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General Fitness Improvement Tips

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boulderdomb

Active Member
I was wondering if you could provide me with some tips on improving my overall fitness as a referee. I find that during training my jog speed (which I can run endlessly and still have a conversation at) is almost half the speed of everyone else – even people with a bit more ‘junk in the trunk’ than me. This correlates with other running speeds (3/4s and full sprint) which makes it harder for me to take part in the exercises at training as I feel like I’m constantly holding people back. The biggest problem I have is when I do push myself as hard as I can possible go (heart rate according to my fitbit is 160+) I can run for about 7 seconds and then can’t do anything else for a good 5 minutes. So I suppose, does anyone have any tips for improving the following:

  • Speed Endurance
  • How can I improve my ability to run at speed for longer?
  • My jogging speed is 4mph… anything faster than this and I’m uncomforted and can’t run a mile (genuinely)
  • Speed
  • How can I improve my speed so that my sprint isn’t the 3/4s everyone else is doing?
  • How can I improve my jogging?
 
The Referee Store
boulderdomb said:
I was wondering if you could provide me with some tips on improving my overall fitness as a referee. I find that during training my jog speed (which I can run endlessly and still have a conversation at) is almost half the speed of everyone else – even people with a bit more ‘junk in the trunk’ than me. This correlates with other running speeds (3/4s and full sprint) which makes it harder for me to take part in the exercises at training as I feel like I’m constantly holding people back. The biggest problem I have is when I do push myself as hard as I can possible go (heart rate according to my fitbit is 160+) I can run for about 7 seconds and then can’t do anything else for a good 5 minutes. So I suppose, does anyone have any tips for improving the following:

  • Speed Endurance
  • How can I improve my ability to run at speed for longer?
  • My jogging speed is 4mph… anything faster than this and I’m uncomforted and can’t run a mile (genuinely)
  • Speed
  • How can I improve my speed so that my sprint isn’t the 3/4s everyone else is doing?
  • How can I improve my jogging?
Click to expand...
Think the only answer BB is to run more. The more you run the better you'll get. Try a running club, they usually train weekday evenings and running with a group will bring you on very quickly. If you have the time, Saturday morning parkruns are a great way of measuring performance and being only 5k not too difficult either.
 
boulderdomb said:
I was wondering if you could provide me with some tips on improving my overall fitness as a referee. I find that during training my jog speed (which I can run endlessly and still have a conversation at) is almost half the speed of everyone else – even people with a bit more ‘junk in the trunk’ than me. This correlates with other running speeds (3/4s and full sprint) which makes it harder for me to take part in the exercises at training as I feel like I’m constantly holding people back. The biggest problem I have is when I do push myself as hard as I can possible go (heart rate according to my fitbit is 160+) I can run for about 7 seconds and then can’t do anything else for a good 5 minutes. So I suppose, does anyone have any tips for improving the following:

  • Speed Endurance
  • How can I improve my ability to run at speed for longer?
  • My jogging speed is 4mph… anything faster than this and I’m uncomforted and can’t run a mile (genuinely)
  • Speed
  • How can I improve my speed so that my sprint isn’t the 3/4s everyone else is doing?
  • How can I improve my jogging?
Click to expand...
How old are you? 160+ doesnt seem to high to me. My hr max is 192 and I can average 170s on a 10k run so saying 160+ to me doesnt set any alarm bells.

Every1 is different though. Minty is not to far wrong about running more. I suppose a good starting point would be to tell us what you do currently. We could say run more but for all we know you could run 7 nights a week.
 
Yes, max heart rate should not exceed 220 minus your age. 160 puts you in my age bracket.......
 
Go running where there are plenty of street lights (or tree lined avenues) and get in the habit of sprinting between pairs of streetlights (you can always walk between the next two to recover) Then start increasing the frequency/ length of you sprints, whilst reducing the length of recovery.

Jogging is good, but if you always “just cruise” you’ll not improve. If you can have a conversation, you’re probably not working hard enough. Work at a higher intensity rate, with time (surprisingly little time) your recovery time will start to come down.

Hills are also good. Find a route with hills. If you have to stop, that’s OK, but make a mental note of where you stop, and next time push yourself a little bit further and stop a little further up the hill.
 
@boulderdomb - find a training buddy!

