Started by Daniel Burnham, March 31, 2014 · 20 Replies · 4,961 Views
Does anyone know a good source for training? I have been training the 100m while my shoulder is recovering and have found it to be my favorite way of getting vitamin D (besides grilling out). I figure if I am doing something I might as well do it well. There is a pro runner that sometimes goes to the track I go to and I have gotten some useful tips, but I'm looking to up my game.
If anyone knows a good source for this info please pass it along to me!
I would like to mention I am not really looking for strength workouts, just the technique aspect. I have actually already found an increase in acceleration and power from doing tumbling and supporting work that will likely be found in the movement series. There is a definite improvement from when I ran some in high school.
I am currently reading http://www.amazon.com/Training-Speed-Agility-Quickness-Special/dp/0736058737 this book. I found it really interesting, there is a lot of basic exercises, their descriptions and most importantly, what is their purpose. There are some descriptions of running tehnique errors people do , how to develop speed etc... I haven't finnished reading it yet, but so far I like it.
Sorry for hijacking your thread Daniel but I was wondering if anyone here has experience with doing sprints (or working up to them) when you have asthma? I know from experience that I basically explode if I start to sprint out of the blue. But there must be a way to train my lungs to cope with the stress of sprinting, right?
I would check out a youtube channel that goes by the name of AthletesAcceleration or something like that. The guy talks about the fundamentals of sprinting technique: "step over and drive down", and how it's for efficiently applying force into the ground which is one of the most important parts of sprinting. There are also other channels that talk about step over drive down. He also talks about backside and frontside mechanics (how your legs should (not) move behind and in front) etc etc.
I haven't read it - but I've heard it is good: "The Book of Zoom"
http://bearpowered.prophpbb.com/forum4.html?sid=4d6a64edff3f9f14c54d3347493c1eef
I'm not an expert - but as for sprinting with asthma - be careful that you don't get an asthma exacerbation, especially when you are alone, as that could be dangerous. I would discuss that with my doctor first. The human body is adaptable, so I suppose it would be possible to cope better with it over time, but it's not worth the risk to be experimenting with that without some professional advice.
Check out elitetrack.com and charliefrancis.com. There are lots of info there.
I am a competitive runner and specialize in the 1600, although I do look at mechanics to both long and short distance.
Steve Magness helped to coach Galen Rupp and Mo Farah (silver and gold at olympics respectively for 10k) for awhile. He is a very reputable source.
Drills do not help, as they merely isolate the muscle fiber recruitment.
Read/watch these:
http://www.scienceofrunning.com/2010/08/how-to-run-running-with-proper.html
http://www.scienceofrunning.com/2010/01/video-hill-sprints-and-running-form.html
Drills do not help, as they merely isolate the muscle fiber recruitment.
Care to elaborate? I have seen a pretty big improvement from drills for acceleration.
not to put words in his mouth, but i think he means agility drills, like agility ladders, etc. Drills to train proper running technique are useful, especially if you're somewhat new to running. Warm up with drills like high skipping, fast skipping, and bounding. To prevent injury it is often useful to start with hill sprints, as it allows you to push it hard, but without the risk of running injuries. It also helps build correct form of getting your knees up and not overstriding. A lot of elite coaches use these early in the season even with experienced runners. Then once that's ingrained after a few sessions you can more safely sprint at the track. If you're training speed, full recovery between sets helps with the neuromuscular adaptation (think of it as "skill training"). If you're just wanting the conditioning aspects, do intervals. A favorite of mine is to sprint the straights and easy jog the curves. that's 100m on, 100m off, 100m on, 100m off is 1 lap. do 3-4 laps, x 2-3 sets, depending on fitness. Jumping right into sprinting can be a high risk for injury, though so i'd really suggest working on the hill sprints first, and doing some easy running just for working on efficiency. It's not all that different from GST. You must build the tendons and the connective tissues at a slower rate than the muscles because they don't adapt as quickly.
For asthma, I've found that a slow, gradual warmup helps. Keep in mind that I'm no expert and I don't know anything about your particular condition.
MT Nordic said:not to put words in his mouth, but i think he means agility drills, like agility ladders, etc. Drills to train proper running technique are useful, especially if you're somewhat new to running. Warm up with drills like high skipping, fast skipping, and bounding. To prevent injury it is often useful to start with hill sprints, as it allows you to push it hard, but without the risk of running injuries. It also helps build correct form of getting your knees up and not overstriding. A lot of elite coaches use these early in the season even with experienced runners. Then once that's ingrained after a few sessions you can more safely sprint at the track. If you're training speed, full recovery between sets helps with the neuromuscular adaptation (think of it as "skill training"). If you're just wanting the conditioning aspects, do intervals. A favorite of mine is to sprint the straights and easy jog the curves. that's 100m on, 100m off, 100m on, 100m off is 1 lap. do 3-4 laps, x 2-3 sets, depending on fitness. Jumping right into sprinting can be a high risk for injury, though so i'd really suggest working on the hill sprints first, and doing some easy running just for working on efficiency. It's not all that different from GST. You must build the tendons and the connective tissues at a slower rate than the muscles because they don't adapt as quickly.
