The Lydiard Training Pyramid

The Lydiard 'Trainining Pyramid' explains how different intensities of aerobic base training, relaxed 'leg-speed running', and plyometric hill strengthening exercises can combine in a largely aerobic setting, safely training the Type I slow twitch fibres and safely maintaining the fitness of the 'alactic' Type IIB fast twitch muscle fibres, while studiously avoiding the potentially harmful acidosis strongly associated with the burning of glucose and its glycolytic breakdown product, lactate, until the final weeks of a peaking programme, where the second most powerful fast twitch muscle, the IIA, is introduced into the final phase.

[@thesanddancerwarrior3503]

Really excellent, thank you so very much Dr. Keith Livingstone, outstanding.

[@mattiabianuccitrainer]

As usual, very clearly explained and nice video editing :) Keep it up!

[@RunnerThin]

I was an 800 meter runner and ran cross country in high school and college. Our high school had a good balance in cross country by I always ran too hard in practice. College was way, way too much hard intervals and race days. But I enjoyed the hard running until it burned me out. I usually raced the best the first meet or two but even by then I was in worse shape than when the season started. I was way over in having acidic blood.

[@TheGeorge1968]

Very well presented and summarised Keith thank you very much on behalf of all Lydiard athletes worldwide as Darth Vader would say " impressive,".

[@Hitsystem]

Is that George Alex Henderson?Thank you; as time goes by the 'new' Lydiard Foundation with its Board of top Lydiard coaches, former Kiwi Olympic medallists, Dr Mark Cucuzzella, Lydiard advocate, former 2hr23 marathon runner,running physician, biomechanics analyst, and professor of family medicine at the University of West Virginia. and expert on healthy aging, and me as creator of ongoing educational material, will be creating an ever-increasing archive of downloadable material for posterity, at the same time as expanding on the broadly outlined themes we have identified that Arthur was pursuing in his later years. I think it was Yoda who said "Impressive", straight after he said "Hmmmmmmm.....". All the best! Keith.

[@TheGeorge1968]

@@Hitsystem It is a pleasure Keith I am pleased to inform you that I have recently passed Lydiard Foundation Levels one and two very much looking forward to completing levels three and four very best wishes George.

[@jjjjames5824]

Great videos, keep them coming, thanks

[@philroberts1614]

What if you are primarily type IIA muscle fiber & have no slow twitch fibers?

[@Hitsystem]

If that is the case, then you are a unique individual, Phil, but you could train your IIA fibres at aerobic intensities by running as far and as easily as you can, to stimulate angiogenesis, or new capillary beds, within your IIA fibres, as well as some sub-threshold aerobic running to specifically increase mitochondrial density in your Type IIA population. IIA fibres give an athlete a distinct advantage because they can run off several substrates once they have become trained aerobically.

[@philroberts1614]

@@Hitsystem that has been my experience all my life. I am 57. In college, I had a muscle biopsy that showed I was 90% type IIA, 10% type IIB. All my legs want to do is run fast. I have problems with fatigue when racing or when I’m on my feet all day. VO2max back then was measured twice @ 83. Still have same sprint speed as I had in college.

[@Hitsystem]

@Phil Roberts That is an extraordinary biopsy result. Is it possible that when you were tested, you were doing a lot of hard interval or sprint repetion running, and very little in the way of longer running? Your VO2 max is very high, probably because in your case a considerable portion of your maximal oxygen uptake comes from anaerobic sources. Your true aerobic capacity, better defined by how fast you can run with the aerobic fat-burning system before you start to burn carbs , may have been very low., with a very large anaerobic capability sitting on top of it.If your coach had got you doing very slow, lower intensity running for some months, you may have been able to get the aerobic enzyme systems that are genetically imprinted in the TypeIIA fast twitch _oxidative_ 'switched on'. The Type IIA muscle fibres produce lactate as required for high energy output , and seem to be admirably suited to cope with massive acidotic loads, with a great ability to clear excess lactate that is not metabolised into Co2, H2O, and energy at very high aerobic intensities, as well as to chemically buffer those acidic loads created by short term high power anaerobic work.Costill reported a biopsy of a marathon runner who was predominantly slow twitch when biopsied around the time of a 2hr 14 marathon performance, but whose vertical jump and explosive power capacity was pathetic, who reverted to a 50:50 ratio of slow twitch Type I:Fast Twitch Type II, when untrained, with a greatly increased vertical jump and a greatly reduced VO2 Max.

[@philroberts1614]

My usable VO2max is the result of poor lower leg mechanics: I deflect force out to the side. However, it has allowed me to never have knee problems. When I sprint, my form gets very efficient. Racing at slower than sprint speeds (5K) is like a fast jog for me. In college, I was primarily self-coached, as for most of my life. I love speed work as well as racing. When I run easy, I get good at running slow. Any pace slower than 7:40’s/mile will bother my knees. I call it “trudging”. I am a mid foot striker who tends to lift his knees when going “easy”. In high school, my track coach gave me a memo-graphed copy of “Run to the Top” which I still have. All my training plans are hybrids of the Lydiard system.