W O R D S : A S H M A H I N AY
ACHIEVE OLYMP The athletic greats train for their medal quest, like all others. Why can’t you do what they do? Here we plan out an
a t y uo p 2 kg SPEEd
M E N TA L
2016 O LY M P I C 10 0 M Q uA L I f Y I N G T I M E : 10.16 seconds AV E RAG E P E R S O N’S S P R I NT T I M E: around 15 seconds P H I L I P P I N E 10 0 M R E C O R d : Eric Shaun Cray’s 10.25
Now, you probably don’t have your 100m sprint time lying around, so how about something you may have tried? Like a 10km run, which is a popular weekend warrior activity. According to Jeff Lo, owner of Pinoy Fitness, sixty percent of the field makes it under the hour mark in their SUB1 10k Challenge, but the average speed ends up at one hour. The single fastest runner did it in 35. Olympic qualifying time? 28. Luh! How do you get to Flash-level speed?
THE BASIC BRO’S WORKOUT “All training programs follow a periodization. There are two types: linear and undulating,” explains Jose Gemora, certified strength and conditioning specialist by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and associate head coach of 360 Fitness Club. “Those who are new to workouts will likely respond to a linear type of periodization where you peak after 12-14 weeks...an average joe will most likely respond to a linear type of training because they can recover easily and it’s not that taxing on the body.” H E R E ’ S A SA M P L E O f A L I N E A R w O R KO u T
Endurance Strength training (week 1-4) 1 week rest Strength Hypertrophy training (week 5-9) 1 week rest Power training (week 11-14)
LO N G E S T EV E R O LY M P I C M ATC H - 2012 M E N’ S T E N N I S S I N G L E S f I NAL: 4 hours and 26 minutes
How can we possibly stay focused for that long? Marcus Jarwin Manalo, sport psychology specialist of the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (responsible for our national boxing team) and assistant professor at the College of Human Kinetics, University of the Philippines Diliman, says that the secret to coming out of the gates at 100 percent is identifying your optimal activation or arousal level. “This is highly individualized, and dependent on the sport and individual. A good way to identify your optimal level is by going back to your psychological state during your best performance”
PREPARING YOUR MIND FOR GAMES According to sports psychologist Marcus Manalo “If there is a certain routine that has been working well for you, then it is wise to stick with it. Nonetheless, here is a general pre-game routine that our national boxers do and that I can also suggest to other athletes...” 01 E N GAG E I N R O u T I N E
“Upon arrival at the venue, you may engage in your preferred routine. You could listen to music, read books, watch videos, chat with teammates, etc. The key here is it should be in line with achieving your optimal psychological state. For example, the type of music you listen to depends on whether you want a high level (upbeat music) or low level of activation (relaxing music).” 02 TAK E d E E P B R E AT H S
In comparison, athletes compress it into a compressed time and peak faster: Week 1-2 (a day’s rest in between training days) Day 1-Endurance, Day 2- Power, Day 3-Strength Week 3-4 Day 1- Endurance, 2- Strength, 3- Rest, 4- Endurance Hypertrophy 5-Strength, 6- Rest
ROAD TO RIO?
“Taking deep, slow, and rhythmic breaths will help you achieve a relaxed and focused state. By focusing solely on your inhalation and exhalation, you will be able to stay in the present and clear your thoughts of distractions.” 03 C R E AT E I M AG E RY
“After getting into a relaxed state, it is now best to do imagery of the skills you will execute and the strategies you will use in competition. It’s like playing movies in your head. It is important to imagine the potential challenges that you will face and see yourself being able to handle those challenges well.”
S O H Ow G O O d A R E f I L I P I N O S AT B E I N G fAS T ?
According to Gemora, “There is always one dominant muscle fiber type for each person. People with Type IIx fibers will have the ability to run faster. Training can help you, even though you’re Type I dominant, but Type II’s will respond more, even if they undergo the same training protocol.” How does that affect our Pinoy sprinters? “Filipinos are fast, but, we look slower than foreign athletes because of height limitations. When you sprint there are two keys to running faster: stride rate and stride length. We have no problem with stride rate but because they are taller than us, their stride length is longer. Sometimes a stride rate ratio of 2:1 where we need two steps to reach the length of their first step is observed when competing at a higher level,” says Gemora.
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ROAD TO RIO? dOES TH E PI NOY u N dE R dOG M E NTALITY G IVE AN E dG E?
We asked Manalo whether relying on #puso mentality is a good thing: “When Filipino athletes are considered ‘underdogs,’ the potential advantage is that they compete with less pressure. In addition, the focus is put more on the process [execution of strategies and game plans, playing with all-out effort] rather than the outcome/winning. This type of focus is actually ideal since you focus on the things under your control. The disadvantage? “It might be easier to get intimidated, distracted and to succumb to negative thoughts.”
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