Track and Field Toolbox

Customized Strength Workouts for Track and Field Athletes

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This article was provided by Training and Conditioning

 

At the University of Alaska-Anchorage, track and field athletes are taught to play an active role in setting their own individual strength and conditioning priorities.
By Michael Friess

Michael Friess is the Head Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Coach at the University of Alaska-Anchorage. He can be reached at: [email protected].

The 2009 track and field season was one to remember for our University of Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves. We set new school records with five All-Americans and 10 athletes qualifying for the NCAA Division II Championships. We also had three performances that broke Great Northwest Athletic Conference individual records.

Some may wonder–how can we produce so many successful competitors out here on the Last Frontier? Of course the athletes themselves deserve most of the credit, as I’m continually impressed by their dedication, enthusiasm, and willingness to make whatever sacrifices are needed to take their skills to the next level.

But part of their success is due to our sport-specific strength and conditioning program. We emphasize frequent performance assessment and encourage athletes to feel a sense of ownership of their customized workout regimens, with a few universal training principles mixed in to address teamwide priorities. In this article, I’ll outline what we do and explain how it helps keep our athletes strong, injury free, and performing at their best.

TEST & RETEST
Like most programs at the Division II level, our incoming athletes arrive with widely varying strengths, training histories, and weightroom experience. Some were regular lifters in high school, especially if they played multiple sports, while others have barely set foot in a weightroom before. To help ensure that everyone makes steady progress in conditioning, whatever their starting point, we rely on testing and performance assessment throughout the year.

One of our top priorities for our new athletes is finding muscle and joint weaknesses, which cause mechanical flaws that can lead to injury, wasted energy, and decreased performance. Two areas we find most frequently need attention in our runners are the hips and core.

Hip weakness, often seen in our incoming distance runners, is fairly easy to spot during initial evaluation of an athlete’s running mechanics. While observing running gait on a track or a treadmill, I’ll notice that one hip dips down too low during the stride, there is excessive swinging from side to side, or the athlete has trouble maintaining the natural, level equilibrium of the pelvic girdle. These are all signs of hip weakness, which hampers running and jumping ability and can lead to iliotibial band injury.

For runners who display weak hips, we will prescribe exercises that develop hip abduction with resistance bands or machines. Closed-chain work, such as single-leg pressing, lunging, and Bulgarian split squats, will also help build hip strength. We have athletes with weak hips avoid leg curls in favor of stiff-legged deadlifts, because we want to train the hamstrings more for decelerating the leg than for acceleration–working the hamstrings from an elongated position in deadlifts provides this effect while also helping increase active range of motion.

If an athlete has a weak core, one of the first signs is usually lower back pain during running, particularly hill running. We will also frequently observe “sitting” or collapsing movements upon landing during jumping and plyometric work, and problems with overall posture.

For these athletes (who are often the same ones who display weak hips), we focus on strengthening the core through stabilization and extension movements. We believe too many people overemphasize flexion alone when training the core at the expense of extension work, so we use ground-based stabilization exercises such as bridging, as well as training on a glute-ham machine to develop the extensor groups. Olympic lifting also helps to train core stabilizer muscles and build core strength.

Beyond fixing individual deficiencies, we test all our athletes roughly every three weeks when we’re not in-season to gauge their progress in conditioning. One of the main skills we want runners to develop is the ability to push into the ground to generate greater and greater force, and a great way to test that is through 30-meter weighted sled pulls. As athletes’ times decrease throughout the training year, we know they are building speed by generating more force from the ground, while also increasing their ability to run with proper mechanics as they accommodate a resistance load.

In the weightroom, we test the athletes on cleans, push presses, and squats to gauge overall strength development. These lifts are explosive and train multi-joint movement, which translates well to the demands of sprinting. The athletes also feel stronger and become more confident in their overall conditioning when they become proficient in squats, cleans, and presses.

THEIR OWN COACH
We believe strongly that athletes must take responsibility for their conditioning and strength programs to build confidence and motivation. Rather than have all the athletes follow a cookie-cutter approach, I encourage them to take ownership of their strength and conditioning strategy, set a few specific priorities or areas of focus, and then choose some of their exercise and lifting progressions to target the areas where they most need to improve.

