400-800-1500 : Messages : 1-30 of 86

This year so far my squad have been doing a variety of hill sessions at a rate of one a week. We are in early prep having only finished our major track meets in April. Our major XC season is in July-Aug which for my squad only means a 2-3 races.

The sessions we have been doing have included variations such as.

Hill circuits

The circuit is about 500m where they run abt 150m across the top of a hill - walk down a steep section and then run smoothly about 200m downhill (gentle slope) then turn and come back up the hill running at XC pace for about 100m then bound the last 40m.

The MD group do 6 circuits with no rest. The sprinters have been doing 3 with the break.

Hill (bound-run-bound)

20m bound (slight slope)-20m run (steeper slope)-20m bound steeper slope that levels out near the end.

The MD group will do 20 tommorrow with a 90s rest. The Sprinters will do alternate reps so will have over 3min rest and do 8-10

Longer Hills

We have done a couple of sessions of longer hills alternating bounding and running up. Because these reps last alot longer (40s) the amount of lactate accumulation is high. This is something we are trying to stay away from doing very much of - so I am preferring the continuos hills or the shorter hills because of lower levels of lactate.

Aerobic Hills

The MD aths have also done some longer hills 600m at XC pace. Great easy way to generate high sustained heart rates.

More comments

Bounding up hills is a great way to train the glutes which for many athletes is a weakness. Many athletes tend to be "forward leaning hamstring loaders" and there power of hip extension is poor. These athletes need to land more flat footed and stay taller with higher hips to be able to generate higher levels of power in hip extension. Hills are great for this as it is easier to hit flatter footed and there is need to lift the knees higher as well as quicker. Bounding up hill causes all of this to happen when done with the right intentions. The athletes in my squad who have poor glute activation during normal running find that the stress is certainly much higher up in the rear of their legs. They often comment on sore glutes the day after hills. My view is that this sort of training is probably great for hamstring injury treatment and prevention because it is equipping athletes who are prone to problems with more conditioned glutes. This should take the load off the hamstring when running fast.

Whenever an athlete trains glutes they will tend to tighten - so we do lots of accupprssure triggering and massage to keep them loose. As well as after each hill session we do hurdle walk over and lateral drills which actively loosens the hip area.

We also train glutes in many other ways including:

-glute medius using theraband resistance exercises

- step ups keeping lower leg vertical and hips high. Some of my female sprinters and a 2:06 800m girl can are currently doing sets of 8 reps each leg with 70Kg.

Training Hills is good conditioning for all athletes and with MD athletes will give them more ease of speed and also the ability to kick harder and accelerate faster when highly fatigued. The key is always to run strong and lift the knees up and toward the middle (not outward),the feet should point straight up the hill as they push and also as they lift.

regards

Steve Bennett

www.oztrack.com

#29

From: "Steve Bennett" <steve@...>
Date: Tue Jun 25, 2002 6:56 am
Subject: A Fundamental Approach to Middle Distance Running

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Oztrack has just released another e-book this time by Australian Middle Distance coach Kevin Prendergast.

Kevin Prendergast is an engineer and mathematician by profession, and he is an accredited Level 3 coach with the Australian Track and Field Coaches Association. His special interest is the application of scientific principles to running, and he has been published often in New Studies in Athletics and Modern Athlete and Coach. Two of his works are in the fourth edition of the book Middle Distances, published by Tafnews Press.

He was one of the most successful middle distance coaches in Australia during the 1990s. His squad has included athletes from interclub to international standard. The most prominent is Brendan Hanigan (1:45.03) , the third fastest Australian ever over 800m at the time of printing, who finished fifth in the 1994 Commonwealth Games and fourth in the 1994 World Cup.

This comprehensive e-book (of 169 A4 pages + pictures) is an attempt to provide an intelligent approach to middle distance running, in which everything is reasoned, and based on scientific concepts, evidence and logic. It looks at the evidence to decide what middle distance running is and what characterises it, determines the attributes required, and deduces a training regime that will develop those attributes.

I have particularly enjoyed the sections on the enjoyed thd chapters on history of the events and the analysis and comparisons made by the author.

More information is at www.oztrack.com/fundamd.htm

regards

Steve Bennett

www.oztrack.com

#28

From: "Steve Bennett" <steve@...>
Date: Wed Jun 12, 2002 4:12 pm
Subject: Training Ideas

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Just an update on some ideas I am developing this year that may be of interest.

Our season ended in April (Australia) and my squad have been in early background training. We have really gone back to basic for the first 6 weeks and done heaps of variety of conditioning activities including:

- sandpit mini-bounces barefoot

- heel/toe walking straight ahead/feet pointed out/feet pointed in

- a large range of hurdle drills - lateral swings, walk overs of various kinds

- backwards step over drill, ankling, forward wall slide drill

- med ball exercises - a large variety

- swiss ball sessions (at home following a video)

- pilates sessions (at home following a video) - great for improving control and mobility. pilates people learn drills faster than anyone else.
- Gym - step ups, cleans, squats, hang snatches, bench, incline bench, woodchops with cable, swiss ball resited crucnhes, back extension, eccentric calves, curls, standing dumbell vertical press, pullups, Roman chaor , russian twists.

- variety of hills - some have been 500m circuits that include some running up hill- some bounding up hill (40m0 some flat jogging- some running smoothly downhill (without overstriding)

- some hills we have also alternated running and bounding for up to 160m with a total of 2 x 30m bound each hill

- early year we do a variety of aerobic sessions and a common one lately has been 3 x 1500m on a dirt trail with a rest of 5min.

- last weekend we went on a 6 hr bushwalk near a tourist city near Sydney called Katoomba. The walk involved walking down into a valley floor and climbing a rocky mountain ridge to a well known isolated mountain having lunch and returning home. this type of activity trains basic stamina and also gives strength. We only do 2-3 bushwalks a year and I consider them great background training without the harshness to joints of long runs of over 20km

This year my squad are going to really mix up the weight training and will be switching from hypertrophy to strength to power in a cycle. We are starting the year with 9 weeks hypertrophy then about 9 weeks of strength focus phasing in to power and then repeating the whole process again. As our peak season approaches we will be in the final power phase. The opinion I have on weight training for MD athletes is that the effect of endurance training on the effect of the weights will be to arrive at a good balance for our event of strength and endurance. The research is showing that if anything the endurance training will have a negative effect on the strength development and NOT the other way around. I also have arrived at the opnion that excess hypertrophy will be avoided by training with good aerobic volumes. In fact the hypertrophy phase may even be the best time to do higher volume aerobic training because of the lower safer loads that are used. We will be during certain periods working to develop maximum strength and also power using higher intensity plyometrics than we usually do. The way i am thinking is that this would be the best time to decrease mechanical loads slightly so that performance can be optimized in the power work and also to avoid injury.

Note: we almost never do weight training for endurance. I prefer to do med ball like that for upper body and with the legs I consider that hills and plyo hills are much better than anything we can do in the gym. Plus we willbe using the EMS devices to add more strength ndurance to the muscles at the appropriate time. We rarely do sets of any exercises of more than 15. Mostly choosing to work under 10 in each set. With the step ups last year we mostly did sets of 4.

The aim is develop good all round levels of fitness and gradually accustom the athlete to higher volumes of aerobic training while improving overall strength levels. Then to plateau the volume for a couple of months and focus on power while maintain good levels of aerobic ability. This will allow the athlete to reach a higher level of "ease of speed" mid year from which even more aerobic strength can be added on to. This is not the same as peaking twice because we are not doing high level anaerobic lactic work and optimizing lactic tolerance (in fact we will be doing a minimal amount of 400/800 pace work that is further than 30s in the mid-year power phase). After the mid-year power phase is over the training will shift toward increased volume toward maximum in mid November which is just before the start of our serious season.

Some coaches would say to waste the mid year not increasing volume further is a mistake. I believe we need to look carefully at the reasons we are doing longer runs and high volumes of training. The reason I believe is to gradually optimze muscle mitochondria and capillarization. This will gradually improve muscle endurance and efficiency. I have recently found another potentially much quicker way to do it using Electro muscular stimulation (www.oztrack.com/compex.htm), the literature says that effects can occur from specific modes of stimulation that may cause significant development of extra capillarization within a week. If this is true then wouldnt it be nice not to have to do 100-200km of running per week to get this effect. The extra adaptation resources could then be put into making the athlete more powerful and more efficient.

Ps. We are having great positive effect using these EMS devices in recovery but have not used them long enough yet to confirm other positive effects.

My squad will be doing a small amount of plyometrics all year and will be doing a hill session at least 2 weeks in 3 until mid November. The plyometrics mostly consists of measuring how far they can go for 6 alternate bounding steps on mondo in racing flats and they do up to a maximum of 5 sets of 6. the focus is on landing flat footed with an active quick strike that is well under the body. During the power phases they will do some hopping and regular testing of other activties like standing triple jump. Hill bounding is also a regular thing. It gives a great glute workout and seems quite a bit less hrsh on the lower legs than any bounding on the flat.

Just in case people are thinking where is the aerobic power work in the next 6 weeks the athletes will doing sessions like

3-4 x 1500m rest 5min , 5-6 x 800m rest 3min, 3-4 x 1000m rest 3min, 20-30 x (30s +jog 30s) doing these sessions I have a number of guys in the low-mid 1:50s, and 6 girls around 2:10 in the 800m

regards

Steve Bennett

www.oztrack.com

#27

From: "Steve Bennett" <steve@...>
Date: Wed May 29, 2002 4:04 pm
Subject: "Modern Speed Training" by Adrian Faccioni - Release Notice

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Athletics Enthusiasts
I have just released on Oztrack an e-book called "Modern Speed Training". It was written by Adrian Faccioni who was the former course convenor of the Sports Coaching degree at the University of Canberra, Australia and is a Level III Sprints Coach.

Adrian has travelled and studied the methods of a variety of coaches of the worlds best sprinters. He now acts as a consultant to a wide range of sports and is developing an innovative miniature GPS Device that can be used to monitor velocity and position during sports. http://www.gpsports.com

Modern Speed Training is a comprehensive guide and contains 183 A4 pages of the latest information about Speed Training.

I have purchased everything related to this area that I can find and believe it is the the best Speed Training book available.

More information is at http://www.oztrack.com/faccionispeed.htm

regards
Steve Bennett
http://www.oztrack.com

#26

From: "Steve Bennett" <steve@...>
Date: Mon May 27, 2002 1:47 pm
Subject: Dynamic Warmup Routines for Sports

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Posted by www.oztrack.com

I think this is a great article to do with Modern warm-up methods.

regards

Steve Bennett

Title: Dynamic Warmup Routines for Sports

Author: Adrian Faccioni

Introduction

Whilst the warm up for participation in any sporting or exercise activity is accepted as being essential for minimising injuries and improving performance, the methods by which many sports attempt to achieve this are less than ideal.

The warm up method used by many dynamic sports (both team and individual) usually includes an initial jog around the field or court, followed by 10- 15 minutes of static stretching. This is then followed by a few drills, and the athletes then begin their training session or game. Whilst the basis behind this methods may appear to be the sound application of current training principles, a closer analysis reveals major limitations with this method of preparing an athlete fora dynamic sport activity.

The main physiological reason for a warm up include; to increase core temperature (an increase in rectal temperature of a least one to two degree Celsius appears to be sufficient) (deVries 1980); to increase heart rate and blood flow to skeletal tissues, (Karvonen 1978) which improves the efficiency of oxygen uptake and transport (deVries 1980), carbon dioxide removal (Karvonen 1978), and removal and breakdown of anaerobic byproducts (lactate) (Karvonen 1978); to increase the activation of the Central Nervous System (therefore increasing co-ordination, skill accuracy and reaction time) (Hill 1927 cited in Shellock and Prentice 1985, deVries 1980); to increase the rate and force of muscle contraction and contractile mechanical efficiency (through increasedmuscle temperature) (Bergh 1980 and deVries 1980), and to increase the suppleness of connective tissue (resulting in less incidence of musculotendonous injuries) (Lehmann et al 1970, Sapega et al 1981).

The result of the above responses lead to an athlete's increased ability to do physical work (Bergh & Ekblom 1979), which is extremely important for sports requiring short duration high intensity work bursts such as sprinting and jumping (Bergh 1980, Karvonen 1978). The improvement in the nervous system is especially helpful for athletes involved in sports that demand high levels of complete body movement, such as team sport athletes.

The major criticism against the "TYPICAL WARM UF' is that it does not adequately prepare the athletes for the demands placed upon them in the ensuring session. Generally the initial jog is at a pace that has a minimal effect upon body temperature, and usually consists of jogging forwards, and in a straight line.

The stretching performed is usually that of static stretching, with most stretches performed slowly and with the athletes either standing still or sitting on the ground. This method of stretching has been shown to be beneficial for the increase in limb range of motion (Beaulieu 1981, Sapega et al 1981, Shellock & Prentice 1985, Taylor et al 1990), and aims to relax the muscles so that they are less resistant to passive stress for stretching. But this type of stretching does not prepare the muscle and connective tissue for the active contraction - relaxation process that will occur with any running, jumping or kicking movements as required in a dynamic sport training or game situation.

During this stretching period (typically from 5 – 20 minutes), the body is very efficient in removing excess body heat, so the small increase in body temperature from the initial jog is quickly lost if the athlete does nothing but statically stretch for this time. This is even more prevalent in cold climates or cold seasons (Autumn & Winter) which is when many team sport competitions are held. Many injuries occur at the beginning of a competition due largely to an inadequate preparation for the activity (Lehmann et al 1970, Sapega et al 1981). A poor warm-up can be one factor to be blamed for such injuries occurring, and can easily be corrected with a modification to warm-up procedures by the athletes involved.

Inadequate warming up can lead to less than optimal speed and skill levels that could result in quick scoring by the opposing team or individual early in the game leading then to athletes having to catch up placing more pressure on the player(s) involved.

