Thursday, June 29, 2006

Olympic Lifting

In order to teach and learn the 'Clean', you must break down the technique into parts of the total movements. This will help your athletes understand how each particular stage of the lift should feel before performing the entire lift. I have had greater success breaking the lift into partial exercises then trying to have my athletes try and perform the whole Clean right away.

I have provided some of the drills that I use with my athletes. These are great for beginners as I stated above, great for athletesthat are struggling with a particular stage of the lift, and great for advanced athletes as a warm up before performing the whole Clean. The focus is going to be on perfect form on each exercise.

Clean RDLS
tand with barbell in hands, feet at hip width, shoulders back and chest up. Keeping arms straight and eyes fixed straight ahead, lower bar by moving the hips backwards while maintaining a slight but fixed bend in the knees. Stop once the bar reaches the top of the knees or when the flexibility in the hams runs out. Quickly return to starting position by moving hips forward and standing up straight.

Clean RDL to Power Shrug:
Stand with barbell in hand, feet at hip width, shoulders back and chest up. Keeping arms straight and eyes fixed straight ahead, lower bar by moving the hips backwards while maintaining a slight but fixed bend in the knees. Stop once the bar reaches the top of the knees or when the flexibility in the hams runs out. Quickly move the hips forward, as the hips extend explosively shrug shoulders and rise on toes.

Clean RDL to High Pull:
Stand with barbell in hands, feet at hip width, shoulders back and chest up. Keeping arms straight and eyes fixed straight ahead, lower bar by moving the hips backwards while maintaining a slight but fixed bend in the knees. Stop once the bar reaches the top of the knees or when the flexibility in the hams runs out. Quickly move the hips forward, as the hips extend explosively shrug shoulders and rise on toes. Continue to elevate the bar to mid-chest height by bending elbows and continuing the upward movement of the bar. Be sure to lift elbows up and keep the bar close to the body.

Muscle Clean:
Standing erect with barbell in hands with a clean grip and feet at hip width, slide bar upwards almost along the body to near shoulder height. Once at shoulder height rotate elbows underneath the bar, releasing the hook grip andletting the bar fall onto the shelf created by the shoulders. Return bar to starting position the same way it got there.

Power Clean:
Stand with barbell in hand, feet at hip width, shoulders back and chest up. Keeping arms straight and eyes fixed straight ahead, lower bar by moving the hips backwards while maintaining a slight but fixed bend in the knees. Stop once the bar reaches the top of the knees or whenthe flexibility in the hams runs out.

Quickly move the hips forward, as the hips extend explosively shrug shoulders and rise on toes. Continue to elevate the bar to mid-chest height by bending elbows and continuing the upward movement of the bar. Be sure to lift elbows up and keep the bar close to the body. Once at shoulder height simultaneously rotate elbows underneath the bar, releasing the hook grip and letting the bar fall onto the shelf created by the shoulders while falling into a quarter squat. The quarter squat should be reached at the same time the barbell is received on the shoulders.

For more ideas, exercises and strategies to improve Olympic lifting for athletes, and to discover how easy it is to learn and teach the explosive Olympic Lifts, go now to: http://www.CompleteOlympicLifting.com

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

What Kind of Sports Coach are You?

Here's another one from Latif's phone consult file:

Last week I had the opportunity to talk to an excellent coach who is running into a problem that I have had countless experiences with.

Since I know it's something Patrick and I have seen many times, I figured there was a good chance you can relate to it as well.

Besides, over the past few weeks we've been sending you emails calling you out for not stepping up your coaching knowledge.

So this week I want to focus on a coach who has taken that nextstep and is making a safe, positive impact on the athletes around him.

My man Jim works primarily with youth football players, trainingthem at a small studio that he rents out where he focuses on developing their speed, strength and agility.

He's seen some great results with his athletes, especially sincepurchasing the Complete Speed Training Program, and his base of athletes has seen a steady increase since then as well.
I really like how Jim focuses on a quality dynamic warm up before each session, stresses attention to technique with his useof speed drills, as well as developing perfect lifting form in theseyoung athletes using light resistance and bodyweight training.

