Help me think about HIC sprint workouts

[Maxrip13]

I may be overthinking this, but:

What is the meaning of diminishing speed across an interval workout? How does it affect my programming progression on the interval workout?
Last night I ran my first official 600 reset.
I ran 4 intervals: 2:36,2:32,2:40,2:50 The last interval felt like I was jogging even though I was pushing as hard as possible, probably due to leg fatigue? Do I progress these by adding intervals, even if they get progressively slower? If I go from running a 7:30 pace for the first couple, to let's say a 9:00 pace, is that 9:00 paced interval still affecting the adaptation I'm targeting? - cardiac hypertrophy I think, according to the book.

What about shorter sprint/rest intervals like oxygen debt? I assume there would be a rapid fall-off in time for the intervals, due to accumulated fatigue.

I know I can just keep adding intervals and tough it out, but I'm trying to keep the minimum effective dose in mind, and mindfulness of the training goal

Thanks in advance

You have had some good replies above, but my 2 cents.

It comes down to what your goal is in the training session and what those intervals are meant to achieve.
You also need to take into account your running/conditioning background and aerobic base..
Drop off is normal if this is new to you. After a base build 5 mins rest is well and truly more than enough for me and I speed up as I warm up.

There are two ways to do these types of sprint intervals:

600m Resets
600m interval with 5+min rest= Full recovery between sets provided you have a decent aerobic/sprinting background.
This means less drop off between sets and the ability to hit that 600m interval with a higher intensity.
This causes hypertrophy of the heart(to simplify) and leads to a higher cardiac output(more blood pumped).
Has positive adaptions to the body for long term improvement.

Oxygen Debt/Traditional sprint repeats etc
600m repeats with minimal rest= Minimal recovery between sets. Starting each round without full recovery of the body.
Rapid drop off due to fatigue, depending on background and conditioning.
This is your traditional suck it up and grind session. To simplify your ability to grind through that rapid breathing, burning leg feeling and operate in extreme situations.
In my opinion has positive mental adaptions, but minimal long term physiological improvement.
Good to rotate in for the occasional "smash session".

If you don't have a good aerobic base and a background in 600m+ sprints you are going to drop off a bit. My recommendation is to hit 90-95% for your sprints because this will give you 90% of the training benefit anyway. Save your 100% effort for game day whether that's sport or the tactical environment. If you are just training for your health and well being and have no interest in competing, then you can pick a conditioning session and treat that as your "game day". I would recommend monthly if you want to see improvements.

[Green2Blue]

I always do "Maximum sustainable effort throughout the entirety of the workout."

100% max effort throughout the entire workout will burn you out in a matter of minutes or less. That's like going to failure on EVERY SET when you lift.

[Aelian]

From Joel Jamiesion's MMA Conditioning book:

"...as with any method that is focused on increasing power, the key is to perform whatever exercise you are doing with 100% intensity and perform at the absolute highest rate possible. In essence, it is using this system to the maximum of its power generating abilities that provides the stimulus for it to improve, so going half speed won't get the job done.
If you choose to do sprints for example, you must sprint as hard and as fast as you can."

Page 58 under Lactic Power Intervals. Besides LPI, there are other categories he prescribes the same.

There most definitely is a time and place for maximum output when it comes to conditioning. Don't take this as me saying that this applies to all conditioning. Different output/pace/RI create different adaptations and outcomes. You can't necessarily apply all the rules of strength training to cardiovascular training or conditioning. Even so, even within lifting, different intensities generate different outcomes, muscle failure (high intensity) = good for hypertrophy. For strength, not so effective.

Naturally, a 100% for 600m is going to be a different 100% from 100m. Easiest no-BS way to figure out what that 100% is is to run it like a race with a training partner, or in your head. Expect your 100% effort to decline naturally as you make your way across the track...but it's within that period of decline that the improvements or adaptations are forced.

*To make myself clear again; this doesn't apply to all HIC or sprint workouts. Just the ones that call for an all out or 100% effort.

[spemma]

great add, thanks Aelian.

would you say that max (re: 100%) effort conditioning days should be used sparingly, the same as max effort strength days? or is conditioning something that lends itself to the ability to train max effort more frequently?

[Aelian]

great add, thanks Aelian.

would you say that max (re: 100%) effort conditioning days should be used sparingly, the same as max effort strength days? or is conditioning something that lends itself to the ability to train max effort more frequently?

Good question, I think like with most things it depends.

Goal: are you trying to become elite in a specialized skillset or are you more of a generalist. Training to run your best 1 mile is going to require a different approach vs training to be an all-around Green operator operatin' in a SOF unit.

You: what are your strengths and weaknesses. What do you need more of, what do you need less of. There are many on this board that can handle hard training twice a day. Others are going to need to build that work capacity.

You again: how much high intensity work can you handle and how does that affect the rest of your life & training. Joel Jamieson writes mostly in the context of fight camp. That means those athletes do nothing but train, eat and sleep. It's an insular controlled environment. They're not working at other jobs and their nutrition, recovery and supplementation is dialed in. They worry about nothing but training.

All of that aside, for the generalist, I like the 80/20 guideline that's been discussed here. 80% long easy work, 20% higher intensity. Within that 20% you can do more or less "100%" work. And again, high intensity work doesn't have to be 100% intensity work all the time.