THere was a very large local open athletics meeting today and one of my lifters decided to give it a go. He’s 5"5 and British Junior runner up in the U62k catagory.
Despite my suggestion to ‘keep it close and shrug’, he made a surprisingly efficient start. At 30 metres he held a 1 metres lead and I was getting excited… THen at 40 the other sleek model sprinters came gliding past with their superior top speed. To confound this disadvantage my man started to tighten up and fight like crazy. In the last 20 the lack of speed endurance showed and the gap widened. The first guy ran 10.9 easing up and CC struggled home: 12.32 electric.
CC’s comment after the race was classic: ‘I would have done better but the practice start knackered me…I had to ask the starter to give me another 30s recovery’
The weightlifter thing opens up a straightforward question for me;
Would somebody who does both weightlifting AND sprinting really be
more than a tenth of a second faster (over 100 meters.) than his twin brother who does
just the sprinting and push ups, situps etc…
The one who doesn’t do weightlifting can either do same amount of sprinting and have more recovery or higher volume of sprints and callasthenics and spend more time on the spacifics/sprinting.
I have not yet come across any overwhelming evidance to suggest
that the athlete who includes weightlifting would be able to…
I do lift weights although to be honest, I think it’s partly for asthetic reasons. I want to LOOK like an elite sprinter.
This thread show’s a practical application of the question that I address to you in your thread called “Determining Optimum Repetition Number”
The question was:
How about a protocol for weights as a " Power endurance" enhancer/developer? This is a key component for anyone that sprints beyond 60m’s.
The power levels of a novice sprinter -even the one’s with high absolute strength- drop off significantly after 30m. Weights could be a significant factor in maintaining high-speed muscular contractions.
Your knowledge in strength and weightlifting is extensive, but it seems to lack the bridge necessary for producing great sprinters. As this is a primarily sprint forum, I thought it would be useful to try to bridge that gap. Meet me half way…We can do this…
Goose2
I can’t count the amount of strong men (linemen, weightlifters, etc.), that get out the blocks and run the first 10yds quick, but end up losing in the last 30yards in a 40yd race against myself. They usually lack the ability to maintain the high power output necessary to complete a fast sprint…
Your knowledge in strength and weightlifting is extensive, but it seems to lack the bridge necessary for producing great sprinters. As this is a primarily sprint forum, I thought it would be useful to try to bridge that gap.
What?? :mad: :mad: Chris did this for a laugh, he wasn’t trying to ‘bridge the gap’. The reasons for him not winning were many, but could possibly have been linked to the fact that… he does no running!
I believe you are saying that power endurance cannot be developed through weights, due to the inability to produce the RFD required for sprinting.
Having said that, plyometrics, hill running, and using sport loading (i.e. weight vest) also compromises SOME RFD. But as long as you are moving as fast as possible, can it not help power endurance?
Btw, I am not talking about speed endurance (which has to the with co-ordination of muscle contractile force in the climate of endurance), I’m talking about “power endurance” -which has to do with the quality of high-speed muscular contractile forces in the climate of endurance.
You can develop strength endurance with weights… You can develop aerobic and anaerobic endurance… You can develop RFD… BUT, these qualites are best developed on the track.
Ok, great…If you agree that you can develop RFD with weights…
Now back to my ORIGINAL question:
HOW ABOUT A PROTOCOL FOR WEIGHT AS A " POWER ENDURANCE" ENHANCER/DEVELOPER?
I know that working on the track is the best way to work on speed endurance. What I’m asking you, as a weight/strength expert, is: What type of weight lifting regiment/protocol would work? Reps, intensity, sets, etc.
Think of it this way, when you sprint you only have a short period of time to apply force (<0.1s for an elite sprinter). Additionally, as you accelerate the ‘window’ to apply force decreases. That’s why weightlifters are competitive over short but not longer distances - they lack RFD.
So it’s basically how much force you apply during a certain period of time, right? Meaning, in your example, the RFD during acceleration is short because you are moving so quickly you can’t apply a lot of force, right?
I don’t know if you know david, but chris actually qualified for the final in running 12.32, so he may have had a chance to run even quicker. Though having said that he didn’t do too badly at all, certainly shows there is cross over between oly lifting and sprinting cos he was well up there till 40, but as you say lack of speed endurance and perhaps top end speed caught up with him-still very good as he does sod all running…
Ok! I’ve got it… You’re saying that although power endurance can be developed with weights, you personally wouldn’t use it to develop ANY endurance qualities. And therefore do not have any protocols for “power endurance,” when it comes to weight training
I think all this back and forth could’ve been avoided, if you had given me that answer when I originally asked the question instead of initially replying with a vague answer like “I would develop speed endurance on the track not in the gym. Ditto RFD.”
How about when, during GPP, the athlete is simply trying to build themselves up to a certain level of fitness by working on basic endurance and general fitness components, would you recommend doing something like circuit training to help out, outside the weightroom in developing these qualities.
I have heard that circuit training (with weights) can help develop aerobic and anaerobic qualities outside the weightroom with a “power”-like quality built into it (because of the added resistance with weights).