For example, during strength tests in early fall, let’s say an incoming hurdler learns that her push-off leg is significantly stronger in the quads and hamstrings than her landing leg. This is fairly common, especially among athletes who have never consistently strength trained and thus developed most of their functional muscle simply from practicing and competing in their event. Once she learns of this strength disparity, she might realize it explains the soreness she sometimes feels on one side after training runs, and the uneven gait she experiences when fatigue starts setting in.

If everyone in our program followed the same strength training regimen, this imbalance might go uncorrected. But under our philosophy of athletes setting some of their own priorities and taking responsibility for their fitness, she can emphasize single-leg strength work to fix the imbalance.

We will of course guide her on which exercises to choose, make sure she learns proper technique, and help her to understand progression variables. But the main idea is for her to feel like she’s in control of her conditioning program and helping to shape her own training.

Our focus on responsibility in training also allows athletes to continue using methods and strategies that have worked for them in the past. For instance, one of our top sprinters two years ago came into our program as a sixth-degree black belt in karate. He had a battery of exercises that he felt optimized his functional strength, explosiveness, balance, and coordination, and once he explained the program to us, we allowed him to stick with it.

We monitored his progress in the same categories as our other sprinters and were satisfied that his program was helping him achieve his performance goals. While some of those exercises were unlike anything I would prescribe to the rest of the team, they worked for him and he was comfortable doing them, so we let him take complete ownership of those portions of his training.

Even though we give our athletes a great deal of freedom, that does not mean our strength workouts are a free-for-all. Each individual is encouraged to keep a basic training journal that catalogs the lifts and exercises they did for each workout, including sets, reps, and weight used. They also include any notes on progress, difficulties they are experiencing with a particular exercise, and other observations.

The journals are a great way to open lines of communication between athlete and coach. I look through them at least once a week and provide individualized feedback on how they can make adjustments to enhance their training.

For example, if someone appears to have reached a plateau with a certain lift, I will recommend switching to different exercises that develop the same muscle groups. If someone reports problems completing an exercise, I will observe them one-on-one to look for flaws. If I find they’re lifting their heels during squats, for instance, I’ll give them some range of motion exercises to increase flexibility, then talk them through proper squatting technique. Other times, I’ll simply help them find another exercise that offers the same benefits.

BEST PRACTICES
While our athletes have come to take pride in the individualized nature of their workouts and conditioning progressions, there are a few training principles that we like everyone to follow. I have learned through experience that these can pay off for virtually all track and field athletes.

For one thing, everyone incorporates the Bulgarian split squat into their training. If our athletes could do only one movement to build strength, I’d choose this one, because it trains each leg independently for the balance, stability, and power that runners need most.

In the Bulgarian split squat, the athlete begins by standing on one leg, with the other behind them with the knee bent and the foot resting on a plyo box, bench, or bar. The standing leg is positioned slightly forward, so that the heel is roughly even with the front abdominal wall (this typically requires a small forward hop once the back leg is in place). The athlete then performs lunge-like movements, bending the knee of the standing leg and lowering the body until the back knee touches the ground, then returning to the starting position.

Since the standing leg does practically all the work, athletes can use different weight loads for each side to address strength disparities. They can perform the squat with no external resistance, with a dumbbell in each hand, or in a power rack with the bar resting on their shoulders.

In addition to building quad and hamstring strength, this movement also engages the stabilizer muscles in the foot, ankle, and calf to maintain balance and keep the shin from moving laterally. Athletes who become proficient at this squat show improvements in sprinting, horizontal jumping, and ability to accelerate.

Another staple of our strength program for all athletes is Olympic lifting. Much like sled pulls, lifts such as the hang clean and clean and jerk train athletes to push with maximum force against the ground, which helps develop speed and acceleration. For sprinters in particular, we want to train pushing against the ground in as many ways as possible, and Olympic lifting accomplishes this while also requiring coordinated movement of the hip, knee, and ankle joints.

There’s also a psychological component to these lifts. They activate the entire body and leave the athletes feeling stronger and more powerful, particularly when they complete their first set with a higher weight load. It’s hard to quantify that benefit, but we believe it provides an extra motivational edge during tough workouts.

Outside the weightroom, there is one key aspect of our track and field conditioning that differs from most other programs: We pay more attention to cardiovascular work. We want everyone, even our sprinters–who sometimes have never run for distance before–to be able to jog steadily for 30 minutes. I might be slightly biased because of my own background (I was a distance runner in college), but I believe longer bouts of steady-state running can benefit any athlete. Distance running is the most basic form of plyometric work, and it promotes soft tissue and ligament integrity, which can improve performance and decrease injury risk in virtually any activity.

