Properly Programming and Scheduling In-Season Weight Training
By Matthew Ellis, Primal Athlete Training Center
For the most part, certain sports have it easy when it comes to in-season weight training. Football has games on Friday nights so weight training on Mondays and Wednesdays makes perfect sense. For many other sports like track and field, competitions can fall anywhere during the week and on some Saturdays. Sometimes you have two or more meets per week. How are you supposed to keep a good weight training schedule and make sure you are doing enough weight training when competition days change each week?
This is a question that paralyzes a lot of track coaches during the season. Many times I will speak to a coach and they have no real plan of attack when it comes to weight training during the season. Many times the answer is simply “We lift when we have time.” This article will show you that with a little planning and the right training techniques, you can map out your weight training sessions for the entire season in just a few hours. First step, you need to organize the days your team will lift.
Map It Out: The first thing you should do is go to your local office supply store and buy a big desk calendar. Don’t be cheap and get a tiny one on sale. Don’t even think about using the calendar in your cell phone either! Get a big calendar with a lot of space to write. On the day you receive your meet schedule for the season, take a red pen and write down on the calendar every meet you will attend. Even if it is a big championship meet that only part of your team will attend, write it down. It is important to be thorough so just go in order day by day and write down the information on the calendar.
Starting with the last meet of the season, count back two days before that meet and in a black pen write “Weight Room” in big letters. Work your way backwards from the last meet of the season all the way to the first meet of the season. There should be one weight training session per week. You may find that as you get closer to the smaller meets at the beginning of the season your weight training day falls on the same day as another meet. If this happens, simply count back one more day and write “Weight Room” in that square.
More advice on How to Train Around Dual Meets (video)
Now comes the tough part. Finding one day per week to train in the weight room is easy. Finding a second day per week might be a little tricky, but it is certainly doable. Starting again at the end of the season, find the last “Weight Room” session of the year and count back another 2 days. Write “Weight Room” again in that square. As an example, the Rhode Island State Championship track meet was on a Saturday last June. I counted back two days to that Thursday and wrote “Weight Room” in big black letters. I counted back another two days to that Tuesday and wrote “Weight Room” one more time. So the last week leading up to the State Meet my throwers were in the weight room on Tuesday and Thursday.
At the end of the season, this is easy. For the most part all of the bigger invitationals and championship meets are on the weekends. Scheduling weight training should be very easy. Every Tuesday and Thursday leading up to those meets you will be in the weight room. Not too difficult.
Where it can get tricky is in the beginning of the season where you are attending a lot of little meets and smaller relays. You may have these during the week after school and many times you will have 2 per week. As a coach, you need to realize that these meets are fun and a great way to “tune up” your athletes, but they really don’t count for anything. You may have to *GASP* be in the weight room the day before a track meet!
If this happens, don’t worry. Your goal as a coach should be to get your athletes to peak for the big meets at the end of the season. Throwing a PR during a tiny dual meet is great but wouldn’t you rather see that PR happen at the championship meet at the end of the season? You need to look at the big picture. Lifting the day before a meet sounds scary but it will keep your athletes on schedule to peak at the end of the season.
Step away from the calendar and take a look. At this point you should notice a few things. You should have two scheduled days each week where your athletes will be in the weight room. You should also notice that this leaves a lot of time for your athletes to get outside and actually practice their events. Now that you have your training days scheduled you need to figure out what you will be doing in the weight room those two days every week. Please continue reading to learn more.
Optimal Weight Training: Here is where some confusion starts to happen with a lot of coaches. Many coaches think that in order to successfully build strength during track season that the athletes need to be in the weight room more than twice per week and the training sessions should last for more than one hour. This is simply not true. If planned out correctly your athletes will be able to gain strength during track season lifting only two days per week. The training sessions should only take 45 minutes at maximum. This leaves time on the days you are in the weight room to still practice the events outside. This also leaves you the luxury to split your team into 2 groups and send one group to the weight room at the beginning of practice and one group to the weight room at the end of practice. Here is how you do it.
You must stick to the basic compound movements. Every day you are in the weight room your athletes should have one basic compound movement to execute. The first day in the weight room (the day of the week furthest away from the track meet) this movement should be a squat. The second day should be a bench press (flat or incline).
The second movement of the day should be an explosive dumbbell exercise. My two favorites are the one-arm dumbbell clean and press and the one arm dumbbell snatch. Keep the weight as heavy as you can while performing the prescribed amount of reps with great technique.
The rest of the day in the weight room should focus on three movements: An opposite movement, an accessory movement, and a movement to correct weakness. The opposite movement will be the opposite “direction” of the main strength movement. For example, if the bench press was the main strength movement, the opposite movement would be a row or pull up. Bench press is a push and rowing is a pull (the opposite of pushing). The accessory movement would be something to help the main strength movement. If the bench press was the main strength movement you would add another pushing movement like a close grip push up, weighted triceps extension, or explosive push up.
The movement to correct weakness depends on the athlete. If your athlete has very weak or inflexible legs, you should do a lunge or squatting movement. Weak lower backs should do a back extension, reverse hyperextension, or good morning type movement. Weak shoulders should do an overhead press movement.
That’s it. Five exercises per day in the weight room. A main strength movement, an explosive dumbbell movement, an opposite movement, an accessory movement, and a movement to correct weakness. As long as you plan out the movements ahead of time and keep an eye on your athletes, everything should work out well. I have listed below an example of an in-season training week. Please understand this is just an example. The exercises will differ for you depending on the equipment you have available in your weight room and the weakness of each athlete.
Day 1:
Main Strength Movement: Barbell Squat
Explosive Dumbbell Movement: One Arm Dumbbell Clean and Press
Opposite Movement: Stiff Leg Dead Lift
Accessory Movement: Bodyweight Walking Lunge
Movement to Correct Weakness: Spread Eagle Sit Up
Day 2:
Main Strength Movement: Flat Bench Press
Explosive Dumbbell Movement: One Arm Dumbbell Snatch
Opposite Movement: Pull Up
Accessory Movement: Close Grip Push Up
Movement to Correct Weakness: Seated Good Morning
Set and Rep Schemes: Now that you have an idea of what days to train in the weight room and what type of exercises you should program into the training, you need to set up in the amount of sets and reps for your main strength movement and your explosive dumbbell movement.
