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5k (19 Min 48 Sec). 2/28/2015


The Natural

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For the past year or so I have trained to run a 5K in under twenty minutes. It took me three tries. Now I think I'll turn my attention to a grip goal.

EDIT: Official time of 19:49.3. Overall 7th place.

A hard-earned training tip: quality (specificity in particular) of one's running is more important than quantity. If you want to run a better 5K, train at and below the average mile speed that you need to achieve your desired 5K time. "Long and slow" runs are not what you need for a better 5K time.

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Edited by The Natural
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What grip goal do you have?

Tom, I have a good Rolling Thunder number in mind. 250 pounds, maybe. I could achieve that without having to change much about my pull up training (goal of 20 pull ups) or full body training. The RT training would also provide a good general base of strength for any other grip goal I may pursue afterwards.

Congrats Rex!

Thanks man. Thought about you the other day. Hope all is well in AZ.

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Congrats man. You look a lot healthier in this pic then some of the older videos you have posted.(lean and strong)

I'd be pretty happy with a sub 25 right now, I've started light jogging at nights. Are you saying to train fast miles on a track instead of longer runs?

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Congrats man. You look a lot healthier in this pic then some of the older videos you have posted.(lean and strong)

I'd be pretty happy with a sub 25 right now, I've started light jogging at nights. Are you saying to train fast miles on a track instead of longer runs?

For the last 5K I ran (20:48), I put in about 28 miles per week of running, most of which was done at around an 8:00 minute pace. I was in great shape but the fitness was not sport specific.

This time I reduced my running to about 12 miles per week, most of which was done between 5:50 and 7:00 minutes per mile. I'd bust ass on a treadmill or an outdoor hill circuit for 20 to 25 minutes, call it quits, then do it again two days later.

Some will doubt that a sub-20 5K can be run with only 12 miles of training per week. Virtually every running expert on the Internet recommends much more volume than that. But it's the truth. And I cut a minute off of my time.

I think that long-and-slow runs are useful for novices who need to build an aerobic base without risking injury. But once a guy can run four miles in thirty minutes, he's got all the aerobic base that he needs. At that point he needs to run faster over shorter distances, which taxes a different energy system.

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Congrats Rex!

Thanks man. Thought about you the other day. Hope all is well in AZ.

All is well. Kid's are keeping us super busy.

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Congrats! You have some serious speed there

I'm trying to stay in healthy body (running 15km per week) and trying to beat that 5k in 20min, but still 2.5min away.

When you trained for it, did you run all 5k at the same pace ~4min/km or you did it in pieces like 3.5min/km then a little jog then again 3.5min/km? And how long was your run usually?

J.

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Congrats! You have some serious speed there

I'm trying to stay in healthy body (running 15km per week) and trying to beat that 5k in 20min, but still 2.5min away.

When you trained for it, did you run all 5k at the same pace ~4min/km or you did it in pieces like 3.5min/km then a little jog then again 3.5min/km? And how long was your run usually?

J.

Juri, thanks.

I used three workouts in order to avoid boredom and plateaus.

One workout was simply a simulation 5K. I ran three miles on a one degree incline as fast as I could. I always tried to go for a PR. If I sensed that a PR was possible, I would increase the speed of the treadmill during the final half mile. But otherwise I ran it at a steady pace.

The second workout consisted of this: run 1.5 miles at a pace that is about 30 seconds slower than what you want to run the 5K in. Walk a couple of minutes. Then run a mile at the 5K pace you need to achieve your goal. Walk a couple of minutes. Then run a half mile at a pace that is a bit faster than the 5K pace you need--an uncomfortable pace. I did this on a one degree incline.

The third workout consisted of these intervals: run a series of .2 mile intervals at varying inclines, with a couple of minutes of walking in between the running intervals. I would start with a 10 degree incline and run it at an 8:00 minute pace. Then I would do a 9 degree incline and run it at a slightly faster pace (e..g 7:49). Then I would run an 8 degree incline at a slightly faster pace, etc. I did this until I couldn't go on anymore, usually quitting after the 4 degree interval.

The third workout was done because I knew that my course had some hills in it. If you don't have hills in the course you are training for, you may have no need for it. I live in the Atlanta, GA area and so hills are very common in running courses.

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Congrats! You have some serious speed there

I'm trying to stay in healthy body (running 15km per week) and trying to beat that 5k in 20min, but still 2.5min away.

When you trained for it, did you run all 5k at the same pace ~4min/km or you did it in pieces like 3.5min/km then a little jog then again 3.5min/km? And how long was your run usually?

J.

Juri, thanks.

I used three workouts in order to avoid boredom and plateaus.

One workout was simply a simulation 5K. I ran three miles on a one degree incline as fast as I could. I always tried to go for a PR. If I sensed that a PR was possible, I would increase the speed of the treadmill during the final half mile. But otherwise I ran it at a steady pace.