As these young athletes grow into their bodies, they will find themselves light years ahead of the competition simply becausethey have ingrained proper technique into their nervous systems.
Honestly, it's always great to talk to coaches who use proven training strategies with their athletes and Jim is a perfect example.

However, what most impressed me about Jim during our conversation was how he selflessly looked for a solution to a challenge he was facing.

And like I said at the beginning, this is something that is all toocommon in every youth sport, at every level, but especiallyfootball.

Some of his athletes were going into Junior High School and wereexpected to participate in that Junior High Football Team's 'summer conditioning' program.

But keep in mind, this could have been any other sport, so don't think I'm trying to single out football coaches or programs. I'veseen some shockingly bad coaching from lots of sports.
Anyway, this is one of those programs run by coaches who don't really know anything about conditioning or speed training beyond what they remember doing when they were high school football players.

And it didn't get the job done back then either.

Jim told me that on the first day of the 'program' the coaches ran the kids through that legendary staple of most football speed/conditioning programs: Gassers.

In case you're not familiar with these workout gems, I'll give youthe nutshell breakdown...
Run as hard as you can handle for somewhere between 100-400 yards. Then, rest for an unacceptably short period of time.
Repeat until one of 5 things happen.

1. You throw up. (4 kids threw up the first day)
2. You cramp up.
3. You pass out.
4. You give up.
5. You become a man.

OK, I threw that last one in there for affect. But pretty much that's the mind set of some coaches. By running kids into the ground theybelieve that it either gets you in game shape or makes you tougher.

Here's a training secret. It does neither.

But it does improve athletes' chances of injury and burnout.

So I guess that counts for something.

But again, I've seen this mentality applied to track, soccer, field hockey, you name it. So non-football coaches aren't off the hook.

Needless to say, Jim was in a serious dilemma.

He knew that he could develop faster athletes in a safer environment than in the other program. He also knew thathis athletes wanted to go to this other program so they couldget recognized for future playing time, even though they hated every minute of it.

But Jim didn't try to convince athletes to stay away from the other program. Instead, he called me to talk about how he could modify his training sessions to continue toimprove his athletes, while keeping in mind the kind ofcrap they'd be doing at the other program.

This meant less income for Jim and the frustration of seeing some of his results thrown away.
But he chose what was best for his athletes and in the longrun, those kids (and many more) will end up in Jim'scamp, taking their speed to the next level.

So we talked about how apply the concepts found in Complete Speed Training to a 2 and 3 day per weekTraining program considering these specific circumstances.

Since he'd been following the Complete Speed Training program we only had to make some subtle changes to his training plan.

One question he had that I get all the time is about how muchvolume each workout should be. If you're running repeat 30 yard accelerations, how many should athletes do?
5? 10? 20?

Well there is no perfect answer because every athlete is different.

Personally, I can't handle a high volume of speed work even thoughI can run really fast. So I always had to keep that in mind with my training.

I always start off with a number that is lower than I think athletes can handle.

Then, I time a select number of athletes. Usually it's the fastest kid, an average kid and a slower kid. I don't tell them their times because they don't really need to know.

Once I see athletes' times start to drop by more than .2 for two reps in a row, I usually shut them down for the day.

If they're getting slower, they've reached the point of diminishing returns. So I always undertrain as opposed to overtrain.

I suggest you do the same.

You don't have to train or coach athletes 5 or 6 days per week to see significant benefits with the Complete Speed Training Program.

And you don't have to be a football coach.

If your athletes require speed to succeed in their sport, they can make some serious improvements to their speed even if they only have time to train 2 days a week.

Maybe you only have time to add a dynamic warm up right now.

Perhaps you need some tips for speed drills.

No matter what your speed training needs, Complete SpeedTraining has the answers.
Ask yourself, is your current training program more like Jim's, or more like that 'other' program?