Here is the most basic way to do it. You have two options when setting up a set and rep scheme, manipulate the number of sets or the number of reps. Manipulating the reps while keeping the amount of sets standard is the easiest way to stay organized throughout the season. Here is how you do it.
Starting with the last week of the season, you will set up a 4 week cycle. The week of your last meet of the season will be a deload week. Count backwards from there. The week before that is week 3. The week before that is week 2. The week before that is week 1. Continue counting back like this until the first week of the season. Deload, 3, 2, 1, deload, 3, 2, 1, deload, 3, 2, 1, etc.
Week 1 you will do 5 sets of 6 reps. Week 2 you will do 5 sets of 5 reps, increasing the weight. Week 3 you will do 5 sets of 4 reps, increasing the weight once more. Week 4 is a deload. Deload weeks are where you will make the weight very light and move the weight as quickly as possible. Deload weeks ensure you are giving your body time to rest and recover so you never plateau. Week 4 deload you will do 5 sets of 6 reps using very light weight.
The opposite movement, accessory movement, and movement to correct weakness should all stay at a standard 4 sets of 10 reps. Increase the weight as needed as the athlete gets stronger.
Continue this process throughout the entire season. There are, of course, come caveats when implementing a program like this. First, the athletes need to be serious about this program and trust that it will work. If you have athletes in the weight room taking it easy or going way too heavy or too light, this plan will not work. Also, the athletes need to keep track of what weight they are using each week. This way they know what weight to choose as the weeks progress. Nothing is worse than when an athlete uses the same weight week after week because he isn’t sure what he used the week before. As long as there is some organization in your weight room and you take the time to write out a program following these steps, your athletes will continue to gain strength during the season and will be at their peak strength and explosiveness for the championship meets at the end of the season.
Get Strength Training Program for High School Throwers
About the Author.
Matthew Ellis, Owner, Primal Athlete Training Center, www.PrimalATC.com
Matt is the owner and head strength coach of Primal Athlete Training Center in Cranston, RI. Matt specializes in training high school power athletes, especially throwers. He has spoken to thousands of coaches and athletic directors at many of the largest state and regional coaching clinics around the U.S. on topics such as functional training, kettlebell training for athletes, proper active warm-up, mobility drills, and proper technique in the various throwing events. Matt is a certified Underground Strength Coach, a certified kettlebell instructor, a gym owner, and a private throwing coach.
Matt has an aggressive, blue-collar style to his training that improves strength, speed, and explosive power in all athletic movements.
Feel free to contact Matt by e-mail Matt@PrimalATC.com with any questions.
Filed under Hurdles, Jumps, Mid Distance, Sprints, Throws by on Jan 6th, 2012. 8 Comments. 
Workouts and Training During Breaks
by Marc Mangiacotti, Brown University Sprints/Hurdles
For me, the holiday season or any extended break always brings about a sense of nervousness. It is less likely that I’ll worry if my wife will like the new pair of shoes I bought her, or how much snow I’ll have to shovel to clear the driveway. What keeps me up at night is wondering if my athletes are doing their workouts. At different times throughout the year we all send our little cherubs home for the holidays or spring break.
In the past, I would spend a great deal of time preparing top-notch workouts for my athletes. The workouts would contain the perfect intervals with the ideal splits to hit. More importantly, the workouts were geared towards helping the athletes maintain the training momentum until early competition.
While I assumed they would be able to complete all of the assigned workouts during break, I quickly learned this was nearly impossible because of weather conditions or lack of facilities. As the years rolled on I realized that each athlete was facing different challenges trying to complete these workouts. Some athletes spent vacation with their family on a cruise ship, some did not have access to a track, and others had a foot of snow on the ground. In addition to the obvious challenges there were many unanswered questions regarding unconventional workouts. Therefore, these athletes did what most teenagers would decide to do…NOTHING.
A few years ago I decided to go back to the drawing board and create alternative workouts so that athletes could stay fit, even if they were trapped on a deserted island. I even started implementing these workouts a few weeks prior to the break so the athletes could better understand how to perform each drill and know what was expected of them while on break. During the workout I would explain an alternative workout that could take its place if there was snow on the ground or they were visiting an aunt in the middle of nowhere.
How to Build the Perfect 100m Sprinter From Start to Finish
A good example of this type of workout would be: 400 meter, 300 meter, 200 meter, 100 meter with equal distance walk recovery. Here’s how its done – after the 400m run, the athlete walks 400m, then runs 300m and walks 300m, etc… The men know I will ask them to run around (some will run faster depending on the time of the year and the athlete’s abilities) 60 seconds for the 400m, 42 seconds for the 300m, 26 for the 200m, and 12 seconds or faster for the 100m (400m = 15 seconds per 100m, 300m = 14 seconds per 100m, 200m = 13 seconds per 100m, and the 100m is just fast). I explain to the athletes that they can do this workout in a field or on the street in front of their house. Instead of using the distance they can use the time to dictate the length of the run. The athlete can run hard for 60 seconds, 45 seconds, 30 seconds, and 15 seconds with suitable rest. I constantly remind the athletes that this should be a hard workout. If they are not tired or feel like they just ran a set of 400m, 300m, 200m, 100m with me standing there, then they need to add 100m build ups until they feel like they did the 400m, 300m, 200m, 100m workout.
I even provide a third version of this workout for those athletes that live in the snow-belt. Typically, I ask these athletes to do the workout on a bike or in the pool – repeat 60 seconds, 45 seconds, 30 seconds and 15 seconds of high intensity until they feel like they just ran 400m, 300m, 200m, 100m. Doing the workout on a bike may not be as effective as running it on a track, but it sure beats doing nothing.
