Mihaly Igloi Training – UPDATED 2021 – A Complete Guide

A distance running coach who was greatly successful from the 50s to the 70s, Mihaly Igloi coached some of the biggest runners including Bob Schul and Lazlo Tabori. He was a notable runner and a multiple-time Hungarian champion.

Igloi’s training system has made a number of amazing 800m runners and the variations of this training method has helped some of the best athletes of the present day. His method focuses on interval training. In this guide, we talk about Mihaly Igloi training in detail and try to understand how an athlete can use his training method to improve performance.

 

Mihaly Igloi Training – A Complete Guide

Mihaly Igloi trained athletes with interval training to get them to world-class levels. Coaches often fear high intensity interval training because if done too late or too early, it can result in a drop in performance over time. There is always a fear of doing intervals too early in every sport.

Interval training is linked so much to anaerobic training that it is almost forgotten that the way intervals are modulated is what is important. What makes the actual difference is what workout is being performed and how it affects the performance. Manipulation of the intensity, length of the intervals and rest periods can help you create interval workouts that can do anything from speed to endurance.

Mihaly Igloi is an all interval approach that focuses on the actual workout performed and not on intervals vs distance. Igloi manipulated the intervals to create aerobic as well as anaerobic versions. The system is based on running at different effort levels. Athletes run each run at different effort levels, emphasizing the feel and resulting in a natural progression over time.

Apart from the effort levels, Mihaly training system has two ways of running. The concept is that changing the way you run affects the muscle fibers used and delays fatigue. Short and long swings are the two running methods. These are basically shorter strides with quick turnover and longer stride with reduced turnover. The method is based on changing between styles within races, runs and workouts.

What makes Igloi’s training different is the vast modulation within the workouts. While most modern training programs do repeat at the same pace, Igloi suggests varying the speed of the repeats throughout the training. There are different phases like hard, moderate, easy. This training method would, therefore, have a combination of repeats at fresh to good intensities.

4-Week Base Training Plan – Getting Started

There are different ways to adopt the 4-week base training plan recommended by Igloi but modern users employ a system that combines interval training with steady running. Igloi training method emphasizes short intervals as it minimizes the lactate buildup at the same speed. When you run 100m repeats combined with 50m jogs at a pace of 800m, you produce a lesser lactate as compared to that at 200m or higher repeats at the same pace.

To get started with the base training plan, you can find the nearest local track or road. Begin with light jogging and stretches for warm up and prepare the body for running fast. Run 200m by accelerating to the pace within 50m and then maintain the speed till the end. Slow down with control and then walk or jog for 200m before starting the next interval.

Depending on your fitness level, you can start with 8-10 200m repeats at a fast pace like 10k. You can increase the number of repeats until you reach 20-25. You should keep the rest time the same and short, an ideal being 200m. Practice pacing by running the intervals at the same speed which means your first interval is as fast as the last one.

200m Repeats – What You Should Know?

200m intervals can be as beneficial as full 400s because it is possible to perform them at the same speed. They can also be done much more as you get short, frequent recovery rests in between. Not only does this type of workout improve your performance and speed but also enhance your form while teaching you proper pacing.

Consider an athlete performing twenty 200m repeats with a break of 60 seconds between intervals. When he has completed the first interval, the heart rate has reached 180-200 which is brought down during the rest. When the legs are initiated again for the next interval, the muscles are contracted intensely and the tissues are damaged. It builds the fibers back, making the athlete improve greatly in terms of stamina, power and speed.

The recovery rests in between 200m repeats benefits the athlete to a great extent. It takes a lot of energy for the heart to pump blood to and fro, thereby elevating and then bringing down the heart rate. This means you burn more calories during the process as well as the after-repair process.

 

200m Interval Training Benefits

There are numerous benefits to 200m interval training. The first is improved endurance. When you aim at moving your legs quickly, the pace of the race seems slow. Doing this interval training on tired legs would prepare you for running fast in the later part of the race.

200m interval training also improves efficiency. As you speed up, the body adjusts to the sprint efficiently and you push with more power and develop the habits at slower paces with practice. Full-on sprinting is a great way to involve a variety of muscle fibers, including those that usually get neglected when running long distance. Sprints are like power lifting for runners.

Short interval training is set up to train the brain not to complain a lot. It learns to endure and helps you push yourself harder in the training or race. This training helps improve speed and teaches your mind to be resistant to fatigue.