Why do Kenyan athletes dominate endurance running?[]
Find out today with our brand new, FREE report! Available when you take out a trial subscription to Peak Performance.
Dear Athlete,[]
This is probably the most eagerly anticipated report you will read all year because today you will finally learn about the secrets behind the phenomenon that is endurance running in Kenya (also known as KEN) 
.
The 'Kenyan Question' has constantly been in and out of the news over the years and featured in countless numbers of articles and reports.
In recent years Peak Performance itself has received over 700 enquiries specifically regarding our thoughts on the secrets behind the Kenyan's endurance running success and why, after all this time, everyone else is still playing catch up.
Today I can put you out of your misery and announce that at long last Peak Performance & Spikes Magazine have put together a brand new case study: The Truth Behind Kenyan Endurance Runners.
This case study delves into some of the most compelling research on Kenyan running and brings you the facts and theories behind their success. We provide you with ways in which you can incorporate this valuable information into your training, using British endurance runner Mo Farah as an example of how it can be done, as well as first-hand interviews from legendary Kenyan athletes Wilfred Bungei and Nixon Kiprotich.
This groundbreaking new report includes reinforced explanations defining the concepts and practicalities of Kenyan running techniques.
We haven't just researched why the Kenyan's have been so successful but also how you can adopt these methods into your training and drastically improve your performance.
You will discover the theories behind the success of the Kenyans and take away vital information that you can use in your very own training, such as:
- A World Cross-Country Championship training plan
- How you can improve your running efficiency
- How to change and improve your race pacing technique
- Training tips on how to improve your 800m performance
All of this is geared around helping you improve your performance and implement training techniques that your opponents are simply not aware of.
We can’t make you Kenyan but we can certainly help you run like one!
Yours sincerely,
Sylvester Stein, Founder, Peak Performance
Click here to become a member and receive your free report, The Truth Behind Kenyan Endurance Runners! http://www.pponline.co.uk/prewp/solus/leg-kenyan.html
“The warm-up routines, circuit training and core exercise regimes have been of great benefit. Peak Performance is amazingly informative - packed full of information.”
- Stuart Ellison, Endurance Runner - up to and over 1500m, UK
This is your chance to discover some of the secrets behind the incredible success of the Kenyan endurance runners: Why do Kenyan endurance runners rule the world?
It's a well known fact that Eastern African runners, in particular the Kenyans, have been dominating the distance running world for years and there have been many reasons put forward to explain why. However no one has really been able to settle upon any one particular explanation, which has lead to wide-scale confusion and often inaccurate or unfounded conclusions being drawn.
This case study provides you with a clear and concise review of the theories behind Kenya’s dominance in endurance running. Each fascinating theory is complemented by an explanation so that by the end of the review you will be left with the ultimate guide to Kenyan success, for example:
Born at altitude.
The most common reason put forward for the Kenyan and, more particularly, Kalenjin dominance of global distance running. Certainly, being born and living at the thin air at around 2000m helps. Athletes find themselves stronger, particularly when returning to the abundant oxygen at sea level.
Are Kenyan’s genetically superior endurance runners?
The most revealing study on this topic was carried out by the renowned Swedish exercise physiologist, Bengt Saltin, who compared Kenyan adolescents, Kenyan high school runners and elite Kenyan adult runners with top-level Scandinavian runners. Saltin unearthed a number of important facts.
1) Kenyan adolescents had exactly the same aerobic capacities as Danish teenagers.
- If the Kenyans were really genetically superior, you would expect them to have a higher VO2max than their Scandinavian counterparts. There is hope for us all yet!
2) Young Kenyan runners trained with astonishing intensity: About 50 to 60 percent of their total mileage was done at heart rates of 90 percent of maximum or higher!
- This was significantly higher than the Scandinavians' total and is much higher than anything European and American runners generally do. This suggests that their training, rather than their genetics, are responsible for their success - this is something you can incorporate!
3) Kenyan runners - including the high schoolers - were more economical than the elite Scandinavians and also produced less lactate during high-speed running.
- One of the best ways to boost economy is to train fast, and the Kenyans have the corner on intense training.
- Fast training boosts the aerobic qualities of fast-twitch muscles and lowers their lactate output. This explains why the Kenyans have lower lactate levels during strenuous running.
4) The progression in VO2max values from adolescents to elite adult runners is the same in Kenyans as it is in Americans!
- BUT as high school Kenyans become elite senior runners, they increase their number of blood vessels per muscle cell and also enhance the concentrations of energy-producing aerobic enzymes inside their muscle cells.