Lastly, I always have a body weight exercise routine that an athlete can accomplish even if they are locked in a closet. I ask the athlete to do multiple sets of this circuit with no rest between repetitions and a short rest between sets. Often, I ask the athletes to time themselves while they go through each set. This prevents them from taking breaks and allows a continuous circuit, until one full set is complete and they are given 2-3 minutes to grab water and prepare for the next set.
One of the circuits is called a MONSTER. Have your athletes do this body weight circuit at the end of a practice and you will understand how it got its name. I acquired this body weight circuit from my days at Wheaton College.
MONSTER
25 V-Sits
25 Prisoner Squats
50 In-place A-skips
20 L-Overs
25 Push Ups
25 Fire Hydrants
25 Trail Leg Circles
15 4-Count Thrusts/Burpees
25 Crunches
10 Rocket Jumps
Whether I send my kids home for one week or one month, I know they are equipped with workouts that will keep them fit. I also know they have no excuse to come back from break out-of-shape. The athletes are furnished with specific, semi-specific, and even general workouts that can be accomplished wherever they are during break. This set up has really helped our athletes achieve success weeks and months after holidays, break, or vacations. We all have the same issue – sending our kids on break with limited access to facilities. Our goal should be to prepare our athletes with alternative workouts they can perform in order to be successful, regardless of where they are in the world.
In case you missed these other great articles by Coach Mangiacotti: Testing and The Circle of Truth
Filed under Hurdles, Sprints by on Jan 5th, 2012. 1 Comment.
Winter Training and Athlete Wellness
Middle Distance Training
The winter months are the time of year when people, including endurance athletes, tend to have more illness such as upper respiratory tract infections (URTI). If an endurance runner engaged in heavy winter training should contract an URTI it could mean up to six or seven days of lost training. There are three reasons that the incidences of URTI are more common in the winter months than at any other time of the year, and they include: (1) the general population is inside buildings more of the time and since the virus that causes URTI are distributed airborne there is a greater opportunity for person to person exposure, (2) the colder atmospheric air outdoors creates added stress to the body as it tries to maintain it’s homoeothermic condition, and (3) the less humid winter air dries the epidermal mucous membranes of the body (lips, nose, eyes) and creates small membrane cracking which allows the airborne virus access to the body.
In general, distance runners engaged in endurance training of more than 20 miles per week are much more susceptible to URTI than the general population. Martin et al. showed evidence that running 5-15 miles per week actually gives the immune system a boost (jogging is good for you), but mileage exceeding 20 miles per week deteriorates the immune system in a somewhat linear regression (Figure 1).
Figure 1.
Martin showed in his study (Figure 1) that an athlete training at 55 miles per week is seven times more likely to contract an URTI than a runner training at 18 miles per week. This scenario makes it problematic for coaches as they try to keep their athletes healthy and on a progressive training program.
Coaches are capable of many things, but influencing the climate is not one of those things. Nor, is it convenient to isolate the athletes away from people who may be carrying the URTI virus. The emphasis for the coach in preventing the incidences of this type of illness in their athletes should be on practical, habitual rituals that the runners should adopt into their lifestyle.
Check out Coach Christensen’s Preparation of the Elite Junior Middle Distance Runner
Coaches should emphasize to their runners that proper and continued hydration is vital to a healthy immune system. If the body is properly hydrated then the exposed mucous membranes of the body will stay moist. It is important that the athletes do not share water bottles when seeking proper hydration. Since URTI viruses are airborne, they are present on all surfaces such as hands and water bottles. The exchange of water bottles at a critical time following a workout should not be done. All athletes tend to drink more water in the summer. They are generally thirstier and are more aware of regaining water when it is hot. The problem in the winter is that the atmospheric air is so dry that copious amounts of water vapor are lost through breathing as air is exchanged from lung to atmosphere. Because the athlete is not sweating as much as they do in the summer, they think that replacing water is not as critical. Unknown to them is the fact that water lost in air exchange is much higher in the winter than it is in the summer. Distance runners really benefit from licking their lips as they recover from a workout whenever water is lost. Rather than tell them to do so, have them suck on suckers or lozenges post-workout. This act will translate to moister lips and thus no epithelial cracking. There has been some research presented in the last twenty years that suggests the micro-mineral zinc helps prevent colds through a healthier immune system when zinc is added as a supplement. It may, as the research is unclear. Some of the latest research suggests supplemental zinc may not prevent colds, but it may shorten their duration by a couple of days. That alone would benefit the athlete. With this in mind, the coach might suggest lozenges or suckers that have supplemental zinc added. It is recommended that people do not exceed 100 mg of zinc per day, so suggest lozenges or suckers that have 10 or 15 mg zinc.
The last recommendation deals with the athletes lingering outside in the cold air post-workout. Even if it is below 40 degrees F following a long run, the athletes will not feel immediately cold. Their core body temperature is probably in excess of 100 degrees F, and heat is contained in their clothing. They do not feel the urgency to immediately seek shelter. The temperature gradient between the body and the atmosphere at this time is severe. The body does not function well when there is such a temperature gradient. Body cooling under those conditions will be very fast and stressful. The stress will affect their immune system and this will be the moment in time that the virus, if present, will gain a foothold in the cells of the body. Herd them as quickly as possible to shelter. Enjoy the weather!
More winter training advice from Coach Christensen: Winter Development in Cross Country Training
References:
- 1. Martin S, Pierce B and Woods J. Exercise and respiratory tract viral infections. Exer and Spor Sci Rev. 2009;37(4): 157-164.
- 2. Sandstead M. Zinc requirement and the risk benefit of zinc supplementation. J of Tra Ele in Med and Bio. 2006; 20(1):3-18.
Filed under Distance, Mid Distance by on Jan 4th, 2012. 1 Comment.