Our program’s emphasis on distance running began out of necessity. Until recently, we didn’t have an indoor track, and during the long Alaskan winters, all our runners used treadmills for speed training. Our fastest treadmill topped out at just 16 mph, so to make the sessions challenging, we had to increase running volume. We liked the cardiovascular benefits and noticed that our injury rates were consistently very low, so we’ve maintained that focus even now that we have access to a beautiful new indoor facility.

To reduce impact stress during longer runs, the athletes will often do their work on our artificial turf surface instead of on the track. And of course, those who struggle with compartment syndrome, alignment issues, or other special considerations won’t run for volume as much as their teammates. But overall, even those with no distance running experience have reported feeling that it helps them become better athletes.

For all of our program’s training philosophies and techniques, the true measure of value is meet performance. When we see our runners’ times steadily dropping, our long jumpers earning top spots in national competition, and our field athletes breaking school records, weíre confident that our strength and conditioning priorities are setting up our athletes to maximize success.


Sprint Mechanics Drills

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Speed is dependent not only on the strength of the athlete but also their technique. Helping your sprinters to fine tune their mechanics will help them to maximize their speed.

In the clip below Latif Thomas from completetrackandfield.com demonstrates three very good drills to help your sprinters develop the muscle memory necessary to have the most efficient sprint mechanics. The drills are ones that many of you are already using, but coach does a great job of explaining how to teach the technique and common mistakes to look for. The video would be good to show your sprinters so they can see the proper technique.

Coach demonstrates a progression of A-March No Arms, A-March with Arms, A-Skip Single Leg In Place and A-Skip No Arms moving forward.

To learn more about coaching sprinters and other tack and field athletes click on the link above or checkout the Compete Track and Field YouTube Channel for other helpful videos.

This clip is from a complete speed training program by Coach Thomas. For more information about that program click the link: Latif Thomas Complete Speed Training 3 (CST3)

The YouTube video below has sound, so please make sure that your sound is turned on and that you have access to the site.(Some schools block access to YouTube)

Learning the basics of the A-March with no arms is critical. You must teach them the proper leg action before progressing to the drills that have more components. The teaching points for the A-March are as follows:

1. Chin up, head up
2. Knee up, toe up. heel up
3. Recover the heel up under the butt
4. Step over the knee of the support leg
5. Drive the leg down into the ground so that it lands under the hip.
6. The ball of the foot should hit before the heel

Once the A-March no arms is mastered, add the arm action but still remain in place. Go slow and gradually increase intensity. From this drill progress to the single leg A-skip in place with no arms. After several reps switch to the other leg and then begin alternating legs while staying in one place. Finally have the athlete A-Skip with no arms moving forward. Not shown, but of course the next step would be the A-skip moving forward with arms.


Back on Track: Overuse Injuries

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This article was provided by Training and Conditioning

Overuse injuries are commonplace in the competitive running world. The more you know about these injuries, the better you can help your athletes get back on their feet.

By Elisha Cusumano

Elisha Cusumano, MS, ATC, is an Assistant Athletic Trainer at the University of Oregon, where she works with the men’s and women’s track and field and cross country teams. She can be reached at:[email protected].

A lot of competitive runners and their coaches have come to believe that if 40 miles per week is good, then 80 miles per week must be better. Many more are of the mindset that a day off is a bad thing. Put those two issues together, and it’s easy to see why overuse injuries have become commonplace in the world of competitive track and field.

And unfortunately, those runners don’t always stop when an overuse injury is sustained. One of the mantras being hammered into the minds of distance runners is that second place hurts more than a stress fracture–a statement any athletic trainer would find wince-worthy.

In my position working with the track and field and cross country teams at the University of Oregon, two of the most frequent injuries I see in distance and middle distance runners are plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendinosis. In this article, I’ll explain what these injuries mean for a runner, how you can help them recover as quickly as possible, and how to keep other athletes on the team from suffering the same fate.

PLANTAR FASCIITIS
Plantar fasciitis is present when the plantar fascia, the fibrous band of tissue that reaches from the heel to the toes and supports the muscles and arch of the foot, becomes overstretched and tiny tears riddle its surface. Some early detection signs include general soreness on the calcaneus and plantar fascia that gradually increases over time. Pain, which can be quite significant, will eventually settle in the plantar fascia near its attachment to the calcaneus (or heel bone).

