed by a 10 second recovery. This breaks the rest rule set above, so this is only used with advanced fitness levels. Otherwise you will not be able to maintain high enough intensity for the entire workout.

 

These workouts typically will last 15 minutes or less. A sample workout might be 8x100m sprints with 3 minute recovery in between sprints.

 

Cross Training (Split Training)

 

Our final workout is just a reminder to cross train. When training for a Spartan Race you need to be running and hiking. But sometimes we tend to over train. Running is high impact and if you are putting in a lot of miles you might be risking injury. Cross training will just give you a break from running, but still allow you to get a good workout in.

 

Cross training simply means performing some other form of aerobic exercise other than running or hiking. This could be bike work, in the pool, elliptical, or other sporting activity.

 

One favorite cross training workout I recommend is split training. This simple means incorporating 2-3 different forms of exercise in one workout. Mix it in one of your tempo workouts. For example you could try this workout. Start on a bike with a 5 minute warm up. Then perform 10 minutes of high intensity work on the bike. Then walk over to an elliptical and perform 10 minutes of high intensity work. And finally walk over to a stair climber and perform 10 minutes of high intensity work. It would be a total of 30 minutes work time plus the warm up and any time spent getting from one piece to the next.

 

These workouts will be the foundation of your program. Depending on how much time you have per week you will want to get 2-3 workouts in. It is recommended to vary each workout. If you are getting 3 workouts in you can pick one low intensity, one moderate intensity and one high intensity workout each week. This way you will train all the different energy systems and be better prepared for what you will find the in race.