This is likely my favourite style of workouts for many reasons. One of the reasons is that I have correctly trained myself to be able to perform a lot of work over a given period of time without getting too much lactate into the blood, and I like that fact (aka aerobic training). I have been "correctly" training MAP sessions for nearly one year now, and I finally understand how important time and commitment become when it comes to this style of training. Whenever a fitness coach will vary into a new style or method of training (be it strength, interval, lactate, etc.), it takes a certain amount of both patience and belief that it will pay off in the end. Well this sure has. My aerobic fitness right now is better than it has been at any point in my training career, even compared to when I made the CrossFit Games in 2009 and in 2010 (side note - CrossFit is an aerobic capacity sport, with some other stuff). Only time will tell if multiple modality MAP training will pay off when it comes to competing in the sport of CrossFit.
I began seriously training with this manner from 2 points. The first was that I wanted to be able to finish a certain Airdyne test known as the 300FY. I thought that it would be near impossible the first few times that I had made a 2-3 minute effort at achieving this. After a few months of airdyne specific MAP training, I was able to complete both the 300FY (315 to be exact) and my own version 600MF (605 calories in 20 minutes). The second was that I had begun to experiment with this template of training with my endurance athletes...and the results were nothing short of incredible. For example, one gentleman (54 years old) who had began doing my training program in late 2010 for the goal of eventually reaching the Boston Marathon. When we had first met, he had only been running for less than 4 months on his own - basically just accumulating volume. Prior to this, he had not been active since his early 20's, but he still held an impressive frame for someone his age (when compared to his peers). Fast forward to today, and in the last 2 months he has completed the following: 10k run - 39 min flat, 1/2 marathon - 1 hour 27 minutes, marathon - 3 hours and 5 minutes (he wanted sub 3 hours, but he fell sick a few days before the race). Anyway, he is on his way to Boston in April 2012, where he will break a 3 hour marathon time. Our goal is for him to be in the top 50 runners in the world for the 10 k distance for his age within the next year.
Maximal Aerobic Power training is one the most elegant and simplistic ways to develop your aerobic system in a controlled and progressive manner. Once an individual has reached a base level of the aerobic conditioning, and a base level of understanding intensity and recovery when using multiple modalities they can and should be doing these style of training sessions in order to reach the potential in physical fitness...if their goals/lifestyle/etc are in line with this.
My current training week looks like this (for those interested):
Sunday
AM
CP - speed based - olympic lifting tech/upper body pushing speed + olympic lfting speed coupled with plyomterics + posterior chain speed coupled with plyometrics
PM
Zone 1 - gymnastic skill work + low heart rate cardio
Monday
Multiple modality MAP training - 30/30 x 40 increasing to 60 sets
Tuesday - off
Wednesday
AM
CP - strength - squat intense/pressing + single leg squat based + upper body pull/upper body push
PM
Zone 1 - gymnastic skill + low heart rate cardio
Thursday
Anaerobic Lactic Power training - interval # 2
Friday
AM
Multiple modality MAP training - 5 min/5 min, into...5 min/3 min, into...7 min/5 min
PM
Zone 1 - gymnastic skill + low heart rate cardio
Saturday - off
I usually play ice hockey 2 times per week right now, which is like 2 additional 60 min MAP training sessions.