To make changes to the way a warm-up is performed, the aim of the warm-up for a dynamic sport should be altered, such that the warm-up should be;

The complete physical and mental preparation for the dynamic actions to follow. The athlete should be able to begin the game or training session totally ready to perform at maximal intensity if required.

The alternative warm-up procedures that I am suggesting is a variation of the above traditional method. With more active jogging and dynamic stretching techniques, the athlete will be better prepared for the ensuring session or game. In training situations the athlete will spend less time in the warm-up phase therefore allowing more time for the main body of the session where all the learning takes place.

The initial jog is now replaced with a more dynamic series of running exercises that include regular alternation of running forwards, backwards, sideways, high knee drills, butt flicks, crossovers, bounding, jumps and progressive sprints. This component will only take 2-4 minutes depending on the climate. It is expected that the athletes are breathing quite heavily at the end of this short series of exercises.

With the stretching component, static stretching can still be included in the program, as many athletes still feel they need some static stretching to really prepare themselves (with time it would be ideal to phase static stretching out of the warm up routine and place it only in the warm down period). One muscle group is stretched between each run or drill, Eg. the hamstring group, and the athletes are given approximately 30 seconds to stretch both hamstrings statically (this also has the affect of decreasing talk time between athletes which can be a major time waster, especially with younger athletes). The athletes are then directed to perform another dynamic activity, either an easy run-through or if running drills have been taught, they perform variations of skipping and running drills and butt kick drills.

A warmup sequence for athletes who feel they need to statically stretch could be as follows:

Jog forward, backwards, sideways, etc

Bounds and jumps

Static stretch of hamstring group (30 seconds)

Run-through (forwards and backwards) or running drills (A's, B's etc)

Static stretch of quadriceps group (30 seconds)

Run-throughs/drills (higher intensity)

Stretch adductors (groin) (30 seconds)

Run-throughs/drills (higher intensity)

Stretch calves (30 seconds)

Run throughs/drills (near maximal)

Stretch (athletes' choice)

100% intensity sprint

** Start of training session.

Once the athlete has attained a mild sweat in normal ambient conditions, and is able to perform speed runs and drills at maximum (this process is progressive), the athlete should now be considered warmed up for the ensuring training session or game.

The dynamic stretching component is very important for the specific preparation of the musculature to dynamic movements. Dynamic stretching is defined as repetitive contractions of an agonist muscle to produce quick stretches of the antagonistic muscle (Kurz 1990), so any active callisthenic movement can be classified as dynamic stretching (jumping, body rotations, bending, etc).

This method very specifically prepares the muscle tissue for active muscle contraction and relaxation as required in a sporting situation. There is limited ability by this method to cause long term increases in range of motion due to the limited time that a muscle is held in a stretch. This short stretching time is not long enough to allow time dependant stress relaxation to occur, leading to minimal flexibility improvements (Taylor et al 1990). Therefore it is important to include some static stretching in the warm down to continue to improve; joint range of motion (Beaulieu 198 1, Sapega et al 198 1, Shellock and Prentice 1985, Taylor et al 1990); removal waste products such as lactic acid (Bale and James 1991, deVrivs 1980); and to increase the athlete's rate of recovery (Mickelson and Hagerman 1978, Hagerman 198 1, Kamen 1984, Bale and James 1991).

The total time for this type of warm up routine is approximately 5 - 15 minutes, with the athletes fully ready to perform as required by the coach at the end of this time. If compared to the many sports that have athletes warm up for 25+ minutes, this is a saving of approximately 5-20 minutes every session that could then be used for more work in the main body of the session. Assuming that due to an inadequate warm up the athlete takes another 10- 15 minutes to warm up properly during the main body of the training session there could be a saving of up to 25+ minutes per session. If the athlete trains 3 times per week for 40 weeks (a year of training) this could be a total increase in quality training time of 50-60 hours per year. Since one of the biggest limitations in coaching is the lack of time to develop all the attributes in the athletes you work with, to be able to add an extra 50-60 hours per year to the training program without adding any more sessions, may make the difference between your athletes achieving or not achieving the level of excellence that they and you as the coach are striving for.

The key to this type of warm up is to make the dynamic portion of the warm UP progressive and ensure that the limbs are taken through at least the ranges of motion that will be required in the game situation. The time for static stretching is after the game or training situation as this leads to more rapid recovery for ensuing sessions.

REFERENCES

Bale, P. and James, H. 1991. Massage, warm-down and rest as recuperative measures after short term Intense exercise. Physiotherapy In Sport. 13:44.

Reaulleu, JY_ 1981. Developing a stretching program. Phys. & Spts Med. 9:59-69.

Bergh, V. & Ekbioni~ B. 1979. Physical performance and peak aerobic power at different body temperatures. J. Appl. Physiol. 46:885.889.

Bergh, V. 1980. Human power at subnormal body temperatures. Acta Physiol Scand. 478. (suppi.):1-39.

Blomstrand, E., Bergh, V, Essen-Gustausson, B. & Ekblom, B. 1984. Influence of low muscle temperature on muscle metabolism during Intense dynamic exercise. Acta. Physiol. Scand. 120:229-236.

deVries, HA, 1980. Physiology of Exercise for Physical Education and Athletics Wilfiain C. Brown, Dubuque.

Hagerman, F.C. 1981. Post-exercise pain. Oarsman, 13:14.17.

Kamen, G. 1984. Stretch recovery patterns following exercise with an imposed myostatic stretch. Arch. Phys. Med. and Rehab. 65:178.181.

Karvonen, J. 1978. Warming up and Its physiological effects. Acta Univer. sitatis Ouluensis. Series D. No. 31. Pharmacologica et physiologica. No. 6.

Kurz, T. 1990. Stretching Scientifically. A Guide toFlexibility Training. Stadion Publishing. Cypress.

Lchmann, JX, Masock, A.S, Warren, C.G. & Koblanski, Nj. 1970. Effect of therapeutic temperatures on tendon extensibility. Arch. of Phy. Med. & Rehab. 51:481-487.

Mickelson, T. and Hagerman, F. 1978. Should you take the time for warm-up, warm-down? Oarsman. 10:15.19.

Rigby, B. 1964. The effect of mechanical extension under the thermal stability of collagen. Biochim. Blophys. Acta. 79:634. 636.

Sapega, A.A., Quedenfeld, T.C., Moyer, R.A. & Bulter, R.A. 1981. Biophysical factors in range-of-motion exercise. Phys. & Spts Med. 9:57-65.

Shellock, F.G. & Prentice, WX. 1985. Warmup and stretching for Improved physical performance and prevention of sports-related injuries. Spts. Med.2:267. 278.

Taylor, D.C., Dalton,J.D, Seaber, A.V. & Garrett Jr, W.E. 1990. Viscoelastic properties of muscle-tendon units: the biomechanical effects of stretching. Am. J. Spts. Med. 18:300-309.

#25

From: "Steve Bennett" <steve@...>
Date: Mon Apr 22, 2002 2:54 pm
Subject: Maintaining Running Form during Middle Distance Racing

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I have recently produced an e-book that has just been released. It is based on a large range of resources and recent articles in Scientific journals.

For many years I have watched Middle Distance races and I have noticed something special that exists in some of the Elite. It is particularly evident in athletes such as Wilson Kipketer, Hicham El Guerrouge and Sebastian Coe.

In assessing what makes them different, it can be identified that these athletes have apparent Special Abilities in two areas:

1. An incredible appearance of “Ease of Speed” at race paces. They seem to be able to run effortlessly in the middle stages of their races. All are not large athletes yet they have been able to cruise with apparent efficiency at race pace. This is also accompanied by a superior ability to accelerate and ‘change gears’ at paces near maximum.

2. They are able to maintain a very high level of their most effective running form for the entire duration of their races. They do not collapse into a poor running position in the final straight.

I believe these two special abilities can be developed using a range of methods in any athlete. The variety of ways that athletes can improve the special abilities listed above will be discussed in this paper with some practical suggestions.

Most of the information is valuable to all athletes that are effected by fatigue while racing i.e 100m to Marathon

Published as a downloadable & printable E-Book April 2002
ISBN 0-9580746-1-5

US$6.95

More Information is at www.oztrack.com/order.htm

Contents

The Quest for Special abilities
The “Training in” of bad habits
Accelerating and Gears
The nature of “loss of Form”
Improving Foot Strike
Optimizing knee lift
Stabilizing the Pelvis
Can we and should we change Technique?

Conditioning to improve the Special Abilities
Focusing on improving function
Physiotherapy Assessment
Mid-Torso Conditioning
Swiss Ball
Pilates
Medicine Balls
Theraband exercises
Weight Training
Circuit training
Ankle Conditioning
Exercise ideas for dorsiflexors
Foot conditioning
Plyometrics

Transferring gains into Running
Drills
Hipflexor conditioning
Arm & shoulders
Running on Uneven surfaces
Hill Training
Resistance Sled Tempo Training
Downhill Running
Tempo Training

Planning Ideas
Some thoughts on planning
Race preparation phase
Foundation Training (young athletes)

regards
Steve Bennett
www.oztrack.com

#24

From: "Steve Bennett" <steve@...>
Date: Mon Apr 22, 2002 2:05 pm
Subject: Speed Training Focus vs Accumulated Distance

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There has been much debate about how to best train for all endurance challenged events from 400m to the Marathon. Much of it seems to always end up in a simplistic argument i.e.. Speed vs. Distance .

I have heard of 400m athletes in the 44s range doing 80+km a week on the one extreme and others that try to do minimal jogging and almost never track reps longer than 350m. Some of this can be explained away as "individuality" being catered for etc. But there are certainly a range of ways to get a similar effect. The key is doing it in a way that is best for the overall long term development of the athlete.

Having compared the training of many sprinters there is certainly a great variety of methods out there and also comparing to methods that are being used by Endurance athletes that are recently seeing the most success - there are a few obvious areas worth focusing on that are possibly being neglected by many athletes. Many new areas that are impacting positively in sprint training should also be used with endurance athletes.

All runners need to develop as much "ease of speed" as possible. Why do male athletes have an easier time running sub11s in a 100m or sub1:50 in an 800m or even sub2:10 in a Marathon ? The reason is obvious - it is strength that is the factor and more specifically power.

All athletes need to optimize their strength and power levels. The key is to do this in balance with basic endurance development. It seems that many endurance athletes neglect the need for power by focusing far too narrowly on putting in the miles/km. The real need exists to DO BOTH .

The problem in doing both is that the high volume training depending on how it is done will increase the risk of injury from power/strength training. The two areas may also inhibit each others development depending on how the training is planned. This is where most difficulties exist for a coach trying to both develop speed and endurance in an 800m athlete for example. Women wanting to run sub2:00min need both good ability at 1500m eg <4:20 and at the same time the speed/power/strength to run sub54s for a 400m. The typical method would be to build-up to high volumes and accumulate volume which will result in improved 1500/5000m ability and then late in the preparation doing some short term speed work to improve speed levels so that the athlete can arrive in race season with a good mix of both speed and endurance. The problem with this is that by neglecting the speed/power development for a big part of each year that a typical 200/400m athlete would do this athlete will never really develop to reach their potential level of "ease of speed". On the other hand if the same athlete was to work too exclusively on developing power/speed they may eventually develop great 400m speed but be poorly prepared in the long term aerobically eg 53s in 400m but 4:35 in 1500m. This would stop them from reaching their potential in the 800m as well.

It may be smart to focus some seasons on a greater emphasis on the 400m and then the following season the opposite. It is common that when athletes change coaches for them to then experience a large shift in training emphasis from endurance to speed or the opposite and then improve by a large amount in race performance in their next race season, which they attribute mostly to the new coach. The truth is the combined effect of both methods may have produced the improvement.

I am gradually arriving at a way of combining everything. Some of it goes against tradition especially in Australia. A few years ago I coached (for a short time) a very talented Moroccan athlete who shared some valuable information with me about they way they train. The ideas surprised me at first because there was no basing their training around long runs of 75min+ . They did many 40min runs eg 3 days of 40min morn and night, 3 days 40min morn and Track afternoon and 1 easy day with one 40min run. Even 10000m athletes were reported to do no more than 60min runs. From looking at the logs it seemed that as many of these 40min runs in the week were built up to be fast paced runs in the last 20min as possible WITHOUT COMPROMIZING their track session quality. The track sessions were of a great variety.

My squad follows the above principles over times that are appropriate to the athlete. Many start at just 15-20min runs (after a warm-up) and we do slightly longer runs at faster paces up to an hour about every 3 weeks when the athlete is moving along well in the shorter runs and track sessions. The goal is to do a good mix of runs over varying distances in a way that does not spoil quality in the track sessions. This is something that extra long runs and too much volume can do very easily for a number of reasons outlined below:

1. Low muscle fuel - low anaerobic energy output. Athletes may be able to chug along for another hr run but will not be able to run fast easily.

2. Athletes are practising in a 90min run taking something like 7000 low powered steps - often running with bent legs and in a collapsed postural position.

3. Muscle soreness from incomplete recovery from the accumulated volume of all recent training.

All endurance athletes should be fresh enough to regularly be able to do some good quality faster work , power/strength improving gym training, event specific Plyometrics.

The Marathon has moved to a new level because the athletes that are now doing it have improved levels of "ease of speed" than the previous generation. The emphasis needs to be on blending all the necessary ingredients of training in a way that creates improvement in RACE PACE EFFICIENCY. This is something that is very difficult measure in faster events but at Marathon pace it is easy. How can athletes improve efficiency the most at Marathon pace?? They need to do a good balance of volume AS WELL as a smart long term amount of gym, Plyometrics, core/postural training, hills, race pace practise.

This email ends with the conclusion that there is no argument between speed training and distance. All athletes need to do both for as much as possible of the year. The real problem is improving the ability of athletes bodies to cope with doing more with better quality. This is where recent developments in sport science can help eg massage, hot/cold recovery techniques, dietary methods, core/postural strength, Electro-muscle stimulation, etc.

