That is pretty true, as I have already written. But it’s also common sense. A “relaxed” muscle will be a more elastic tissue, more responsive to neural request. Therefore if the mechanics are in position, the quality of contact with the track should be of a higher order and the return (of energy) greater. The more you try to impose your strength, the weaker you become - especially in a power-endurance race such as 400m.
Thanks John, That’s very kind of you. I can only pass on your suggestion re the NSWIS 4x4 squad to the NSWIS manager, Nicole Boegman Stewart (Olympic 5th in LJ 1988). Something like that needs to slot neatly during a break in the Aussie circuit. Our Nationals will be in Melbourne in April. Never been to Dunedin, what would weather expectation be that time of year please?
We could definitely load five boys onto a plane to NZ and put up a decent 4x4 against NZ.
I see Andrew’s lad finally broke 47.0 in Brisbane and he has been sampling the sessions I advocate on this threat and still use routinely with the Fastrack Project.
KK, totally understand and it was somewhat tongue in cheek. Dunedin weather… :rolleyes: … well better than Townsville has been the past few months :eek: (too soon? 
) probably around 13-15 degrees C and shouldn’t be too windy late March.
Andrew’s lad? I know who you mean but that doesn’t tie with the official info and not sure who is coaching who right now, I can’t even keep up locally :rolleyes:
Was much changed for Lisa Spencer from here given her comparatively slower times?
Yep 46.92s out of lane 9 for Alex Jordan. Finally under 47 but hoping for some better lanes in the next few races, mixed in with a more positive 3rd 100m and we should hopefully be low 46s material come March.
Three day rotation work, as KK has help me set up. Short speed/accel/max vel work on day 1, special end/lactate work on day 2, aerobic recovery work on day 3 then repeat. 1 day rest per week and you have a nice 7 day cycle. Am finding this set up is working really well with all my 400m athletes, all recording pb’s.
Dear KK, can you expand a bit on the training of the hurdler Lisa Spencer?I’m interested in knowing how you adapted your template to fit in technical work.
I’m working with an athlete of a slightly less level, so very interested in knowing the nuances and suggestions from THE thread’s master:)
How do you progress your day 2 (special end/lactate) work? Do you go short to long, long to short, or a a mix? I know as a whole KK’s programs tend to be concurrent (ends to a middle), so I guess my question is in regards to specifically that day.
Yeah I go long to short on the 2nd day. Start out with some work over 600m then bring it down, usually only doing 2-3 reps.
The 46.92s kid is only 18 years old so I am not working him very hard at the mo. The focus this year is on improving short speed as much as anything, so I am always keeping quality on day 2 in the back of my mind.
Hurray, our threshold thread lives again! 
Received the biomech data from Brisbane but only for three men in the 400m (Ben Offereins 1st in 46.2, Kevin Moore 2nd in 46.8 and Clay Watkins from SASI). One thing I took from it is the differential for Kevin which was a world class 1.01sec between the go-out 200 and the come-home 200m. Ben’s was 1.13sec. You might have expected such a tight differential given the slow times. Kevin went out in 22.9 which is very slow but still it was his first run over any race distance since the Com Games 4x4 relay final in mid-October, so his coach and I were pleased that at least the differential suggests his base is in place for the current domestic season. Obviously he needs to get faster and I’m certain he will.
I suppose the reason for posting now is to point out that although Long to Short is reputed to be the best option for establishing the greatest “endurance” base - and Ben has run 800m this Oz summer in 1:52 - it was in fact Kevin, working entirely off the concurrent methods espoused on this thread, who endured no worse and perhaps better than Ben with a tighter differential.
With regards Lisa Spencer, I am not the personal coach to any of the athletes in the NSWIS400FT squad. I no longer coach my own squad or even any individuals. Perhaps because there is no fear of me “poaching” the talent, the NSWIS project has been able to survive and prosper. I remain hopeful that every 400m talent in the Sydney catchment area (within a 2hr drive from Olympic Park) will ultimately work in with the project/squad at some stage during their career.