Which do you think gets better results?
Order now: http://www.completespeedtraining.comIn speed,


By the way, when you do order use your
free 30 minute phone consultation to fine tune
your speed training program to your specific
needs:

'One of the most important benefits that I have experienced with Complete Speed Training is the phone consults with Latif himself. Latif's professionalism and knowledge is unmatched. I have asked and had answered questions regarding specific programs, periodizaton, nutrition, timing protocols (hand held v. FAT), running mechanics and weight training. Never has there been a question that has gone unanswered, he has always made himself available. Our conversations and the program has made me a better, more knowledgeable trainer which in turn has made my athletes more athletic. Complete Speed Training will give you the advantage you are looking for...'
Joe Kubik
HS Football Coach
Chicago IL

http://www.completespeedtraining.com

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Ghana Power

For almost 3 hours this morning, I was glued to my television setwatching the United States play for its life in a World Cup matchagainst Ghana.

Even though soccer barely registers as relevant in the world ofAmerican athletics, the energy of this match helped me to furtherunderstand why soccer is the most popular sport in the world.In today's match, superior speed, acceleration and agility proved to be a deadly combination as Ghana eliminated the United States from World Cup competition.

The inability to match Ghana's speed to the ball, on the attack or on the defense crippled the United State's ability to take control of the match.

The overall ineptness of Team USA's offensive attack in their Group E matches serve as a painful reminder of how far America lags behind its international competition. Without the speed to match up with their opponents, there can be no expectation of consistent success at any level of the sport.

That being said, as a speed coach, something became quiteclear to me very early in the match.When it came to winning balls, attacking the goal or defending a breakaway, the athletes from Ghana were flat outfaster than the Americans on an almost man-to-man basis.

Within the first 10 minutes of the match, everyone in the room kept remarking about how the United States players simplylooked slower and less remarkable than their opponents.

In fact, many analysts have made mention about how Ghana's success in advancing into the Round of 16 is the 'surprise of the World Cup.'

I can't help but believe that a significant part of this success is due to their overwhelming speed, agility and acceleration.In this country, soccer coaches and players place almost exclusivetraining emphasis on conditioning: long, slow intervals on the trackor around the field and long, slow runs on the road.

You just can't get fast by running slow.

The difference, in what we saw, was that Ghana's speed in attacking the ball and the goal continuously made the difference in the game. If American soccer players hope to improve their respectability, coaches must shift their focus onto acceleration and speed development.

In a sport where much of the action requires short bursts of acceleration to make a play on the goal or the ball, programs that fail to specifically teach players how to accelerate and make quick changes of direction are doomed to fail.

It is incorrect to believe that speed can not be taught, developed or significantly improved.

Such a mind set is currently holding many soccer programs back, from the youth to the elite levels.

Preparations for the upcoming soccer season are being made right now. Are you doing anything different than you do each and every season?

Or have you given your athletes the same old conditioning program that you always use?

Breathe new life into your soccer (or any other sport) program. Your athletes are the future of the sport in this country.

Are you developing the speed and agility to keep up with thecompetition?

Develop the speed, coordination and agility that wins games andseparates the winners from the losers.

Get your risk-free copy of Complete Speed Training today.

Order now: http://www.completespeedtraining.com

Today's match was perfect example of what happens when slow athletes match up with faster, more agile athletes.

Don't think it won't happen to your team too:

'This is hands down the best, most complete speed training information product I have ever purchased. The team at Athletes Acceleration don't just give you a list of drills to perform, they show you how to properly execute each drill with proper technique and give great coaching cues for teaching the various drills and correcting common errors.Each DVD is jam packed full of great information and drills that will enable you as an athlete or coach to better structure your warm up routines and speed sessions, ultimately leading to FASTER sprint times and improved athletic performance. The pre competition DVD alone is worth the cost of the entire package!I am 100% confident in recommending Athletes' Acceleration's Complete Speed Training product, it's a must have for both the serious coach and athlete.'
Ian Graham
Dublin, Ireland

Order now:

http://www.completespeedtraining.com

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

The Official Start of Football Training

Here in Virginia, most high schools let out last week.

