Hey guys i was wondering if some of you could possibly help me out here. I recently started doing sprints again, in an effort to obviously get faster, and today when i was sprinting the middle/front part of my quads felt like they were almost pulling. When i first started, i almost did not finish my workout for fear of pulling my quad(s), but i finished the workout with no problems except for that pulling feeling i am talking about.It wasn’t so severe that i could not finish my workout, because i did but it definitly had me scratching my head. Has anyone ever felt this before when sprinting and if so what did you attribute it to? The only thing i am thinking is maybe i did not warm up as good as i normally do, because i was in a hurry this morning. Also the only other thing i thought about was maybe i have a muscular imbalance between my hamstring and quads or maybe i was dehydrated?
My first thought is that you are “pushing” too hard. When you push (over-extend the leg out back), pulling the leg back through (recovery phase) is made much harder and is tougher on the quads and hip flexors. Too much backside mechanics in the accel phase can cause the quad pain/tightness. And, it is not very efficient technique for sprinting.
Start the next few weeks working at 85 to 90% of perceived exertion and work on the technical side. Sprinting should not feel like a “pushing” or “pulling” sensation. It should feel like the legs are moving up and down. Ground contacts should feel light and responsive, not like a wrestling match.
Does that make sense?
This is more of a technical solution. You may also be too tight going into the sprints, so a flexibility program and perhaps some hands on therapy can assist as well.
Certainly faster times are often achieved though less perceived effort. It’s that hard balance between producing force and retarding your own performance but few people experiment with trying less hard!