Building a base

[VaultPurple]

So how important is it to build a base during the off season. I know almost all running events do it. Cross country hits 70 to 100 miles a week during summer and cross country season, sprinters run 800s. But pole vaulters just seem to do sprint workouts all year long. This is not a xc pole vault topic. I'm not talking about serious long distance workouts. Just maybe a two mile run twice a week (while still vaulting twice a week, doing form running, and high bar stuff) to build your legs up so they can handle intense sprint work outs later in the fall.

[rainbowgirl28]

So how important is it to build a base during the off season. I know almost all running events do it. Cross country hits 70 to 100 miles a week during summer and cross country season, sprinters run 800s. But pole vaulters just seem to do sprint workouts all year long. This is not a xc pole vault topic. I'm not talking about serious long distance workouts. Just maybe a two mile run twice a week (while still vaulting twice a week, doing form running, and high bar stuff) to build your legs up so they can handle intense sprint work outs later in the fall.

It's probably a little different for each person. Jogging, biking, swimming, whatever. How much of a base you need to build probably depends on what your fall training is like, what your general fitness is like now, and how your body responds to it.

[bel142]

The off season is a weird time...

Because, preseason training, indoor and outdoor track and field can take place in all 12 months, once you finish your year you need to take a few days/weeks off to allow your body to peek and detrain. I just finished my training and season that started last august. So to make sure I don't get burnt out for next season the next few weeks are going to allow my body to recover and heal. The next 10 days i will be fairly in active (Not a couch potato just fairly restful)... Roughly 2 weeks from now I will start playing sports that I can't do during training/competition season. Roughly 3 weeks from now I will start lifting again 1-3 times a week, and roughly 4 weeks from now I will start very light technique work fixing my plant and other things that hindered my performance this past season, and not forget what a pole feels like.

Your body trains and performs in segments and series like mountain ranges there are peeks and there are valleys, the human body can not perform at the peek all the time. This is true with micro and macro training scales from week to week and year to year. This year, not to many guys may jump 6 meters but on an olympic year every one and their brother is jumping 5.90+.

Generally you want to return to school or your preseason a little bit more in shape and stronger than the year before. However you probably do not want to return right where you left off from the previous season, track and field training and competition takes so long that if you return from a summer of training for pole vault, come november you may get to be burnt out and that may affect you hindering you performance in January and February. When every one else is starting to peek for indoor championships, you are coming off a big valley in your training and your season can be hindered just a tick.

In my opinion and study, the off season is just that, off, use it to get a little faster and stronger, get involved in other sports that maybe you can't do in season. I play soccer and rock climb... Just like in training, lifting too much gets to a point of diminishing returns. You may be getting really strong but you may be also putting on unwanted weight. Stay fit, have fun, be safe...

hope that helps,
-bel

[vault3rb0y]

amen to playing other sports.

I took 2 weeks off and started into 30min jogs 3 times a week, with a high bar core workout and sand vaulting twice a week. I started feeling my shins act up a little yesterday, so im back to nothing but stretching and core work again. Im also going to be doing the rehab necessary for my shins to get better (or as good as they get... not sure if it will ever fully go away). Im also taking martial arts classes, swimming/surfing, playing volleyball, soccer, basketball, etc. Mentally, you want to be excited and anxious to start your training in the fall. If you are like me, 9 months of vaulting mentally drains you.

As far as building a base, i think it's important to be fit enough to put in quality vault practices throughout the year. In this light, i believe building a core is important, but that as the season goes on your focus should shift toward quality vault days. This year during the fall we would do 20min runs, vertical runs (hills, stadiums, etc), and 300s, 200s, 100s on top of our sprint work. It pays off, but even while doing these workouts, your vaulting should take priority IMO. At least once a week for most the fall you should be getting reps of GOOD vaults. If you can't do that because you are too sore, go back down to as basic drills as you need to in order to get something productive. Doing it wrong is counterproductive.

[xjoeyx]

ehh well this is my first season so i can't say what has happened more of what ill probably end up doing..

i'll play summer lax(distance running/sprinting and fun )
try to get back on my bike and go ride maybe go to the bmx track.
after summer track is over i'll really put more focus into having fun and trying to get in better shape for whenever i start my pre-season training. I really want to break my school record next year but I'm going to at most be vaulting once a week in the off-season and doing stuff on the highbar. Not any real lifting or full on stuff until i start my pre-season in oct.

[VaultPurple]

yeah i was planning on taking summer easy... but "knock on wood", my shin and calf splints went away about a month before the season ended, and I still like I have a few things I need to accomplish this year so I really want to keep vaulting.

So right now for the past two weeks my schedule has looked like this:

Sunday: Vault, then upper body workout with push-ups, pull-ups, and a few dumbbell stuff
Monday: about a mile (6 min Jog around a park trail), dynamic warm up with strides, skips, lunges and such, throw 300 meter run in twice between strides, then cool down with another lap around trail and do some high bar stuff. Then that night I have a lower body workout with body weight and low weight squats on one and two legs.
Tuesday: Rest, sometimes warm up and stretch and some abs
Wednesday: Vault, then upper body workout with dumbbells
Thursday: Same as Monday except no extra lower body work out.
Friday: 20min jog then a long plyometric work out.
Saturday: Rest

[powerplant42]

I think you're spending a little too much time with strength... especially since you're probably in the post-season cycle...

