In-Season Training Part 2 - The High / Low Training System

Who remembers Ben Johnson? 100m sprinter who was the first high profile athlete to be banned for steroid use after setting a new world record in the 100m at Seoul?

Well his coach was a guy named Charlie Francis who also happens to be one of the most highly respected strength coaches who ever lived. If you're in the strength and conditioning game like I am then you'd have heard of him for sure as a lot of his principles are still reinforced by today's current crop of coaches.

As part of his training methodology he devises the high / low training system. His reasoning was, for sprinters especially, to train all high intensity activities on the 1 day followed by all low intensity activities the next day.

These days would alternate throughout the week or training cycle.

His theory was that the high intensity work (95 - 100% fastest time or heaviest lift) had a high nervous system demand which enhances muscle fibre recruitment and requires a minimum of 48hrs recovery.

Low intensity work (75% of fastest time or heaviest lift) enhances speed through increased capillary density (greater oxygen distribution) and enhances recovery through activation of the parasympathetic nervous system.

This what constitutes the high and low days.

Medium intensity work 76 - 94% of fastest time or heaviest lift), where most teams and players train, is what he avoided. Basically, medium intensity work is too light or slow to get faster or stronger from (not in all cases though), and is too high an intensity to recovery from in 24hrs as it builds up the greatest amount of fatigue.

Here are a list of what he classified as high intensity activities:

• Sprinting
• Jumps
• Explosive Medicine Ball Work
• Max Agility Drills
• Explosive (Olympic) Barbell Lifts
• Lower Body Max Effort Strength Training

Here is a list of what he classifies as low intensity exercises:

• Tempo Runs
• Medicine Ball Circuit Throws and Passes
• Bodyweight Circuits
• Sub Maximal Agility Drills
• Range of Motion Work

If we're talking footy, which we do here, then our list looks like this:

High - Specific Sprint Training, Specific Jump Training, Specific Agility Training, Max Effort Speed/Strength Resistance Training

Medium - Long Skill Drills

Low - Aerobic Work, Short Sub Maximal Skill Work

At footy training you should be covering almost all of these at some point during the year which means Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday are your high days.

This leaves as Monday and Wednesday as your low days with Friday and Sunday probably being your off days.

This means that any extra training you are doing needs to fit in line with your high and low days. So if you're a bit of an animal and love a few gym sessions during the week then your heavier stuff is probably best placed on the Tuesday which, yes means you'll train twice that day, but it also means that you've out all your high stress on the as little days as you can meaning more days for recovery - which is king during the season.

You'll also see that a lot of out skill drills from Tuesday and Thursday will probably fall in the medium intensity category which we can't avoid but we can avoid inducing even more fatigue with what you do outside of team training. 

Have a look at your training plan see how it all lines up with the high / low system and if you need a hand re-jigging things a little let me know via our Facebook page.