Ah a very interesting topic I dont know how I missed this one…
Effect of frequency at the start of the race…
Improving frequence at the start is why falling starts are so effective. They increase frequency and amount of force your body can contract out of the start and also how to shut off antagonist muscles as charlie stated to allow a greater frequency while not altering your stride length (making it shorter). This is why I am strongly against using a ladder for falling starts. It chops up the strides and alters the stride length. But without a ladder it will keep the stride length the same or maybe even improve while also inturn improving frequency. Curtis Frye is huge on this drill.
Also arent cones used to improve frequency not stride length at top speed.
Also what other ways are there to improve frequency without disturbing the stride. We have already mentioned ems in the archives. Any thoughts forumn.
Also I still dont quite grasp how bens total number of strides remained the same yet his 100m time went down. Wont this correlate to frequency. Shouldnt this be the focus. Maybe he could have improved his stride length but obviously frequency was a bigger factor. Also charlie makes reference that improve stride length will help the sprinter too. Could ben of had a longer stride with the same frequency charlie? Any thoughts ?
During the 100m the drop off in velocity is not due a shift from alactic to lactic pathways, the ATP and PCr stores can sustain the muscles energy needs for 3-15s during all out sprints, beyound that point the muscles rely on the glycolytic or lactic pathways. Since the 100m sprint at the elite level for men last for 10s and 11s for women this leaves another 4s seconds until the the lactic pathway is recruited.
Changes in muscle ATP and PCr during 14s of maximal effort sprinting causes a drop in ATP at a very high rate, the energy from PCr is used to rebuild ATP, preventing the ATP level from falling. At exhaustion both ATP and PCr is exhausted, it is then when both ATP and PCr is exhausted that the lactic system is recruited. During the 100m the alactic system is never exhausted since ATP and PCr is never fully depleted.
The drop in velocity is a result of neuromuscular factors and is not due to a shift in energy systems.