Sharp pain upon an athlete’s first step out of bed in the morning or after long periods of sitting is a tell-tale sign of plantar fasciitis. This is due to the lengthening and weight loading of the plantar fascia after it has spent significant time in a shortened, non-weight bearing state. Since the tissue has been damaged with micro tears, it is not able to appropriately increase in length under the weight load.

Plantar pain can severely limit a runner’s ability to train, especially since the majority of pain is felt at the beginning of a workout, making it hard to progress beyond the first 10 to 15 minutes. It’s important that runners understand pain in the heel is a major indicator that’s it’s time to stop activity. If precautionary steps are not taken immediately, this injury can lead to significant rehab and time off.

Contributing Factors: One major cause of plantar fasciitis is prolonged foot pronation. Runners with excessive pronation generally have a more flexible, lower arched foot than other runners. Looking at arch height with the naked eye can be a difficult way to detect a low arch at first, but with practice, watching an athlete’s gait can clue you in to whether they have a high or low arch.

There are also sophisticated tools you can use, such as force plates, to see where the center of pressure is during an athlete’s gait. But a simple and inexpensive way to examine arch height is to wet the bottom of an athlete’s foot with paint and have them walk across a sheet of paper. A high arch will leave a narrow lateral print of the foot, while a low arch will leave a larger print since the foot will make more surface contact with the paper.

The tibialis posterior is another significant contributor to foot pronation because it eccentrically lengthens in an attempt to control pronation, and in turn reduces tension on the plantar fascia. If a runner’s posterior tibialis is weak, he or she will experience above average pronation.

Other muscular causes include proximal muscle weakness in the gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, tensor fascia latae, or quadriceps muscles. Weakness in these muscular structures results in a decreased ability to aid in the force loading of the lower extremity, which means the foot (and ultimately the plantar fascia) must absorb more shock.

One final significant aspect to evaluate is ankle joint motion, specifically dorsiflexion. A limited amount of dorsiflexion in the ankle joint can cause increased movement through the mid-foot, leading to excessive pronation. A tight Achilles tendon is often to blame when dorsiflexion is limited.

Intervention: At the first sign of pain, treatment should start with the goal of decreasing the runner’s pain level. This can be done through therapeutic treatments like stretching and wearing a night splint.

Stretching the plantar fascia involves passively dorsiflexing the ankle and then applying pressure to fully extend the toes back toward the shin. The movement is simple and the athlete can do it three to four times a day on their own–even while they’re sitting in class–to help keep the plantar fully lengthened.

Night splints follow the same idea. I’ve seen the best success rate with those that look like a low-tech walking boot and fully support the foot while keeping it in dorsiflexion. Though they’re not very comfortable to wear in bed, a splint can be very successful at limiting pain and aiding in healing.

Because excessive pronation is a major indicator of plantar fasciitis, further treatment should focus on controlling pronation. We can’t change the arch of a runner’s foot, but we can help them strengthen the muscles that control pronation.

As mentioned earlier, a weak tibialis posterior could be the reason for excessive pronation, so strengthening this muscle should be a goal of the rehab process. We’ve had great success doing that with eccentric calf raises. We have the athlete stand on a stair, drop their heels down, raise up on the toes of both feet, then come back down slowly using only one foot (repeat on the other side).

Strengthening the surrounding musculature is another good idea. All proximal hip musculature needs to be strengthened by isolating each muscle. Isolating the gluteus maximus should be your main focus. One exercise we use has the athlete start by lying in a prone position. They then contract their gluteus without recruiting their hamstrings or lower back musculature. Once the athlete masters this move, have them lay prone with their knees bent at 90 degrees, contract the gluteus, and push their heels toward the ceiling.

In some cases, runners with plantar fasciitis can continue to run on land with slightly reduced mileage. However, others will need to stop running on hard surfaces for one to two weeks until pain subsides. The decision to stop running on land must be made based on the level of pain the athlete is experiencing. Though generally not their favorite thing to do, runners who need to take time off from their usual workouts can incorporate pool workouts to maintain their fitness level.

Case Study: During the middle of last season, a distance runner came to me complaining of pain on the bottom of his foot when walking and running. After palpation, I found a point of tenderness at the attachment site of the plantar fascia to the calcaneus. As we discussed the issue, the athlete explained that the pain had started about two weeks earlier, worsened gradually, and was most painful upon his first step out of bed in the morning.

