Story By Coach Bjorn Jansen
For many athletes, the temptation to push hard in every session is strong. It feels productive and satisfying, but it isn't always effective. In athletics, especially from 100m to 800m, not doing the "right training at the right time" can slow development and reduce race-day performance. At SpeedPro in Wimbledon, our coaching focuses on getting athletes out of the grey zone, moderate, repetitive intensity that limits speed and endurance.
What Is Grey Zone Training?
Grey zone training refers to a middle-intensity effort where athletes work hard but not hard enough to stimulate real adaptation. It's not recovery, and it's not race pace; it's somewhere in between.
Many athletes spend too much time here. They push at about 70–80% effort, thinking they are building endurance, but in reality, they limit their top-end speed and prevent proper recovery. In athletics, that means slower sprint times, weaker finishes, and fatigue that builds without real performance gains.
At SpeedPro, we teach our athletes to recognise and manage intensity zones through structured training that targets specific energy systems, from pure speed to threshold endurance. We ensure that every session has a clear purpose.
Why Grey Zone Training Limits Progress
Spending too long in the grey zone can create a false sense of progress. Athletes feel fit but not fast, firm but not sharp. That's because this type of training sits in a zone where the body adapts minimally. It's too hard to recover from quickly, but not hard enough to build new capacities.
This causes athletes to plateau in sprint and middle-distance performance, as they lose the ability to hit high speeds when it matters. At SpeedPro, our coaching system ensures that every athlete avoids this trap. We separate training into clear blocks: recovery, aerobic development, speed, and speed endurance, all tailored to the athlete's goals.
Coaching for Purposeful Training
Effective training is about precision and intent. Every repetition should serve a clear function, whether refining acceleration mechanics, improving lactate tolerance, or developing control under fatigue.
At SpeedPro, our coaching approach helps athletes understand the "why" behind every session. We ensure that training intensity matches the phase of the season, building towards championship-level performance. The goal is not to do more, but to be locked in and do better.
This level of structure helps athletes maintain balance. Too much intensity early in the season leads to burnout; too little leaves you unprepared. Training with purpose keeps you improving, fresh, and ready when it matters most.
Avoiding the Trap Through Adaptive Coaching
Getting out of the grey zone requires awareness and adaptive training. Our Wimbledon-based coaching team works closely with each athlete to design programmes that combine quality sessions, structured recovery, and specific focus blocks.
A typical week may include one high-intensity session focused on speed, another on speed endurance, a threshold or tempo run for middle-distance athletes, and dedicated recovery days. This approach develops every part of performance without falling into that unproductive middle ground.
The key is consistency. Athletes who commit to structured training see measurable improvements in their race execution and recovery times.
Final Thoughts
Training in the grey zone feels productive, but it slows you down. It creates fatigue without adaptation, effort without reward. At SpeedPro, our coaching removes the guesswork. We ensure every athlete follows structured, purposeful training that develops speed, endurance, and confidence.
Championship performances aren't built on endless effort but on intelligent, adaptive, and well-timed training.
If you're ready to step out of the grey zone and into a more innovative way of working, join SpeedPro's training group and discover how targeted training can transform your performance.
