Interval training

Yes.

It is far more effective than just running a mill for 30 straight minutes.

Mostly because you can raise the intensity when using smaller sets. An all out sprint, followed by a short walk followed by an all out sprint would be a set.

It will actually be more work in less time *(actual run time).

S

 

For sure.. 3 different regimens broke down into sets. This spans across all work from resistance to road work.

 

When working toward an open ended competition with a predetermined weight the order of the exercises becomes huge.

If I do anything that would be considered an anaerobic exercise that would 'build muscle', chain dragging, tire pulling, etc. etc. I would preface that work with the flirt pole or the free turning slat mill. I would like for him to be somewhat winded, somewhat tired when he does the heavy work.

Two fold mindset, most of the stuff he was fueled with will be spent so the heavy work will not make mass muscle. (More muscle requires more oxygen and late on a Saturday night oxygen will be at a premium). The dog will get stronger from the heavy work but he will not add mass, some, but will not blow up in the back end. A dog that masses up in the rear end could go up as much as a pound which may move him out of his 'ideal weight class'.

The idea is to be the very best dog he can be at his lowest possible weight.

When we are doing serious work here I will get one really warm and really tired before we pull weight or sprint the carpet mill. Granted the amount of weight and the length of heavy time is greatly reduced but the dog gets stronger, maybe a hair less strong, but close, and without the extra weight and mass.

Once a week or at least every other week I will let him pull while fresh just to add a 'more well rounded approach'. But nothing more.

S

 

For the dogs it is purely physical.

For people it is both, I guess.

It is always hard to compare dogs and humans when training for a sport specific event. The idea would be to just think principles and end goals.

The routine you mentioned above is basic, yet world class in approach. The trump card to any and every comparison and relation between working dogs and working people is that all people events are timed/measured and no people events are at a predetermined set weight.

If a guy is training for a marathon he knows he has to run 26.2 miles. No one runs out at the end of the race and says it is really close, today we will go 30.2 miles. Even in combat sports the rounds are 3/5 minutes, with a scheduled break in between and the number of rounds is always set. The athlete paces themselves based on distance for a measured time.

The sports with weight classes head in the direction of specific weight but fall way short. Few, if any, compete at a certain weight to the pound. Most cut to a weight, make weight and then rehydrate/re-fuel and compete at a higher weight. And even then they have the advantage of knowing how long their competition will last. The max distance is predetermined as the rounds are timed and numbered. The athlete can dial his work outs to go for 3/5 minutes knowing there is a break to recover and then go again for a fixed amount of minutes.

The dogs on the other hand have to be perfect. Dogs have an ideal weight. Some can perform highly a pound off in either direction but there will be differences in the dog. More dogs have lost due to missing the right weight than most will care to count. The dogs can go from 5 minutes to 4 hours and no one ever knows which. And although there may be breaks between expenditures, there are no way to tell when and how many.

That leads into what is being weighed. The dog is made up of skin, bone, hair, organs, fat, muscle, blood and water. Working will not change the hair, skin, organs or bone. The things that change is fat, muscle and water (blood). A dog starts at 45 on the chain. The correct feed and work will reduce body fat. His weight drops. His water content is altered and he again drops weight. He gets down to 42 and he is at an ideal weight. On show night he is at 41 and is given several large drinks of water that brings him to 42. 42 is his ideal weight but it is the wrong 42.

And getting back to topic. If that same dog is ideal at 42 and is pulled down and then through heavy work he masses in the back end and is now a 43 it a hard task to carry muscle weight for a long period of time. A period of time that has no preset end time with out scheduled break times to recover.

The intervals are perfect for dogs and work extremely well for humans. The bigger picture is factoring in the end goal when choosing the order and timing of the exercises being interval-ed.

It is a great topic. A great thread. Good reads.

S

 

Not that I am anybody in the game, but you are well onto your way when you have realized the dogs are individuals.

They start from different points and progress at different rates.

Seeing the start point and nailing down the finish is as much art as it is anything.

S

 

So have I.

I had a carpet mill once that I built and it turned OK. I worked a number of dogs on it and was happy with the results. I changed the carpet and it ended up having a different backing. It was slightly tighter/less free. I did not read the dog well at all and pretty much kept the same routine for all the dogs.

This dog really dug in with every driving step. The combination of a dog really exerting himself and a mill that I had unintentionally tightened up turned my dog's rear end into what would like the hulk. It was like three or four weeks in and then it was like it was all of a sudden...bam....but it was a process and I was simply not watching my dog.

He could pull hell up off the hinges but I am not sure how much hell he could have pulled at 60 minutes...75 minutes....90 minutes...

After some mistakes I kind of sorta figured out it is better to apply principles and then let the dog tell you about times, not the other way around.

S

 

I think that happens more times than most would think.

There are some dogs who have nothing but high gear and go all out on every thing they do. These are the easiest to work but the hardest to recognize when rest is needed. The day they happen to be stale/somewhat flat is the very day that counts most.

That rolls into how the dog is rested as well. I have had some that did better in the house, others do better in their normal year around housing. The ones I worry about are the ones that jump up and go after every little bump in the night.

10 minutes of XXXX is perfect if the dog is rested but if he is not rested then 10 minutes of XXXX creates an over worked dog. Sometimes overworked is not over worked but actually under rested.

S