Score - 9/10 Very Dated)
Coverage: Training, mental (some), strength, elites
Summary:
I heard about Percy Cerutty in one of my other books and he sounded like a coach with a difference and someone whose training approach was broadly similar to mine, minus the low carb bit, but then this was years ago just as fats were getting ripped to shreds and he was work with pros, and he also did more intensity than I would generally suggest. Overall though it is a really interesting, if somewhat outdated read.
Full Review:
I recently heard of the coach Percy Cerutty and after some digging ended up with one of his books, “How to become a champion”, as a present for a birthday. The book is interesting and goes into a lot of his philosophies as a coach. The book is outdated in a lot of respects however it was a really interesting read and overall I feel my approach has a lot in common with what Cerutty was doing so many years ago. The book is well worth a read for the dedicated coach or ambitious runner but is far from your typical coaching bible. Below I will break down some of my favourite / the interesting quotes from the book.
“Elliot trained 2-3 times a day for at least an hour each” - I have naturally found myself training 2-3 times a day, sure not for an hour but if I were a professional or had less family commitments I would. I think too many people focus on 1 a day or building to doubles, for me getting in 3 x 3 miles means you are getting in 9 miles a day easily and can build from there.
“Our athleticism must be, and sounds be, adult Just ‘play’. Those who subscribe to the printed schedule, the daily do this coach authority, are little likely to know the joys and pleasures that true athleticism can bring us.” - A coach that is against standard schedules, fantastic. Nowadays there is so much money to be had in training plans or even just people not being able to think for themselves or listen to their body. I am happy to devise training plans but I consider them guides, follow them as best you can taking into account how your body feels. Knowing yourself and enjoying your training is what will lead you to becoming your best self.
There was another quote on this that I noted “Rigid schedules… and laid down day by day training routines, find no place in my ideas as to the fitness of things athletically. “
“Never reject a new idea, thought, suggestion or condition merely because it is new and we feel it to be wrong.“ Amazing, keep an open mind and who knows what can happen. If I weren’t willing to keep an open mind I wouldn’t have gone low carb or carnivore and all the various methods I have used that have been dismissed or not even considered by close minded athletes and coaches.
The following quote I found interesting “The track has little or no place in practice/ training.” I have never used a track for training and think that for many, especially with my sort of background, the use of a track is more likely to lead to injury and that is what I have observed from those I follow on Strava. My speedwork is limited to a road parkrun and a few hill reps. So you are looking at most 4-5 miles of speedwork out of the 50-75 miles a week that I run. This comes up again… “The track is no place to develop the natural athlete... Nothing is more conducive to the production of artificial gaits.” Brings me nicely onto the next quote “Do weight training and hill workouts.”
This is a no brainer that is supported by almost every coach nowadays so yeah do your strength training and do your hill workouts.
“Training is strenuous and interesting.” As they say, the best training is the training that you will do. I personally find this links to slowing down and integrating with family. I love the runs with my daughter and wife and things like parkrun. Strenuousness can be achieved through increasing your mileage consistently rather than seeing every session as needing to be hard.
“The watch is used for evidence only and never as a set or arbitrary standard for effort. Allows the runner to run as they should not as set out by a piece of paper.” I see this as listening to your body again. Too many people try and look at their watch for pacing or their plan to work out what they should be doing. As someone who works, has a wife and child and is human I can’t alway stick to target paces or whatever. I run my hard runs hard based off of how I feel and my easy runs easy based off how I feel. Listen to your body and not a plan!
“Humans not touched by modern man can show us how nature truly expected us to move. They have perfect posture, walking and running technique.“ I would go back further and where possible look at how humans evolved. Look at natural biomechanics and diet and well that leads us to building natural strength, slow training, barefoot stuff and eating lots of meat.
Key Takeaways:
- Avoid a training plan, listen to the body.
- On your hard sessions work damn hard.
- Avoid the track for speed work.
- Commit fully. Not just running, it is mind, strength and nutrition.
- Be open minded and research, research, research. Who knows when you will find that nugget of information that takes your running to the next level?
Just some other notes:
He discusses resting and lots of hard training, eating veg and lots of stuff like that. I have some thoughts on these:
Afternoon rest - hard for the non-professional to do, how can you train 1 hour in the morning, lunch and evening whilst working and taking a 1 hour nap.
Does endorse a lot of hard training, might be right for the right people. And of course they can rest.
Does use a veg heavy, low fat cooking approach, but that was all the rage then. Does include meat, eggs and cream/ milk. Eat to hunger. Plus they are young and likely metabolically healthy.
20 miles per day in training. This is enabled by the rest and dedication to the craft They are able to have.
“To hell with the lot of them if you ’feel’ you can do it.”
“I believe in the open mind, the mind open to possibilities…”
“I want people who… rebel, instinctively, against the pronouncements of the authoritarian.”
“Unfavourably impressed by any readiness to comply merely because someone has said so.”
“The level of any skill is enhanced when the level of strength is raised… where there is greater strength there is greater control - effort for effort.”
“Noone can be taught a true running posture or movement - The mind of the athlete must be altered” - I see this as barefoot training /drills for example trains the brain to run
Great performance is the result of the intrinsic worth as found and developed in the individual.
Nothing easily attained was ever worth while; nothing worth while easily attained to.
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