Programming Advice to Help Crush My Arrogant Friend

[vanillared]

Hi Starting Strength Community,

I am looking for advice to help crush my arrogant friend. I used to run track and my friend stated there was no way he could lose to me in a foot race. He has put up, and I have agreed to let him have 6 months to lose the 70 pounds he has gained. So in the months left I want to train to crush him.

The contest will be 100m sprint, 200m sprint (there and back), 5km run. Best 2 out of three wins.

The plan is thus
Monday: Squat, Bench, Deadlift
Tuesday: HIIT
Thursday: Squat, Press, Deadlift
Friday: progressively longer runs

I am 34, 5’10’, 210 freedom units.
Squat 285 (down from 325 since lay-off)
Deadlift 300 (down from 315 after lay-off)
Bench 185 (down from 205 since lay-off)
Press 142.5 (down from 155 since lay-off)

I have access to power rack, bars, weights, an AirDyne bike and some typically CrossFit stuff.

Any advice would be appreciated on the programming with the goal of smoking my friend.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Save the conditioning/running for the last 5 weeks.

[bikesandcars]

I'm not qualified to give advice but here's my $.02 free internet opinion:

6 months is a long time, no sense going nuts with the running too early (to Rip's point). You can make big strides strength training or cutting weight though.

At 5-10 210 and those numbers you are probably 30-40 lbs over weight for running competition. That's OK if you are doing the program, but not optimal for track competition. How do you feel about losing body fat / weight vs progressing in strength / weights?

My observation in life is that sprinting speed is largely genetic whereas the 5K variability between trained in untrained is much larger. We don't know how your genetics line up with your buddies. If you have poor sprint genetics I'd do SS with a bias towards lowering weight and improving conditioning and try to take the 200 and 5K. If you have superior sprint genetics then concentrate on strength and speed and crush the 100/200, strength train either way but optimize what you are good at if you just care about winning.

I think you have many options and could train 2 or 3 days per week: None of this is doing the program. Running isn't doing the program, it doesn't fit in well. You need to eat a lot and recover on your off days to maximize strength gain and do the program, which is generally the antithesis of getting faster running.

Regardless: some example programs I thought up, the options are infinite:

3 days per week (strength emphasis)

A workout:
Squat
Bench
Deadlift
prowler / sled drag 10 minutes

B workout
Squat
Bench
Deadlift
1 mile fast run (or 2x 1/2 mile, or 4 x 1/4 mile, whatever)

2 days per week (conditioning emphasis):

A workout: (monday)
Squat
Bench
Deadlift

A Conditioning (tuesday)
-Recovery / conditioning circuit. For example: 5 sets of pushups, chins, box jumps. The point is to get blood flowing and get the heart rate up to aid recovery and get some conditioning in. Don't go to failure, don't over-think it, and realize you are flailing about the crossfit gym straying far from the program and slowing your gains.
-prowler / sled drag 20 minutes

B workout (Thursday)
Squat
Bench
Deadlift

B Conditioning (Friday)
Recovery / conditioning circuit
1 building to 3 mile fast run (or 4x 1/2 mile, or 8 x 1/4 mile, whatever)

Off days:
if you are sedentary (i.e. office job not construction job) get at least 1/2 hour of light conditioning work on your off days... walk 1.5 miles briskly, slow bike, etc

Mobility and Recovery:
foam roll / stretch / light band work to aid recovery, in the AM at least, 2 x a day or more if you need to


Getting closer to your competition increase your B workout sprints to 3 miles. If you don't have time or energy to push it after lifting deload your weights and take less rest between. If your lifting suffers so what, it's about crushing your buddy.

Every 4th week take a slight deload in things you think are getting too hard

The week of the competition taper the volume and intensity. (duh).

[bikesandcars]

Can't edit threads here: B workout i meant squat / press / deadlift (Per the program) not just benching.

[daniel_ponzo]

Here is what I would do:

Don't even worry about the 5K. Training for a 100 or 200 is predominantly anaerobic and doing NLP or an early intermediate program like HLM or Texas will directly contribute to your sprinting.

5 weeks out (like Rip wrote) I would start doing a light warm up and then maybe 100 - 200 meter sprints on Wednesday (instead of light squats) and on Saturday (so you can still recover for your volume day on Monday). Maybe start with 3-5 sprints and then some heavy sled pushing and taper up to 6-8 sprints by week three. Back off the sled on weeks four and five and taper the sprints back down on week five to 3 sprints.

Threat the week of the race like a meet, and just do enough to make sure you are rested but not de-trained.