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Barbell Lifting and sprints, interference effect?

ShawnM said:
I think you would be fine. It is probably better to do them after a heavy squat session and then rest the legs for 2-4 days than to do them a couple days after a heavy squat session, interrupting your leg recovery.
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I guess it is better like this. I have my heavy squats on Monday and my heavy deadlifts on Thursday and it is really hard to fit 2(sort but intense) sprinting sessions per week, if you don't do them immediately after.
 
Spartan Agoge said:
Is it ok to do 5-10 100m sprints immediately after a heavy squat session, or it will interfere with the strength gains?
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Sprint Purpose

What is the reason for performing Sprint after Heavy Squats?

Speed and/or Power Training

Speed and/or Power Training needs to be trained when fresh; either first in the training session or on a speparate day by alone.

The purpose of Speed and/or Power Training is to develop primarily the Fast Twitch Muscle Fiber.

After a Heavy Squat session, the Fast Twitch are fairly exhausted. In a exhausted state, they are not going to be innervated, trained nor developed very well.

Training After Heavy Squats

If trained after Heavy Squat, a rest period of 15 minutes or longer need be taken before performing Sprints.

100 Meter Sprints

Maximum Speed and Power is achieved in approximately the first 30 meters.

Starting Strength

Think of Starting Strength as First Gear.

After you top out in your First Gear Start Strength, it shift over to...

Explosive Strength

Think of Explosive Strength as second gear.

"Once your muscle fibers are turned on (Starting Strength), your ability to LEAVE them turned on for a measurable period is referred to as "explosiveness." Dr Fred Hatfield

Speed Endurance

Once around 30 meter in a Sprint, Speed decreases. This phase is Speed Endurance.

Thus, for an individual interested in Speed Training, Sprint Training need to be kept to around 30 meters.

With that in mind, let's look at...

5-10 100 Meter Sprints

1) 100 Meters isn't optimal if the objective is Speed Development; innervating and training the Fast Twitch Muscle Fiber.

Thus, why 100 meters?

2) 10 Set of 100 Meter after a Heavy Squat Session not going to be very effective.

3) The Rule with Speed and Power Training

Once Speed or Power drop, the exercise needs to be terminated.

You are no longer training nor developing Speed or Power.

Summary

1) What is the objective of Sprint after Heavy Squats?

2) If Sprints are performed...

a) Rest 15 minutes or longer after Heavy Squats.

b) Rest enought between Sprints so that you can preform them with optimal Speed.

c) If your Speed or Power drop, terminate your Sprints.

d) Keep you Sprint Sets to around 3-5 Sets.
 
What is your goal - why do you want to do sprints?
I can tell you that if you're looking to gain speed, doing them after heavy squats means you probably won't be going too fast!

100m x 5 is a lot as well... goes back to the first question. Do you want acceleration? Speed? Speed Endurance? What is the goal and why? then we can get more granular into programming
 
A couple of thoughts -

1). Unless you are in the elite 1%, I think you would see more benefit by doing both (squatting/deadlifting and sprinting) than excluding one or the other because of worry about the interference effect. Combining both into the same session is probably not ideal but its still better than avoiding altogether.

2). I generally like to think of going first into max acceleration / speed / power work and then into more grind / strength work. In your case, that would mean sprinting first and then lifting after.

3). I would agree with @wespom9 that 5 x 100m is a lot (not to mention 10x that you reference) and almost in the grey zone in that it's not short enough to be fast and intense enough to train max acceleration and speed but also not long enough to train speed endurance. Repeats of this distance at say goal 400m pace might make sense to me but I would be interested in hearing the "why" behind the 100m distance.

I have been incorporating 40m-50m hill sprints as of late and really liking how those have complimented other pursuits of mine.
 
wespom9 said:
What is your goal - why do you want to do sprints?
I can tell you that if you're looking to gain speed, doing them after heavy squats means you probably won't be going too fast!

100m x 5 is a lot as well... goes back to the first question. Do you want acceleration? Speed? Speed Endurance? What is the goal and why? then we can get more granular into programming
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First of all, I am a lifter, so, my primary goal is to become progressively stronger at my main lifts.
As for the sprints, my main purpose for doing them is feeling more athletic and not feeling "heavy". Besides lifting I do some power walking, but this is not enough for feeling athletic and agile.
 
JPCross said:
A couple of thoughts -

1). Unless you are in the elite 1%, I think you would see more benefit by doing both (squatting/deadlifting and sprinting) than excluding one or the other because of worry about the interference effect. Combining both into the same session is probably not ideal but its still better than avoiding altogether.

2). I generally like to think of going first into max acceleration / speed / power work and then into more grind / strength work. In your case, that would mean sprinting first and then lifting after.

3). I would agree with @wespom9 that 5 x 100m is a lot (not to mention 10x that you reference) and almost in the grey zone in that it's not short enough to be fast and intense enough to train max acceleration and speed but also not long enough to train speed endurance. Repeats of this distance at say goal 400m pace might make sense to me but I would be interested in hearing the "why" behind the 100m distance.

I have been incorporating 40m-50m hill sprints as of late and really liking how those have complimented other pursuits of mine.
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Thank you for your response. Becoming stronger in squats is more important for me, that's why I am doing it first.