Winter Development in Cross Country Training
Scott Christensen
Exercise physiologist like to reduce athletic performance ability to five physical skills that are a product of the athlete’s genome, age and training development. Coaches have accepted this reductionism viewpoint and have described these five skills as “bio-motor” skills. While the word bio-motor has no true scientific definition, both coaches and physiologists understand the jargon term when it is used in conversation. Whether or not the word is real is not the important point. The real importance lies in the fact that to achieve further development in all types of athletes, including distance runners, than the five individual bio-motor skills need to be improved.
The five human bio-motor skills are: speed, strength, endurance, flexibility, and coordination. Athletics is a very diverse domain. The skills needed to be a great baseball player are much different than those skills need to be a great 5K runner. Yet, development must occur in all five skills if one is to achieve the level of success dictated by age, motivation and genome structure. For instance, in baseball, coordination and speed are vital components, while flexibility, endurance, and strength are important but less emphasized. For athletes racing a 5k, endurance and strength are vital, while flexibility, coordination, and speed seem less so.
The truth in training is that all five bio-motor skills need to be developed and not neglected in all forms of athletics. The problem with training schemes that attempt to foster complete bio-motor skill development lies in the fact that there is only so much time in season to dedicate to each skill. Naturally, during cross country season, endurance skills will be heavily emphasized by all coaches. The time dedicated to the four remaining skills is at the whim of the coach at any particular school. Anybody who talks regularly with other cross country coaches understands the variability of training programs and it seldom deals with the endurance component.
If dedicating in-season time to these remaining skills is problematic, then how about off-season activities that the athlete can do themselves to further their bio-motor skill development.
For many high cross country runners in the United States, the off-season occurs during the winter. The high schools in the northeastern part of the United States, with indoor track as a sport, are an exception to this, but an emphasis on skills other than endurance may be helpful to the athlete’s total development there as well. Weather will limit some training skills from being done, and no bio-motor skill can be developed in isolation, yet an emphasis on skills other than endurance can be made. As you visit with your athletes about implementing new skill development it is important to stress trying to practice perfectly, and not just go through the motions. As with any physical activity, doing them improperly is worse than not doing new skill development at all.
Let’s begin with basic cross country endurance development during the winter months and move on from there.
Learn more from Coach Christensen with: Preparing the Elite Junior Cross Country Runner
Endurance Skills: After a three to five week break following the cross country season it is time to restart aerobic training and develop a bigger aerobic base. The training emphasis begins with 5-7 mile runs done continuously at a steady pave near the aerobic threshold. These workouts will be the major portion of the winter training program because it takes so long to structurally remodel the aerobic system of humans. Physiologically, the athlete is looking for greater development of the heart, increases in blood volume, angiogenesis, and greater quantities of cardiovascular enzymes. All of these are accomplished with work done near the aerobic threshold for a somewhat lengthy amount of training time. Later in the off-season, the speed of some of the aerobic based runs can be increased to closer to the lactate threshold. This will not only help the cardiovascular system development, but will stimulate more efficient catabolization of carbohydrate molecules at the sites of the working muscles.
Strength Skills: Strength skill development is doing much more than weight room activities, but certainly includes it. For example, a sleek distance runner does not need to do big sets of hang squat snatches, especially if they are unfamiliar with such activities. Weight room activities centered closer to body weight are much more appropriate. Force production at 5k pace is not great enough to have to add huge amounts of weights to the bars. Military presses, bench presses, and body cleans which are done near the athletes body weight are more than enough to develop the strength needed to carry the body over 5K However, similar to endurance skills, strength skills require a lot of time to develop a stronger base. Beyond the weight room, hill running, running through the snow, running into a strong wind, and barefoot running are good examples of strength runs. Strength type of activities should be emphasized 2-3 times per week during the winter.
Speed Skills: Yes, speed work can and should be done in the off-season by distance runners. Emphasize pure speed over speed endurance for sill development. Run 30-40 meter repeats at 100% effort with three minutes rest between each bit of work. Decelerate very slowly after each flying 30 meter repeat. Do 8-10 repeats at the beginning of practice after a good warm-up. The rest period must be lengthy. Speed should be emphasized one day per week in the winter. A similar training effect can be accomplished by a controlled fartlek workout, but this style is a more difficult type of speed workout to self administer
Flexibility Skills: If an athlete can lengthen their stride by one inch due to an improved range of motion in their skeletal joints and soft tissue they will take 48 less strides in a one mile race. Imagine what that would do to their performance! Improving range of motion has not been linked to over-striding so it can be nothing but beneficial to the athlete. Recent studies show us too much static stretching leads to a temporary loss of force production by the muscle. For this reason it is hard to find time for flexibility work during the season. However, during the winter is a great time to develop a new normal range of motion for each athlete. Develop a static and dynamic stretching routine that is done consistently.
Coordination Skills: Many scientific studies link high coordination skills with elite athletes. It is a skill that separates the champions from the others. In distance training it is largely an overlooked bio-motor skill although speed development does lead to greater coordination development. Developing greater coordination skills through drills are not activities that raise the heart rate of the athlete. The basic premise is to improve the balance of the athlete. Running is an activity where one lands on one foot, establishing a balanced platform, and then transfers body mass across to the other foot. Drills include: standing on one foot as long as the athlete can while the heel is lifted, repeating this drill with a ten pound plate from the weight room, now add a lateral hop back and forth on one foot holding the plate. Other drills include: craning on one leg and trying to pick up a quarter off of the floor, craning while a partner shifts ones center of mass. These coordination skills can be worked on every day during the off-season when there is more time at hand.
Athletes and coaches should enjoy the off-season. There are many activities that can be done during this time that cannot be done at other times. Think about complete “bio-motor” development at this time, even though it is not a real word.
Competing this winter? Check out Coach Christensen’s Race Strategy for Endurance Events
Filed under Distance by on Jan 3rd, 2012. 1 Comment.
I hope you had a relaxing and enjoyable holiday. But now it’s time to get back to business.
Today, I want to recommend to opportunities to enhance your coaching education.
The first is a final reminder that this Friday and Saturday, the USTFCCCA Track & Field Technical Certification will be held at Brown University.