I agree about the risk of injury. I overdid it a few times but was able to recover ok after a week. The gymnastic conditioning has definitely helped. I feel much more strain in the lower legs during tumbling conditioning. The only thing that has bothered me with sprinting was the stretch in the hamstring as I tried to improve my form but it was fine after about two sessions.
regarding the asthma question, an inhaler before exercise would be the best option. slow warm up helps a lot. it's not something you can typically "train" out of you. It's a reactive airway, not a statement of how good of shape you're in. Cold weather, dusts, pollution, will all make it worse.
just from what i know and what helped me really fast was the thing about the hip, means when starting from ground most people tend to run not straight enough the first(most important) part, they keep the forward lean, but to make more effectiv steps you have to get straight quite fast while running, because when you are straight you are doing you max. increment because of your hip position(so work on getting legs high as possible), this was really a thing i never thought about before, but worked for me in soccer 
next thing is, that vertical jumping and sprinting goes hand in hand when it comes to carry over.
means, when you are a good jumper you will be a good sprinter(at least the first part of the accleration) and the other way around.
never trained jumping, but i always was good in all jumping sports, but i was a good sprinter.
the muscles using for accleration and the muscles for jumping(vertical) are the same, so theres no magic.
read this and could see it on my self, but i cannot remember the source.
InRe sprinting in general... There are some great videos on youtube. A lot of sprinting technique is similar to gymnastics in that the angles and degrees of extension really matter. You want to strive for reaching full extension from the shoulders through the toes. There are a lot of drills to help with this that can be found on youtube. Working on hip mobility will also do wonders for your sprinting.
Additionally, there are a lot of great track clubs. Atlanta, in particular, is a mecca of sprinting. I'd check out the USATF website and search for track clubs. You can either drop into their practices (many clubs include "masters", i.e. older than high school).
I know that you said that you wanted to focus on technique and not strength, but unfortunately this is another area in which track and gymnastics are similar: proper technique grows from building the necessary strength. In fact, the biggest regret that I have regarding my years of running was that I never discovered the weight room (much less GST). I can give you a technique tip such as, "Snap the leg backward." but if you don't have the hamstring strength necessary to decelerate the leg you won't be able to do so.
Saying that one wants to learn proper sprint technique without focusing on strength is no different that the people who post asking what's wrong with their iron cross technique when they don't have the strength for proper top support. Anyway, that's not what you asked, sorry that I failed to directly answer your question.
InRe running with asthma: I was diagnosed with asthma when I was a kid. I ended up competing in both track (hurdles) and cross country starting in Jr. High School and extending through college. I was never great at either but was good enough to walk onto a D1 program.
Asthma covers a tremendous spectrum from mild discomfort to potentially fatal (I've intubated several asthmatics who were moments away from dying). It's hard to know where you lie on that and you should certainly be having this conversation with a doctor, preferably a pulmonologist who has worked with athletes.
I found that running actually improved my asthma. I'd say that by the time I finished college I was asthma-free. Now this strongly suggests that I was on the light end of the scale and since the body changes a lot through those years it could have been more coincidental than causal. That said, I think running can really help asthmatics. Though as was mentioned by MT Nordic for many people it is simple a reactive airways. It is a cascade which, once triggered, can not be stopped. While I think running can help some mild asthmatics, it certainly can't help all and you'll just have to find out where you fall. I do not mean to suggest that it's a cure-all.
Practical suggestions: A good rescue inhaler. The most common one in the states (and I believe around the world) is albuterol. It's basically adrenaline/epinephrine. You should have a rescue inhaler, and learn how to properly use it (yes, you can use it wrong). My personal experience was that it was important to have but I almost never used it. As has already been said, a good warm up is key. Start slow and build gradually. Also stretch you thorax well. Many asthmatics have poor lung capacity and anything you can do to improve that volume should help. Finally, I would say that you should find where you tolerance is, and try to make small, incremental improvements. If your asthma shows no patterns and is more paroxysmal (random) then this isn't something you'll be able to do. If, on the other hand, you can predict the point at which your asthma flairs up, you might be able to gradually push that point farther away.