The reason for doing sprints is just to feel athletic and not feeling "heavy" from all the lifting. I do not really care about my sprinting time.

I do 100m sprints, because it is easier to measure in my local stadium. If 30-40 meter sprints are better, I could do that instead.
 
@Spartan Agoge 'better' really depends on goals, reps, rest, strategy etc.

Sprinting is a pretty intense activity, lots of force pounding, If you're looking to just feel more athletic, there may be other lower impact ways to achieve this. I don't want to dissuade sprinting (and IMO based on what you describe as your goals I would recommend moving to 30-40m if you choose to keep them in your program) but it just seems there may be other ways to accomplish athleticism.
 
Squatting and sprinting in the same session can be insanely brutal. Our offensive line coach had us (the O-line) had us once a week go out to the track where we had a squat rack. We then had to do heavy squats for 5 reps, rack the weight, and then immediately sprint 60m. We all had some pretty big gains in size and strength from this. Of course we were high-school aged kids so take that for what it's worth. It also left you feeling like you'd been hit by a truck afterwards.

Just to be clear I'm not necessarily advocating for doing this. But since Spartan Agoge is already mixing the two modalities in one session perhaps you could try cycling in some short sprints right after your squat sets and see if you notice a difference from when you were doing them after squat the session. Could be done as sprints on a bike or treadmill as well if your squat rack is in the gym.
 
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Spartan Agoge said:
Is it ok to do 5-10 100m sprints immediately after a heavy squat session, or it will interfere with the strength gains?
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Sprints will be crap, though, because your legs will be toast.

If I do rowing sprints after heavy squats, my results are so garbage they're not even worth doing.

But if you're doing them as some kind of cool down, I guess performance doesn't matter.
 
Hello,

I'd view it as S&S, strength move then power training with max output. I'd stop sprinting when power decrease and wood take ample rest between sets (as if they were swings)

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
Sprinter here rather than lifter.

In agreement with what has been said. Yeah, speed will drop and depending on the intensity of your sprints and definition: sprinting or fast running? Max or 80%. And age and recovery.
To feel more athletic? Sprint and don't squat heavy. If lifting is your main thing, squat for your designated programme and switch to some speed and power after that block.
The absolute max I do in my sprint programme is 6x100 at about 80/85% for capacity. My max velocity block is in ranges of 30-70m with total volume peak of 150m in one session ie 1x40, 1x50, 1x60 for example, 2x week.
This for older athletes over 40, I'm 59. If younger with good sprint form and capacity, yeah do more if needed.

Not that I think you'll particularly need to with heavy squats but if for athleticism, a buzz, bit of a hormonal hit, then yeah, power up and blast. Your 6 reps of 100m is too much and unnecessary. Do one and that's it. But do you even need to?
Again, it's how you interpret 'sprinting'. Not sure about an interference effect more a higher probability of burn out. Got to respect intensity and evaluate closely.

By your admission, heavy squats are heavy and to be quick and feel athletic you need to add sprints to feel that athleticism. Recover from your heavy squats first and then turn those strength gains into speed and power. Absolutely. But right after? Not saying never but you will more likely than not feel more athletic, fresh and faster fully recovered.

Heavy sprints + intensity of sprints = intense met con. Just more work. Recovery demands will be high, a drain on energy metabolism that could encourage under recovery. Your lifts will suffer. At some point or other, sooner or later. That risk/reward thing.
 
The original Litvinov workout was 10x front squats followed immediately by a 400 meter sprint. This was done for 4-6 rounds and was primarily an early season conditioning program that would get him in condition for the heavy lifting and throwing to come later in the season.
 
M.Valenti said:
The original Litvinov workout was 10x front squats followed immediately by a 400 meter sprint. This was done for 4-6 rounds and was primarily an early season conditioning program that would get him in condition for the heavy lifting and throwing to come later in the season.
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With 405 pounds.

And he would run that 400m in 75 seconds, basically a 5 minute mile.

He could also muscle snatch 100kg for multiple sets of 10 reps.

If I was Sergey Litvinov, I would have a tattoo of myself on my body.
 
I would not worry about interference.
Especially if you are not a competitive sprinter.
I ran the 100m and 200m for a D1 college. That was almost 20 years ago. But In my experience this interferes phenomenon everyone always gets worked up about is way overblown. It’s almost like the bros that used to be scared to walk up a flight of stairs or wanted to use an electric scooter just to get from the parking lot into the gym for fear of losing strength or muscle.
I’m exaggerating of course. But running after a weight session will not kill gains.
It might be suboptimal. But it’s not going to drastically hinder anything.

As far as it not being optimal for speed or power training. Again I would agree with not optimal. But again people get too extreme when they say that it will not improve speed or power at all! That’s just silly. Of course some improvements in speed and power will occur. It just wouldn’t be optimal and I wouldn’t train a professional athlete trying to shave a 10th of a second off their 40 in that manner. But for your average or amateur athlete it is perfectly fine to have some “interference “.

The only major thing I see that would be a problem is just the total volume.

Do slightly less sets of squats so your legs are not fried wait 10 to 15 minutes before sprint work and don’t do so many total sprints. Working in the 40-50m distance mostly and occasionally running a 100 and 200m.
 
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