I’m down in Texas training with my Pfaff-influenced coach, and he loves getting me to squat to parallel, which I always fight him on, since I won’t do it when I go home. (He’d rather me front squat than back squat, but I refuse)
I don’t think it’s that big of a deal whether you do or not, but Pfaff guys seem to think so.
Especially for a teenaged female, I like the idea of working on drills, core work, jumps and throws. Then you have something to build off going into a weight program. She may have played many other sports, but track is track, and at the risk of being harsh I’d say her training age is 0 until you can prove otherwise (e.g. ability to hold the upper body still during the sprint motion). I’ve seen tons of “fit” people start sprint training, and not look any different than anyone else who is a beginner. It is an incredibly complex skill to learn!
As Charlie has said, the depth is enough when the hamstrings are recruited. The talk of oly lifters and sprinters having comparable starts is all talk IMO. Perhaps the first step or two. The join angles IMO are also not comparable between a deep squat and a start.
This question is pointless. There is no “single best” and there are huge differences between athletes. Why not just ask what the focus should be, rather than framing a contrived question? Figure out what this athlete needs.
I’m down in Texas doing a training camp with him for two weeks- we differ in a few respects. He can’t be there training me all the time, so we try to compromise in a few areas that make sense during my overall season, and things that fit the training culture at York University. He wanted the bar to touch my chest during the bench press, but I have a 38 sleeve length and it drove my shoulders crazy, so he lets me go a couple of inches above.
I don’t like front squatting because in Toronto where I train everybody back squats, and I don’t see the point of learning a new movement coming up to the competition phase- it’s just another thing that can go wrong or cause soreness, with virtually no upside at this particular point.
With regard to the squat, I’m very tall and I don’t like going to parallel. I do powerclean and do trap bar deadlifts which get me pretty close to parallel, but if I keep going to parallel with my freaky long legs I’ll never get any weight on the bar unless I do chain squats, which I don’t always have access to.
Basically, I’m 6’3 and he’s 5’8, so the only thing I know better than him is about being tall. He is a fantastic coach who has helped me a ton, and that’s of course why I fly down here to work with him. There are few good coaches who won’t allow input from the people they train. I don’t think it’s unusual to raise a few questions or try to elicit a compromise when you think it’s important and it makes sense!
The question may have seemed pointless to you but my point in asking the question was to generate discussion. There may not be a single best movement to develop the aspects I mentioned but the list is limited. As you said the “best” movement for one athlete may not necessarily be the “best” for another. I assume that this forum would be the place to get the best advice on coaching the sprint. To me it would be pointless to ask individuals (even ones on this forum) who had never seen a particular athlete what the best exercise for THAT athlete would be. I am not without ideas but am always looking to improve the ones I have.
Acceleration
Upper body Bench Press(can provide good stimilus without overloading the legs)
Lower Body Squat ( Being strong relatively in the squat can set an athleet up to be in the right position for overcoming inertia)
Top Speed
Pull ups( good indicator of relative strength, defranco sees a correlation that if an athletes pull ups increse their speed increases)
Romanian deadlifts ( lowering the weight creates a strong eccentric component, so eccentric strength which is vital for top end speed is developed alog with the concentric compenent of the lift, this is why i prefer RDL’s to regular deadlifts)
of course sprinting is much more important and . But for a different type of stimilus they are the weight exercise i would pick
Upper body strength has little relationship with linear acceleration. For lower leg workout it doesn’t really matter what exercises you pick. The main thing is to minimise any muscle imbalances.
Plyometric exercises with quick ground contacts are specific to the strength needs of sprinters.
Yeah but it can provide a good CNS training stimilunt without taxing the legs which is the reason i think charlie used it. Plyometric exercises do not develop max force to the same extent as weight exercises and the ground contacts times are longer than sprinting