The second workout consisted of this: run 1.5 miles at a pace that is about 30 seconds slower than what you want to run the 5K in. Walk a couple of minutes. Then run a mile at the 5K pace you need to achieve your goal. Walk a couple of minutes. Then run a half mile at a pace that is a bit faster than the 5K pace you need--an uncomfortable pace. I did this on a one degree incline.

The third workout consisted of these intervals: run a series of .2 mile intervals at varying inclines, with a couple of minutes of walking in between the running intervals. I would start with a 10 degree incline and run it at an 8:00 minute pace. Then I would do a 9 degree incline and run it at a slightly faster pace (e..g 7:49). Then I would run an 8 degree incline at a slightly faster pace, etc. I did this until I couldn't go on anymore, usually quitting after the 4 degree interval.

The third workout was done because I knew that my course had some hills in it. If you don't have hills in the course you are training for, you may have no need for it. I live in the Atlanta, GA area and so hills are very common in running courses.

Thank you for your answer

Till now I was just running every time just 5k and tried to run my last km faster that other ones. That improved my time pretty well. Some times I'm running 100m 15-20% incline road 10 times up then walking down (run is 100% what I have in the tank). I think (hope) it helps with the 5k challenge. Next run I'll try your nr 2 techique :)

J

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Really impressive Rex! Thank you for posting the training tips and logic as well. Sub 20 is badazz.

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Not a lot of sub-20 minute 5k runners with an 800lb. deadlift and 750+ squat or so, well done Rex!

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Not a lot of sub-20 minute 5k runners with an 800lb. deadlift, well done Rex!

And not many of them weigh over 200!

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Thanks guys.

Magnus, I weighed about 217 pounds on the day of the race.

Running has helped me to understand an observation that Eric Milfeld made in 2009. He said that he found off-season running to be not only consistent but complementary to his deadlift training. I have found the same thing to be true. Running, especially over hills, has allowed me to maintain a decent deadlift despite almost no deadlift training.

Another datum that confirms the experiences of Eric and me is the observation that Louis Simmons made years ago regarding Finnish deadlifters. For being such a small country, Finland produces a disproportionately large number of elite deadlifters. Many of them worked logging jobs that required them to drag logs behind them as they walked. Simmons claimed that the high-volume, low-intensity training works particularly well for hamstrings and calves. This is why Simmons recommends sled-dragging so strongly.

Jogging over hills, while perhaps a bit too high-volume, low intensity to be ideal, nevertheless gives the hamstrings and calves a good workout. My quadriceps have shrunk over the past few months but my hamstrings bulge and my calves are well-defined.

So keep that in mind if you want to build up your hamstrings and calves. Running hills is worthy enough to be considered alongside GHR's, straight leg deadlifts, squats, etc. for hamstring training. And it keeps visceral fat away too, which is often good for a deadlift specialist.

Edited by The Natural
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Not a lot of sub-20 minute 5k runners with an 800lb. deadlift and 750+ squat or so, well done Rex!

the guy in that picture ain't pulling 800 and squating 750. A former drug induced shell maybe, but not the product in the pic.

I think I recall this guy talking about taking stuff to lift said weights, because those numbers are not possible natural. The name the natural becomes really funny.

Good work on the 5k time. Crazy fast.

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Not a lot of sub-20 minute 5k runners with an 800lb. deadlift and 750+ squat or so, well done Rex!

the guy in that picture ain't pulling 800 and squating 750. A former drug induced shell maybe, but not the product in the pic.

I think I recall this guy talking about taking stuff to lift said weights, because those numbers are not possible natural. The name the natural becomes really funny.

Good work on the 5k time. Crazy fast.

I have a friend that squats 750 raw in IPF, lifetime drugfree of course. I don't know how many random off season tests he has passed, but it's been more than I can keep track of and he has passed all of them. I've worked with him and I know roughly how much money he makes so I definitely know that he can't afford "designer drugs". So those numbers are definitely possible natural.

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Well this guy admitted he was on stuff. And I personally know a few guys both powerlifting and strongman and the guys pulling 800 and squating that much are not natural.

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Well this guy admitted he was on stuff. And I personally know a few guys both powerlifting and strongman and the guys pulling 800 and squating that much are not natural.

That may well be, but it doesn't mean that it's not possible to hit those numbers as a natural lifter.

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Well this guy admitted he was on stuff. And I personally know a few guys both powerlifting and strongman and the guys pulling 800 and squating that much are not natural.

That may well be, but it doesn't mean that it's not possible to hit those numbers as a natural lifter.

im not going to say it's absolutly not possible but it's highly unlikely. And the op admitted to using so it's a moot point in this situation anyway.
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King Crusher made some legitimate points...

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