It is amazing just how much people can improve their strength > power and therefore speed. It is also amazing just how much anyone can improve their aerobic system given enough volume over a long enough period of time.

PS.

Some exciting new areas to enhance quality in training are emerging including the use of EMS stimulation to stimulate increased mitochondria and capillarization in muscle. This is the prime benefit attributed to the use of long runs and long slow distance. This is an area I will be investigating further this year.

regards

Steve Bennett

#23

From: "Steve Bennett" <steve@...>
Date: Tue Mar 12, 2002 7:50 pm
Subject: How we "learn" to run.

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www.oztrack.com/kidspeedv101.exe

I have often wondered about the far reaching effects on all runners of how we actually learned to run. Was everyone taught to run up on their toes with a method that included preventing their heels from hitting the ground? Were you taught to have a big swing of your legs behind your body? Were you also taught to lean forward a lot and at the same time to drive your arms very high?

It seems that these ideas of teaching kids to run have lasted over 30 years because I still see and hear kids being taught to run this way. The problem is that it is all very out of date and wrong.

At a recent Australian major meet I noticed in the final sprint of a 5000m a number of athletes trying to sprint this way and immediately wondered how they were taught to run as kids. Kenyan athletes nearly always look very different especially in how they swing their lower feet. They tend to maintain much better dorsiflexion than their Aussie counterparts who look quite floppy ankled. In the running cycle many Australia athletes tend to spend a big part of each with toes that are well away from the shin. These habits are things that start early and can be shaped to be much better.

I believe all kids need to be taught a better way to run and have it shaped as they develop by acquiring the strength in a variety of ways to move with better habits. For this to happen all coaches need to have a clearer understanding of what is good movement in their heads. Without good coaching an athletes "natural style" is something that is more related to compensation for their lack of strength and mobility. It is not usually something "good" especially when in our kids are doing less and less general strengthening and activity. Kenyan kids may develop good technique naturally because they don't eat junk food, develop strength from their way of life instead of sitting in chairs playing or watching TV.

The good news is that speed can be improved in anyone especially in young kids and the gains for them may stay with them for the rest of their sporting life. It is important for any running sports player to have as much speed as possible.

There is a new way that many athletes are running with eg Marion Jones & Maurice Greene. It involves running following certain principles that kids can learn quite easily.

This is a favorite topic of mine for a few years so I have just released an E-book called Training Kids for Speed. Its cost is US$6 and it can be downloaded. Below are the details of what it has in it.

This e-book aims to integrate Modern Sprint Training Ideas into the methods used for the improvement of speed in any developing athlete of any age. The aim is for this book to help all coaches/parents/teachers of young sprinters and also those that play sports that involve running. It introduces a large range of ways following recent research to be more effective in shaping running technique and improving speed.

Index of Contents

Chapter 1
The New Biomechanics of Sprinting
A detailed description of the latest technique of Sprinting that is displayed by Athletes like Marion Jones and Maurice Greene. Also discussion of how a knowledge of this can be applied to any developing athlete.

Chapter 2
Sprinting & the Nervous system
The Nervous system is quite limited in its capacity to recover from certain types of stresses. This is a very important area to understand when aiming to produce and train for high speeds.

Chapter 3
Strength Development
How can strength best be developed in Kids?

Chapter 4
Power Development
Any athlete that wants to accelerate fast and have a higher maximium speed will need to be able to develop more power. What can be done to improve power?

Chapter 5
Endurance Development
How can athletes develop endurance without decreasing speed. What is good long-term? What is bad practise?

Chapter 6
Improvement of Technique
Important guidelines in the development of improved technique. Making sure there is technical improvement is the prime indicator of what is good coaching and what is not.

Chapter 7
Training Session Ideas - Over 10 A4 pages of ideas for training sessions. The section also contains guidelines for designing appropriate sessions to be more effective at improving technique and performance both long term and short term. There are many special sessions that should be done with young kids. This section aims to explain how to design sessions that are appropriate - it is not just a collection of standardized sessions. Creativity is a big part of the fun of coaching and athletes love variety. The key to fun and effectiveness is a coach delivering a variety of effective training activities within certain guidelines.

References & Recommended Resources - Includes about 30 links to special articles on the web and other resources.

Download a demo from www.oztrack.com/kidspeedv101.zip or

It is about 700Kb

The major chapters are locked. and to unlock the file you will need to pay via paypal and email me your unique 10 digit code.

More information about Training Kids for Speed is at www.oztrack.com/orderkids.htm

regards

Steve Bennett

#22

From: "Steve Bennett" <steve@...>
Date: Sat Feb 16, 2002 1:31 pm
Subject: Oztrack Training Information

oztrack

Offline

Oztrack Training Information.

Wilson Kipketer
800m 1:41.11

A 70 A4 page Adobe Acrobat file formatted for printing of all Oztrack Website content is now available.
It can be purchased for US$3 using PAY-PAL secure transaction service.

Index

TRACK TRAINING IDEAS page 4
IMPORTANT TRAINING PRINCIPLES page p4
SPEED DRILLS p5
THE QUEST TO BE A GREAT ATHLETE p6

TRAINING FOR 800M p7
The Challenge p7
TRADITIONALLY PHASED METHOD p7
Further comments p9
THE ALTERNATIVE PLAN: p9
The Alternative Plan Structure p10
Example Plan p11
Pre-competition p12
Comments p14
Summary p15

COMBINATION PLAN FOR 800M TRAINING. p16
Example Plan p17
Some Ideas p22

TRAINING PLAN FOR 1500M AND UP p23
EXAMPLE PLAN - BACKGROUND PHASE p23
EXAMPLE PLAN - EARLY RACE SEASON p26
Some Ideas p27
TRAINING FOR 400M p28
INTRODUCTION p28
Relaxation / Rhythm p28
GYM-Conditioning. p28
Speed Endurance Training p28
Coordination Training. p29

IMPORTANT TRAINING PRINCIPLES FOR SPRINTING p30
SOME OTHER STABILITY EXERCISES p30
SPEED DRILLS p30
BIOMECHANICS p31
Dorsiflexion p31
Early recovery p31
DEVELOPMENT OF MAXIMUM SPEED p31
STARTING p33

CORE STABILITY AND CONDITIONING FOR TRACK & FIELD p34
RECOMMENDATION p36
THE EFFECT p37
CONCLUSION p37

TRAINING OF THE MENS 1500M WORLD RECORD HOLDER HICHAM EL GUERROUJ p38
THE MOROCCAN TRAINING SYSTEM p38
HICHAM EL GUERROUJ TRAINING FOR THE 1997 SEASON. p42
INTRODUCTION p42
Training Plans p42
FIRST PREPARATION CYCLE (FROM OCTOBER 18 TO NOVEMBER 7, 1996) p42
Aerobic endurance p43
Strength work p44
Power. p44
Physical preparation p44
SECOND PREPARATION CYCLE (MARCH 30 TO APRIL 19, 1997) p45
Aerobic endurance p46
Race Pace p46
Power p46
Strength work p46
Aerobic endurance p47
"Warming-up" (the original word is "�chauffement"). p48
Race Pace p48
Speed work p48
RESULTS 1997 SEASON. p48
Altitude training p48

THE GI FACTOR AND SPORTS PERFORMANCE p50
INTRODUCTION p50

THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF LOW G.I. FOODS FOR ATHLETES p50
THE PRE-EVENT MEAL 50
DURING AN EVENT 51
RECOVERY (AFTER THE EVENT) 51
To maximize Glycogen replenishment after competition 51
LOW GI MEALS 51

DEVELOPING ATHLETES p53
HOW TO DEVELOP A YOUNG STAR ATHLETE INTO AN ADULT SUPERSTAR p53
INTRODUCTION p53
A Strategy 53
Fictitious "bad practice" examples 54

IDEAS FOR YOUNG TALENTED ATHLETES p56
INTRODUCTION p56
THE QUESTION IS WHAT DO WE DO WITH THIS LATTER GROUP OF SUPER TALENTED ATHLETES? p56
SWISS BALL p56
PILATES p56
GYM p57
STEADY RUNNING p57
BUSHWALKS p57
OTHER SPORTS p57
MEDICINE BALL p57
FOOT/ANKLE/LOWER LEG CONDITIONING p57
PLYOMETRICS p57
COMPETITION p57
SPEED IMPROVEMENT p57
TECHNICAL IMPROVEMENT p58

SPRINT TRAINING FOR THE DEVELOPING ATHLETE. p59
Plyometrics p60

TRAINING IDEAS 800M TO CROSS COUNTRY FOR THE DEVELOPING ATHLETE. p61
Training for endurance p62

TALENTED ATHLETE PATHWAY p63
LITTLE ATHLETICS p63
HIGH SCHOOL AGE ATHLETES p65
TALENTED HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES p66
Related Information p67
Coaching Levels within the ATFCA p67
Important Ideas p69

#21

From: "Steve Bennett" <steve@...>
Date: Mon Feb 11, 2002 1:05 pm
Subject: New Research on Plyometrics & Middle Distance

oztrack

Offline

Plyometrics

An exciting development for Middle Distance running is that research performed in Sydney at the University of Technology by Robert Spurrs and other researchers. It has revealed that Plyometric Training can have a strong positive effect on performance in endurance running events. Seventeen male distance runners with a training history of average 10 years were randomly assigned into an experimental (Plyometric training) group (E) and a control group (C). The experimental group then completed a 6 week plyometric program (first 3 weeks 2 sessions/week, second 3 weeks 3 sessions/week). Both groups continued training normally (60-80km/week). The Plyometric program progressed from 60 total contacts each session in the first week to 180 each session in the final week. The intensity also progressed from exercises such as squat jumps, double leg bounds in week 1 to alternate leg bounds, single leg hops, depth jumps, double leg hops and single leg hurdle hops in the final 2 weeks.

Both groups were tested prior to and after the 6-week training period for all variables. The testing resulted in the following:

Group E improved 13.2% in the Counter Movement Jump, Group C no significant change.
Group E improved 7.8% in the 5 bound test, Group C no significant change.
Group E improved Running Efficiency at 6.7% at 12kph, 6.4% at 14kph, 4.1% at 16kph , Group C no significant change at any velocity.

Group E improved Musculotendinous stiffness at heavy loads by 11-15%, Group C no significant change.
Group E improved Maximal Isometric Force by 11-13% , Group C no significant change.
Group E improved Rate Force Development by 14-15%, Group C no significant change.
Group E improved 3km Time Trial by 2.7% which was in reality an average of 16.6s, Group C had no significant change.
Group E & C both showed no significant change in VO2max , Lactate accumulation or Lactic Threshold

The improvement in 3km running performance occurred without any change in VO2max and Lactate Threshold while body mass showed no change in pre and post testing. It was concluded that improvement in Running Efficiency had lead to the the significant drop in 3km time. It was also suggested that the increased Musculotendinous stiffness and the resulting increase in maximal force production of the lower limb had transferred into improved Running Efficiency. Similar has been reported by other researchers eg Paavolainen et al.

Many International athletes have used Plyometrics as an important part of their program. It has been reported that Hicham El Guerrouj does 300 impacts using a variety of jumps on a weekly or fortnightly basis in the off-season.Svetlana Masterkova regularly performed 10 reps of bounding over 100m. I have also observed Wilson Kipketer doing a session of relaxed quick contact bounding over 80m while training in Sydney.

A great article on the preparation of Steeplechase athletes described a way of integrating weight training and plyometrics. It was interesting that the authors highly recommended that the athletes complete a moderate pace 6-8km run after all speed strength training sessions.This was most likely an attempt to transfer neural gains from speed-strength training into the endurance running action.

I have seen athletes in my squad improve their finishing kick and mid-race acceleration by a large amount after we have seen gains in Plyometric ability. This has also been reported by others eg. de Swardt.

From a physiological basis, if a muscle is pre-stretched or made to build up high tension, it will concentrically contract with a much greater force. Plyometrics make use of this factor. The key in performing plyometrics is that the response from the ground must be immediate. Otherwise the exercise turns into a concentric contraction and does not involve the stretch reflex.

Any kind of Speed-strength training can have a temporary negative effect on an athlete’s nervous system and therefore their current level of speed-strength performance. Vern Gambetta has commented that any activity of high nervous system demand (like Plyometrics) will take twice the recovery time as compared to a similar load of metabolic work. However, rapid improvement occurs after the load volume has been reduced and changed to a maintenance regimen. Positive changes of a greater magnitude occur after a certain amount of time has passed following the reduced training load. It is very important to plan the situation so that the highest level of speed-strength capacity occurs during the peak competition period. Some international athletes that use Plyometrics for a big part of the training year stop doing it at least 4 weeks before the main competition period.

The physiological theory behind plyometric training is to develop efficiency in the stretch/shortening cycle of muscle action. During the stretch (eccentric lengthening phase) of muscle action, a greater amount of elastic energy is stored in the muscle. This elastic energy is then re-used in the shortening (concentric) muscle action that follows, to make it stronger. The key is to shorten the switching time i.e. the time it takes for the muscle to change from the eccentric lengthening phase to the shortening work phase. The fundamental principle of plyometric training is that it is the rate, not the magnitude, of the stretch that determines the utilization of elastic energy and the transfer of chemical energy into mechanical work.

Regards

Steve Bennett

www.oztrack.com

A good book to do with Plyometrics is
Jumping into Plyometrics
by Donald Chu

#20

From: "Steve Bennett" <steve@...>
Date: Mon Jan 21, 2002 9:29 pm
Subject: Modern Athlete & Coach

oztrack

Offline

Many subscribers to this newsletter have asked me about getting the articles from Modern Athlete & Coach .

The cheapest way would be to find a library in your country that has the journal.