Having said that, Lisa does most of her technical training when she is most fresh - therefore on the usual high intensity day which is always the day following a Rest Day. Her hurdles endurance work can be done on the third day in the three-day loop, usually reserved for severe cardio-vascular endurance training.
Good Andrew. You can now be the “go-to” dude for this thread and I can drag my sorry tail off into ther setting sun
Great job mate. Im really happy for You and Alex. As you say, plenty of room to move from here and reason for great optimism. 
This is a great thread. I have used some of this material on one of my athletes in his first year of being a 400m sprinter and his first season as a track and field athlete - previously I have coached him as a sprints coach for soccer.
I had do 5 x 200m with 200m jog recovery pre Christmas in 28-29 seconds and run a 54 in only his 2nd 400m race went through 200 in 26 and closed out in 28.5
I had him set out to do 5 x 200 post Christmas in 26-27, 200m walk recovery and with an 8 minute recovery after the 3rd rep. He managed 26, 26, 27, 26 and 30.
We had an aim of 51 at the State Championships, but unfortunately was injured playing indoor soccer.
KK, you are too kind. To go 46.92s is a long way from DC’s 44.38s so I think you are well and truly still the man on this thread…
When we can take down the disgraceful NZ record of 46.09s I’ll be happy, but if we ever get to low 45. or hopefully sub 45s then and only then will I feel like I am starting to maybe understand the 400m a little better…
Maybe a gofast, KK 400m seminar / workshop might be the go then? 
gofast,
I’m guessing to cope weights are not a great priority? Day 2?
So the L-S SE is that on day 5 as well? Or have you done / considered doing that S-L?
KK, all I’ll say is that late March in Dunedin can be like late March in Melbourne. It can be sensationally good but it can also be rather inclement. Enough said.
I have the weights on day 1 and day 4 (the short speed/max vel days) to hit CNS all at one time. I have found that it doesn’t interfere with the SE work the next day. If I felt it did with a particular athlete then I would add it to the SE day instead but I find most athletes struggle to lift very well after hard SE sessions.
The day 2 SE is what I term special endurance II (300-600m) whereas the day 5 session is special endurance I (150-300m) to hit overdistance as well as under distance (which I know KK goes by).
My approach is really built around short to long to develop accel/max velocity and long to short to develop speed endurance/lactate capacity…all ideas tried by many before me I am sure.
The big thing I have found, and a good masters project (not done by me) supported this well, is to focus on developing the max vel, that’s where I think there are big gains can be made for many athletes in the 400m. Improve their max vel so essentially they can run at high velocities in the first 200m without using up too much energy. Then when the race starts at the water-jump they can kick hard and be charging home.
come on, that could be Dunedin any time of year :rolleyes:
My hs teams season starts monday. In the past years my 400 crew ran strong 300 paces butciuldnt finish races.
My plan is to try a shortened version of kk s template.
Wk 1
M 8x 150
T Long hills
W slow jog
TH race model
F long hills
Week 2
M300-250-200-150-100
T jog
W Tempo
TH 2x 300+150
F Jog
Week 3
M long hills
T Tempo
W Racemodel
TH jog
F 300 + 4x60; 250+3x 60; 200+2x60; 150+60
Wk 4
M 300+60 50,40,30; 200+…; 150+…
T race model
W jog
TH 300+150;150+150;100+80;80+60;60+60
Fr Long hills
Week 5
M 300+150 time trial
T tempo
W Off
Th Meet
F jog
Im excited to see what happens. 3 runners have good fitness coming in. All are seniors. One female ran 64 last year, looking to run under 60. One male ran 52, looking to break 50 and set the school record. Will update as time goes on…
Inthe end of the second week of the template.
I had to make changes in week 2. The athletes were pretty stiff and sore. Yesterday’s 3x4x150 workout was so much better than the first day we did it only 10 days ago.
So far happy with progress. Can’t wait to see where things go in the coming weeks.
Alex Jordan of Tasman was outstanding in the senior 400m winning in the third fastest time by a New Zealander of 46.40s.
Out of curiosity, how is it that you get them every day of the week? I’ve never seen a highschool team do that around here.