. I didn't mean I'm ignoring strength. I mean that I have that aspect coveredmmm said:InRe sprinting in general... There are some great videos on youtube. A lot of sprinting technique is similar to gymnastics in that the angles and degrees of extension really matter. You want to strive for reaching full extension from the shoulders through the toes. There are a lot of drills to help with this that can be found on youtube. Working on hip mobility will also do wonders for your sprinting.
Additionally, there are a lot of great track clubs. Atlanta, in particular, is a mecca of sprinting. I'd check out the USATF website and search for track clubs. You can either drop into their practices (many clubs include "masters", i.e. older than high school).
I know that you said that you wanted to focus on technique and not strength, but unfortunately this is another area in which track and gymnastics are similar: proper technique grows from building the necessary strength. In fact, the biggest regret that I have regarding my years of running was that I never discovered the weight room (much less GST). I can give you a technique tip such as, "Snap the leg backward." but if you don't have the hamstring strength necessary to decelerate the leg you won't be able to do so.
Saying that one wants to learn proper sprint technique without focusing on strength is no different that the people who post asking what's wrong with their iron cross technique when they don't have the strength for proper top support. Anyway, that's not what you asked, sorry that I failed to directly answer your question.
InRe running with asthma: I was diagnosed with asthma when I was a kid. I ended up competing in both track (hurdles) and cross country starting in Jr. High School and extending through college. I was never great at either but was good enough to walk onto a D1 program.
Asthma covers a tremendous spectrum from mild discomfort to potentially fatal (I've intubated several asthmatics who were moments away from dying). It's hard to know where you lie on that and you should certainly be having this conversation with a doctor, preferably a pulmonologist who has worked with athletes.
I found that running actually improved my asthma. I'd say that by the time I finished college I was asthma-free. Now this strongly suggests that I was on the light end of the scale and since the body changes a lot through those years it could have been more coincidental than causal. That said, I think running can really help asthmatics. Though as was mentioned by MT Nordic for many people it is simple a reactive airways. It is a cascade which, once triggered, can not be stopped. While I think running can help some mild asthmatics, it certainly can't help all and you'll just have to find out where you fall. I do not mean to suggest that it's a cure-all.
Practical suggestions: A good rescue inhaler. The most common one in the states (and I believe around the world) is albuterol. It's basically adrenaline/epinephrine. You should have a rescue inhaler, and learn how to properly use it (yes, you can use it wrong). My personal experience was that it was important to have but I almost never used it. As has already been said, a good warm up is key. Start slow and build gradually. Also stretch you thorax well. Many asthmatics have poor lung capacity and anything you can do to improve that volume should help. Finally, I would say that you should find where you tolerance is, and try to make small, incremental improvements. If your asthma shows no patterns and is more paroxysmal (random) then this isn't something you'll be able to do. If, on the other hand, you can predict the point at which your asthma flairs up, you might be able to gradually push that point farther away.
I should have known 
Daniel Burnham said:. I didn't mean I'm ignoring strength. I mean that I have that aspect covered
Thank you for all the asthma comments, guys I'm 39 and was mostly 'over' my asthma by the age of 20 so it's by no means a severe condition anymore. I know how to handle it in the context of the sports I played (mostly taekwondo and capoeira at pretty high intensity) and jogging at a leisurely pace but I never really tried working up to sprints (or at least some form of explosive running/interval training within my own limitations). So I was wondering if any of you had any experience in doing so.
I am going to try it for fun and I'll make sure I have my inhaler within reach
Regarding the Book of Zoom
Ken is an online friend and has sent me a pdf of the book to share here.
Keep in mind, it's a book meant for coaches, and has some unique ideas on the subject. His main tenant being sprint speed is simply a product of applying mass- specific ground force.
ZoomFinal.v6.2.pdf
Fabulous resource, thanks Cole (and Ken)!
MvdB said:Thank you for all the asthma comments, guys
I am going to try it for fun and I'll make sure I have my inhaler within reach
Yeah, I'm not sure I'm an asthmatic - but I think I may have started developing a light asthma case.
Only time I noticed anything bothering me was when sprinting a hill outside in the winter and suddenly my airway closed off. That was a very panicky feeling... I have never noticed any asthma problems before that or after that, but I'm definitely going to take better care of my rhinitis from now on so it doesn't develop further. Maybe it was just a bronchospasm due to the cold, I don't know. It let up after 5-10 seconds, but if it hadn't...
Just saying - be careful if you know you have asthma. One day the weather is cold or there are more particles outside or whatever, could be a different reaction than what you normally have. So take it easy and bring an inhaler like the guys said. Maybe run with someone if the conditions are adverse or you are going hard.