Starting with a new sprinter

[John]

@NumberTwo

Find out their previous training regime and make very subtle changes, if any, initially. Most of the athletes that have come to me have had less than optimal training programs previously. If they are starting out at the beginning of a new season, I have them integrate into our program/group pretty seamlessly - as we spend a lot of our general prep working on technical issues related to sprint mechanics, proper warm-up and lifting technique. And, we have broad progressions that allow them to adapt appropriately.

I’ve had other athletes join in mid-season, and we’ve been very careful about simply having them “jump-in” to our training program. The issue of short-to-long vs. long-to-short must be determined right away. Going from a L-to-S program to a S-to-L program can be tricky. The L-to-S athletes are not ready for the high velocities and intense acceleration requirements of a S-to-L program, so don’t have them do the same type of work. There must be a dovetailing of work over a given period of time. Otherwise, the stress of a S-to-L program will result in significant problems related to mechanics, overuse injury, soft-tissue injuries and CNS fatigue.

what if they have a plan that is unstructured yet have some targets that based on previous performances could be achieved?