Fitness

Start running 400 meter sprints.

 

I hope you're joking...

As a semi-serious athlete and student of running, my suggestion is that you start running or biking every other day for around 2 weeks, then start adding days slowly until you're up to almost almost every day. Running is good, but it might be hard on the joints/muscles. Biking's good because it's low impact. Swimming is best because it's highly aerobic and no impact. There should be at least some running in there of a few miles, since that's what you do when you ref (ideally).

Make sure to stretch before AND after exercise, as well as ice any joints/muscles that are sore. If you start having pain that's a little more than run-of-the-mill aches, back off a little until it passes, then continue to advance. Good nutrition is key (but that doesn't sound like it's a problem for you). Make sure you're eating enough. Too often people who start training don't eat enough calories and it hinders muscle development.

Be wary of your health as well. When you start putting stress on the body you're immune system weakens, and mono has a funny way of making a comeback (I'm also pre-med).

Not sure what you're fitness level was like before this, so I can't give you specific plans or ideas. Hope these general things help though.

 

That might be a little extreme for someone in chiller's situation, but I would say that some sort of interval training should be chiller's fitness plan at some point.

400 meters is a longer interval distance than is necessary for referee training, in my opinion. The FIFA fitness test involves 150 meter running segment followed by 50 meters walking, then another 150 running + 50 walking = 400 meters (1 lap on a track).

Interval training is a great way to build or improve match fitness. While it is true that a ref who does the job right may run several miles during a match, it isn't constant-pace jogging. It is a combination of walking, jogging, and sprinting, and interval training better simulates it than does constant-pace jogging.

Personally, my training includes some of each.

You might also try posting and/or searching the archives on a discussion board of a running website such as runnersworld.com -- you are likely to find much more knowledge over there.

 

I was considering his desire to build fitness quickly and to lose weight. Only he knows his limits as far as the mono goes and of course he should consult his physician prior to starting any course of exercise.

I have found some great success with the 400 meter sprints at least in improving my running speed and generally increasing my fitness. This has gotten me as close as I've ever been to a 6 minute mile. I'm standing on a 6:15 pace right now, I'm hoping adrenaline will push me through at the pro clinic to get the ful 3200. However, after this weekends pro clinic where the 12 minute run is done, I'll be shortening them down to the FIFA sprints/walks. 150/50m - in 30sec/35sec periods for 12 laps. Then only running the 400m sprints maybe once every other week.

I also reccomend a long distance run at variable distances once a week, and a 3 mile run "at pace" once a week (your fastest reasonable pace that you can complete the run in, and maybe push the pace just at the end). Then add some biking in there once a week and you should be on the road to fitness in no time.

 

Agreed, sadly USSF still runs the Cooper test for most of the refs. The 400s are useful to improve lap speed if you can get the pace up on these, your speed can increase. Granted it's not the best situational training for refereeing, but it is good to prepare for a 12 minute straight run.

 

Get the diet book, “You On A Diet” by Dr Oz.

The most successful bit out of the book for me was starting your day with a high fiber breakfast. High fiber stuff moves through your intestines slowly giving you a full feeling for a long time. I start each day with a bowl of oatmeal with fruit. It was amazing…I wasn’t hungry at lunch and therefore ate a very light lunch.

Although the book has a lot of the biology in it, which is rather dry, it really makes sense. It includes incorporating exercise with proper diet.

 

There was an article in the NY Times in the last day or two about the benefit of interval training regardless of your exercise level. As noted by others, it also has a similarity to actual referee movement in that you will have times when you're in an all out sprint and others when you're just walking. Running/jogging has always been the best for me for conditioning and weight loss/control. Given that you're just getting back into it, only you know your body and how hard you can push yourself right now. Start with whatever you're comfortable with. Be willing to take "walk" breaks. Jog 3 minutes, walk 1 minute, and repeat. (Or more or less depending on where you are right now). And then increase your overall distance and the time between walk breaks as you go. For weight loss purposes, you should be shooting to get to at least the 30-40 minute range at least 3-4 times a week. Adding the sprints and/or varying the speed of your jogging intervals will have value for your speed and may avoid it being mundane, but personally I would only add that if it can be part of your 30-40 minutes and/or if you're exercising more than 4 days a week.

Good luck.

 

USSF REF, let us know how the fitness test turns out. I'd say if your best mile right now is 6:15, I don't see how you can pull off 3200m in 12 min which is basically back-to-back 6-minute miles. If you do, let us know the secret recipe!

I hadn't thought about using 400 meter intervals as training for the 12 minute run; I'll think more about that and possibly add it to my routine.

As an FYI, I tried the FIFA fitness test recently on my own, on a decent 400 meter rubberized outdoor track. I did 12 laps at the highest standard without too much trouble.

The USSF version of the document has several different levels, which are denoted by the different amount of time allowed to complete each 150m running or 50m walking segment. These depend on FIFA/National, Ref/AR, and male/female. The original FIFA version of the document does not have as many different categories.

If I recall, the minimum standard is to complete 10 laps and the max is 15 laps.

I'm in pretty decent shape. Ran the test on a day when I didn't have a whole lot of energy. On paper, the test seemed to me like it wouldn't be that hard. My trial confirmed it. I could have done the full 15 laps, but I just didn't feel like putting out the extra effort since I was satisfied with 12.

One warning about this test: if you miss the time target on any 150m segment, you are done! So you really need to know the pace you need and what it feels like for you. On my first lap, I barely finished the second 150m segment under 30 seconds. The first 150m was around 26 sec, so I backed off on the 2nd one but I almost backed off too much.