I’ll be teaching the Sprint Events on Saturday morning and Mike Young will cover the rest.
I hope to see you there.
The next clinic I want to recommend is the Ohio Track & Field Clinic being held in Columbus from January26-28, 2012.
I’ll be doing 5 presentations on Thursday and Friday and you can expect standard Latif presentation style!
Here are my times and topics:
Thursday:
6:30pm-7:20pm Speed Development Progressions for Horizontal Jumpers
8:30pm-9:20pm Developing Inexperienced Triple Jumpers w/o Crippling Them!
Friday:
8:30am-9:30am There are No Safe Handoffs! How to Run a Fast 4 x 100 Relay
1:30pm-2:30pm Developing the High School Combo Sprinter/Hurdler/Jumper
4:00pm-5:00pm The Death of Periodization: Designing an Effective 12 Week Program for HS Sprinters
In all sessions I’ll be covering the new stuff I’m doing this year, upgrades, evolutions and mistakes I’ve learned from.
If I had to pick one session to check out, it would be my 1:30 session on Friday. One of the biggest questions I get these days is:
“How do I design proper training for my sprinter who also long jumps?”
Or:
“How do I design proper training for my hurdler who long jumps but also has to run the 4×4?”
So I’ll be going into how you can create an optimal training program for high school multi event athletes even though you have limited staff/equipment/facilities, etc.
It should all be good stuff. At the very least it won’t be boring!
It’s a new year so let’s commit to learning as much as we can this year.
To your success,
Latif Thomas
Filed under Hurdles, Jumps, Sprints by on Jan 2nd, 2012. 4 Comments.
Testing
By Marc Mangiacotti, Brown University
Every November for the past 10 years, I have tested my sprinters in order to improve the training for each individual athlete, and to help me become a better coach. All of the tests that I use are designed around specific track and field events. Testing is beneficial for both the athletes as well as myself. The tests are events that the athletes can be successful in early in the year. In November, the athletes are not prepared to run a personal best in the 100m, 200m, or 400m. During testing, it is common for athletes to become frustrated with how they perform, because they usually have high expectations for their results. Testing helps me figure out the strengths and weaknesses for each athlete and the team as a whole. The events that I test can be re-tested later in the season so the athletes can see their growth within a given year. The testing is also done on a yearly basis, so the athletes can see how far they have come as result of their hard work and effort. Since the athletes are aware that testing takes place early in the season, they are more likely to complete fall training correctly.
The testing measures strength, power, speed, coordination, flexibility, and endurance, which are all great qualities to have if you are an athlete. The testing allows me to measure the levels of each of these characteristics. Knowing this information allows me to write better workouts for specific events groups, or tailor the workouts to fit individual athletes. The tests include: the OHB (over head backwards throw), UHF (under hand forward throw), Fly 30m, Block 30m, SLJ (standing long jump), STJ (standing triple jump), 150m, and 300m. I do NOT test all of these on the same day. I usually divide the events over a few days so the athletes can test to the best of their ability and I can get an accurate measure for each event.
What does each test measure?
SLJ (standing long jump) which tests power & coordination
STJ (standing triple jump) which also tests power and coordination, but also aids in identifying acceleration capabilities
Block 30m which tests power and coordination, but also aids in indentifying acceleration capabilities
Fly 30m which tests speed
OHB (over head backwards throw w/ shot put) which tests power and coordination
UHF (underhand forward throw w/shot put) which tests power and coordination
150m which tests speed and speed endurance
300m which tests endurance, overall fitness level, and it helps find out who the “gamers” are in the group.
Testing Schedule:
Day 1:
SLJ
Block 30m
OHB
150m
Day 2:
STJ
Fly 30m
UHF
300m (lately I have been testing the 300m on a 3rd day by itself)
The testing results allow me to figure out if I have my athletes in the correct event(s). Sprinters can usually fit into one of many different categories. There are long sprints (200m/400m), short sprints (55m/200m), short hurdles, long hurdles, short sprinter-hurdler/jumpers, and long sprinter-hurdler/jumpers in our sport (hopefully…I did not forget a group). Every year after testing, I realize that I have at least one athlete in the wrong event, or that I need to add an event to their profile. Most often, it is a freshman that is a short sprinter, who I am surprised by after testing. Usually, I am amazed that a short sprinter is able to move up and run a leg on the 4×4 or can help the team in a jumping event. These are ALWAYS good surprises. I would not know this information early in the season if I did not test my athletes.
How to Build the Perfect 100m Sprinter From Start to Finish
The chart below is an example of testing for one of my former athletes. You can see that I use a chart that scores the testing like a decathlon. The scoring helps the athlete understand what their strengths and weaknesses are in athletics. The scoring also creates a little competition. I always encourage the athletes to focus on their own score. I ask them to focus on scoring more points than the last time they tested. Truth be told I understand they are going to compare their score to the other sprint’s scores. I am okay with this because the extra competition ensures 100% effort in all of the tests which helps validate the assessment of each athlete. The testing would be invalid if the athletes were not giving 100% in each event.
| SLJ | Fly30 | STJ | BLK30 | OHB | 150 | UHF | 300 | ||||||||||||
| Name | Perf. | Pts. | Perf. | Pts. | Perf. | Pts. | Perf. | Pts. | Perf. | Pts. | Perf. | Pts. | Perf. | Pts. | Perf. | Total | |||
| Runner, X | M | Sr | Long Sprinter | 3.02 | 710 | 3.03 | 747 | 8.71 | 735 | 3.89 | 740 | 16 | 900 | 16.6 | 935 | 14.9 | 507 | 35.33 | 5273 |
My advice is to test your athletes to help you measure their growth. Testing can also be used to categorize your sprinters into event groups (example: long sprints or short sprints). There are a ton of tests that you can use from simple (pull ups and 45 second runs) to advanced techniques. Pick the tests that fit your program the best and keep a file to learn more about your athletes. The longer you keep records the more you will understand the results. I have 10 years worth of test results. I also share results with close friends so we can learn from each other. I know how fast someone needs to run in the fly 30m and block 30m if they want to break 11 seconds in the 100m. Teachers have been giving quizzes, tests, and exams since students have been in the classroom. Let’s start looking at track & field as a learning experience. If that is the case then we need to test our athletes as the year goes on to get feedback on our training. I don’t want to wait until the last meet of the season to find out the training needed to be changed (too late). Testing allows me to tweak training for event groups or individual athletes as the season progresses. It has worked for me!