Discover more about the role genetics plays in the Kenyan running success with our brand new free report. Click here to download this report today! http://www.pponline.co.uk/prewp/solus/leg-kenyan.html
Straight from the Kenyans mouth![]
This case study brings you the thoughts and opinions of two of Kenya’s finest athletes; Wilfred Bungei and Nixon Kiprotich.
- Wilfred Bungei Olympic 800m champion Wilfred Bungei emerged from an area of his country regarded as the heartbeat of Kenyan athletics. Bungei is also related to running legend Wilson Kipketer.
Running and excelling at a world-class level seems to have been almost as natural as breathing to the current Olympic 800m champion and motivation, he admits, came through the astounding accomplishments of his second cousin Kipketer:
“When I was growing up Henry Rono had already finished his career but Wilson was also running at that time. I would say that it was an inspiration. Seeing what they were doing made you believe you can be a world-class athlete.”
But did he see a lot of Kipketer when he was ripping up the tracks on the European circuit? "Absolutely, I knew him well because in Africa we have a close relationship with our relatives and we always visit our homes," added Bungei. "So when I was growing up I used to go to Wilson’s place and ask for any shoes he may have"
Interestingly, Bungei started life as a 200m and 400m sprinter at primary school and was even an accomplished performer in the decathlon.
Find out more from the 800m Olympic champion in The Truth Behind Kenyan Endurance Runners
Nixon Kiprotich[]
The willowy (6'1', I 49-pound) Kenyan won the IAAF/Mobil Grand Prix for 800 meters both in 1990 and 1992, snared a silver medal at the '92 Olympics in Barcelona, has garnered gold at both the East-African and African Championships, and was rated No. 1 800 metre runner in the world for 1993 by Track & Field News.
His 800 metre PB is a not too shabby 1:43.31
This incredible Kenyan athlete had some fascinating insights into his training and competition:
PP: "Nixon, when do you begin preparing for the outdoor track season?"
Nixon: "I really start in December. If I'm not going to run in any indoor track meets, I'll take a two month break October and November, during which I do very little training at all. Then, throughout December and January I'll train Monday through Friday, running about 15 kilometers at 10 a.m. and another eight kilometers at about 5 p.m. each day. It's all easy, aerobic running - at about four minutes per kilometer - with no speed work at all. Saturday and Sunday are rest days."
You can discover first hand what the Kenyan's attribute to their success and how you can adopt their methods into your training with this brand new The Truth Behind Kenyan Endurance Runners report.
Click here to take out a trial subscription to Peak Performance, or read on to discover more about what's in this free report. If you want to run like the Kenyans you need to train like the Kenyans!
This is where the Kenyan's really make the difference in their training:
- Five months of intense training
- Three weeks in the world famous "fire and brimstone" training camp, Embu. Kenyan runners attend Embu each year just prior to the World Cross-Country Championships.
The five-month build-up specifically prepares Kenya's team members for survival in the Embu cauldron and, in the long run, for the conquering of the top runners from around the globe at various endurance based running events.
This five-month period is extremely important to the success of the Kenyan's but it is something that, with a little bit of hard work, you can implement into your very own training programme.
We will describe the key features of the five-month Kenyan training programme, which consistently produces the best cross-country runners on the planet, and show you how you can adapt this for your own needs.
The five- month programme includes heart-stopping hill efforts, staggering interval workouts, breathtaking tempo sessions, and 19 total workouts, all carried out over rugged terrain at an elevation of 6500 feet. It starts at the very end of September or the beginning of October, and lasts until February.
After working out very lightly in September, Kenyan harriers usually initiate a three-workout per day training programme in October which, according to Kenyan Custom, includes workouts at 6 a.m., 10 a.m., and about 4 p.m.
We have every step, from September to February, available to you now in our brand new case study: The Truth Behind Kenyan Endurance Runners!
Click here for your full Kenyan training guide, free with a trial to Peak Performance. (http://www.pponline.co.uk/prewp/solus/leg-kenyan.html) Does training like a Kenyan really improve your performance?
This brand new report also includes an interview with British endurance runner Mo Farah.[]
He discusses the new techniques that he has incorporated into his training as a result of his time spent in Kenya and how they have improved him as an athlete.
The results speak for themselves:
Mo Farah has enjoyed a fantastic start to the 2009 season. In January he set a new British indoor record in the 3000 metres, with a time of 7 minutes 40.99 seconds, before breaking the record again at the UK Indoor Grand Prix with a time of 7 minutes 34.47.