This test definitely requires more strategy or tactics from the participant.

This test definitely seems a better way to measure referee/AR fitness than the Cooper test, although the Cooper isn't exactly worthless.

 

3200 was my goal I set about 6 weeks ago. I should have started training 9 weeks ago for this pace. I don't think I'm going to make 3200. I can do a 6 min mile on it's own and I can do 2 miles in 12:30ish. I plan on "trailing" a guy I know usually pulls off 3200 and try to stick behind him as best as I can and if I'm anywhere close with 2 min to go - I'll press the pace and sprint the last 30 sec if it means maybe getting 3200. Though, 3000 meters and I'll be happy, that was my minimum goal. If I fail to achieve that I'll be considering this a failed run, even though to get pro games they only require 2700.

On thing I want to be careful of is not gettin 3000 because I ran too hard aiming for 3200 early in the run, sometimes its a guessing game as the the perfect pace to run.

 

Sounds like a good plan. 3200m is a 6:00/mile pace and 3000m is 6:24/mile pace, so that's not much different. Even if you go at 3200m pace and realize you can't maintain it the full 12 minutes, it shouldn't burn you out that much and you should still be able to hit 3000m. Just don't run a 1:20 first lap like some of the pro clinic nimrods who have no idea what a 5:30 or 6:00 or 7:00 mile pace feels like!

The element of competition and running WITH people may help you achieve a better time than in your individual training.

 

You guys are making me tired just reading this stuff .

 

Be careful about recommending swimming. Most people (about 90% as I last read in the Journal) are such lousy swimmers that they never actually get into the full aerobic cycle. Swimming is "best" only if you're a good enough (strong enough) swimmer to get the real benefit out of it; most people are not. One must be wary of such things.

I combine biking, walking, fartlek, interval training and simple duration/distance running in my routine. Which works for me, not always for others. A few years ago, before the onset of plantar fasciitis and a groin injury took me out for almost a year, I was running about 3300-3350 in the Cooper, but then, I've been a cross country runner since middle school, and still occasionally run competitively.

Distance in the Cooper isn't always meaningful. The Cooper really was a test simply meant to measure a body's maximum oxygen intake against heart rate, which is not in itself a matter of fitness. A serious and FULL training regimen for the type of running referees do requires developing 1) endurance, 2) speed, but also speed endurance, flexibility, directional running, and other things not measured/measurable.

If you're in Europe, you can get on Dr. Werner Helsen's mailing list that he sends to all the top UEFA referees. If not, some of them are here. He's done so much work specific to football referees and their fitness that his information is always a great place to start. It's a bit "haaahdcore" for most of us, but if you're aspiring...why not aspire to the top, right?

 

When I first started reffing, I came over as a player, and never enjoyed -- just running. I made the transition and do my workout with a ball. Kick the ball down the field and sprint to the ball before it stops. Jog/dribble and repeat. Can adjust the sprints witht the height and strength of the kick. Was enough of a mind adjustment involving the ball that I tricked myself into not just running. Sounds like referee logic?

This year I included the track in order to get used to the timing for the pro clinic testing. Made my runs but timing was much better with a track full of people and pacing on other faster runners.

 

B/C Bluedevils asked...

My fitness results

3000m in 12m
50m times: 6.74 6.90
200m times: 26.70 28.10

I wish I had opened up my distance time about a minute sooner. Perhaps I would have gotten closer to 3200. I'll remember that for next year. Now the trick is keeping the fitness up so I don't have to work so hard to get back there next year. Plus, I would like to be as fit as possible all season, it just seems to be easier to referee when you are more fit... go figure.

That test is so much strategy.

So Saturday was the fitness test. Saturday night was a men's 1st division locally and Sunday was the US Open Cup game. 180 minutes in the middle and one fitness test = sore body on Monday.

 

Pretty decent numbers - nice work. The 200s are probably the best of the bunch. 200 meters is a tough distance unless you train for it, which most of us don't!

I've never reffed a game the same day as doing the Cooper test! The Cooper doesn't look like a lot of work on paper, but it takes a lot out of me. Closest I've come is reffing an 18 Boys state cup final 3 hours after a 5k 'race' -- I took it easy in the 5k, but still felt it in my legs during the game.

 

I really have to question the first number on the 200. I just don't think I was that fast, there may have been a timing error in my favor. These things happen I suppose.

As to the cooper and refereeing the same day. The test was at 8am, the game was at 6:30pm with a lot of resting at the actual clinic portion during the classroom part. So when I accepted the game I didn't think it would be a problem.

My body still felt it. That cooper is one demanding test when your run 100%.

 

Ahh, the benefits of hand timing! Most of the time, I've seen these things work in favor of the referees at Cooper tests. Sometimes, though, you get a result that definitely seems slower than what you ran and there isn't much you can do about it.

 

I did 3100 last year. I don't remember my 50/200 except that I thought they were suspect.

This year I'd like to do 3200, but I think I can do 3400. Where would that put me?

 

What do you mean?

It would put you at 8.5 laps for the 12 minutes.

 

I must be the opposite of you all. I pretty much clock in at about 2600-2700 on the 12 minute run but am almost always below 6 on the 50 (5.8 last year) and below 28 on the 200 (26.2 is my best).

I hate all the talk you always hear about breaking 3000 because I've never been caught out of position, no matter how late in the game or unable to keep up as a game wears on (though I might not be able to walk later).

 

3400 would be among the top 3-5 finishers at national camp and I'd suspect there aren't more than 10 refs in the country clocking more than 3400 at camp/pro clinics/local fitness tests.

 

That's the answer I was looking for, thank you.