Filed under Hurdles, Sprints by on Dec 19th, 2011. 19 Comments.
The Essence of the Endurance Training Program
Middle Distance Training
by Scott Christensen, Stillwater HS (MN)
Over the past 60 years all sport training models have benefited from the scientific principles that scientists have developed to explain the natural world. The application of scientific laws and theories by coaches has transformed athletic training from a trial and error method to a systematic model of periodized development. The important link in this knowledge chain is the education of the middle distance coach in the areas of training science that are specific to what that coach does on a daily basis with their athletes. The emphasis on the importance of peer-reviewed science becoming the base of the scientific knowledge necessary to make coaches 
creative problem solvers to the daily questions that enter into any middle distance training program is important. All successful coaches need the necessary and most contemporary scientific research available to them in a manner in which they can both understand the principles, and can then apply them to the training of their middle distance athletes.
RELATED: Preparing the Elite Junior Middle Distance (800m – 1600m) Runner
In the 1960’s and 1970’s, in a time before eastern European influenced periodization had taken hold in America, the famed American endurance coach Bill Bowerman of Oregon learned his craft by trial and error testing and achieved great success. This led to the following observations on training by Bowerman:
“The principles that I thought were most important were what I have chosen to call the hard-easy. This does not mean that a person runs hard one day and takes it pretty easy the next. It depends on the individual. Perhaps a Steve Prefontaine or a Dyrol Burleson might work hard two or three days and then he might take two or three very light days. Kenny Moore was a fragile runner and after one of his very solid workouts, it might take two or three easy days before he was ready to apply the next hard effort. Nevertheless the hard-easy principle applies and, in general, I don’t think a person can go wrong either as a coach or as an individual runner, working hard one day and taking the next relatively easy, or perhaps an effort in some other physical activity (Bowerman 1975)” .
Nowadays, in the periodization models of the various types of endurance training; there requires a firm understanding of human physiological principles in the domain of contemporary scientific understanding. These models primarily differ in the distance the athlete is training for, and in the biological characteristics of the individual. It is a requirement to employ a training program that matches the general and unique physiological adaptations that a specific athlete is capable of attaining, in order to achieve success in the program. Ultimately, endurance training requires an understanding of the physiological principles training in the aerobic energy system, anaerobic energy system, and the combined zones of each athlete the coach trains. Stated simply, the “theory of periodized training” must directly relate to the theories of overload and adaptation on an individual basis (Figure 1) (Freeman 1989).
-Figure 1. Overload-adaptation progression indicating muscle size changes.
Before developing a periodized training model for middle distance runners, it is critical to look at some special consideration in constructing the annual plan (Bompa 1983):
- The total amount of time available to prepare the endurance runner for the next major series of competitions. (Bourne, 2009)
- · The specific needs of the individual endurance runner in regard to the various primary physical performance components needed to compete at a specific event or range of events (Bourne 2009).
Any given year may require the planning of one or more macrocycles for the middle distance runner in their individual annual plan. The number of large training cycles will depend upon the annual structure of competitions or seasons available (or required) of a given endurance runner. Some will no doubt participate in cross country running, others will not.
Each developed macrocycle will include a preparation phase, pre-competitive phase, and a competitive phase, followed by a recovery transition phase, besides the daily workloads. All of these cycles are designed to bring about the physiological adaptations necessary to perform at a high level during the important competitions of that macrocycle (Bompa 1983). This technique narrows the training funnel to certain key workouts that will be needed for individual success.
To perform at a high level all middle distance runners need a periodized training model that emphasizes the big picture. Create these lengthy cycles on paper before setting up individual workouts for your athletes. A successful middle distance coach does need to be a reductionist in understanding the training effects of workloads, but not before they have developed the essence of their training program as whole.
More mid-distance from Coach Christensen: The Oxygen Deficit Curve: The Limiter of Mid-Distance Performance
References:
Bompa, T. 1983. Theory and Methodology of Training: The Key to Athletic Performance. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Inc, Dubuque, Iowa, USA. Pp. 131-179.
Bourne, D. 2008. A history of training theory and methods for elite runners through 1975. University of Texas Publishing, Austin, Texas, USA Pp 378-389.
Bowerman, W. 1975. Coaching Track and Field. Simon Publishing, New York, New York, USA Pp. 23-25.
Freeman, W. 1989. Peak When it Counts: Periodization for American Track and Field. Tafnews Press, Los Altos, California, USA. Pp. 45-90.
Filed under Distance, Mid Distance by on Dec 19th, 2011. Comment.
Race Strategy and Tactics for the Endurance Events: 800 – 5000 meters
Scott Christensen, Stillwater HS (MN)
In track and field and cross country, the race is the assessment tool that endurance coaches use to determine the present day fitness of their athletes. Race performance is a complex cumulative blend of various physiological variables as well as known and unknown factors that hinder or help race performance on the psychological side of development. In addition, race fitness is influenced by medical plusses or minuses that the athlete is currently coping with. Other variables that help determine race performance are nutrition, hydration and sleep issues. The seemingly endless list of variables that the coach and athlete deal with in assessing race fitness eventually reaches a settling point at the actual race itself. Since solving problems and gaining measurable data is about the elimination of variables, one needs to approach a race as one approaches any test, with the best plan available; one that eliminates variables beforehand and not during the moments of highest mental and physical stress. Coaches can prepare their athletes for racing by answering these three questions: What are the end-all requirements to be successful in any given race at any given distance? 