Since my hometown has a very strong high schoolfootball tradition, (we went to the Super Bowl three out of my four years) I know that the official end of the school year means only one thing:

It's the official start of Football Season.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Get your season off on the right track:
http://www.footballspeed.com
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-


So, to get you in the right frame of mind, here are a Touchdown's worth of great reasons to get your own copyof North-South Football Speed...


****************
'I recommend North-South Football Speed to anyone interested in drastically improving their speed. The drills allow anyone to make substantial gains in a short amount of time and are extremely easy to teach or to perform on your own. Being a sports performance trainer in one of the hotbeds for high school football, athletes are always trying to get faster and quicker. This DVD has definitely given me the tools necessary to get the results me and my athletesare looking for.'
- Mark Tarle, ATC, CSCS
Ath-Elite Sports Performance Training
Canton, Ohio


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

'Once again you have yet another great product here. We used some of the drills at our high school football combine we did with Marty Lyons of the New York Jets. Marty and the players loved the great warm-up and speed drills. Keep up the good work and thanks again'
- George Loft
Performance Fitness
Long Island, NY

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

'Just to let you know, we tested our football guys in the 40. The guys from the track team and a few who have been working on your drills increased their times by over .2. For the first time in a long time we had many guys under 5.0, 6 running 4.8 or better and they're just getting going. By summers end we will be much faster. Thanks!'
- Greg Labelle
Putnam High School
*******************

'As the father of a soon to be college football player, I wanted to take this opportunity to let you know how much your North-South Program has assisted my son preparing for the upcoming challenge. So much of the information reinforces much of the training he has been doing with me over the last year. Unfortunately, the HS program he is coming from does not utilize the cutting edge training techniques presented in your video. Rather than concentrate on dynamic warm-ups, explosive movements, flexibility and technique, they are stuck in a 'time warp' where speed training virtually non-existent, heavy slow movements and bicep work dominate the weight room and running 1.5 miles for time is the yardstick for GPP. I feel that tools like your video and other products available are essential for success and will ultimately separate the winners from the losers.'
Tom Girouard
Chicago, IL


******************
'Just a note to let you know that my 12 year old son, Matthew has been using your North - South football speed program for 3 weeks now and he has taken .2 seconds off of his 40 yd time. His running form has increased dramatically and his balance and starts are also significantly better. Thank you for a great product!'
- Bobby Muehlstein
San Antonio, Texas


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

'I have used the principles taught in North - South Speed and Complete Speed Training DVDs with my athletes for the past year. Regardless of what level of athlete you are working with these programs will deliver you results. These methods are scientifically sound and will compliment or provide the basis for any sound speed training programme'
- Greg Muller
Fitness Coach
Kamaishi Seawaves Rugby
JAPAN

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

Now what are you waiting for?

Order your copy of North-South Football Speed now:
http://www.footballspeed.com

Monday, June 19, 2006

Strength & Conditioning Conference -Can't Miss

Coming this September to Stamford, Connecticut
http://www.topfitnessprofessionals.com/bootcamp.html

The Can't Miss 2006 Strength & Conditioning Conference in the United States.
If you're a fitness professional looking to hear the most cutting edgetraining information from the top fitness professionals on the planetthen look no further.

Ryan Lee is holding his second annual Bootcamp for successminded fitness professionals this fall.
The amount of information that was dished out was truly unbelievable.

There were a lot of 'big name' professionals that will be there like Mike Boyle,Alwyn Cosgrove, Brian Grasso, Zach Even-Esh and Jim Labadie. Actually I could keep that list going for pages, but I think you get the idea.

If you're also interested in expanding your businessknowledge so that you can enjoy greater financial freedom, again Ryan's Bootcamp is the place to be.

http://www.topfitnessprofessionals.com/bootcamp.html

On top of all that, it's just a great opportunity to meet and trade ideas with like-minded colleagues.