As far as building a base goes, it's not rocket science:

Spend time getting your cardiovascular endurance up with some 1k's through the woods or some 400's at 80% late in the off-season. Spend a little bit of time in the weightroom (advice specifically for you ) doing your basic lifts with HIGH VOLUME, LOW INTENSITY. Play other sports. Do gymnastics!!! Etc., etc., etc.

[yankee814]

This summer I'm only going to have access to a vaulting facility for two weeks: I'm working a middle school clinic early in the off-season from june 27-28 and again later in the summer from august 19-22 at a camp.

I've joined a local 'gym' because there is tons of stuff I can do there: Full gymnastics studio with parallel bars, rings, trampolines, ropes, mats (aka tons of good stuff )
I'm also going to do a couple runs with the JV Cross Country Kids to make sure I keep my endurance around (never more than 4-5 miles)
Joined A system of "Push-up parties" (twice a week) with other athletes in my school including wrestlers, other track kids, gymnasts, soccer players, and lacrosse players.

Obviously I'll throw in a couple of speed work outs and the occasional weight room work (nothing crazy: squats, other stuff that was recommended in my weight room thread).

Is this good for a freshman vaulter going to be a sophmore who has no vaulting facilities? I've pretty much exhausted the money i've earned throughout the year so I'm on a tight budget from here on out

[KirkB]

What's a push-up party?

[vault3rb0y]

Before you do ANY type of workout program, you need to figure out WHY you are doing it, and what goals you have. When you sign up for a workout with a gym, there's a reason they have you fill out your goals, because they base your workout from that. People wanting to lose weight have a very different workout plan than people who want to peak for a distance race 2 months from now. Although there training may look similar, if you dont have goals in mind and know how to reach them, it's like taking a 10 hour road trip to nowhere.... you have made some ground but you havent really gone anywhere.

My goals look like this- i start from my peak in march for the Big Ten Indoor Championship.

I am skipping most of the fall training, because that is out of my control, my goal coming into the fall, given by my coach, is to be more fit and athletic than i was last year. Specifically for me, I need my shins to feel 100%, more cardio endurance, more strength/body weight (specifically lose body fat and gain lean muscle), increase my v02 max, and be mentally refreshed and ready to go in the fall.

WORKING FROM THESE GOALS....
i am cutting out a focus on vaulting and mentally working on the vault for a month or so to reach the "mental" freshness.
I installed a high bar and will do NO WEIGHTS but simply push ups, pull ups, dips, and hand stand push ups.
I will do tons and tons of core and gymnastic exercises on high bar, with a focus on fun and core strength (not vault drills).
I started doing 3 30min runs a week early morning, but when my shins started hurting i decided to switch to swimming and MMA training instead.

This base you are talking about will be built once the fall training starts. If you kill yourself in the summer, you will be physically and mentally drained before your season even starts next year. Your goal should be a steady workout routine that is not injuring you and works specifically on certain aspects discussed between you and your coach.

[ACvault]

Look guys, the summertime is not the time to be pressing. I don't care how much you workout or how structured your plan is, any training you do now isn't going to help you much when it counts. I understand not wanting to lose fitness, but you're not competing right now. You need to lose fitness to let your body recover. Even to the college vaulters, you will have 4 months to get ready for your first meet when you get back to school, so chill.

If you want to workout, then do non impact exercises. But like vault3rboy said, have goals in mind. Build your core, do gymnastics, vault from short run. Bottom line, if you want to workout then fine. But don't worry about getting really strong or fast, just try to reach other small goals.

[bel142]

In terms of training effect and specificity of training, many people write that their training involves 20 min or longer runs. When in reality those can be detrimental to vault training in season. Pole vault is not an aerobic sport. There is no real reason to train the oxidative and slow twitch muscles when training. This is not to say cardiovascular fitness is not important, it absolutely is for the sport however, a full vault from start to end may take about 7 - 10 seconds, this is strictly anaerobic. Physiologically this only relies on the ATP/CP system of energy for movement, and only really brushes the surface of the glycogen stores in muscles, if at all.

There are still ways to get an aerobic work out from training for the vault but its not going to be in a 6 mile run. When building a base for training, yes longer runs are essential but for the vault however once you start getting past 400 meters this really doesn't effect your vault positively very much. When building a base I would say 20 min is about the longest you want to run, this is when glycogen stores run out and the activity becomes aerobic. But much longer than this you are just burning calories for the sake of burning calories. So if you come back from a few months off you may need the 6 mile run on an elliptical but when "training" i would say no...

The same is true when lifting, when building a base building muscle will be important. But bulky muscle doesn't help the vault a whole lot, so there is a point of diminishing returns. Pole vault needs explosive/ballistic movements, in season (when not building a base) lifts needs to be lighter and explosive most of the strength increases are going to be neurological and not so much growth of muscle.