One alternate way would be to order a copy from http://www.ausport.gov.au/nsic/

Modern Athlete & Coach has subscriptions for overseas people

US$28.00 4 issues a year

1 Fox Ave.
Athelstone
S.A 5076

Australian

Phone/Fax (61)08 – 83374510

Regards

Steve Bennett

This newsletter is funded by Oztrack Online Athletics Bookstore

www.oztrack.com/bookstore.htm

#19

From: "Steve Bennett" <steve@...>
Date: Sun Jan 20, 2002 4:31 am
Subject: Related Research and Notes from Selected Papers

oztrack

Offline

Recommended articles

1. Strength & Conditioning Training for Distance Athletes

By Di Barnes

Modern Athletes & Coach 38:4 p31 Oct 2000

2. Specificity of Horizontal Jumps Performance

by Gary Bourne

Modern Athletes & Coach 33:3 p3 July 1995

3. Fatigue Influenced Changes to Sprinting Technique

By V. Tupa, F. Gusenov and I. Mironenko

Modern Athletes & Coach 33:3 p7 July 1995

4. Strength Development in Distance Running Training

by Di Barnes

Modern Athletes & Coach 39:2 p15 April 2001

5. The Preparation Phase in Steeplechase Training

by A.Belichko and V. Sirenko

Modern Athletes & Coach 35:1 p7 January 1997

6. Ground Contact in Distance Running

by Tony Benson

Modern Athletes & Coach 39:3 p35 July 2001

7. Plyometrics in Middle Distances Training

by Abrie de Swardt

Modern Athletes & Coach 36:1 p31 Jan 1998

8. Development of Speed Strength in Middle Distance Running Training

by A. Polunin and G. Narskin - from Legkaya Atletika, Russia, No 1, Jan 1991
Modern Athletes & Coach 34:3 p32 Jan 1996

9. Australian Middle Distance Running on the World Stage
by Wayne Goldsmith and Robert Nicholson

Modern Athletes & Coach 33:1 p13 Jan 1995

Notes

2. In a single hip and knee flexion movement that occurs during landing from a sprint stride , the quadriceps muscles are involved in eccentric contraction. Also a synergistic and stabilizing role is played by adductors, abductors and the inward and outward rotators of the thigh in controlling this movement. The recruitment patterns and loadings of these muscles is different in a double leg movement.

Similar is true of take off movements in the sprint stride. The hamstrings and glutes work concentrically in hip extension and the quadriceps work in knee extension. The gluteals, however, are also hip stabilizers at the bottom of the movement and also the hip abductors. The hip abductors serve an important synergistic and stabilizing role in single leg support movements by guiding, as well as assisting, with hip extension. If they are not strengthened in balance with the hamstrings ,additional stress will be placed upon the hamstring muscles during these movements.

3. Research into fatigue in the 400m event reveals the following effects:

- Reduction of the movement amplitude and speed of legs.

- Reduction of the driving force.

- Increased braking force of the lead leg.

- Increased vertical displacement of the hip joint, that suggests increased mechanical work to displace the body’s centre of gravity.

- Increased take off angle of the centre of gravity.

Studies performed by Tupa et.al indicated that:
- Stride frequency was reduced more than the stride length was shortened. A longer support phase, during which braking increased more than in the driving phase, reducing the stride frequency.

5. The article outlines a Russian method for preparing for Steeplechase Training that included some special methods:

Introductory phase started at 70-80% of 1 RM with Jerks, Squats, pulls, presses etc and building to be able to do 3-4 sets of 4-5 at 80-90% of 1 RM. All Weight sessions were followed with flexibility exercises and acceleration runs then concluded with a 6-7km run at Anaerobic Threshold pace. This was accompanied by employing moderate intensity 12-20km runs.
First Basic Phase
-Explosive strength was trained with barbell exercises such as Jerks, snatches, jumps from squat position etc. at a load equivalent of 40-60% of an athletes body weight. All performed at maximal speed with 2-4 sets of 15-20 reps. Also performed were jumping exercises over 50-80m on level terrain and also uphill at maximum intensity. Speed was trained with 50-100m intervals at near max to max speed up to a total of 400-600m in a single workout. All workouts that include explosive strength development exercises were finished off with a steady state 8km run.
- Local Muscular endurance was developed by use of jumping, uphill running and circuit training. E.g. Barbell jumps from half-squat 3 x 5-6 x 8-9 reps with a load of 35-40% of maximum. , Also similarly with knee bend to calf raises, split jumps , step-ups. 35-40s of exercises with 50-60s recovery intervals. Also Uphill Bounding over 100-300m segments with a total volume of 800-1200m, Uphill running in segments of 100-1000m with a total volume of up to 2000m for short intervals and 3500m for longer intervals. All training means designed to develop local muscular endurance were followed with flexibility exercises and acceleration runs then concluded with a 6-7km run at Anaerobic Threshold pace.

Winter Comp Phase 4-5 races over about 4 weeks.
Maintaining strength level by performing 3-4 repetitions of bounding over 100m and short 60-100m sprints after cross-country workouts. Aerobic potential maintained by 15-18km runs at steady pace and a variety of Track sessions.

Second Basic Phase 4-5 weeks
Faster continuous runs and more volume of anaerobic glycolytic interval training.

Explosive strength and speed components maintained by uphill running and jumping with some short segments of track running. Strength endurance is developed further mainly by the performance of 400-1200m uphill runs. Last 2-3 weeks reactive strength development exercises to improve muscle elasticity. The two main exercises are depth jumps from a height of 40-50cm and multiple two-legged jumps over hurdles. The depth jumps are executed in 3-5 sets of 7-9 repetitions with upward and forward bounds.

6. Bill Bowerman in Secrets of Speed . Sports Illustrated 1971 wrote “ Your foot should strike after it has reached the farthest point of advance and has actually started to swing back” and that “when your foot strikes, the point of contact should be directly under your knee , not out in front of it, and as nearly as possible squarely beneath your centre of gravity”.

7. Many athletes are outkicked at the end of races due to lack of speed-endurance and lack of power or speed-strength development. Abrie coached an athlete that implemented a program that involved a combination of strength endurance and plyometric or speed-strength work that was successful in improving the athletes kicking ability.

From a physiological basis, if a muscle is pre-stretched or made to build up high tension, it will concentrically contract with a much greater force. Plyometrics make use of this factor. The key factor in plyometrics is that the response from the ground must be immediate. Otherwise the exercise turns into a concentric contraction and does not involve the stretch reflex.

Because of the high anaerobic component of the exercises, the recovery or rest periods must be adjusted so that the athletes get enough time to recover and exploit good posture, technique and concentration.

8. A high volume of speed-strength training has a negative effect on the functional state of an athlete’s support motor system and current level of speed-strength performance capacity. This is followed by a rapid improvement of the speed-strength capacity after the load volume has been reduced and changed to a maintenance regimen. Positive changes of a greater magnitude occur after a certain amount of time has passed following the reduced training load. The key is to plan the situation so that the highest level of speed-strength capacity occur during the peak competition period.

The article suggest a combination of

Short jumps – with quicker contacts focusing on speed of contact.
Longer jumps – focusing on going maximum distance between each impact.
Uphill running
Core Strengthening

Once speed strength is reduced aiming for supercompensation of speed-strength capabilities it is advisable to follow this up with lower volume training loads overall and fast 30-150m segments before introducing highly specific 150-400m segments at high intensities.

During the maintenance phase during competition periods it is recommended that the athletes do short jump sessions of 80-120 impacts in a session.

High volume speed-strength work should be combined with aerobic and aerobic-anaerobic running.

9. In regards to the need to develop speed capabilities in young athletes. Goldsmith and Nicholson wrote ” conventional physiological thought has suggested that adolescents do not effectively cope with lactate production and tolerance training procedures due to inherent biomechanical limitations in anaerobic glycolysis. Speed training , however, also involves mechanisms such as neural stimulation and muscle fibre recruitment. By modifying existing speed training procedures , for example by focusing upon shorter distances (60-150 metres), allowing adequate recover and emphasizing correct running technique, speed development could occur more effectively.”

10.

#18

From: "Steve Bennett" <steve@...>
Date: Wed Oct 31, 2001 10:39 pm
Subject: Middle Distance Training Developments

steve@...

I have just tracked down alot of very recent research to do wit MD events. Much
of it will not make it into books for a few years. Some of it is very useful
as it confirms that there are many things that Sprinters are using that can
be of huge benefit to MD athletes. Much of this research will be included in
a formal paper I am producing titled "Maintenance of Running Form in Middle
Distance Athletes" that will be finished in about January 2002.

  I have recently had one of my  MD 1500m athletes run his first race for the
season and even though he has been in heavy study and was not in strong
condition
to perform sessions like  5 x 800 rest 3min. He still ran a 3:57 with a last
400 in 59 and last 200 in 28s. This is  because he now has greatly improved
his "ease of race speed" from plyometrics training and good quality tempo
training
at race pace. Plus he has done a variety of things to improve his ability to
maintain good running form when fatigued.
  He has improved his 10 bounds distance from 24m to 27m in the last year. This
is an example of a training element that many distance training oriented MD
athletes would never bother with It is obvious to me that this has enabled him
to develop the ability to accelerate and kick better at the end of races. Plus
when we further develop his 5 x 800m rest 3min type of fitness and ability to
run sustained 40min runs that he will be able to move to a much higher level
and not struggle to relax and at race pace and he will be able to kick. This
is an athlete that had pretty ordinray speed 18months ago of about 54-55s 400
but now is in the mid50s range in a 400m and most of it coming from increased
stride length and decreased contact time when running.

  I will review the articles shortly on this email newsletter.
  regards
  Steve Bennett
  www.oztrack.com

  This newsletter in sponsored by the Oztrack Athletics Bookshop at
http://www.oztrack.com/bookstore.htm

#17

From: "Steve Bennett" <stevebn@...>
Date: Fri Jun 1, 2001 11:08 pm
Subject: Ideas for Young Talented Athletes

stevebn@...

There may be people associated with young 400, 800 or 1500 athletes that will find this article interesting.

Ideas for Young Talented Athletes

There are many very young (9-13yrs old) extremely talented athletes out there. Some of them like Australia's Georgie Clarke can make great progressions at an early age. 800m age 11 2:12 age 12 2:08 age 13 2:05 age 14 2:02 ....age 16 Olympic Semi Final in 1500m . In the early years she was on a very minimal and varied program and still performed brilliantly.

You only have to watch any young Athletics Championships. Some of them are showing talent because they are simply early maturers or they have already done plenty of specific training. BUT there are some that are showing the necessary qualities required to really do something big and have done very little specific training.

The Question is what do we do with this latter group of super talented athletes?

The answer to this question is often full of distractions most of them seeded in jealousy and rivalry. eg. Accusations of athletes being trained too hard are common.Even when the athlete is a good variety in training. We have to recognize that many other sports start their preparation much younger than Athletics.

If we want athletes with good qualities as adults our young athletes need good preparation. Siting down all day watching TV or at school ,wearing shoes all day , only exercising in competition and not having a variety of experiences of the positive effects of exercise are just some of the obstacles we face. In African Nations the children do alot of variety of activities as part of their lifestyle that gve them strength and conditioning. If we want our athletes in any sport to have a chance we have to provide them with variety when they are young or we will have to play catch up later to keep our athletes healthy.

These super potential young athletes need a broad base of training stimuli. They need coaches that are willing to arrange it for them. Not Coaches that will focus ONLY on the areas that give good results fast. Adrian Faccioni and Di Barnes presented some great information at the 2001 Australian Track & Field Coaches Congress.

http://www.faccioni.com/lectures/juniorcondition.PDF

Athletes at this stage of development should have great variety in their programs.

What follows are some examples and ideas:

Swiss Ball - training sessions - great for mid-torso development and balance.eg 20min session maybe 1-2 a week, follow videos or do a class.

Pilates - do a floor class or follow a video - similar to above. Maybe even integrate some of these exercises into a warmup phase of a session. -maybe 1 a week

Gym - Train with free weights only and avoid max weight lifts. It is important for young athletes to develop strength. However, good guidance and supervision is needed. Variety in the program is needed. Start with a small duration sessions - maybe just 1 a week.

Steady Running - run on grass, dirt and mixed uneven terrain at varied speeds, make it fun. Kenyan athletes who are in their 30s in many cases are athletes that were playing on their farms (strength training) and play running 100+ km a week to get tho school on uneven terrain from age 6. The trick is NOT to structure it and have young athletes pound out the steady continuos runs at an even pace on even terrain (road) or on a track!!. If we got Kenyan youngsters to do this they would not last long either. There is no reason why our young athletes cannot do regular play like runs of 30min on uneven surfaces combined with walking or long all day bushwalks etc. Make it as natural as possible - search out trails and stay off paths and roads.

Bushwalks - a great way to build base stamina and strengthen legs. A very natural exercise mode. There are some great ones in any National Park.

Other Sports - Participation in avariety of other sports is good for all round developm both physically and psychologically. We just need to make sure that in whatever other sport they play that the training and competition should be very varied and appropriate. Many other sports are years behind athletics in using methods that are the best in training for running.

Athletes that prepare for Athletics following the general philosophy presented here will be prepared brilliantly for other sports that may play or later specialize in.

Medicine Ball - med ball exercises can be performed that are good for everything from balance, strength, power etc. Maybe even help our athletes not get knockedover as easily. Be creative. (www.faccioni.com has some great medball exercise ideas
also)

Foot/ankle/lower leg conditioning - walking on toes, walking on heels , wals on soft sand, foot strengthening eg roll up a towl, pickup pencils etc.

Plyometrics - bouncing exercises of varied intensity in different directions. Maybe over obstacles or up onto obstacles. Do standing Long Jump tests. Play hopscotch.Ease into it gently and design other fun games to play. Whatever athletes are used to doing will generally not be a problem.

Competition - DO NOT overcompete. Young athletes should enjoy the process of all aspects of this sport. It is common to see under prepared athletes (that are supposedly being looked after) overcompeting by going in multiple races a few times a week. Athletes cannot work on technique when under pressure. Competing alot may be fun but is the quickest way to create future problems.When athletes do compete compete in a variety of settings against athletes of varied ages and levels, and in different events. Spending all day at track meets or Gala daysis not everyones idea of fun so try to spend quality time at the track. Not hours waiting for the next event.

