I’m having a debate with another athlete about speed training he feel that most athletes only need to sprint once a week - below is a quote:
“If you get right down to it, just sprinting won’t make you faster unless you’re built to go fast. For those of us who aren’t, we need to get a lot stronger, get our power up through our hips, and run to transfer those gains to the track. I’m still weak as a kitten and spending more time on the track won’t fix that for me”.
First of all, just sprinting will make you faster, even if you aren’t built to go fast, just not as fast as someone with better genetics, body structure etc.
When he says for those of us who aren’t, I do agree with that. To me, he’s basically saying let’s figure out what my weakness is and focus on it. Since strength is the backbone, it should be solidified first. And if that’s his weakness, or even if strength and speed are both weaknesses for him, gains will initially come more rapidly from improving his strength.
If he’s a sprinter, and not a team sport athlete, then I would still stick to the Cf template, but just vary the percent of volume given to each motor skill. Have him still sprint 2-3x a week to keep up the frequency, but lower the volume of it. And, conversely, increase the volume of the weights.
On a side note, I know (or at least i think i know) CF has said sprinting will make you stronger through increased synchronization of MU’s etc.
damn u guys are making my point. i think his method would work better for a team sport athlete but not a track sprinter. gains will come with increase strength mainly in the first 30m.
if “just sprinting won’t make you faster” why would even concede to do it once a week?
I’m surprised he would agree to sprint at all with his opinion on the subject. Some other coach has obviously gotten that into his head.
Ask him from what great base of knowledge and experience on the subject has he formed his opinions?
Ask him if the “built to be strong” philosophy also exists? If it does, then why lift?
Haha, seeing as I’m the athlete in question, I should probably chime in.
I wrote that sprinting itself beyond a certain point won’t make you faster. The reason for this is that it provides no overload. A similar argument can be made for shotputting (or any other event really). Just doing the activity will only get you so far, you need to train other things to improve beyond that point while performing the target movement (sprinting, shot put, etc.) to transfer new strength gains into performance.
I mean, Pioneer, your post is actually insulting towards me as you’re basically calling me ignorant or perhaps saying that I’m just parroting what some other coach has said. Like I said above, just sprinting will only make you so fast, and beyond that point it is other forms of training that increase your performance.
And tamfb, I am a big fan of the Inno-Sport system as it provides a fantastic lens through which training can be viewed. Once you understand it’s basics, classify and assigning various types of work to combat certain weaknesses becomes as easy as adding 2 and 2 together.
What is his experience training himself or others? If it’s limited or non-existent, then it’s only theory he read about and he’s not had a long block of time to view the benefits or problems with a particular program not how to properly implement any program.
Also, if the program he apparently believes in was producing such great results, I’d assume he’d not be seeking outside coaching assistance.
Hey, you brought it up. I would’ve been content to keep it out of the conversation.
Changing the subject slightly, why do you lift weights, do plyos, practice resisted starts, and all of that stuff if sprinting alone will make you faster? I mean, if sprinting were the end-all-be-all of going fast, wouldn’t you use it to the exclusion of other methods?
No, I am not seeking consultation or outside assistance. For some reason, tamfb asks for my advice all the time yet finds it fun to turn around and question me and tell me I’m doing everything a moment later. Yet still, he asks for my input quite a bit.
And I don’t have a lot of experience training athletes (other than myself), but training is just like any other science. When viewed from the outside, chemistry may seem random or special in some way, yet it follows definite rules that can be learned from the experience of others through literature. Training is the same way.
I don’t know how to interpret the bolded portion of your post. My point of view would seem to be the one that incorporates the use of the most tools to achieve the desired ends.
Wow you are funny, I asked you one simple question. If you had access to a 200m indoor track would your training change, and everything else I have ever asked you has never really been for advice but more so picking your brain; Pioneer can agree on that bc we always go back and forward on diff topics. I would never really ask you for advice bc our philo is too different and we have diff ability levels:cool:
Seriously if you were insulted by my post then you wanted to be insulted.
Go back and read what I said. I am mostly questioning what basis he(TAMFB’s guy!!!) is making his arguements from-if he has much experience with his favored type of program, he’d not likely to need to go to a coach with a different system other than possibly a tech. review.
Regarding the use of one sprint day, I disagree with that method but it is simply a different method and we are all obviously free to conduct our own programs.
Agreed that to advance performance you will ideally need more than one means but I disagree with sprinting just once a week. I don’t see that it would provide enough frequency(nor volume during a week) of practicing that particular skill to get very proficient at it.
I’m not sure how I called you ignorant? At the very least you likely have some experience coaching yourself and/or others so I don’t know how the two situations would be similar in that respect?
I am but the notes I wrote on it are back home-all day putting on a golf tournament for school and I did not know I’d be coming back to work afterwards. Tomorrow.