The athlete hadn’t increased his weekly mileage recently and had only logged about 200 miles in his running shoes–on the lower end for this particular pair. He had a long history of chronic plantar fasciitis and explained the pain felt similar to when he was diagnosed with it in previous seasons.

At this point, I proceeded under the assumption that he was having a reoccurrence. Since the athlete came to see me after practice, I had him roll the arch of his foot out on a roller, stretch his gastrocnemius and soleus muscles, and perform ice massage over the area of tenderness for eight minutes twice that evening. I also sent him home with a night splint to start wearing immediately. The next day, I referred the athlete to the team physician, who confirmed a diagnosis of plantar fasciitis and prescribed an
anti-inflammatory.

I then completed a further assessment of the athlete’s lower leg mechanics. He presented with overpronation, a tight Achilles, and decreased range of motion in the ankle. Our treatment plan consisted of heating the lower leg and foot and soft tissue massage (using the Graston Technique) of the anterior tibialis, gastrocnemius, peroneals, and plantar fascia. We also worked on joint mobilization in the ankle and around the fibular head. Therapeutic exercises included toe curls to strengthen the plantar, manual stretching of the anterior tibilalis, and manual resistance to strengthen the peroneal tendons.

I also had the athlete take a week off from land running. He instead used an underwater treadmill for 30 minutes a day and supplemented that with swimming to maintain his cardiovascular fitness level.

After the first week of treatment and a modified running routine, the athlete had a significant decrease in pain. He felt only mild pain upon his first step in the morning and was pain-free for the remainder of the day.

Even with chronic plantar fasciitis issues, the athlete had never experienced such a quick decrease in symptoms. I attribute it to the treatment of the entire lower leg musculature and not simply focusing on the plantar fascia, the athlete’s diligent use of the night splint, and therapeutic exercises to help correct his overpronation. The athlete returned to limited dry land participation after the first week of treatment and was back to his typical mileage by the end of week two.

ACHILLES TENDINOSIS
Recently, there has been increasing evidence that overuse injuries to the Achilles are not tendonitis (inflammation of the tendon), but are actually tendinosis–actual degeneration of the tendon. Unfortunately, tendinosis is still often misdiagnosed. A runner will be told they have tendonitis, but subsequent treatment seems to have no effect on the injury because they actually have tendinosis. This lack of response to treatment can often leave the runner and clinician frustrated and at a loss of which direction to go.

You will need to enlist the help of a physician in differentiating between tendinosis and tendonitis. However, if no swelling is present and the injury has lasted beyond two weeks, you should suspect tendinosis.

The chief complaint associated with this injury is pain over the back of the heel, where the tendon inserts into the calcaneus. Runners with Achilles tendinosis usually experience the most pain at the beginning of a run, and not much while walking (unlike plantar fasciitis), though runners have described a “squeaking” or “pinching” feeling at times. Speed or stride work seems to increase pain as well.

Contributing Factors: Similar to plantar fasciitis, excessive pronation can also lead to Achilles tendinosis in runners. However, the major contributor is usually inflexibility in the ankle joint, which results from shortening of the gastrocnemius and soleus. The lack of flexibility in this muscle group increases strain on the Achilles during running, eventually causing degeneration of the tendon.

Tibialis anterior weakness is another contributor to decreased ankle joint motion. The tibialis anterior is often either over-active or under-active, causing increased or decreased motion about the ankle. Ankle motion and stability are two of the most important factors in keeping the Achilles injury-free.

Achilles tendinosis is gradual and often goes unnoticed until the classic sign of crepitus–a grinding or popping sensation–is felt. At this point, the injury has probably been present for a couple of weeks. If it has not been caught by this point, it can take upwards of six to eight weeks to completely heal.

Intervention: The first two weeks after diagnosis need to be spent away from impact activity. Treatment during this time should focus on increasing range of motion around the ankle and hip joints by stretching the hip flexor, quadriceps, hamstring, piriformis, gastrocnemius, and soleus muscles. Strengthening the peroneal tendons and tibialis anterior is also a good idea and can be accomplished with eccentric calf raises and manual resistance ankle exercises for inversion, eversion, dorsiflexion, and plantar flexion.

As soon as pain subsides, start adding reduced-impact activities such as underwater or anti-gravity treadmill running. If you don’t have access to these options, pool walking and elliptical training will work, too.