Speed improvement - this is an important age for the development of speed. To not work on it now may mean missing the boat. Increasing cadence and improving co-ordination are very important.

Technical improvement- This is paramount to longevity. Young athletes must spend enough time each week improving their technique. The common way to compromize this development is to compete too much (no athlete will be able to change an old technique during max effort situations) or do too much of one type of training eg focusing only on aerobic development.

There are many talented athletes that fail to make it or develop chronic injuries that prevent them reaching their full potential. I believe that with these athletes we can maximize their chances of avoiding problems by providing them with a varied program and ALWAYS focusing on improving technically and being patient. Never let one type of training dominate the others. When the athletes are mature then it may be more appropriate to let certain kinds of training dominate the program ESPECIALLY if as a young athlete they were exposed to a few years of multi lateral training and now have excellent posture/technique etc.

In the meantime athletes that train with variety will likely meet success off relatively small volumes of training in every area and show good performance improvements anyway.

The best way to judge a program is that the athlete should improve steadily technically. There may be hickups as the athlete has a growth spurt for example BUT generally the athlete sould be improving technically throughout their foundation years.

"Saving kids for later" by getting them to do next to nothing in a low key program is a myth that will never produce talented athletes that are resilient as adults.

regards
Steve Bennett
www.oztrack.com

#16

From: "Steve Bennett" <stevebn@...>
Date: Sun Mar 25, 2001 12:09 pm
Subject: Track Session Ideas

stevebn@...

Here are a just a few notes about Track Session Variety
by Steve Bennett Sydney Australia
www.oztrack.com
(It may interest you to note there is approaching 1600 people on this 400-800-1500 Tips List)

Aerobic Power (VO2max building intervals)

Short reps - short rests eg

3-4 x 6 x 200 rest 30s. The reps are usually done about 3000m-5000m race pace. Scientifically the theory is that these session can boost stroke volume of the heart and aid in development of a higher VO2max and 3km race speed. A higher VO2max should also mean an athlete can stay less lactic at any speed in an 800 or 1500m race.

Because each rep is short it should be easier to maintain good running form than in longer reps.

These sessions can be misused. Athletes can run them too fast and turn them into huge lactic experiences where they blow up near the middle of the session and survive in pieces over the second half. In this situation an athlete will most likely do damage and feel flat for the days after the session. So start easy and progress sensibly.
Athletes usually notice that their hearts tend to beat harder during the recoveries than during the runs. This is "the plan" and it is this occurrence that is theoretically meant to expand the heart chambers. If the athlete is running hard enough that this is happening then there should be adaptation occurring from this sort of training stimulus.

Long reps - Long rests

This is the real bread and butter of developing VO2max and higher cruising speeds without excessive anaerobic energy support.
Komen and El Guerrouge are known to perform killer sessions with long reps, Komen was 4-5 x Miles rests long enough to run sub4min on each repeat. El Guerrouge reportedly does 4 x 2000 m in 5:10 with 2 min recovery or 6 x 1000 m in 2:30 with 2 min recovery. The goal in these sessions is to run as far as possible i.e. up to 5min at 3000m race pace and repeat this after a required rest.

These sessions improve V02max and importantly the ability to sustain a high V02max. It is no point having a high V02max if you cannot sustain it.

The danger in these sessions are that unless the athlete has great ability to maintain ideal body position they will collapse into an inferior position. The problem with this is the position will then become a habit and will decrease efficiency and may in the long term cause injury.

I favour starting the year with more sessions of the first kind and gradually phasing in a greater % of longer reps at a faster pace. The longer reps early in the year are run slower and built up in volume with rests that are long enough that athletes can hold form well. This also means that initially the longer interval sessions are 1000m reps and expand out as the improvement in ability to maintain good form allows. The breakdown of form can be a result of the rep being too long at a given pace or the rest being too short. (It is so super important to improve maintenance of form with other core conditioning methods - Swiss Ball, Gym, Pilates, Plyometrics, Hills etc)

Speed Endurance Training. (All athletes should optimise their 400m ability within the importance that is placed on speed for their event- Even Geb can run the last 200 in 25.0 in a 10000m race so must be able to run under 50s for a 400m if fresh)

There are many different types of sessions that athletes need to do to optimise Speed Endurance. The catch is that to do too many sessions or sessions that are too big or too intense will actually decrease speed endurance by damaging energy systems. Repetitions of 10s or 20s or 40s or 50s all have very different effects. Intervals with long rest run fast have very different effects to Intervals with short rests.

Start early in the season with short repetitions at back straight 400m pace. eg 10 x Flying start 100m runs with 5min active rests and progressing with these until they can be done with good form with shorter rests of 2-3min. As condition improves (demonstrated by good maintenance of form at 400m speed ) these can be extended to 6 x 150m with 5min progressing to 2min at the same pace. Finally a good session to do is 5-6 x 200m with decreasing rests run at about race pace. Rep 1 at start of 400m pace and the last rep done at about finishing pace for a 400m. Rests decrease 5min, 4min, 3min , 2min (and 1min if doing 6 reps).

The athlete also needs to do some sessions of repetitions that are around 40s in duration. For many this is 300m but is best to be adjusted for slower athletes so that it is not over 40s. At high intensities sustained near 40s and above produce a large amount of anaerobic energy contribution that really starts to increase metabolic waste rapidly above 40s. An athlete can do maybe up to 5 reps of 40s with 5min rest but will find even 3 x 50s at a similar pace much more difficult with similar rests. 60s repetitions have been Scientifically reported to tax the anaerobic system maximally but an athlete cannot do very many in a session even with long rests of 15-30min. In the 60s reps the extra problem is that the pace will certainly be much slower than 400m pace. Many athletes do peaking sessions of 2-3 x 40s with long rests eg 8-20min. These are done at 400m race pace and each rep is pretty much maximum effort. These types of longer speed endurance sessions tend to help the athlete have more sustainable speed as they expand the contribution of energy that comes from a special part of the anaerobic system.

Coordination Training.
Athletes can develop great speed up to 40s of effort but still really fade in the final straight of a 400m. To improve this area means putting their body in situations with a high level of acidosis and trying to coordinate to maintain as much speed as possible. The best way to get this in younger athletes is in races. However serious experienced athletes need to do some special sessions to develop this area optimally. These are the most highly stressful sessions and if done more than once or twice a fortnight may cause a drop in performance. It is usual for these sessions to be accompanied by an increase in overall recovery for the athlete in their training week. Sessions like the 5-6 x 200 described above with decreasing rests or 2 x 2 x 200 at 400 pace with 2min rest and 10min between sets. or 3 x 3 x 150m rests 2min and 6min or 300 rest 2min 150m. Most athletes would have finished this type of training as they enter the peak performance phase of their season and would then focus on easier tempo sessions and on being fresh for high quality races. The best performances at 400m usually come when the athlete is fully rested and has had some high quality races over 200m and 400m.

The above information is very specific to 400m , 800 and 1500 athletes also need to do some very hard longer reps.

800m athlete sessions like :
3 x 400 rest 20min at just above 400m speed. I have seen a 1:46 800m runner do 2 x flying400 in 47.6 with an 18min rest. Another 1:49 athlete did 48.7-49.5-50.2 on a grass track with rests 20-25min.
A 1:43 athlete did 600 in 74.5 rest 15min 400 in 48s rest 15min 200 in 24s rest 5min 200 in 24s

1500m athlete sessions like:
1000m at race pace rest 5min 600m hard rest 5min 200

2 x 800 at 1500 pace rest 5-10min then some very fast 150m reps.

The above training is generally performed before the major part of race season (Peak) has started. Athletes should rest and become fresh and focus on racing during the peak. These "gun" sessions should have confirmed for them that they are in good form. Although sometimes athletes may do super crazy shorter volume sessions during a peaking phase to try to send the peak higher. But the plan should be to be fresh and ready to race well in any key race.

Recommended Middle Distance Training Books - Top 3 Books

Better Training For Distance Runners, by David E. Martin, Peter Coe. A comprehensive guide to training.

BUY NOW

Price US$18.36 (July 1998) + Postage
If you are a competitive runner who races 800m or further this is a virtual bible in terms for technical advice, training guidelines, and example programs. It covers the science, strategy, and psychology of serious training and competition.

This is a great book.

Available from Oztrack Athletic Bookstore

Another good book is Run with the Best
by Australian Coach - Tony Benson

It includes a great deal of discussion about variety in Track Sessions and how to accumulate a good base of aerobic strength.

Find out the truth about how the Kenyans Train in

Train Hard - Win Easy : The Kenyan Way
by Toby Tanser and John Manners

This book is a great way to learn allot about variety in distance running very quickly.

#15

From: "Steve Bennett" <stevebn@...>
Date: Thu Mar 15, 2001 8:18 am
Subject: Core Stability and Conditioning for 400-800-1500

stevebn@...

http://www.oztrack.com/trunk.htm

Core Stability and Conditioning for 400-800-1500

To reach their potential an athlete may need to develop:
1. A better postural position. This may involve improving flexibility dramatically and then setting out very seriously to change body position.

2. Higher levels of balance, which is provided by both the nervous system and many fine muscles, positioned near the spine. This system of body position control must be challenged in a variety of ways to develop this area to high levels e.g. Swiss ball, wobble board, Med Ball catching & throwing, foam rollers etc. This is also the way to further re-enforce a better postural position.

3. The qualities of Endurance, Strength & Power in the trunk. There should be much more variety in trunk conditioning than simply sit-ups, crunches and back extensions.

Athletes need to be able to hold their bodies in the ideal postural position for the complete duration of their event. To achieve this goal will require the strength in the right muscles to hold body position as well as the endurance to maintain the position. Athletes like Wilson Kipketer, Hicham El Guerrouge , Marion Jones, Frank Fredericks, Michael Johnson etc. have their trunks conditioned well enough to achieve the goal of maintaining ideal body position for the entire race almost every time they compete.

This season, many of the athletes that train here in Sydney with me have followed a comprehensive Core stability & conditioning program. This has involved:

Weekly B00004TQ18
3 x 20min Swiss Ball conditioning sessions (following Paul Cheks Swiss Ball Video 'Better abs,buns,backs')
3 x 20min Pilates (following Denise Austin Pilates floor exercises Video)
1-2 x functional Gym Training eg Single leg lifts - all free weights - posture enhancing exercises

Some have also done extra exercises on different days for
-lower abs eg straight leg lowering - maintaining a neutral posture - 3 x 10 maximal load contractions. The goal is to eventually be able to lower straight legs to floor while maintaining a neutral spinal curve.
-upper abs eg swiss ball crunches with a heavy weight - easy up to 80lb 3 x 10
- external oblique's - across body cable pulls in a standing position eg 3 x 10 both down and across each way then 3 x 10 up and across each way
-back extensors.- hyperextensions on a back extension machine. and also reverse hypers. 3 x 10

For Drills at the Track athletes have simply concentrated on two
1. Ankling - circular movements of lower leg maintaining dorsiflexion. Do 6-8 of these over 6-8s.
2. Quick Recovery High Knee Running - they catch their leg early bring it rapidly up underneath and keeping their pelvis stable lift their knees as high as they can without 'sitting'. They do these at varying speeds maintaining good form which means no extra bum out or sitting as well as keeping their feet dorsiflexed. They do about 6-8 of these over 6-8s at varying speeds.

Most track sessions have ended with some relaxed 150s at about 800 pace. Where they can practise relaxing and running at a decent speed in the right postition.

The effect

I have noticed usually within 6 weeks that athletes are moving differently and with improvement of their ability to maintain good pelvic position under conditions of high fatigue.
Athletes have had good gains on maximum speed. Some athletes have improved their standing 60m time by as much as 0.6s. Some athletes that had poor speed now have developed much higher maximum speeds.
Athlete contact times have decreased.

Conclusion

All athletes should invest the time to perform a great variety of exercises to improve core stability and posture. My experiences have shown me that it is a very worthwhile exercise. Following video sessions of these types of training is very popular and effective. It is also not that time consuming.

This type of training will well prepare athletes to make extra gains through being able to do more fast speedwork safely with less risk of hamstring injury particularly and will also be a great thing to add plyometric work to.

regards

Steve Bennett

Head Coach

Western Sydney Academy of Sport

More information is at

#14

From: "Steve Bennett" <stevebn@...>
Date: Fri Mar 9, 2001 12:36 pm
Subject: 1500 Training and up

stevebn@...

Hi Athletes/Coaches/Enthusiasts

This is just a short message this time to announce that there is a new page
at http://www.oztrack.com/pland.htm to do with Training for 1500m and up.

It is slightly different to the 800m Training page.

I have been noticing very good effects with my athletes that have introduced
some structured Piltes floor exercises and solid Swiss Ball sessions. They
have been holding form under high fatigue noticeably better and in some
athletes there have been good gains in relaxed maximum speed.

Any comments are welcome.

regards
Steve Bennett
Head Coach
Western Sydney Academy of Sport

www.oztrack.com

#13

From: "Steve Bennett" <stevebn@...>
Date: Fri Nov 10, 2000 9:49 am
Subject: 400m Training info (Draft)

stevebn@...

Hi 400m enthusiasts

I have just created a draft of a page on Training for 400m at
http://www.oztrack.com/plan400.htm

I was hoping you may find a little time to give some feedback. It is just a
start and will be greatly expanded. There are very few if any similar pages
on the Web.

Any ideas are invited.

regards
Steve Bennett
http://www.oztrack.com

#12

From: "Steve Bennett" <stevebn@...>
Date: Thu Nov 9, 2000 11:13 am
Subject: Watch Iron Status closely

stevebn@...

To 400-800-1500 Enthusiast
I got this great info from http://endureplus.com/irondepletion.cfm

Zhu and Haas, Iron depletion without anemia and physical performance in
young women. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 66:334, 1997.

