Lewis-Francis in coaching switch

Members Area In the News
61

the solution is simple:
we can collect the main features of CFTS and Vittori SistTraining and then to go for facing:

  1. Short to Long or Long to Short? ok, all depends by the sprinter
  2. how type of periodizating: simple? double? triple?
  3. introducing of aerobic work: many in italy spend time for this work, also after speed work! you can see Mennea or other sprinter (also junior european champion!)
  4. volume of training: ok, mennea was a freak and ran 5 x 5 @ 60 m after a lot of plyos but then he ran other rps (how we can see in the book of mennea)
    In Italy, many sprinter goes to 4 x 4 x 60 m
  5. intensity of rps
  6. frequency
  7. how to gain speed: in CFTS we can use iperspeeding? is speed related to lenght of training?
    oh, yes: i remember (i have the article) vittori when (after Athens 1997) Greene couldn’t improve because he was just percect and because he did shortsteps (45.5)
    This man, ceteris paribus, improve 0"11 since that race!
  8. strength program
  9. taper strategy

we can talk about this items

I have (ok, it is one and i don’t know who is the writer but i remembered a famous english coach) an article for english (elite) sprinter, some advices:
the are many point with the italian ones: too working in intermediate speed, much plyos, iperspeed and classical frequency of working

And, if we see the trend of season PB of the best english sprinter, we see the same trend for italian ones…
same problems?

PS: i think mennea would say he never pulled in hams

62

Ok,i have to support eroszag and vabo’s thinking (and not because we know each other;in other forums we so often express different opinions) but because they are saying the truth (in my point of view of course).

I have a friend,he was a national decathlon athlete ,that sometimes,when training the speed aspects,was using to train with Vittori. He saw with his says Mennea performing something like 20x200m…and it was jot jogging,but lactit acid work…really he was not joking. He told me that V. broken so much athletes…
He really told me many and many other things like this about…
The bottom line is that if V. wouldn’t find a great athlete like Mennea was,well he wouldn’t be so respected.
Every national coach uses V. methods.
And the bas is ,that when athletes go with the national team staff (national coaches) they return back so much tired…this great coaches destroy them with an impressive volume.
I can give you examples if you ask.Is what i see with my eyes and talking with this athletes.

A question could be : " why italian sprinter can run quite fast 6 times 60m with 5’ rest ( something like 6"6),and nobody can ran very fast only for time ? "…quality,not quantity.

63

A question could be : " why italian sprinter can run quite fast 6 times 60m with 5’ rest ( something like 6"6),and nobody can ran very fast only for time ? "…quality,not quantity.

Very good point.

I think Vittori is a genius, but his training program is like a Ferrari without wheels (too much volume and not so well designed strength training). In 30 years of application by almost each and every Italian sprint coach it produced one great sprinter (Mennea) and three very decent ones (Tilli, Pavoni and Collio); that’s about it. Even if they would be ten (I might forget someone) it’s still a small number compared to the number of sprinters that have gone thru the national program.

The rationale for the 60s speed endurance is the nervous system being the main limiting factor in speed endurance rather than metabolic issues.

64

Maybe.

He needs more muscle, knows he isn’t going to win any tournaments. What has he got to lose by bulking close to a race? Maybe he was thinking ahead.

I never said he’d put on all muscle, I said maybe he was trying to bulk. The extra cals would cause some water retention, and he’d be storing more glycogen than normal.

He’s eating clean, according to what he said. That’s what made me think it couldn’t be all weight from fat and he must be bulking.

Who knows, until they’ve seen MLF topless.

65

Sprinting is not about being big, or bulking. Its not a bodybuilding contest.

Mark Lewis Franics, has not been preparing properly and as hard, and has smart as he should. I like him, his atitude at times. Ive watched him froma very young age.

He has issues, and demonds. But thats what makes him interesting. Its hard being a track and feild athlete, you run around a track all day, lift weighst whatever. He young, and is daring, but i hope he will learnt from his mistakes.

Evere since 2002, the passion and motivation has’nt been there for him. i think pulling up in the final of the commonwealth games affected him.

Now that eh is training in a group, maybe it will bring the best out of him. Because there’s one thing about Mark lewis Francis, he’s compedative. Has a ego

66

You’re right, Asafa Powell was born with that physique, and recieved his 9.77 record ‘by running round tracks all day’.

Passion and motivation don’t win races.

67

Bulking is hardly the answer, it’s the lazy mans attempt to straighten curves – with no avail of course. There’s quite a difference in ‘studying’ trails and ‘making’ them.

68

Yes Asafa Powell was born with tha phsyic, any one with natural sprinting abilty will have toned, and athletic phsysic.

Sprinting is not about bulking, what kind of crap is that. Its about getting stronger, you don’t wnat to get bigger.

Its all about power to weight ratio, no sprinter steps in teh gym to bulk up, they do it to get stronger.