Plus, Latif and I will be there as well so you'll get the chance to hang out with us and talk both business andtraining!

So when you're there, be sure to introduce yourself andmaybe Latif and I will break off with some of you to share the business and training secrets that we've been developing, but haven't told anyone about.

Check it out now: http://www.topfitnessprofessionals.com/bootcamp.html

See you there!

Sunday, June 18, 2006

How to get faster without speed training

I just read an article on 'how to get faster without speed training'. It turned out to be geared towards distance runners, but it was funny all the same. First the author stated that running repeat 400's are considered speed work. If you have been on this newsletter for a while or know basic physiology, you know this to be false.

But, the funny part was that running up hills of 50-75 meters at top speed will help improve your speed. Really?

Of course it will because that is speed training. Hill work is still considered speed training at that distance and at that intensity. (He also recommended performing plyometrics which I agree distance runners should be using but that is a topic for another time).

I think we as coaches need to get on the same page for terminology. Speed work is speed work regardless of your event or sport. Pure speed training is anything done at 95-100% intensity from 2-8 seconds (approximately 20-80 meters). I guess his article should have been called 'how to get faster with speed training'.

Discover even more reasons why your current training
methods are holding you and your athletes from
reaching their true potential:

http://www.completespeedtraining.com

Saturday, June 17, 2006

'Better Business Bureau' - Your Trusted Speed Training Information

Quick up date about Complete Speed Training and Athletes' Acceleration.
Athletes' Acceleration, Inc is now officially an approved member of the Better Business Bureau (we have the gold seals of acceptance to prove it!)

In case you don't know what the BBB is:'The Better Business Bureau is a private non-profit organization, founded in 1912, based in the United States and Canada devoted to honest business. On their website, they recommend and report companies on their services such as: Business Reliability, Dispute Resolution, and Truth-in-Advertising.'

So, not only do we have the best speed and power training products around, we are also the most trustworthy : )

Check us out:
www.CompleteSpeedTraining.com
www.AthletesAcceleration.com
www.TopFitnessProfessionals.com

Friday, June 16, 2006

Speed Training for Endurance

Why Kids Aren’t Running Anymore…
And what we can do to fix it!

By Rick Karboviak, CSCS
http://topfitnessprofessionals.com/endure.html



In America, a joyous, simply competitive activity is losing its edge. Running is dying. Even worse, it seems our country is caring less and less about it. As our kids continue to get fatter to the point that you can almost hear them growing at the waistline, we now have learned that they will have less of a life expectancy than their current grandparents!

In schools across America, Physical Education classes are getting cut, limiting physical activity opportunity to thousands of children. Even in the schools that have Physical Education, kids are afraid to run one little mile, let alone be able to even run it! Now, it is commonplace for a kid to be instructed to just walk the mile, mostly because they are too out of shape to run it. Sad, isn’t it?

Then we come up on the fact that when a kid turns 12 or 13, they can join all these wonderful sports. They are drawn towards the “Big 3”: Baseball, Football, & Basketball. Volleyball & Soccer also show up as being popular choices. These sports run short distances, covered at high speeds & actions. Its no wonder our country loves these sports. They mimic our fast-paced, go-all-out nature of our society. Ironically, we tend to lead sedentary lives in a majority of the work we do, and this laziness gets into our kids. This sedentary nature leaves us with a disdain for long, slow activity, such as the sport of running. We simply ‘do not have the time’ for these long, slow activities. Its why most adults avoid working out, even walking seems to take too long for them!

It appears that our only image of running is that of a marathoner. Someone running along for sometimes hours on end, plodding around at slow paces, that’s the picture we vision. As a running coach, I have talked with kids who tend to believe that “all cross-country ends up being is just a bunch of long, boring miles.” Even the sport of track, which can cover distances from 100 meters to 2 miles, has this connotation amongst our youth. I’ve seen kids who choose to start out with just the 100 or 200 distances, because ‘that’s as far as I think I can run.” Honestly. Is our society getting this bad about our vision & image of running?