"In the United States the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia in woman is
only about 2.3%. However, the prevalence of marginal iron  deficiency
without anemia and depletion of body stores�is about 16%. Women who are
physically active are likely to have a higher risk of iron deficiency. This
greater risk may be due to increased iron loss associated with exercise,
along with iron loss in menses, and low dietary iron intake. Because iron
has a critical role in oxygen transport and use, its depletion may impair
aerobic performance.

When most people think of iron deficiency they coincide it with anemia.
However, before anemia rears its ugly head, other damaging consequences of
iron deficiency can occur first. Before going any further it is helpful to
define anemia. Anemia is a condition, not a disease but a symptom, in which
there is reduced delivery of oxygen by the blood to the tissues. It can be
caused by many things including increased destruction of red blood cells,
excessive blood loss, or decreased production of red blood cells, as occurs
with iron deficiency.

In iron depletion without anemia, the hemoglobin value is above a specified
cutoff point for anemia and the oxygen carrying capacity of blood is
generally not affected. However, impairment to utilize oxygen in the muscle
cells may still exist. A decrease in the activity of iron-containing muscle
mitochondrial oxidative enzymes and respiratory proteins has been observed
in iron-deficient animals. Endurance capacity was reduced in these
iron-deficient nonanemic animals. It is thought that the impairment in
endurance was likely caused by reduced aerobic oxidative capacity and was
intervened by increased reliance on other ATP synthesis pathways, such as
anaerobic glycolysis and phosphocreatine breakdown, an increased dependence
on carbohydrate as the substrate for energy and decreased use of fatty
acids.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between iron
deficiency without anemia and physical performance in healthy active woman.
Iron status of the subjects was assessed by examining hemoglobin,
hematocrit, transferrin saturation, and serum ferritin values. Dietary iron
intake was also examined by using frequency questionnaires.

Compared with the iron-depleted group, the iron-sufficient group had
significantly higher hemoglobin, transferrin saturation, and serum ferritin
values. The iron-depleted group had a significantly lower mean VO2max score
compared to the replete group. This difference was closely linked with serum
ferritin concentration; hemoglobin value was not a significant indicator.
The researchers concluded that reduction in VO2max in nonanemic women with
iron depletion was likely caused by factors related to reduced body iron
stores but was unrelated to decreased oxygen-transport capacity of blood.

As an endurance athlete, you may in times suspect that your ailing
performances in training and racing may be due to poor iron status and
perhaps anemia. However, you should never let yourself get to the point of
anemia. Proper nutrition �consumption of adequate amounts of red meat and
supplementation of erythropoietic nutrients�and correct training should keep
you safely away from any of these concerns (see Feb. 1996 for more on this
subject). Unfortunately, in the real world this is not always the case. If
you do suspect that you may be hampered by iron depletion, have your doctor
take blood samples to check for hemoglobin, hematocrit, transferrin
saturation, and serum ferritin. The first two tests should weed out anemia
and the last two tests should determine the status of your iron stores. If
the first two tests rule out anemia but the second two tests indicate
lowered iron stores, then you may be experiencing an impairment in the
ability to utilize oxygen within the actual muscle cells. A decrease in the
activity of iron-containing muscle mitochondrial oxidative enzymes and
respiratory proteins may be the cause of your hindered performance, not
burdened oxygen deliver in the blood. Consuming plenty of read meat, your
best source for the very bioavailable heme iron, should be a priority in
your athletic nutrition program."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Symptoms that i have noticed in athletes of Iron Depletion have been
- unexplained drop in performances.
- An athletes who fails to stay on pace early in a race eg 200m into a 800m
just feels leg tired.
- Higher Training heart rate than normal
- Lowered ability to back up for training or races after a hard day.

I believe the situation is very common.


Treatment
Usually causes a good turn around in mildy depleted athletes with 3 weeks.
Athletes need to re-measure Iron Stores early in treatment to ensure that
Iron Overload does not occur. ( a rare but dangerous situation in
individuals prone to it). Typical treament is 2 stronger Iron eg FeFol
Tablets a day with Vit C. Some say last thing at night away from Calcium.
Nevertheless it may be best to follow a Medical Practitioners Advice on
treatment strategies.

regards
Steve Bennett
http://www.oztrack.com

#11

From: "Steve Bennett" <stevebn@...>
Date: Tue Aug 22, 2000 9:49 pm
Subject: Combination Plan for 800m Training.

stevebn@...

www.oztrack.com/athletics.htm

This list is sponsored by the

Oztrack Athletics Bookshop

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Combination Plan for 800m Training.
My latest Ideas
(updated August 2000)

from

www.oztrack.com/plan3.htm

April-May-June
Early in the Training year eg in Australia

A variety of Steady running up to 60min maximum (mostly two runs a day up to 40min) Early in career athletes should aim to increase volume at a steady pace BUT gradually they should aim for a higher % of total running at a faster pace eg. In an athlete with 32min 10km ability this could mean a number of runs at 3:20-3:40/km.

Encourage some all day walks etc to boost fat burning ability. Early in the year especially in individuals who have lived a more sedentary lifestyle. Maybe also some walking bare-foot on sand to condition feet.

Body weight circuit exercises for basic conditioning. eg Body pump.

Strong focus on a variety of trunk and core conditioning exercises.

Every 4 weeks an easier week.

Race or Time Trial every 4 weeks over distances 1000m to 5km

Track work to aim initially to boost the stroke volume of the heart and to raise the Anaerobic Threshold pace.

Small but frequent volumes of fast running to stay familiar with speed and develop ease of race speed with ideal biomechanics.

Example Plan
(First stage of the Combination plan)
Up to 100km/week depending on the Athlete. The following is for an Elite Senior Athlete.
4 Week Cycle

Week 1
Mon- Morn- Warmup- Drills - 20-40min easy including 4 x 60m at around 400-800 Race speed with walk back rests. Last 5min Warmdown low intensity.
-Afternoon-Warmup- Drills- 20-40min easy including 4 x 60m at around 400-800 Race speed with walk back rests. Last 5min Warmdown low intensity.
-Evening or Midday- circuit training

Tue- Recovery Day- Warmup- Drills - 20-40min easy including 4 x 60m at around 400-800 Race speed with walk back rests. Last 5min Warmdown low intensity.
-Evening- Relaxation practise at 800 pace + Plyometrics eg 2-3 x 5 Flying 150m with 6 double leg hurdle jumps immediately before each rep. recoveries 2min + Core Stability Exercises

Wed- Afternoon- Track
Relaxing warm-up- Static stretch- Core+Trunk Circuit (once)- Mixed Dynamic warm-up-
eg 2 x 8 x 200 at just faster than 3000m pace rests 30s/2min then Jog 10-15min followed by
4 x 150m accelerating every 50m up to about 400m pace but maintaining good form. Rests between 4min. Warmdown

Thu- Morn-Warmup- Drills - 20-40min easy including 4 x 60m at around 400-800 Race speed with walk back rests. Last 5min Warmdown low intensity.
-Afternoon- Warmup- Drills - 20-40min moderate pace including 4 x 60m at around 400-800 Race speed with walk back rests. Last 5min Warmdown low intensity.
-Evening or Midday- Body weight exercises

Fri-Recovery Day-
-Evening- Stretching Development Session + Core Stability Exercises

Sat-Morn-Warmup- Drills - 20-40min easy including 4 x 60m at around 400-800 Race speed with walk back rests. Last 5min Warmdown low intensity.
Afternoon- Warmup 10min easy including drills- 2 x 10-15min at AT pace with an easy 5min recovery.Then warmdown very easy 10min.
Evening or Midday- Body weight exercises

Sun- Morn-Warmup- Drills - 20-30min easy including 4 x 60m at around 400-800 Race speed with walk back rests. Last 5min Warmdown low intensity.
-Afternoon - Longer run 40-60min start easy finish last 20min faster.
(If running over 40min only one run in the day)

Week 2
Mon- Morn- Warmup- Drills - 20-40min easy including 4 x 60m at around 400-800 Race speed with walk back rests. Last 5min Warmdown low intensity.
-Afternoon-Warmup- Drills - 20-40min easy including 4 x 60m at around 400-800 Race speed with walk back rests. Last 5min Warmdown low intensity.
-Evening or Midday- Body weight exercises

Tue- Recovery Day- Warmup- Drills- 20-40min easy including 4 x 60m at around 400-800 Race speed with walk back rests. Last 5min Warmdown low intensity.
-Evening- Relaxation practise at 800 pace + Plyometrics eg 2-3 x 5 Flying 150m with 6 double leg hurdle jumps immediately before each rep. recoveries 2min + Core Stability Exercises

Wed- Afternoon- Track
Relaxing warm-up- Static stretch- Core+Trunk Circuit (once)- Mixed Dynamic warm-up-
eg 2 x 200-250-300-350-400 at slightly faster than 3000m race pace rests 40s/3min then Jog 10-15min followed by 4 x 150m accelerating every 50m up to about 400m pace but maintaining good form. Rests between 4min. Warmdown.

Fri-Recovery Day-
-Evening- Stretching Development Session + Core Stability Exercises

Week 3
Mon- Morn- Warmup- Drills-20-40min easy including 4 x 60m at around 400-800 Race speed with walk back rests. Last 5min Warmdown low intensity.
-Afternoon-Warmup- Drills - 20-40min easy including 4 x 60m at around 400-800 Race speed with walk back rests. Last 5min Warmdown low intensity.
-Evening or Midday- Body weight exercises

Wed- Afternoon- Track
Relaxing warm-up- Static stretch- Core+Trunk Circuit (once)- Mixed Dynamic warm-up-
eg 3-4 x 1600m at 5km race pace rests 2min active and Jog 10-15min followed by
4 x 150m accelerating every 50m up to about 400m pace but maintaining good form. Rests between min. Warmdown

Fri-Recovery Day-
-Evening- Stretching Development Session + Core Stability Exercises

Sat-Morn-Warmup- Drills - 20-30min easy including 4 x 60m at around 400-800 Race speed with walk back rests. Last 5min Warmdown low intensity.
Afternoon- Warmup 10min easy including drills- 2 x 10-15min at AT pace with an easy 5min recovery.Then warmdown very easy 10min.
Evening or Midday- Body weight exercises

Week 4- Recovery Week
Mon- Morn- Warmup- Drills - 20-40min easy including 4 x 60m at around 400-800 Race speed with walk back rests. Last 5min Warmdown low intensity.
-Evening or Midday- Body weight exercises

Tue- Recovery Day- Warmup- Drills - 20-40min easy including 4 x 60m at around 400-800 Race speed with walk back rests. Last 5min Warmdown low intensity.
-Evening- Relaxation practise at 800 pace + Plyometrics eg 2 x 5 Flying 150m with 6 double leg hurdle jumps immediately before each rep. recoveries 2min + Core Stability Exercises

Wed- Afternoon- Track
Relaxing warm-up- Static stretch- Core+Trunk Circuit (once)- Mixed Dynamic warm-up-
"Relaxation at Speed" 3 x 4 x 150m accelerating every 50m up to about 400m pace but maintaining good form. Rests between min and 8min. Warmdown

Thu- Morn-Warmup- Drills - 20-30min easy including 4 x 60m at around 400-800 Race speed with walk back rests. Last 5min Warmdown low intensity.
-Evening or Midday- Body weight exercises

Fri-Recovery Day-
-Evening- Stretching Development Session + Core Stability Exercises

Sat- Afternoon- Warmup 10min easy including drills- Track Session practicing efficient running and changing gears over 150m or Low Key Race 3-8km.

Sun- Morn-Warmup- Drills - 20-30min easy including 4 x 60m at around 400-800 Race speed with walk back rests. Last 5min Warmdown low intensity.

July-October
Aim to see steady increases in volume and of speed of continuous runs. The speed work should avoid being highly lactic and should mostly stimulate increases in ease of speed and Anaerobic threshold. More work on developing V02max should be done with longer harder repetitions eg 4-6 x 1000m or 3-4 x 1500m with longer rests. This is best suited to athletes that can hold really good form under fatigue over these distances.

Some athletes may compete at Cross Country Races during this period but care needs to be taken on courses with downhills to avoid injury.

Late in this phase is also a good time to do some hill sessions to aid with development of power and therefore ease of race speed.

The later stage of this period would be the best time to develop more strength in the athletes needing more 400m speed by performing Gym sessions specifically designed for them. If done after a good base of circuit training gains can be very fast and with less risk of injury. Total loading just needs to be monitored carefully.

November-December
Early Race season

Race preparation- Varied track work -decreasing volume.
The time of the largest amount of intense anaerobic work.
Anaerobic work is a careful mix of
Short reps with short rests at above race pace eg
3 x 3 x 200 rest 45s at 600m race pace (some hill sessions can be performed with a similar effect)
or
Long Reps with Long rests eg.
3 x 600 rest 12min or 3 x 400 rest 12min
or
600-rest 15min- 400-rest 5min-200-rest 5min -200
or
2 x (600-rest 1min -150) rest 15min

January-February-March
Main race season

Leading into a peak.
Rest well, practise rhythm and Race enough.