And sprinting on teh track is the most important, training a sprinter can do.

Some people get to caught up in the gym

Differents strokes for different folks.

OK

69

Power to weight ratio.

Maybe he was thinking ahead.
WHAT?

I never said he’d put on all muscle,
What other weight would benefit him over 10 seconds when power to weight ratio is important?

I said maybe he was trying to bulk.
What do you mean by BULK?

70

Not quite, forgive me for saying this, but there is a world class talent sprinter in our midst who is not toned and athletic anymore… :wink:

71

Although what you are saying is remotely possible, i would be more inclined to think that the “MLF gets fat for the WCs” case was probably more due to stress related to the his/the medias expectations and or scruitany of his lifestyle. To run like he did required some serious self destructive psychological behaviour, massive planning error or other circumstances that distracted his preparation. I am sure there was something we do not know about.

72

Mark Lewis Francis is a young lad, athletes have lives there not just machines. there are ups and downs, and stresses. Hes young father and has, a child. Plus, its hard being a track athlete, you run around the track all day, months on end.

He’s be caught smoking cannibus in clubs, and all that. Tis year, but so what, hes wild. He will learn from his mistakes.

He dose’nt wnat to leave the uk for training, because he wants to be a family man, and there for them. Which is right.

Mark Lewis Francis has abilty, i know this. He came on teh scene and win a indoor 60m bronze medal 2001. 2001 reach the outdoor world champs semi-finals, and ran 9.97sec in his qauter final. It was not allowed because of a flautly wind gauge, but i still rekonise MLF as the fastest junior in history.

2002, affected him, infront of hs home nation, he pull up injured in the commonwelath final. Ever since then i think he has just been going through the motions doing, enough to stay in the mix.

But in tis sport, doing enough is not good enough.

Ive got nothing but respect for Mark Lewis Francis, i like him. And he has issues, but he is trying ti make things right. Training ina group now, at home and close to his family.

This year, he lack dedication, but that was because of life. But i enjoyed watching him at times, he;s compedative.

Next year, i think he’s gonna have abit of fun.

73

He dose’nt wnat to leave the uk for training, because he wants to be a family man, and there for them. Which is right.

Being there for ur family is good, but dont he and them got financial needs? How is he gonna provide for them unless he starts running, at least the gp circuit and other european meets to make some dough,

74

I mean ‘what did he have to lose’ as in, he’s not going to win any races now. So why not think ahead with bulking.

I don’t understand why you asked your second question.

Bulk, to gain muscle mass.

75

I never saw him topless, so I can’t judge. I’m just offering an alternative, due to him saying he was eating right.

76

Everyone is born a fat little baby, not a 180lb muscular man with 5% body fat.

77

Mate what are you banging on about, MLF is dis and MLF is young and MLF has made mistakes.

If you are a fan of track then you should know the 100 O’s winner was 22, the 200 was 23 and the 400 was 20 so please what is this he is young rubbish. The bit about the weed smoking Its not even worth talking about cos If you are going to smoke weed then this is not the sport for you. Also he is not the only British athletes that does that In fact one or 2 that would remain name less are addicted to it and are serious smokers. MLF tells us he was in the mist of people smoking at the europeans but please Can someone answer this question " "What on earth is a guy at a major champs(european Indoors) doing standing next to a “guy” smoking weed. To me that shows the guy does not have the unparallel desire to win.
And this thing about 2002 injury still worrying him - We are talking about Commonwealth games for pete-sake not the Worlds or the Olympic so why has he taken 3 years to recover from that. The thing is the kids was making a lot of money from a very yound age and he is a street boy that does not want to learn.
From an athletics point he is lazy, not got an idea of what he needs to do and like I said earlier in this topic as a mad fan and someone that supports and have been watching this sport for a good 20 years I hope he does well.
I think his is move to Mr Lester is a move sideway. Lester is a slave driver and looking at some of his athletes (Benjamin, Devonish) they are not flat out quick and are technically poor. Mixing Lester "my-way-or-the-high-way " attitude with a guys that hardly trains more than 3 times a week should make a serious volatile situation.

78

I couldn’t have put it better myself! :smiley:

Also, when he came on the scene, he was only 18. So i wonder if he believed his own hype and subsequently became complacent…

79

He’s obviously not eating right if his body is gaining so much weight in such a short space of time. He maybe eating a diet that has the correct amount of carbs fats and proteins, etc etc but he may be consuming too much calories. Calories matter alot. I do not buy this thing about his weights being the problem its likely to be excess calories or some supplement he maybe taking causing water retention or big gains in bw.

80

Martine with all due respect, I dont think its the calories that is too advance a word for some like MLF by the lookl of things. The issue is If he understood what the different component is that make a world class athlets then we would not be havuing this discussion. How can you not be able to fit into a kit that was only measured 6 weeks earlier? pleaseeeeee