After two weeks of reduced gravity impact, slowly transition the runner to land training, staying on soft surfaces to start. Be sure the runner begins this phase in a new, but broken in pair of shoes. During the first week of land running, have them run every other day starting at 20 minutes and building to 35 minutes the first week. If no problems occur during the first week, you can slowly progress the runner from there, but have them refrain from any hill training until the injury has been completely resolved and they are pain-free for approximately one month.

Case Study: Upon returning from winter break last year, a middle-distance runner came into the athletic training room complaining of pain in the midsection of his Achilles that he’d never experienced before. The athlete explained that the pain had started about two weeks earlier, but had increased in the past couple of days and caused him to stop running completely. He was not able to walk comfortably in any shoe by the time he came in to see me and had cut out the back of his running shoe due to the pressure on his Achilles. The athlete also presented with a limp.

During my evaluation, noticeable swelling was apparent, he had tenderness even to my light touch, and pain with both dorsiflexion and plantar flexion. The athlete was not able to bear all of his weight on the injured leg. Unfortunately, he also was not able to wear a walking boot comfortably.

Luckily, we were able to get the athlete evaluated by a team physician the same day. The physician’s diagnosis was Achilles tendinosis. He prescribed a week’s worth of anti-inflammatory medication to help reduce the pain and swelling, and the athlete was placed on crutches until he was able to walk without a limp–two days in his case.

Immediate treatment consisted of contrast baths, very light flush massage, wearing a shoe with no back, and a compression sock as tolerated. Tenderness and swelling were both significantly reduced in three to four days. At this time, the athlete started to complain of a “pinching” or “catching” feeling in the Achilles and significant crepitus was felt upon dorsiflexion and plantar flexion of the ankle.

We started some therapeutic exercises, including eccentric calf raises, joint mobilization of the ankle, mid-foot mobilization, and gluteus maximus strengthening. The athlete took one week off from all activity, then spent the next two weeks swimming. At this point, he had no pain when walking, no more swelling, and no lingering tenderness.

Only at this point did he start a one-month progression back to his full weekly training mileage. During his month-long return to land running, the athlete continued with therapeutic exercises to help maintain ankle range of motion and the lengthening gains he had made to his gastrocnemius and soleus. Since his return, he’s been pain-free.

ROOT OF THE PROBLEM
When the body does not get appropriate recovery time between training bouts, damaged tissue is not able to rebuild stronger than it was before. The body remains in a state of breakdown, and the accumulation of micro tears in tissues will eventually result in an overuse injury like the two cases detailed earlier.

As I’m sure other athletic trainers have found, adequate recovery time can be a difficult concept for runners and coaches to comprehend. Many athletes don’t understand what is happening to their body as they train and what is required for positive gains, thus not realizing how important a recovery period is.

In order to have some success in talking with coaches and athletes in the running world, I’ve found you need to meet them at their level. That means learning about the sport, understanding what the athletes’ goals are, and being very open in explaining that you’re just trying to keep them healthy so they can continue doing what they love to do.

When you first start working with athletes who run upwards of 90 miles a week, it’s easy to say, “Just decrease your mileage and the problem will be solved.” But that tact hasn’t proven successful for many of us. Instead, you need to find creative ways to modify what the athlete is doing so that they can get some recovery while continuing to do some type of training.

Examples include incorporating underwater treadmill work, aqua jogging, cycling, and if available, an anti-gravity treadmill. While these activities still stress the tissues, allowing the athlete to make gains, they do reduce force. The athlete’s muscles are still working hard, but at least their ligaments and tendons get a bit of a break.

Sidebar: OTHER FACTORS
When a track athlete comes into the athletic training room with an overuse injury, it’s important to talk to them about factors beyond biomechanical influences. These can include (but are not limited to) shoes, running surface, recovery, and diet.

Shoes: Runners should pay close attention to the type of shoes they wear and how often they replace them. However, while some shoes reach their structural limit at about 200 miles, others can push over 300 miles before breaking down, so there is no steadfast rule to tell all the runners on the team–each athlete will have to figure this out individually. Also note that excessive wear patterns can cause a runner to replace a pair of shoes sooner than normal since a wear pattern can lead to biomechanical deficits and injuries.

Running Surface: Keeping the majority of a runner’s mileage on softer surfaces like grass and trails can help reduce overuse injuries by lessening daily impact forces. When a distance runner is training on paved surfaces day after day, cumulative impacts can take a toll on the body.

