In the gpp dvd you mention performing a series of progressive buildups, I believe. I seem to recall it as a series(perhaps this was discussed elsewhere but not on the gpp dvd?) of 4-6 progressively faster buildups up to 60m. What then? I have had athletes then perform 2-3 block starts from 15-30m. Is this sufficient or even an accurate representation of your recommendations?
It seems as though my athletes have almost always performed better after their initial sprint-race two is almost always better though I thought they were warming up very thoroughly and this seems common among many athletes and coaches. Other examples are kids that are vaulters or lj/tj etc., provided they are given enough time between attempts to run an open event or relay, seem to typically be much faster on the runway when they come back to that event(often popping their best marks of the day 5-10 minutes after their races), again if they are given enough time to rest.
Would it be advisable for them to take one of their warm-up sprints out to even, say, 60 or so meters, even submaximally, to hit a slightly higher velocity peak and create some additional heating of the body?
should one avoid trying to hit all out-speeds in the last of the w-u sprints? I would think that would reflect too much of a rehearsal focus, also.
I suppose Sub-max sprints after a build-up series would appear to be optimal for most?
My chief concern is getting the athlete properly ready when the gun is fired but not so much as to fatigue them, of course. What is the longest you’d have athletes run out to, distance wise, before races?
this is why, over hear i can be ready to go in like 10min! It gets darn hot here, sometimes your looking for shade cause its too hot and unable to do much more than a few basic drills and stretches, dynamic and static. Spend 1Hr warming up here in the heat in summer and you’ll be stuffed come race time.
There was one race - i was iceing before race start it was that hot!! Eating it and putting it on me head.
I have noticed and im sure as some others have that during a workout my fastest rep will normally be the 2nd or 3rd run. However as Pioneer pointed out im always worried about wearing myself out before the race. I guess thats were general conditioning would come in, if they are prepared an athlete can maybe get a sub max run in to prime the nervous system without tiring it to much. Another thought would be why in the cfts has some 30’s before the main workout begins to prime the runner to compete, and if the sprinter has been doing it in practice everyday he should be able to do it in a warmup without any ill effect. That would be why you do the same warmup at every practice and competition (unless its 100 degrees outside)
James Smith et all-What are your thoughts on peforming sub maximal weight work before a 100 meter race. Would 70% 3x3 done smooth and at a depth that provides a stimulus (between half and full) be adequate? I was thinking of adding this 30 minutes before race time done after about a 20 minute warm up and then placing some starts and build ups after? Could this be used a second time with less volume for the 400 meter relay?
I’ve noticed the same thing about the fastest rep in a workout not being the first. I’ve also noticed that as my condition/fitness improved, it took longer and longer in a warmup to be able to get the best speed out…and KK mentioned a long time ago doing one max effort 60–even to race 400 as I recall.
Without listing specifics that might get me in trouble, John Smith’s warmup structure is like this:
100m strides (run the straights, walk the turns like Clyde Hart)
flexibility
easy 60m accelerations
drills
hard 60m accelerations
I’ve had the best results with:
100m strides
drills
ONE alternate leg bounding drill (3 contacts each foot per Verkhoshansky)
25 minute rest
3X30m starts
1X70m hard acceleration
20-30 min rest then race
Like John Smith’s version, mine takes 1:45 to 2 hours (I don’t do this before a workout, of course). Even when it’s hot in Southern California, a 10-15 minute warmup doesn’t work for me at this point.
Charlie, I think I saw a sample elsewhere on the site (can’t find it now) where you did give some further recommendations on what type of progression to use after the build-up series at a competition. I, too, am trying to avoid the scenario that others have written of above of having the second event always feeling significantly better than the first one for my athletes.
I guess you would do a number of block starts or what exactly? I understand, as you said, that this will vary from individual to individual but maybe you could offer up an example. Thanks.
What about if you need to be sharp in the heats of a championship taking place in the morning? Apart from waking up early enough, what about the day before? Always bearing in mind the highly individual nature of this issue, of course… Thanks!