'Bath Bullet' Targets Title

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Saturday December 27, 05:12 PM

‘Bath Bullet’ Targets Title

European 60metres record holder Jason Gardener plans to make March’s World Championships the focal point of a full indoor season next year.

The 28-year-old two-time European champion will kickstart his season at an international meeting in Erfut on January 29.

Then, according to manager Robert Wagner, he will travel south to another German meeting, the much tougher Sparkassen Cup event in Stuttgart two days later.

“Jason is really looking forward to getting his teeth into another highly successful indoor season and Erfut is a meeting where he will be meeting strong opposition,” said Wagner.

“However Stuttgart is always one of the best in the world calendar and I’m sure his credentials will get him a place in the line-up there.”

For almost the last six years, the ‘Bath Bullet’ has been one of the most consistent 60m performers. Four years ago he shattered Linford Christie’s European record when winning the first of his two world indoor bronze medals.

Then, with preparations going well under the coaching of Malcolm Arnold who steered the highly successful career of Colin Jackson, Gardener will complete his build-up to the world championships in Budapest next March.

“The worlds remain the major challenge for him during the winter,” said Wagner.

“He was a little disappointed to be pushed into the bronze-medal position in Birmingham this March (in the 2003 championships) but this has only made him even more determined to perform even better in Budapest.”

After injury ruined his summer season and ended his hopes of making the Norwich Union GB World Championships team, Gardener is physically right for the Olympic year.

Wagner added: "Jason has never lost his enthusiasm for athletics although he was obviously upset when he did not make the British side for Paris.

“Believe me, he’ll bounce back and a good start indoors is just the sort of thing he will need in his preparations for Athens.”

Posted on Yahoo news

With Dwain Cambers unable to compete ( at least at present ) the question again around Jasons lack of success in transition to the 100m comes under the spotlight -

he’s the UK’s only other sprinter under 10 secs in recent years - what would be the best way to ‘fix’ Jason if he were coached by some of venerable coaches on this forum ?

Charlie - anyone ?

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If he was injured last summer, how do we know anything needs to be fixed? Was Arnold his coach all along?

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Charlie as far as i know he joined MA winter 2002.still can’t see him threatening the big-guns in the outdoor 100

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I believe Jason alternates days of weights and track, i.e. no tempo to allow CNS to recover.

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Hmm so rather than tempo, lifts weights? ie…
Day 1-Speed, Plyo
Day 2-Weights
Day 3-Speed
Day 4-Weights
Day 5-Speed, Plyo
?
And I thought the purpose of tempo was for recovery reasons as its non CNS intensive because of the low effort(65%)?

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Exactly - that’s what needs to be fixed!

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Yeh, there no time for the CNS to rest, could that be part of why he got injured recently…

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From Colin Jackson’s biography (pg 34):

'The conditioning phase involves weightlifting and running, at higher volume, low intensity, to build the foundation of endurance and strength… A typical session would be 1, 2, 3, 2, 1… with just a short recovery of two and a half minutes between each one. The following day I would do weights: bench, cleans, squat, an upper body circuit,and an abdominal circuit. The following days running session might be 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1 - more 300m sessions with a shorter recovery. It is building up speed with endurance, before the sharper work to come as the season draws closer. You’re always pushing yourself, but you also have to be safe, be very aware of the phase you’re in, the level of fitness you’re working with, taking care not to overstretch and get injured.

That conditioning phase lasts around six weeks, then you move into preparation work for four weeks. You reduce the volume and increase the intensity, so the weights change to sharper lifts. In the running I’d begin to work less on speed endurance than on shorter distances, perhaps ten broken 100m: build up speed for 20m, hit it hard for 30m, relax for 20, hit it for 30. It becomes more event specific, and we’d begin to work more on hurdling, this time concentrating on technical endurance…

I’s start of competing in races in this preparation phase, but indoors or early season stuff, working up to peak form before the final preparation phase when I would do the training to become razor sharp. Then the high intensity, lower volume work kicks in: everything down to a minimum, but really quick. Short sharp drills. Do them quickly then repeat… You’ve now done basic fitnness, built up technical endurance and done preparation. The final phase is aimed at getting really sharp, training for the nervous system as much as the muscles.’

:confused:

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So is this a long to short approach? If it is well then different things work for different people.

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From Pg 79 :eek:

‘…But Mark’s (Foster) journey back to greatness taught me that %$&£s might not do much for people, if they were doing the wrong training, in the wrong group… (edited) With us he was clean, but he was also doing the best training possible…’

I can’t go one but check it out.

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Mark McKoy, not Foster (he’s a swimmer isn’t he?) :wink:

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If he was injured last summer, how do we know anything needs to be fixed? Was Arnold his coach all along?

Jason was injured the previous 2 years as well - definate sign that somethings not right somewhere - my ‘fix’ question is a little vague as we can’t check his program -

I suppose I’m just confused as to why his speed and relative success at 60m hasn’t transferred to the 100m - it always looks like a lack of speed end but surely it isn’t that simple ?

Didn’t he train with frankie last year too