In March he went one step further by winning the gold medal in the 3000m at the European Indoor Championships to cap off what has been a dream start to the year.
Take a leaf out of Mo Farah's book and learn how to run like a Kenyan!
How to improve your running economy thanks to the strength of Kenyan women![]
When Kikuyu men from Kenya compete in international running competitions, they often achieve superlative performances.
When Kikuyu women carry heavy weights on their heads, they defy the laws of exercise physiology.
You might well expect us to focus exclusively on the first phenomenon and treat the second as a fascinating curiosity.
BUT did you know that research conducted into Kikuyu women carrying heavy weights on their head has shed important light on how athletes can improve their running economy?
We'll give you tips on how to walk like a Kikuyu woman and more importantly how to improve running economy.
Our story begins in north-central Kenya, where Kikuyu women literally carry society's load. The burden might be wood, corn kernels, corn meal, vegetables, live animals, water, or cooking oil, but it is bound to be heavy, and it is usually suspended behind their backs, supported by a strap which runs across their foreheads!
The Kikuyu females are known to carry up to 70% of body mass with their head bindings: if this does not impress you, feel free to place a barbell or large stone equal to 70% of your weight on top of your head - and then attempt to walk in a relaxed and carefree manner for 10k or so, as the Kikuyu women often do!
You'll find it's a lot easier said than done!
Those Kikuyu women are seriously strong but their strength is only half the story.
The other half involves a rather amazing physiological display of efficiency during movement- which is exactly the area relevant to you!
In order to replicate their amazing physiological prowess we will show you how to improve your running style with a series of exercises, such as:
One-leg hops on the spot: Two sets of 40secs on each leg.
- Stand in a relaxed position, with your full body weight supported on your left foot only.
- Lift your left heel slightly, so that the force of body weight is passing through the ball of the left foot (your right knee is flexed so that your right knee is off the ground).
- Then, hop rapidly on your left foot at a cadence of 2.5 to 3 hops per second (25 to 30 foot contacts per 10secs) for the prescribed time period, while maintaining relaxed, upright posture.
- Your left foot should strike the ground in the area of the mid-foot and spring upwards rapidly, as though it were contacting a very hot burner on a stove. Your hips should remain fairly level as you do this; try to minimise vertical displacement of the upper body.
You will be surprised at how much you learn from these fascinating Kenyan women but the research we present could really make the difference between you shaving off valuable seconds from your PB and remaining stuck in obscurity.
Click here to find out more
Race pacing - you can either run like the Kenyan's or settle for second best!
It is no secret that the Kenyans go out the blocks fast!
Elite Kenyans are renowned for starting their races at incredible speeds, daring other runners to try and stay with them. This seems to be particularly true in cross country, a sport in which the Kenyans go out so fast that the possible winners and also-rans are separated from each other within the first 800 metres of the race.
It makes for fast times and intense racing and if you're a non-Kenyan cross-country runner, you must stay at least somewhat close to the lead pack if you have any hope of finishing among the top 10 competitors.
In other words, you must go out very fast- but then how do you avoid burning out?
If you are going to try and run like the Kenyans then it is essential you train like the Kenyans otherwise you will simply burn out long before the finish. However once you have adopted their training techniques you can adopt their racing techniques!
We will analyse and compare both negative and positive race splitting, explaining how progressively expanding the intensity of your training will enable you to maintain that all important fast start.
Learn how to pace yourself like a Kenyan - click here to download our free report when you take out a cheap trial subscription to Peak Performance.
Q & A about 800m training[]
800m is traditionally a very under analysed endurance event and so we have put together some helpful training tips guaranteed to improve your performance!
The beauty of 800m training is that he combines endurance and speed control, both aspects vital over longer distances.
Q: Does improving V02max (maximal aerobic capacity) help the 800-metre runner?
A: Yes, since about 55 per cent of the energy needed to run an 800-metre race is generated aerobically, increasing V02max is a good thing because it means that the heart is better at sending oxygen-rich blood to the muscles, and that the muscles are better at using the oxygen when it arrives.
This helps the 800-metre runner, because as oxygen utilization improves, less energy has to be produced anaerobically during the race. The interiors of leg muscle cells are therefore less acidic and as a result there is diminished fatigue and a greater ability to sustain the desired pace!
Why not start now? Click here to take out your trial and download these exercises. http://www.pponline.co.uk/prewp/solus/leg-kenyan.html
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