🚧 Workout Progressions
Strength
Coming soon...
Speed
Maximum Speed
For mountain athletes, the best way to develop maximum speed is to use varied inclines to reduce the chance of injury. Maximal flat sprints should be avoided primarily because they are high-injury, and flat-track speed isn't as beneficial as uphill speed.
| Week | Reps & Work | Incline |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6x 8s | steep |
| 2 | 8x 8s | steep |
| 3 | 10x 8s | steep |
| 4 | 4x 10s | moderate |
| 5 | 8x 10s | steep |
| 6 | 5x 12s | moderate |
| 7 | 10x 10s | steep |
| 8 | 2x each of 8s, 10s, 12s | moderate |
Speed Endurance
After the base work of Maximum speed, the following workouts can be used to transition into anaerobic capacity work.
| Week | Reps & Work | Incline |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | 8x 10s steep, 1x 20s moderate | mixed |
| 10 | 4x 8s, 1x 20s | moderate |
| 11 | 8x 10s steep, 1x 24s moderate | mixed |
| 12 | 2x 8s, 2x 10s, 1x 12s, 1x 20s, 1x 24s | moderate |
| 13 | 4x 12s, 1x 20s, 1x 24s | mixed |
Speed Maintenance
Once through the initial speed development, Speed Maintenance workouts can be used for maintenance and sometimes included in taper weeks.
| Week | Reps, Work, & Incline | Intent |
|---|---|---|
| Every 2-5 weeks | 3-5x 8-10s steep, 2x 20s moderate | Maximum Speed focused |
| Every 2-5 weeks | 2x 10s steep, 1x 12s, 1x 20s, 1x 24s moderate | Speed Endurance focused |
The Maximum Speed, Speed Endurance, and Speed Maintenance progressions were adapted from Steve Magness's suggested workouts in The Science of Running. My versions avoid flat sprints to minimize the chance of injury and convert track distances to duration to make them usable in variable terrain. For an explanation of the benefits of speed training, check out the Maximum Speed explanation.