What are the needs of the race and what are the wants of the athlete? What is the most efficient means for achieving measurable success given present day fitness? The answers to all of these questions can be addressed with the single question: what tactics of competition should be used today in this particular race to achieve the highest level of measurable success? We thus can call the racing tactics the action plan of the race. Like most concepts, racing tactics will have a basic structure determined by the race distance itself and an advanced method which will account for the strength of the competition, the weather, the importance of the race, and the strengths and weaknesses in the athlete’s current fitness.
All of the races that are included in the endurance running domain are termed combined zone races by physiologists. This term defines the fact that race distances of 800 meters and greater have substantial aerobic and anaerobic energy contributions that must contribute to racing success in every runner (Wilmore and Costill 1999). The degree that each will need to contribute is based on the amount of time needed to complete the particular race distance. The endurance events also have a race breakdown that both physiologists and psychologists term the comfort zone and the critical zone (Johnson 1994). These four terms interrelate with one another in the basic idea that the comfort zone will be most influenced by aerobic energy system development and the critical zone by the development of the anaerobic energy system of the body. For most coaches, the concept of the critical zone refers to the stage of the race where success or failure is most up for grabs. This is the point that the race is won or lost. Since the critical zone is usually near the conclusion of most distance races of any length, success in this zone is highly influenced by how effectively the athlete handled the comfort zone stages earlier in the race.
Endurance race distances in high school track and cross country have a very wide parameter. The 5000 meter distance is 6.25 times greater than the 800 meter distance and the time to complete it is more than 8 times greater for most athletes. Due to the extreme limitations of the anaerobic system in humans, the longer the race is reflects a greater duration of the comfort zone in that race. The physical ability to maintain the most efficient running economy during the longer races will be the most important racing tactic during this stage of the race. Running economy in distance running is unique to the events of track and field and it is what separates these events from all others. Sprinters use strength and power in an attempt to maintain a very high but deteriorating velocity as the sprint distances increase. Distance runners use running economy to maintain their velocity over increasing distances.
Table 1 indicates the 100 meter pace splits for world records from 100 meters to 30,000 meters for men.
| Table 1. Mean Time per 100 m for | |
| Men’s Track World Records | |
| D | R |
| 100 | 9.58 |
| 200 | 9.59 |
| 400 | 10.8 |
| 800 | 12.64 |
| 1000 | 13.2 |
| 1500 | 13.73 |
| 2000 | 14.24 |
| 3000 | 14.69 |
| 5000 | 15.15 |
| 10000 | 15.78 |
| 20000 | 16.93 |
| 25000 | 17.74 |
| 30000 | 17.86 |
While the sprinting events are based on a logarithmic decrease in velocity, events greater than 800/1500 meters indicate a subsequent leveling off in velocity which shows the 100 meter splits for the 5000 meter world record are not that different from the 100 meter splits 
for the 30,000 meter world record. An analysis of Figure 1 indicates the eventual leveling off of running velocity as race distance increases and emphasizes the concept of the importance of maintaining the highest running economy possible as the races moves to the critical zone.
While every track and field has a comfort zone and a critical zone to a degree, no other event group besides distance running has such a long lead-in to the critical zone. The most effective racing tactic a distance runner can posses is to reach the critical zone in the best physical and mental condition that is possible under the circumstances. This will ultimately be achieved by a combination of physical skills and development and the psychological skills most influenced by confidence and motivation.
While much shorter in duration than the comfort zone, the critical zone of an endurance race usually determines the outcome of that race. As stated earlier, just reaching the onset of the critical zone in the best possible physical and psychological condition is a key tactical component to any endurance race. Once an athlete engages in the critical zone, a new form of racing begins to emerge that is quite different than maintaining the best possible running economy. This is the time of toleration by the systems of the body to an ever increasing level of acidosis. This ability to tolerate decreasing pH levels in the fluids of the body is developed through unique and well timed training components. However, trained ability and racing application are two different concepts. The athlete will have to be in a good position to apply this development coming off of the comfort zone. This positioning will not only be based on actual strategic body position in the race, but also on the desire and skill to have to run the fastest possible velocity of the race near the end of the competition. Remembering that the 800 meter race is significantly shorter than even the 1500 meters, a shorter comfort zone is going to mean a much more intense critical zone. This ability to physically and tactically close at a very fast pace makes the 800 meters a self-selecting race. That is, if one does not have the skill to do it, it is time to move up in race distance to an event with a longer comfort zone.
There are three possible approaches to planning and implementing racing tactics in an endurance race. One can advance a plan based on purely biological means. Treat the body like a living machine and ignore the competition, then attempt to get the greatest energy system efficiency possible. Usually, this means some sort of even pacing throughout a long comfort zone and then a mad dash through the critical zone. Another scenario is based solely on competition, thus ignoring the biological issues. Usually this is a very hard to maintain comfort zone that ultimately uses too much of the anaerobic energy available and the critical zone becomes a time to simply hang on and hope the competition is not too close behind. The third scenario is based on a combination of the first two and is the most effective strategy to implement because it utilizes the concepts of comfort zone and critical zone, but it also adds the human factor that is so important on the psychological side of competition. The implementation of correct tactics for the appropriate race distance will be an important coaching point for the coach-athlete interchange. It is easier to teach proper tactics for each event than it is to correct improper habits and strategy during the race. It is important to teach the concept that racing tactics are not a one size fits all strategy. All factors for each race distance and for each competition line-up should be brought forth in order to be the most effective plan.
A look at the events and how to implement race tactics for each of them follows:
800 meters: The mental cues for this race distance are based more around awareness than concentration. In order to make a good start from the starting line despite the drawn lane calls for a great awareness of pace from the athlete. The field tends to settle down in this race once the gradual break occurs on the backstretch. Avoid the urge to suddenly collapse to the rail but make a more gradual route that will get to lane one while eliminating much of the jostling.