Running on your own is difficult to motivate yourself to do successfully. Running with somebody else can push you to greater jogging speed, greater distance or both.

Come the spring, there will be some L4 & above training for fitness tests. Most local RA's have a couple of sessions for them - join them, you may not make the 2600 they are trying for, but it would be good for your overall fitness. And enjoyable.
 
Mintyref said:
Think the only answer BB is to run more. The more you run the better you'll get. Try a running club, they usually train weekday evenings and running with a group will bring you on very quickly. If you have the time, Saturday morning parkruns are a great way of measuring performance and being only 5k not too difficult either.
Click to expand...
JamesL said:
How old are you? 160+ doesnt seem to high to me. My hr max is 192 and I can average 170s on a 10k run so saying 160+ to me doesnt set any alarm bells.

Every1 is different though. Minty is not to far wrong about running more. I suppose a good starting point would be to tell us what you do currently. We could say run more but for all we know you could run 7 nights a week.
Click to expand...
Mintyref said:
Yes, max heart rate should not exceed 220 minus your age. 160 puts you in my age bracket.......
Click to expand...

My free training session at the gym the PT told not to go above 160 when doing high intensity based on my weight (I'm just under 20st). I'm also 20. Maybe this is wrong?

At the moment, I do the gym 4 days a week (Mon Tue Thu Fri) and then we have training on a Wed. At the gym I mainly do treadmill and bike for 20 minutes each. I then have a game on a Saturday and sometimes on a Sunday. According to my fitbit at training I do an average of 5km which is all high intensity.

My biggest problem is I can run at 4mph and have done 5ks before but if I go any faster than this my performance is almost 1/3rd of what I can do and I'm almost incapable of doing anywhere near what I'd usually do at 4mph again for at least a week.

lincs22 said:
@boulderdomb - find a training buddy!

Running on your own is difficult to motivate yourself to do successfully. Running with somebody else can push you to greater jogging speed, greater distance or both.

Come the spring, there will be some L4 & above training for fitness tests. Most local RA's have a couple of sessions for them - join them, you may not make the 2600 they are trying for, but it would be good for your overall fitness. And enjoyable.
Click to expand...

I think my problem with this is at my speeds I'm holding people back rather than improving anyones fitness.
 
boulderdomb said:
My free training session at the gym the PT told not to go above 160 when doing high intensity based on my weight (I'm just under 20st). I'm also 20. Maybe this is wrong?

At the moment, I do the gym 4 days a week (Mon Tue Thu Fri) and then we have training on a Wed. At the gym I mainly do treadmill and bike for 20 minutes each. I then have a game on a Saturday and sometimes on a Sunday. According to my fitbit at training I do an average of 5km which is all high intensity.

My biggest problem is I can run at 4mph and have done 5ks before but if I go any faster than this my performance is almost 1/3rd of what I can do and I'm almost incapable of doing anywhere near what I'd usually do at 4mph again for at least a week.



I think my problem with this is at my speeds I'm holding people back rather than improving anyones fitness.
Click to expand...
Ok so this tells us a little more.

I think your PT is going to be right... I'd hope anyway.

I think you're on a long term program. I dont mean this out of turn, but I would think your focus has to be on reducing your weight, initially. This will help reduce the workload of your exercises thus garnering the level of improvements you are looking for. So long as what you are doing is burning calories and you're diet is right then you'll be headed in the right direction.

Speak to your PT about possibly taking Spinning classes. This is a really strong cardiovascular workout which is kinder on the knees as you reduce the shock impact of running but should see you hit the 160-70 range your PT is looking at.

Nevermind about holding someone back. You need a buddy. Buddies dont leave people behind. Find someone with similar goals of a similar fitness level. Try a running club. This might sound a bit out there but running clubs have all levels of ability alongside a wealth of knowledge and experience.

Once you've got to a level you are happy at with continuous running you can look to.incorporate interval training and sprint training into your regime.

There's no quick wins to getting fit. Its all about diet and exercise. Set short term and long term goals.. short term just need to be short baby steps so you dont become disheartened about not reaching goals that are too ambitious for where you're at.
Sounds to me like you're already doing all the right things so keep it up :)
 
Overweight Older Man doing the Splits.jpg
Lads, can you refrain from posting for a bit, its Leg Day friday and my phone keeps chirping!! :confused:
 
Yep weight loss key here. My physio reckons every kilo lost will make you three seconds a mile quicker. As someone who has just lost 17 of them I can testify you get quicker. Are you controlling diet too? I use MyFitnessPal an under armour app, works for me.
 