Some Ideas

Steady Training runs may be best done on rough uneven surfaces to encourage the use of a greater range of muscle fibres than the stimulus presented by a constant smooth surface like road or bike path. Certainly the African athletes train mostly on uneven surfaces. Athletes need endurance in a great range of muscles across the entire fibre spectrum. ( I have heard that Type 1, 2a & 2b is in reality an over simplification in fact there is a spectrum of muscle fibres).
Avoid frequent doses of long contact time running eg Sand,Hills it may cause the athlete to change their motor pattern in such a way as too decrease stride frequency at all running speeds. The change in running biomechanics will happen over a long period of time and decrease efficiency.
A focus on maximum strength in the legs while aiming to increase VO2max may inhibit the desired development due to conflicting training stimulus eg High Lactate in muscles effecting Aerobic enzymes. Improving strength in the upper body and trunk may be more acceptable and desirable. However recognize that each Kg may slow down an athletes. Race time over 5000m by about 3s per Kg. The muscle that is gained needs to be worthwhile.
Training focus needs to be stimulating improvements in relaxed speed. Relaxation needs to be practised constantly. An athlete that can relax at 51.0 in a fast male 800m may have more useable speed than an athlete that is faster over 400m but is not relaxed at 51.0 speed. Efficiency is the name of the game. Athletes that a nice movers last longer and more of them actually stay in the sport long enough to reach their potential.
Athletes need to be able to change their style and change gears. This needs to be practised on a regular basis throughout the year.

regards
Steve Bennett
http://www.oztrack.com

#10

From: "Steve Bennett" <stevebn@...>
Date: Sun Aug 6, 2000 5:14 am
Subject: New Research for MD athletes

stevebn@...

http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/86/5/1527

Simultaneous explosive-strength training, including sprinting and endurance training, produced a significantimprovement in the 5-km running performance by well-trained enduranceathletes without changes in $V$ O_{2 max} or other aerobic power variables.This improvement is suggested to be due to improved neuromuscularcharacteristics that were transferred into improved muscle powerandRE.

Full Details

regards
Steve Bennett
http://www.oztrack.com

From: "Steve Bennett" <stevebn@...>
Date: Fri Jul 28, 2000 10:10 am
Subject: The value of Plyometric Training for MD Athletes

stevebn@...

Explosive Power and Jumping Ability for All Sports

The value of Plyometric Training for MD Athletes

This article will include a variety of ideas that may be of value to MD coaches, there is plenty more to this topic than follows but I hope that the following may be a good starting point for re-thinking the use of plyometrics for some.

Plyometric training stimulates a special quality of muscles that involves them storing energy and returning it like a spring. It is therefore to a certain extent free energy for an athlete.

To improve say 1500m performance requires improving aerobic energy contribution of the athlete and also the ability to access Anaerobic energy systems appropriately. Having both systems contributing maximally at the same time of the year in a peak season reason is the ultimate aim. Another concept that impacts on how fast an athlete is able to run with all this energy is the athletes efficiency or "ease of speed". This I believe is the major weakness in many programs due to either too many slow Km or too much of a focus on highly lactic anaerobic work especially when an athlete is running with loss of form.

To improve efficiency requires practising perfect often without a fatigue component and then as success is developed in this area loading what is a good motor pattern with fatigue. This needs to be done at and above race speed.

Plyometrics fit into this picture by developing athlete specific leg power so that to run at a given speed requires less effort. Quicker contact times will be noticed which also represents less energy wasted in slowing the athlete down.

I believe this is an area that can improve considerably in most athletes with steady and integrated work. It should also to minimize trauma be done at lower intensity levels than a sprinters plyometric program.

Some ideas include:

Progressing from something like

1/ Double leg impacts just landing and stopping

2/ Double leg impacts just bouncing over low hurdles with a small jump in between

3/ Double leg impacts just bouncing over low hurdles with quick contact times

4/ Hops just landing and stopping

2/ Hops over low hurdles with a small jump in between

3/ Hops over low hurdles with quick contact times.

The above ideas could start on grass in training shoes and progress to synthetic in racing flats.

I usually count foot contacts in a session and have had no troubles at all up to 100 impacts per leg in combination with other running work. If the intensity is raised too high or on hard surfaces problems will arise , so factor it into the athletes ability to adapt.

We have also integrated plyometric training with endurance training with good effects eg

2 x 5 x 300 rest 60s over 100m via 6 low hurdles that are double leg bounced over.

After slowly introducing this sort of session athlete have tended to hold themselves higher and have faster contact time even when tired.

Recognize how nice it would be to have an athlete "stay bouncy" in the late stages of a race.

I believe that training on very soft surfaces like grass and especially sand may increase strength and muscle endurance at the expense of plyometric qualities of the muscle. So I tend to stay away from sand but I guess that it would be OK if it is cycled in the micro and macro cycles smartly.

In conclusion

I believe it is well worth planning plyometric training for any athlete and saving some adaptation ability so that it can provide good benefits without the risk. Some research has suggested that plyo-training can also decrease muscle soreness during other running on hard surfaces and in running downhill if performed even just once every few weeks.

El Guerrouge is reported to 300 impacts in a session of a variety of jumps every week along with high volume training , this believe may be fundamental to his brilliant ease of speed, I have seen Wilson Kipketer in Sydney doing a session of nothing but what could best be described as low intensity bounding.

Recommended Reading about Plyometrics

Power Training for Sport : Plyometrics for Maximum Power Development
by Tudor O. Bompa

High-Powered Plyometrics

Jumping into Plyometrics

A great looking new book on Middle Distance Training is

Improving Sports Performance in Middle and Long-Distance Running : A Scientific Approach to Race Preparation
by Joanne L. Fallowfield, David M. Wilkinson (July-1999)

Book Description
The first volume in the Improving Performance in... series, this book addresses the physiological demands of middle and long distance running, presenting contemporary research on running physiology in the form of a manual for the athlete's body. It covers limitations to running performance as well as methods for monitoring and assessing running performance. It also examines how this knowledge can be applied to training and preparation, and discusses special nutritional, environmental, and other special considerations for optimising performance.

regards
Steve Bennett
http://www.oztrack.com

From: "Steve Bennett" <stevebn@...>
Date: Tue May 16, 2000 1:49 pm
Subject: Hicham El Guerrouge Training

stevebn@...

http://www.oztrack.com/hicham.htm

A ew page has been created that details the Training methods of 1500m World Record holder Hicham El Guerrouge.

More new content will follow

Plyometrics and effect on Efficiency will be a future topic.

This will have infiormation on how to best perform Plyometric Training as a 400/800/1500 athlete.

regards

Steve Bennett

From: "Steve Bennett" <stevebn@...>
Date: Fri Jan 21, 2000 10:10 pm
Subject: Glycaemic Index and Sports Performance

stevebn@...

http://www.2000athletics.penrith.net.au/athletics.htm

This message is sponsored by Oztrack Athletics Bookstore

The GI factor and Sports Performance

The carbohydrate we eat is digested and absorbed too quickly because most modern starchy foods have a high G.I. Factor.
The G.I. Factor is a ranking of foods based on their overall effect on blood sugar levels (low G.I. means a smaller rise of blood sugar).
G.I represents Glycaemic Index
Modern diets have too many foods with a High G.I. factor.
Low G.I. Foods                                below 55
Intermediate G.I. Foods                  55 to 70
High GI Foods                                  above 70 (Glucose is the standard at 100)

There are times when low G.I. foods provide an advantage and times when high G.I. foods are better. For best performance a serious athlete needs to learn about which foods have high and low G.I. factors and when to eat them.

The carbohydrate we eat is stored in the body in the form of Glycogen in the muscles and in the liver. A small amount circulates as glucose in the blood. When exercising at high intensities the main fuels are blood glucose and muscle glycogen. The body also can use fats at low intensities but loses this ability when high intensity is required. The bigger your stores of glucose and glycogen, the longer an athlete can exercisev before fatigue sets in. Maintaining high glycogen stores is the key to maintining quality training performance on a daily basis.

The beneficial effects of low G.I. foods for Athletes
Low G.I. foods are digested slowly and can remain in the small intestine for hours after consumption. The benefit of this is a slow and sustained release of glucose that occurs even during exercise.

High G.I foods release their glucose too quickly and consequently produce rapid changes in blood sugar instead of a more stable blood sugar values like Low G.I. foods.

The Pre-event meal
Low G.I. foods are best before an event and taken about 2hours before (to allow time for the food to clear the stomach). It is best to select foods that also do not cause stomauch cramps and flatulence (These are usually ones with high fibre).

Consume 1g of Carbohydrate for every Kg of body weight.
1-2 hours before the start of the event.

Examples of Good Low GI foods for a 50kg athlete

Porridge                               600g (two and a half cups) GI=42
Sustagen                             250ml    GI about 40
Apples                                 3 small medium   GI=38
Heavy grain breads            3 slices of Burgen honey oat-bran   GI=31

During an event

Aim for 30g of Carbohydrate and 500ml of water per hour

Examples of foods that are suitable:
Sports Drinks 500-600ml per hour - Gatorade, Powerade etc.
12 jelly beans + 500ml of water per hour
Honey sandwich on high GI Bread eg wonderwhite GI=80 + 500ml water per hour

Recovery (after the event)

Muscles are more sensitive to glucose in the first hour after exercise, so a concerted effort should be made to get as many high G.I foods in as soon as possible.

Aim to consume 1 - 1.5g of Carbohydrate per Kg of body weight each 2 hours after exercise.

Examples for a 50 Kg athlete:
3 slices of a High G.I bread eg Wonderwhite GI=80
Rice bubbles - one and a half cups + 175ml low fat milk GI=89
Jelly Beans 25 GI=80
Sports Drinks 800ml GI=75
Lucozade 300ml original GI=95

To maximize Glycogen replenishment after competition

Ingest carbohydrate as soon as you can after the event and maintain a high carbohydrate intake for the next 24 hours.
Consume 10g of Carbohydrate per Kg of body weight over the 24 hours following prolonged exercise.
Choose high G.I foods in the replenishment phase
Alcohol delays glycogen re-synthesis so avoid it. It can also lower blood glucose levels.

All athlete should ensure that they have a high intake of carbohydrates as it easy in hard training to become glycogen depleted which will decrease endurance and exercise performance. An athlete in heavy training should consume 500-800g of carbohydrates each day. This is much higher than the typical adult who eats only 240g a day on average.

Athletes should aim to lower the overall G.I. of their meals by shifting their choice toward choosing to consume more low G.I. foods. There are many benefits of doing this:

Usually an athlete will consume less fat on a lower G.I diet as they are less hungry.
Eating a low GI breakfast will maintain higher blood sugar until lunchtime (many breakfast cereals are high G.I.)

Low GI Meals

Breakfast (Foods and their G.I.)
Fruit Juice and Fruits
Apple Juice 40
Grapes 46
Pears 36
Peaches 42
Oranges 44
Apples 38

Cereals (Many common ones such as Rice Bubbles are 80+)
Guardian 37
All-Bran Fruit & Oats 41
All-Bran 42
Porridge 42
Special K 54
Muesli 56

Bread (Most white bread are 70+)
Burgen Soy-Linseed 19
Burgen Oat Bran & Honey 31
Burgen Mixed Grain 34
Multi-Grain 9 Grain 43
Burgen Fruit-Loaf 44
Ploughmans Wholegrain 47
Continental Fruit loaf 47

Other meals
Lunches
Fruit salad with low fat yogurt 46
Fettucine low fat 32
Thai noodles with vegetables 36
Burgen bread sandwiches
Banana smoothie and low fat high fibre muffin

Low GI Foods
Basmati Rice 58 (Normal White Rice is 87)
Doongara 59
Sweet potato 54
Sweet corn 55
Legumes are all low
Pasta mostly 37-55
Oatmeal biscuits 55
Baked beans 48
Skim milk 32
Vitari 28
Yogurt low fat 33
Yogurt low fat (artificially sweetened) 14
Red lentils (boiled) 26
Toasted muesli 43
Tomato soup 38

Possibly surprizing higher GI Foods
Bran Flakes 74
Gluten free bread 90
Calrose white rice 87
Rice Cakes 82
Tofu Frozen dessert 115
Rye Bread 75+
Instant potato 83 (New potatos are lower and then it depends on how they are cooked)
Baked potato 83
Steamed potato 65
Microwaved potato 83

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The ideas presented are from the book:
The G.I. Factor by Professor Jennie Brand-Miller, Kay Foster-Powell, Associate Professor Stephen Colagiuri and Doctor Anthony Leeds.

_______________________________________________

This message is sponsored by Oztrack Athletics Bookstore
http://www.2000athletics.penrith.net.au/athletics.htm

From: "Steve Bennett" <stevebn@...>
Date: Sat Jan 15, 2000 4:36 am
Subject: Awaken the Olympian Within : Stories from America's Greatest Olympic Motivators.

stevebn@...

This message is from the sponsor of
Oztrack -The Australian Track & Field Email List
http://www.2000athletics.penrith.net.au/oztrack.htm
********************************************************************

An inspiring new book called:
Awaken the Olympian Within

is now available from Amazon.com affiliate
Oztrack Athletics Bookstore
http://www.2000athletics.penrith.net.au/athletics.htm

Awaken the Olympian Within : Stories from America's Greatest Olympic
Motivators
by John Naber (Editor)
US$15.96 + postage

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1882180984/sydney2000trac00

Editorial Reviews

Terry Dillman Manager, Olympic Marketing, Xerox Corporation
An awesome book! It's about mental toughness, conquering the insurmountable,
learning to change, making adjustments and loving the feeling of pressure.
Its about awakening the Olympian, not only in yourself, but in others, too.

Peter Ueberroth
Winning in life, as in sports, is not luck but preparing every day to be the
best you can be. Awaken The Olympian Within reinforces this thought process.
A gold medal read.

Harvey W. Schiller, President, Turner Sports
The reflections recorded by the great Olympic heroes in this book can be
applied to the everyday lives of all. Their stories of focus, confidence,
persistence, and ultimately, success, serve as a great inspiration to anyone
striving to be there best.

Tom Curley, President and Publisher, USA Today
A wonderful collection of behind-the-scenes stories of some of the most
electrifying moments in Olympic history and what inspired Olympic
glory...This is about more than sports, this is about how to be triumphant
in life.

More at:
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regards
Steve Bennett

Oztrack Athletics Bookstore
http://www.2000athletics.penrith.net.au/athletics.htm

Sydney Athletics Website
http://www.2000athletics.penrith.net.au

From: "Steve Bennett" <stevebn@...>
Date: Tue Jan 11, 2000 6:50 am
Subject: Recovery for Optimum Improvement In 400/800/1500

stevebn@...

In our fast paced world it is easy for athletes to get run down many
things outside of training itself. Living a balanced life and at the
same to reaching your potential in athletics is a challenge.