Recovery: Another consideration is the amount of recovery time the runner is taking. At the college level, it’s not abnormal for a competitive distance runner to train for three weeks without taking a complete day of rest. While this may work for some, the majority of runners will need a rest day more often–weekly to every 10 days.

The ratio of training load to recovery time can be vastly different for each runner. Thus, keeping detailed training logs (which include mileage, fatigue level, perceived stress, and any injuries) over the period of a season or two can help prevent future problems by comparing injury, stress, and fatigue levels during high and low mileage periods.

Logs can also be used to guide future training plans and mileage goals. Some runners can be very successful at 30 miles per week of land running and supplementing with swimming, while others are successful at 80 miles per week of land running and no low-impact work. It truly varies based on the individual body’s needs for optimal adaptation gains.

Diet: One last tip would be to recommend runners speak with a dietitian about caloric needs. When runners are increasing their mileage week after week, even slightly, their caloric intake and output ratio is impacted. Without enough calories to support their training load, the body will not be able to recover between runs. Appropriate type and timing of recovery foods after a run can greatly influence the body’s ability to make optimal gains from the training session.


Shot Put Drills

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To be effective throwing the shot. Athletes must develop great technique. Whether it be the glide or the spin, there are basic fundamentals that must be mastered. In addition, to throw the shot effectively one must posses strength in the entire body. The legs the core the arms and shoulder are all critical in providing the power needed to throw the shot.

In the video clip below Guatemala National Team throwing coach Erin Wibbels shows two drills that will focuses on increasing athletes balance, core and shoulder strength. The clip is from a DVD that also covers the fundamentals of the glide and the spin in addition to a variety of medicine ball drills. For more information about the DVD click the link Becoming a Champion: Glide & Spin Shot Put for Girls’ Track & Field

The YouTube video below has sound, so please make sure that your sound is turned on and that you have access to the site (Some schools block access to YouTube)

The two medicine ball drills demonstrated are both single arms drills and there for a 3-6 lb ball is recommended.

The first drill is called Popcorn.

The athlete will stand in front of a wall with a 3-6 lb med ball. The ball is placed overhead. Keeping the elbow straight, the athlete will stretch back from the shoulder and bounce the ball off the wall and catch it. The athlete should remain balanced at all times. The drill will work the muscles of the shoulder as well as the core. 10-20 repetitions are recommended for each arm depending on the conditioning and strength level of the athlete.

The second drill is called Kettle Corn

Very similar to popcorn. The medicine ball is held overhead while standing near a wall. With the elbow straight the ball is bounced off the wall. However, in this drill the athlete will slowly lower their arm to the side will bouncing the ball off the wall. If you imagine the starting position as 12 o’clock then they will slowly lower their arm to the 3 o’clock position. Again this is done while bouncing the med ball off the wall with the elbow straight. Be sure to tell the athlete to keep their weight evenly distributed between their legs. They will have a tendency to lean on to their right leg when the ball is in the 3 o’clock position,

Repeat with the other arm moving slowly from 12 o’clock to 9 o’clock position


Three Specific Speed Development Drills

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This article was provided by Training and Conditioning

By Dan Hutchison, MS, ATC, CSCS

In the majority of athletic events, an athlete is attempting to beat their competition (opponent, ball, etc.) to a specific location. Whether it is the finish line in a track and field event, the end-zone on a football field, or the base in a baseball game, one constantly needs to call on speed to achieve success. The improvement of running speed is one of the three fundamental pillars of athletic improvement: Strength, Skill, and Speed. Much like the first two components, the improvement of running speed initially needs to be coached, followed by repetitive technical application, and continuously complimented by a strength/power program. Although the speed component of any human endeavor involves some genetic predisposition, the applications of speed improvement can be mastered through the development of specific movement patterns.

Specific drills for speed development have been utilized by athletes for many years, most notably in track and field. Other sports, understanding the need for a consistent stimulus for speed development, have incorporated these strategies with their athletes. Typically, a series of progressive drills are performed at a high intensity to re-program the rate at which muscles respond to the ground and how quickly they can move in space. Multiple movements generating power through the ankle, knee, and hip are performed when the athlete is not only properly warmed up, but also somewhat “fresh” prior to the start of the training or practice session (1). These drills and exercises are still strongly encouraged prior to the start of training or practice session. A truncated version of these drills can be supplemented to develop speed and eliminate some of the fatiguing effects of a long dynamic warm-up (1).

