Drills, Speed Endurance and Tempo and recovery.

Expert Discussion Advanced Sprint Training
1

Some Questions regarding these topics that I have been wondering about over the past few days. I have only started regularly doing my drills in my warm-up as before I didn’t realize the full importance of doing them for your techniques sake. Anyway, how does one do A and B skips or whatever. Currently I do 3 drills.

1: using small steps, pump arms and legs as fast as possible while moving forward over 10m. Repeat 3-4 times.

  1. Butt Kicks: I’m sure most of you know this one. over 25-30m. 3-4 times.

  2. Long strides: extend legs far out in front getting big strides and power your foot of the ground. Same reps and distance as butt kicks.

Some questions regarding the drills. Do you do the butt kicks and strides at near top speed or a speed which allows you to perform them with maximum technique?

Now with speed endurance. I have only started doing this now and can see what others have been doing. Work up the distance slowly, like add 10m a week until a certain distance. I started my training initially with just 30m sprints most of the time.

Then I realized I had to do alot more at like 50m-60m. I have pretty good start speed now. I’m working on keeping the 30’s and 60’s stable and doing speed endurance stuff…like 80-120m till i get better, once a week.

Now with tempo, I am aware that the main purpose of tempo is to get yourself generally fit and stuff, but lately I have been missing alot of tempo days because I’m so sore from previous speed workouts. Before I get to my next point, Could someone suggest a good volume of tempo work for a 15-16 year old. I’m turning 16 soon. Anyway, I’m mainly doing the sample tempo workout in charlie’s book on the days when I do tempo, but I feel the volume could be too high for my age. Please comment.

Now about soreness. I have found lately that after my really intensive speed days, I’m really killer sore and can’t do much for a day or two. On my intensive speed days, I do my speed workout at around 3:30-4pm and then my weights at around 6pm or a little later…this is because I have school :-(. This is still okay right??

Also, Is it better to let soreness completely go away before doing another speed workout, or if soreness isn’t too bad, do a workout with very very low volume?

Anyway, sorry this post is so long, but these questions have been on my mind for the last few days, or weeks infact. Thanks everyone :slight_smile: I’ll post my speed day program so everyone can comment.

Josh

2

You are asking a lot, just on the following:
“I have been missing alot of tempo days because I’m so sore from previous speed workouts”

Examine this from two angles:

  1. why are you so sore after speed?
    Look at Volume (seems ok), sufficient period of conditioning to prepare for speed work, your warm-up and warm-downs - are they sufficient? and are you properly hydrated and nourished after sessions to allow recovery?

  2. Tempo: one of the primary purposes of Tempo is active recovery.Leaving Tempo out to speed recovery may have the opposite effect.

Remember the body isn’t a machine and all are different. If you are sore don’t do speed work. Recover - tempo, pool, massage, bed! If you are able for 3 speed sessions a week do them, if only two do that amount. Always Quality over Quantity.

3

As gf_200 pointed out, tempo work will help your recover( be sure it’s in the 75% or below range) and do it on grass if possible. I think you should definitely drop drill 3 (“long strides”). Also, speed should not be your focus when doing drills . Being relax and going through the full range of motion should be.

4

When performing butt-kicks I allow the knee to rise in front naturally to replicate the running action a little better.

These are referred to as “Wall Slides” by Ward et al. in Sports Speed. This is not an endorsement of the book!

5

I agree with gf_200. I would use running A’s instead of butt-kicks though.

6

My comments:
Drop the long strides.

I’m not sure I like the quick step drill either. The purpose of the drill is to allow quick alternation of the muscles, but this requires relaxation, and most people will tighten up when doing this drill in an attempt to switch back and forth faster. If you’re going to do this drill, make your conscious focus on how relaxed you can get while doing it, rather than speed. The result will actually be faster movement, even though that’s not your focus.

A and B skips really have to be seen, not described. We’ve tried describing them on the forum in the past and it just dosen’t come across clearly.

There’s no need for you to do speed endurance training at this point of your development. At this point, most of your speed endurance will come from improvements in general fitness, which will be developed primarily through tempo running, as well as other low intensity training (i.e. core work).

Lactate training (speed endurance) should play a very small role in training at the beginning. So you’re basically looking at short speed and tempo work for the time being. At your level, even 60m sprints will being getting a little into the lactate range. As you progress over the next few years, and your tolerance improves, more lactate training (speed endurance) is added. Then, if you improve to really high performance, lactate training is reduced again. So the distribution of training for a beginning and high performance sprinter is somewhat similar, but for different reasons. Beginners don’t include much lactate training because they can’t tolerate it and because general fitness has more of an effect. Very advance sprinters don’t do as much lactate training because they don’t need it, since very little of their race is spent in the lactic zone.

Now for tempo running. As the others have pointed out, tempo not only improves general fitness, it also speeds recovery. Since you’re just starting out, the tempo running is actually one of the most important components in you training. Start with a modest volume that you can do consistantly, e.g., 1000m. Develop consistancy in doing the tempo, then gradually increase the volume in the workouts. For intensity, the rule Charlie used with his athletes is that they should be able to talk to the person next to them while they’re running. If you can’t do this, slow down.

Soreness should be expected the first week or so of training, but at this point, if you’re constantly sore, it probably means you’re doing too much high intensity work. Scale back the volume and see what happens. For a young, enthusiastic athlete like yourself, it helps to have a coach who will hold you back and keep you from overtraining.

Sorry for the dissertation.

7

What would be the ideal rest intervals of tempo runs at 50-60 yards?

8

Thanks for your input everyone, I’m hoping to get my 60m time down to 7.2 soon.

I am around 7.4-7.5 at the moment, which would lead to around 12.00 or less seconds if I can hold my speed, but hopefully if I get down to 7.2, I will be able to do 100m in 11.4 seconds as long as I can hold enough speed. 11.4 is my target for May, thats when the carnival is on…times an issue… :slight_smile: It’s my quest, my mission, my primary goal, my numero uno…I will shutup now :slight_smile:

Josh

9

force68,
Are you doing any tempos above 50-60yards? If not, definately extend this out. But to answer your question, do a walk back 30yard and go again. This should be enough rest for tempo intervals this short.

10

dlive11,
Thank-you for your response.I’m only doing tempo’s at this distances for high school football players.I read on one of these threads that is the recommended distances for football players.We run 10 of these on a thursday along with some agilities.On tuesday we do our plyo"s and max-speed work.The greatest distance run on Tuesday’s is 30 yds.Monday ,Wednesday,and Friday we are in the weight room.Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

11

Cool. I didnt know you played Football. All good.

12

Does anyone throw in a small session of tempo after speed endurance? After doing 2 x 150 and
2 x 120 would it be advisable to do say

  1. 100+100+100 (100m walk)
  2. 100+200+100 (100 walk)
  3. 100+100+100

Or would this be too much on the body?

13

Jester,

Tempo on grass is an excellent form of recovery between sets in a speed endurance or even speed workout

Keep up the good work