dcw,
that is an awesome pic. is that in sydney?
This is where we did the sand hills this GPP. 10 minutes drive. 
Perfect, I have some nice sand hills nearby, but that looks like paradise…what was the session…was it just for power development?
Does everyone use sand for power development and normal shallow hills for both power development and endurance?
I did STEEP hills yesterday after 5x60 meter speedwork. It was AWESOME!
Started at the base of the hill and the first step was on the hill. It was like coming out of the blocks, perfect angles.
You can really feel the glutes, hams, hips and calfs. I was only going for 30-40 meters but it was almost like bounding in a sense. Hard to explain. I am going to do these once a week for power over 50 meters. I was so cooked afterwards that I couldn’t complete my normal weights. Just did powercleans and went home.
If anyone is in TO I ran them at the St. Clair reservoir by St. Clair and Spadina. There is a nice flat 150 meter section of grass I normally do my long speed on. On the back side of the park there is that super steep hill which is about 50-60 meters long and very steep. I could only go for about 40 meters without losing form.
cheers,
Chris
jerry’s hill = 2.5 miles.
Primo, yes, Palm Beach, Sydney’s Northern Beaches. It is so nice there that you often feel like taking a picnic 
Sometimes I think we are really spoilt today is the middle of winter and it is
warm and sunny.
Richard, yes power development. We found it very effective. The weirdest side effect was that it really increased the “spring” into the track. Everyone will tell you it increases contact times supposedly because you are taking longer contact times when running. Actually it does the opposite. When you think about it, it is common sense. The stonger the lower leg, the greater the spring effect because it will resist energy loss. The foot can move in many ways. I can’t think of anything else that can strengthen it in so many ways in as short a space of time. Another example of a general exercise adding up to greater than the sum of its parts.
One football player I worked with loved doing the sand training to help with his proprioception. While a little nervous after a certain running back tore his knee in half during a volleyball game on tv, I relaxed realizing we were not doing any cutting movements. Also could this help doing it barefoot at all dcw23?
Yes, its all barefoot. I think this is crucial!
Originally posted by ESPN3
jerry’s hill = 2.5 miles.
Thanks ESPN - I remember reading that it was long - a little too long for any kind of speed work …
Hey by the way how you doin’ man?
Originally posted by chris30
I did STEEP hills yesterday after 5x60 meter speedwork. It was AWESOME!
Started at the base of the hill and the first step was on the hill. It was like coming out of the blocks, perfect angles.
You can really feel the glutes, hams, hips and calfs. I was only going for 30-40 meters but it was almost like bounding in a sense. Hard to explain.
That’s exaxtly like I do them Chris - and on a hill just like that too - from time to time.
I always finish with one or 2 on the flat just to feel the transfer and if I have time I have a hill beside that that has a very slight incline and I stride down it after the hill sprints too.
I do that at a nice 75%.
NOT for over-speed work but just to strtech out my stride and let the gravity make the speed for me - I feel it help stretch out my stride.
DC - man you’re just making me jealous …
Stretch out your stride?? That can’t be good for your mechanics.
Originally posted by THEONE
Stretch out your stride?? That can’t be good for your mechanics.
Why? We do different types of hills in our GPP (see my journal at the moment we’ve been doing them for 3 weeks), I find the longer ones (80-200m.) particularly useful for mechanics, if you can lengthen your stride, lift your knees and keep a good hip position on the hill you can do so anywhere. Later in the GPP we then switch to shorter (steeper) ones 80m. only, then later 20-60m where we work on acceleration (and for me in particular acceleration with good hip position as I tend to drag my a–).
Originally posted by no23
Thanks ESPN - I remember reading that it was long - a little too long for any kind of speed work …
Hey by the way how you doin’ man?
i hear that, i see why he’s in shape though. i’m doing ok, in therapy 3x’s a week and progressing nicely (way ahead of the ROM protocols). thanks for asking.
For anyone who has used sand hills, grass hills, and sled pulling all for power development, which do you feel has aided track acceleration the most? I know this could be hard to quantify.
Originally posted by Richard Hand
For anyone who has used sand hills, grass hills, and sled pulling all for power development, which do you feel has aided track acceleration the most? I know this could be hard to quantify.
Segue
What do you guys think of short hill work up a 20m hill with an incline about the same as stadium steps (around 30 degrees?)
How many times a week and where does it go in training (between speed and plyos?)
Richard I’ve only ever used hills and sledge work, to choose one - hills.
David -
In the 3-1-3 cycle, I use hills once a week in weeks 1, 2.
Weeks 1 and 5 in place of a speed session,
Sometimes - I know I’ll get heat for this - I will do it in place of tempo as an endurance session.
Weeks 2, and 6 in place of tempo.
Form is important during Tempo Hill work and the gradient can’t be too great.
Dcw how long to you run in those sand hills?
Good to hear you’re coming on ESPN - Keep working hard man.
Dcw,
can you post an example of a sand-dune session in GPP (reps, volume, gradient)? Do you coach just 100m?
Thanks very much. 