From this point, front running is an acceptable tactic in its own right, providing an athlete is definitely faster and stronger than the rest. Otherwise, holding on to a position from which a break can be covered is essential (Coe 1996). The physical objective for the athlete should be to complete their first 400 meters as close to 93% of maximum 400 meter pace as possible (Vigil 1995). This completes most of the comfort zone of the 800 meter race.
The start of the second lap of the race gets the athlete around the corner to the break-point again. This is where the critical zone of the 800 meters commonly begins. It may be advantageous to make a more gradual move here or wait until just before or after the last turn. This will depend on the decision making of the shoulder to shoulder competitors that are still in contention, but it should be based on the historical ability or inability to have good quick turnover over the last 100 meters of the stretch. The second lap should be about 89% of maximum 400 meter speed (Vigil 1995).
For more information on middle distance events, read Scott Christensen’s ‘Developing the Elite High School Middle Distance (800-1600) Runner’
1500 meters: Since this race takes twice the time as the 800 meters if mistakes occur there is enough time to correct them. At world record pace the 1500 meter runners run 29 meters less per lap than the world record 800 meter pace runners do and this makes the whole race seem less urgent. The high school 1500 meters has a much different start than the 1600 meters. The 1500 starts from a curved line on the backstretch and a free-for-all results as the gun goes off and runners attempt to position themselves in the inside lanes. In the 1600 meter race starting at the traditional start/finish line the runners are in boxes or alleys and are given the first curve unimpeded before making a break to the inside lanes. The most important strategy for the first lap is to not get pinned for very long along the inside rail.
The second and third laps should be safely within the comfort zone of the athlete for this race distance Surging and breaks do occur during this portion of the race and the runner should be competition savvy enough to recognize a real break from a false break. To cover every surge and break is very expensive to the energy systems. The last lap of the 1500 meters should be run in the same manner as the last lap of the 800 meters with the critical zone starting about 300 meters out and decisions made at the start and finish of the backstretch or coming off the final curve. Unlike the 800 meters which has a faster first lap than second, the 1500 meters is characterized by an ever increasing tempo to the finish and is the fastest lap.
3200 meters and the 5000 meters: These two races are the classic VO2 max races where aerobic power fitness will be the ultimate physical determiner of success or failure and will ultimately carry the runner through the comfort zone. It is important to not run too fast too early in these races. The early onset of acidosis promotes the inhibition of muscle tension and leads to rapid discomfort. These conditions bring accessory organs into play in an effort to keep pace. This will affect running economy profoundly (Vigil 1995). Early laps should be as evenly paced as possible. Yet, there should be a guarded watch for an authentic race surge from a competitor. The body should be positioned off of the outside [right] shoulder of the leader. In this position in the race a great deal of concentration is needed to maintain the greatest running economy possible. Wind is a factor on some days. Using the leader to break some of the wind is effective in energy management, however if the pace begins to lag, the best runner should take control and push the pace despite the conditions.
The last two laps of the 3200 meters and the last three laps of the 5000 meters are the critical zones of these races. The tempo of the race will increase during this stage leading to the fastest lap of the race which will be the final lap. The runner must be very careful not to be out of position when a serious break or surge is made. Being pinned along the inside rail is usually not the place to be when one of these breaks occur, as the runner will have to really surge and tax the anaerobic energy system to do it. The final 200 meters will resemble the final 200 meters in the1500 meters as the runners enter and leave the final turn. It is important at this point to look ahead and not be obstructed by lapped runners as the sprint to the finish occurs.
The proper racing tactics and strategy can win races for runners. Instructions and directions from the coach are important in setting up proper tactics as are the many good and varied experiences that the athlete will gain on their own through the tribulations of maturing as a runner.
To read more about cross country running from Scott Christensen, Preparation of the Elite Junior Cross Country Runner
References:
Coe, P. 1996. Winning Running. Crowood Press Ltd, Ramsbury, Marlborough, UK. Pp. 99-106.
Johnson, B. 1994. Coaches Notebook. Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo Publishing, San Luis Obispo, CA, USA. Pp. 33-35.
Vigil, J. 1995. Road to the Top. Creative Designs Publishing, Albuquerque, NM, USA. Pp. 86-88.
Wilmore, J. and D. Costill. 1999. Physiology of Sport and Exercise. Human Kinetics Inc., Champaign, IL, USA. Pp. 130-137.
Filed under Distance, Mid Distance by on Dec 15th, 2011. 1 Comment.
I’m a big believer in the idea that every track & field coach should be certified.
On January 6-7, 2012, the United States Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) is holding one of its technical certifications at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.
If you can get there, I highly recommend that you go.
Normally I wouldn’t promote a ‘paid’ program immediately following a sale, but I’m doing it now for two reasons:
1. It’s only a month away so you don’t have too much time to plan for it.
2. I’ll be one of the coaches teaching the certification course.
The Lead Instructor for the program is Mike Young. Mike is a really, really smart guy. One of the scientists in our sport who understand things on a really technical level, but who can also lay it out in a way that you can understand.
I, on the other hand, am not a scientist.
The curriculum for the course is written by The Godfather of US Coaching Education, Boo Schexnayder. And that is what we will be following and teaching. If you’re familiar with the USATF Coaching Education Level System, you can think of this as Level 1.5. Not super basic like their Level I, but not as hardcore as Level II School.
I’m not exactly sure which sessions I’ll be doing. I’m going to go out on a limb and say it will be more of the Friday night/Saturday morning stuff. I’ll send an announcement once I talk with Mike later this week.
The price is amazingly cheap for the amount of material we’ll be covering. If you’re part of the New Breed of coaches who understand the only way to raise the level of respectability in our sport is to get educated and get certified so we have a foundation of professional status we can point to when pushing all of the morons out of the sport, this is a great start.
So, click here to register and/or get more information.
If you have questions about the program, click here and post them.
Hope to see you there.
Latif Thomas
P.S. If you do sign up, send an email to: neclinic@gmail.com and let me know. I may have some bonus materials for you…
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Filed under Distance, Hurdles, Jumps, Mid Distance, Sprints, Throws by on Dec 11th, 2011. 9 Comments.