  Many athletes:
- need to work fulltime or study full-time.
- live in Cities without a variety of trails on different surfaces to
run.
- face many opportunities to socialize at times that challenge the
sleep needs of training.

  Reaching your potential means producing over a long period of time
maximail adaptation. To do so means performing consistent high quality
training. We all can relate to days where we have trained badly in the
afternoon because of draining activity earlier in the day.

So OK what can we do about it. What follows are just a few ideas.
People may like to email me more stevebn@...

Sleep
-Have a consistent wake-up time. If you have a late night which should
not be very often. The best way to aid recovery is to have a 30min
snooze early afternoon and get a slightly earlier night. Researchers
have found that sleeping in more than an hour is bad for sleep rhythms
and is counterproductive.
- You should be aiming for at least 8hrs sleep each night but more
ideal would be 9hrs. Joaquim Cruz and Jose Luiz Barbosa whose training
plans I have seen had their bed times specificed as 10pm bed and 7am
rise.

Massage.
All athletes should aim for 2-3 massages a week on at least the key
areas. Learn how to massage effectively by paying for some professional
massages for as long as budget lasts. Then train your own support
people to help inh this area.

Diet
All athletes should have their diet studied and optimized. Consuming
too small an amount of Carbohydrates is common and can leave an athlete
fatigued through muscle fuel depletion.

Recovery
-Go easy on easy runs they are performed to speed up recovery not to
add more fatigue.
- Swim for recovery - you do not need to swim for fitness just have
afloat around.

Physiotherapy
  Visit physiotherapists and learn techniques for maintaining muscle
looseness from them. A popular area now spreading is the use of
accupressure triggers. I find that this is a great way to loosen tight
and sore areas.

Scheduling
make sure you have easy weeks regularly and allow more recovery than
the usual.

Live-Work-Training
It makes the most sense to live-work-train as close as possible.Talent
can be found in difficult circumstances but I am sure the World Elite
have it pretty simple in this way.


Conclusion

Training harder when already tired is of no value. To gain maximum
adapatation an athklete needs to train vety hard when fresh enough to
perform at high quality and then rest really well so that this process
can be done again and again. Resting is always a race the quicker you
can recover the harder you can train and the closer to your absolute
potential you will reach.

Good Luck in 2000

Steve Bennett
Oztrack Athletics Bookstore
http://www.2000athletics.penrith.net.au/athletics.htm

Sports Massage for Peak Performance
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060951672/sydney2000trac00
American professional athletes have been using sports massage for more
than two decades now, and the technique is considered effective for
precontest warm-ups (to increase circulation and flexibility),
postevent cool-downs (to relax performance-tightened muscles), and
between-contest body maintenance (to keep tissues loose and maintain
posture). This straightforward and well-illustrated book shows you how
to perform sports-massage techniques on yourself or a partner. It also
includes flexibility exercises and offers sport-specific advice.

From: "Steve Bennett" <stevebn@...>
Date: Sat Jul 10, 1999 1:13 pm
Subject: 400-800-1500 Training Ideas - Number 1 - Developing Efficiency at Race Pace.

stevebn@...

http://www.2000athletics.penrith.net.au/plan.htm

Welcome to the first Edition of 400-800-1500 Training Ideas

The aim of this periodic message is to challenge athletes and coaches to develop new ideas in their training. You have subscribed to this newsletter from the Training for 800m page at

Developing Efficiency at Race Pace.

One of my favorite areas of discussion is to do with developing an athletes movement at race pace. There are many ways this can be targeted.

1. Optimize the athletes sustainable body position. This goal is a huge challenge in terms of what can be done.

Posture is the habit an individual has in holding their body up against gravity. So they will need to be taught in variety of ways what is ideal e.g. pictures , videos of other athletes and comparing them to pics and videos of themselves. It seems that posture can be shaped slowly but may take persistent focus. (Often this challenge is only taken up when the athlete faces injury because of bad posture). In summary the athlete needs to be able to picture and FEEL what is correct.

The advantage of having ideal body position is increased ease and therefore maintenance of knee lift resulting in higher power and stride length. Also many injuries come about because of athletes compensating with other muscles for lack of the correct body position.

Initially an athlete may not be able to actually get into the correct position at all. This may be due to lack of flexibility and/or lack of specific strength in postural muscles.

My latest idea has been that all of this challenge may be best attacked from many areas at the same time with the aim of helping the athlete to develop the specific muscles and the co-co-ordination to use them appropriately. Some very organized areas of conditioning exist with expertise in this area. e.g. Pilates, Alexander Method

A good book about Pilates is

Body Control: Using Techniques Developed by Joseph H. Pilates
by Lynne Robinson, Joseph Pilates, Gordon Thomson

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1891696009/sydney2000trac00

The athletes in my personal squad do a combination of Standing Med Ball catches and throws, balance challenging activities using Foam Rollers , Wobble Boards, Swiss Balls etc. They also combine catching Med Balls while balancing etc. The approach has been to do small amounts often. Warm-up during track sessions and sometimes warmdown has included some of these activities. The athletes have also been encouraged to have their own equipment and do some balancing while recreating at home.

The idea is that balance challenging in a variety of ways will develop better control of core postural muscles and by conditioning these muscles an athlete will be able to maintain ideal body position for longer in the race, Komen, Kipketer, El G etc Do this brilliantly. These athlete's body positions are so good that even in the final 100m of a World Record an observer could suggest (incorrectly) that they are not running with 100% effort.

(Compensation and the development of good or bad body position will be discussed again in a future edition)

Strength Training is a great opportunity to challenge balance and support the above concept. All exercises with free weights do this. Especially single leg exercises. A great exercise for runners are single leg lunge squats. Another challenge could be to do squats on two wobble boards or a foam roller.

Ab/Back Conditioning. It seems that a variety of exercises performed perfectly is best. My athletes follow the program that is outlined in the book Stronger Abs and Back. I have suggested to them to do 9 exercises each day. about 2-3 sets of 15 perfect reps.

Stronger Abs and Back : 165 Exercises to Build Your Center of Power http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0880115580/sydney2000trac00

So in summary so far. Athletes need to optimize body position and develop the specific endurance to maintain it for the DURATION of their event.

*******************************************************************************************

2. Lactic Tolerance work and its effects on body position and biomechanics.

Often it seems that endurance athletes think that the only speed work worth doing is anything that produces extreme fatigue and a lactic effect! This could be a common mistake.

Any sort of speed work will challenge the maintenance of good body position. The trick is to do it in such a way as to not let an athlete have too much of an opportunity to practice bad positions often a habit may be formed and bad biomechanics acquired as habit.

Top athletes Michael Johnson, Wilson Kipketer etc can run long speed repetitions and would be if observed at training maintaining perfect body position through-out the majority of sessions. e.g. If Komen and El G do repetitions like 4-5 x 1500 in 3:40 they would BE ABLE to hold great form. My bet is there are many athletes who approach their "lactic" work in such a way that their backside gets 5 closer to the ground with each successive rep due to loss of body position. If this type of session is performed often, the result will be negatively effected biomechanics and injury, as well as a steady decreased performance due to lower efficiency. Some athletes may improve physiological fitness from these sessions at the same time as they lower their efficiency. The Long Term effects of damaged biomechanics would be the biggest concern. It is likely that regular track sessions performed with bad form will develop an athletes technique toward injury.

My approach has been with my 400-800-1500 athletes to give them frequent amounts of practice at Race pace while holding good body position all year. Often this means that unless the distance is short they cannot maintain body position in the way I am comfortable. The long term plan in each year and in each athletes career would be to develop the ability to go "perfect" for further. Recently a common session in our first third of the training year for my 800-3000m athletes has been something like 3 x 6 x 200 rest 30s at a pace where they are capable of good form (Usually between 1500 and 3km pace).

The 400 athletes do 10 x Flying start 100m reps at "back straight of a 400 race" pace with the same attitude. The recoveries are as short as possible but allowing good form.

I would love for my MD athletes to be able to churn out solid longer reps with good body position e.g. 1500s at 3000m pace but I know that they would spend an unacceptable amount of time running with loss of form. We do these sessions only occasionally due to the explained trade-off. If the athletes could do them (longer reps) more often (and effectively) large performance gains could result, so in the meantime they are steadily working on the position specific exercises so that in the future they can work perfect over longer distances.

400m athletes need to have higher amounts of maximum speed so that they can relax and be efficient for as far as possible in the 400m event. The ability to maintain body position is critical. Lactic work for 400m needs to be at race specific speeds. Loss of form every time it occurs is practicing a weakness. Many 400m athletes tend to work hard in the gym and on hill sprints. If an athlete is strong and has had practice utilizing their strength in a perfect way when under lactic challenge then they will finish faster.

The 400m athletes in my squad do tempo work at what would be 600m race speed and have more than enough recovery eg 6 x 200 in 27s rest 5min with hurdle jumps and/or Med Ball activity in between runs. The goal is to relax and run perfect but challenge this with the recovery and the activities in the recovery.

Hill reps can be a place where loss of form is practiced e.g. knees out , short steps etc. But hills can also be a great challenge to overcome by staying tall, knees up and in the center, arm drive powerful but relaxed.

Track sessions can be either successful or disastrous in their long term effects. The difference being attitude to movement. A session of 20 x 200 in 26s rest 30s for an elite International 800m athlete could be fantastic in terms of fitness and efficiency at race pace or for an athlete who almost died keeping up to complete the same session with the same statistics a damaging session due to the practice of loss of form. The above session has been reported to have been completes by Wilson Kipketer (2 x 20 x 200 rest 26/30s). A fantastic session for athletes that are capable of maintaining body position a disaster for everyone else.

A good simple way for athletes to practice racing form is to complete some relaxed race pace efforts during every run e.g. 6 x Flying 60m runs at Race pace. Many of my squad do these after the completion of each aerobic run and often in the warmdown phase after races or track sessions.

3. More maximum speed potential should convert to greater relaxation and efficiency at Race pace.

Any 400m athlete would recognize that greater sprinting speed will nearly always make them faster over 400m. The trick is being able to develop the ability to maintain speed over the last 150m of the race.

800/1500+ Athletes often fail to recognize that more maximum speed potential will allow them more relaxation and efficiency at their race pace. The way to develop this speed is not to train with higher lactic levels and "flog" in extra speed. It is simply a few things and is the same for every athlete.

1. More Power.

2. Better movement patterns - higher relaxed cadence

Now everyone can improve their strength in the gym and convert this to more power using plyometrics. This would aid MD athletes greatly as increased free energy from gravity and increased relaxation. EL G and Kipketer train with plyometrics that is most likely specific to their event. I have seen in Sydney Wilson Kipketer doing low intensity bounding. Many MD athletes have been convinced that speed is not a problem as they only have to run at say 14.5s /100 for a 3:37/1500 and have because of this failed to develop the power to make running at that speed even more efficient. The last Marathon WR set is the product of a Sprint's Coach. The goal that was set involved improving efficiency at just above WR speed ( as well as putting in the Miles).

My opinion is that if MD athletes did more low lactic training at higher than race paces then efficiency would improve and result in faster times, less injuries and faster finishes.

Relaxation- How often do athletes practice relaxing while running at race pace or faster? It is a practicable skill. The benefit that comes from it is increased efficiency.

4. To be ideally efficient we need to be at minimum (but powerful weight).

Athletes need to develop the experience in attaining ideal weight at the right time of year. Every kg has been calculated to cost 3s / km. Many athletes train well for years but turn up at their National Championships slightly overweight.

In winter this may be OK as being slightly over may offer immune system benefits but during summer they need to hit minimum healthy weight and maintain power.

A challenge we will face in Australia next year preparing for the Olympics will be for our athletes to be at racing weight so close after Winter.

regards
Steve Bennett
Blue Mountains,
Athletics Co-ordinator - Western Sydney Academy of Sport
****************************************************************************
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Enthusiasts in the Countdown to the Olympics
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From: stevebn@...
Date: Fri Apr 30, 1999 9:24 am
Subject: RSVP: Interest in 400/800/1500

stevebn@...

Choose from the following statements that describe your interest best in
400/800/1500m.
(Multiple choices are allowed)
----

Please select one or more of the following:

    o I am a Coach of Athletes who are at National Level or better.
    o I am a National Level athlete or better.
    o I am a coach of High School or College Athletes.
    o I am a High School Athlete.
    o I am a College Athlete.
    o I am more involved with 400m or 400/800m
    o I am more involved with 800m or 800/1500m
    o I am an athletics enthusiast with with a balanced interest. (None of the
the above!)


by going to the following Web form:

    http://www.egroups.com/vote?id=925464253867

Thank you!


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From: "Steve Bennett" <stevebn@...>
Date: Sun Apr 25, 1999 5:44 am
Subject: Welcome Test Message

stevebn@...

http://www.2000athletics.penrith.net.au/plan.htm

Many ideas will be shared via this monthly message.

It will supplement to Webpages

http://www.2000athletics.penrith.net.au/sprint.htm

http://www.2000athletics.penrith.net.au/training.htm

http://www.2000athletics.penrith.net.au/devsp.html

http://www.2000athletics.penrith.net.au/devmd.htm

regards Steve Bennett
Blue Mountains
Athletics Co-ordinator, Western Sydney Academy of Sport
http://www.2000athletics.penrith.net.au/WSASS.htm

Oztrack Online Track & Field Bookshop
http://www.2000athletics.penrith.net.au/bookstore.htm

ICQ paging service
http://wwp.icq.com/3552637

eGroup home: http://www.eGroups.com/group/400-800-1500
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From: "Steve Bennett" <stevebn@...>
Date: Sun Apr 25, 1999 4:37 am
Subject: Welcome to the 400-800-1500 E-Mail Group

stevebn@...

Training Ideas bulletin for the 400-800-1500m
events. Monthly ideas to think about to do with training for Middle Distance
events.

Group Manager: 400-800-1500-owner@egroups.com

To subscribe, send a message to 400-800-1500-subscribe@egroups.com or go to the
e-group's home page at http://www.egroups.com/list/400-800-1500