Detailed below are three specific drills to initiate the speed development process.  These drills cover detailed physiological and biomechanical components of speed development that include, but are not limited to, overload, force development, maximum velocity, neuromuscular learning, and progressive periodization.  If each of these areas is maximized, speed improvement in all sports can, and will, occur.

Speed Drill #1 – A-Run:  The A-Run, or A-Kick is a dynamic speed drill that mimics the proper movement pattern of a sprint.  The A-Run emphasizes the heel-to-butt concept that adequately places the shin as close to the hip as possible during the swing phase of running and places the hip in the proper parallel position with the ground which allows for sufficient stride length.  These main components are practiced repeatedly, and as time progresses the speed of the movement and the distance of the movement are increased.  Once the technical aspect is attained, the athlete will perform the drill as fast as possible in a 10 meter area for 3-4 sets.  If fatigue causes either a slowing frequency of leg movement, or a technical error, shorten the distance and reduce the sets.  The progression is to perform fast and technical A-Runs up to 50 meters and up to 5-6 sets.  Recovery is the walk back to the starting line.

  • Technique
  • Intense, Fast, Movements
  • Increase sets before distance

Speed Drill #2 – Split Squat Jumps (SSJ): The SSJ is utilized to improve power, strength, and acceleration in a running athlete (2). The SSJ resembles some mechanical qualities of forward sprinting, with the goal of this drill to improve power, most notably during the acceleration phase of running. The initial position of the SSJ forces the athlete to produce the maximum amount of power in the front leg. This is followed by an explosive movement vertically while switching legs at the peak height of the jump and landing under control ready to perform the exact movement again. Power is enhanced by spending as little time as possible on the ground and producing as much power and height on the vertical component (2). Arm swing should mimic the sprinting movement. Effort is maximized on each jump so repetitions should initially be low, 4-5 reps per leg for 3-4 sets, but not to exceed more than 10 reps per leg. Ideally, once an athlete can perform 8-10 reps maximally per leg, dumbbells or preferably a weighted vest should be added for resistance; the more resistance added, the fewer the repetitions. Recovery should be 1-2 minutes between sets.

  • Maximum effort on each jump
  • Increase reps before adding resistance

Speed Drill #3 – Maximum Velocity Running (MVR): Maximal velocity sprinting is a traditional approach to improving speed, especially in the day and age where implements are quickly applied sometimes before proper mechanics are learned at high velocities. MVR is a simple approach to educating the athlete about body control at peak velocity. This drill should be performed after the first two speed drills because it combines the phases of speed development: acceleration, maximum velocity, and maintaining maximal velocity. Once an athlete has attained maximum velocity during the drill, sustainability is encouraged for as long as possible, but as soon as velocity is lost the set is complete. Distances should initially range from 20-40 meters and progress to no more than 100 meters, unless the event determines otherwise, performed for 4-6 sets. Implements may be added for additional resistance (parachutes, sleds, bands, or pulley systems) without losing emphasis on proper body control and mechanics at high velocities.

  • Combination of the speed development drills
  • Body control and technique at high velocities
  • Maximum sustainable effort

These specific drills for speed improvement should be performed between 3-5 days during the week, even during the season with reduced repetitions performed at the same high intensity. In addition, a strength/power program should be an ongoing practice in one’s endeavor for success. Adequate and structured strength training allows individuals the stamina to meet the demands of the sport and the speed-specific training demands (4). These tools for success are challenging, but may be the difference between scholarships, colleges, the varsity team, and of course, WINNING!

References:

1. Gabbett, TJ, et al. Influence of Closed Skill and Open Skill Warm-ups on the Performance of Speed, Change of Direction Speed, Vertical Jump, and Reactive Agility in Team Sport Athletes. J Strength Cond Res 22(5): 1413-1415.

2. Markovic, G, et al. Effects of Sprint and Plyometric Training on Muscle Function and Athletic Performance. J Strength Cond Res 21(2): 543-549

3. Aguilar, AJ, et al. A dynamic warm-up model increases quadriceps strength and hamstring flexibility. J Strength Cond Res 26(4): 1130-1141.

4. Delecluse, C. Influence of Strength Training on Sprint Running Performance: Current Findings and Implications for Training. Sports Medicine 24(3): 147-220.