Mintyref said:
Yep weight loss key here. My physio reckons every kilo lost will make you three seconds a mile quicker. As someone who has just lost 17 of them I can testify you get quicker. Are you controlling diet too? I use MyFitnessPal an under armour app, works for me.
Click to expand...
I can attest to the effectiveness of myfitnesspal. I'm 47 5'10 and 175 lbs. I saw 200 for the firs time ever in my life a few years back. Got pissed and determined. I dropped about 20-25 lbs in 3 months. Amazing how if you religiously record Everything, how much you drop. Drinking and snacking were getting me. Once I dropped the first 15 it was amazing how much speed, quickness and stamina I regained on the pitch as a player. Once I hit 40yrs apparently my metabolism has slowed and I must "earn" my beers
 
Mintyref said:
Yes, max heart rate should not exceed 220 minus your age. 160 puts you in my age bracket.......
Click to expand...

That's theoretical and is often way off the mark. There are more scientific models, one of which involves pedalling like an absolute mad man on a static bike and see what you can get it to (doesn't sound especially scientific I know ..!). I did that last year under professional supervision, and it got my maximum as 190, whereas the traditional calculation would be 176.
 
RustyRef said:
That's theoretical and is often way off the mark. There are more scientific models, one of which involves pedalling like an absolute mad man on a static bike and see what you can get it to (doesn't sound especially scientific I know ..!). I did that last year under professional supervision, and it got my maximum as 190, whereas the traditional calculation would be 176.
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Not certain you should be training at max Rusty. That's the point about the 220 base calculation. There should always be something left or you'll break your pump...........
 
Mintyref said:
Not certain you should be training at max Rusty. That's the point about the 220 base calculation. There should always be something left or you'll break your pump...........
Click to expand...

Completely agree, you shouldn't be training at maximum. The point was more that the maximum calculation is a very rough and ready thing and you need to know your actual maximum rather than the theoretical one.

Using my example, if I do a high intensity training session at 80 to 90% of of my theoretical maximum that's 141 to 158. At my actual maximum that becomes 152 to 171, that is a massive difference. Too often people think they are training in a specific zone, whereas they aren't as they are relying in a totally wrong theoretical maximum heart rate.
 
RustyRef said:
Completely agree, you shouldn't be training at maximum. The point was more that the maximum calculation is a very rough and ready thing and you need to know your actual maximum rather than the theoretical one.

Using my example, if I do a high intensity training session at 80 to 90% of of my theoretical maximum that's 141 to 158. At my actual maximum that becomes 152 to 171, that is a massive difference. Too often people think they are training in a specific zone, whereas they aren't as they are relying in a totally wrong theoretical maximum heart rate.
Click to expand...
Point taken
 
I stopped actual dedicated training about ten years ago.
I still referee 4/5 games in a week
No personal trainers, no fancy watches, no heart monitors
And am feeling as fine as I ever did when I was officially one of the fittest guys in the country....3300 for the old test etc...
A lot of it is in the head.
 
I’m at Aintree at moment in full training! This could get ugly tonight with a night out in Scouseland!
 
For the OP: keeping working with a personal trainer if you can, even if it's one session a month, and ideally someone who can help you with gym, running and diet.

I got a PT a year ago, a specialist in speed and endurance. But the diet part is so important. Luckily Ms Sangria had a great PT for diet. Just two weeks of logging every meal changed my world. I found out I had been under eating in season but binge eating a lot. So, big plus one for the MyFitness or similar (I used MyFatSecret). I totally changed the proportion of macros in my diet. On the running side, your body needs specific attention. A PT can help you with the right warm up exercises, daily exercises to help you progress, minimise injury risk etc etc.

But really, there is no substitute for having an expert work with you to help you with own special circumstances. Work out some goals (the 2600 is a great one of course) and go for it.
 
A running club which will then give you a network of people to run with. Park run when possible. If you llearn to enjoy running it becomes less boring(enjoy is probably the wrong word).
 
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