I think its time for a change, ladies & gentlemen.

As a coach, I have observed the following:

Kids today do not need to have the image of long, slow, plodding miles being done in preparation for the sport of track, or for cross-country. To me, it’s anything but boring, it’s a true test of the athlete inside you, & it can teach you so much about yourself. This is the American competitive spirit, at its purest form! Why aren’t we emphasizing this more in our youth?


The sports of track & cross-country have ‘mini-races’ inside them, which challenges the athlete in many ways. The athlete battles wind, gravity, Mother Nature (snow, sleet, rain), and their own mind. They not only battle those 4 foes, but they enter battles amidst other runners as well. Strategies need to be implemented, literally on-the-fly. Athletes who develop this task-on-the-fly skill will have an edge over their competition in other sports. Once again, it’s the competitive spirit development that kids are missing out on!
The distances covered that seem to be labeled ‘long distance’, such as the 3200m, 4000m, and 5000m races, aren’t really ‘long’ in my opinion. When you take a look at elite and top-level times, those races can be done in 10 minutes or less (3200m) or 14-18 minutes (4K, 5K). These are intensity-filled, high speed racing periods of time, not something slow & boring! If you’ve watched such a race, you know what I mean. These runners endure high intense speeds, many of which some sprinters and mid-distance runners couldn’t keep up for much time. I’m not sure they should be in the same category of ‘long distance’ as the 10K, half-marathon, or marathon races are by many experts.

Typical Marathon-based principles don’t have a place in our society for youth runners. That is a rather bold statement, and here’s why I make that statement. We have to take a look at the larger, bigger picture of our country’s athletic landscape. We have kids who play 2-4 sports in a year in most regions of the country. Some may even specialize in a speed & power sport (basketball, hockey), but participate in other sports, purely for the enjoyment of it. If these athletes undergo typical marathon principles of long, slow runs of multiple miles, usually 2.5 to 4 times their typical racing distance, this type of endurance training will defeat the purpose of getting faster for other speed & power sports! It all comes down to fast-twitch & slow-twitch fibers: if you focus too much training time on long, slow runs, the slow-twitch fibers get more development, and the fast-twitch fibers suffer. No speed development. Speed is LOST, not gained, with these longer-than-should-be runs. Overuse injuries also increase amongst these athletes. Therefore, they are not needed for a majority of today’s athletes.

It is my belief that young kids can be trained in this simple way: fast, short, low volume, and intense. This is the type of environment they will face in a track or cross-country race. Short, high speed bursts are used for hill climbing, plus surging/passing. Body control is needed on downhill runs, to conserve energy and save it wisely for latter portions of the race. These short, fast, and intense runs are not much different than the type of training they endure during a typical speed & power sport, such as basketball. Basketball kids need body control, high speed bursts, and an ability to repeatedly absorb and redirect forces that get applied when jumping & landing. If cross-country training is done in a better way, fast & speedy, versus long & slow, the XC athlete can be better prepared for hoops season, and keep their speed, not lose it.

In other countries, kids have nothing else to do but run. Take the Kenyans. They have no buses, and have to literally run to school every day, through hills, rough terrains, and mountains. It is no wonder they dominate endurance events!

We in America drive our kids to school in an SUV, because we can’t let them ride the bike to school, afraid that it will be stolen! America was for a while, a dominant force on the endurance side of running. Quite frankly, I think we were pretty damn good because we didn’t have much else to do! We had the time to run, and develop our systems in doing so. But, as we got lazier, we lost our zest & appeal for the simple sport of running. We lost our edge.

Now, its time to bring back a whole new edge to the sport of running, by changing the mindset on how we train for it in today’s youth. We have to take adjustments in our society, and use them to our advantage!




What we can do to fix the problem:

My basic suggestion is to save the long, slow distance work for later on in life, if a young runner decides to move up to longer distances. Since we have such a fast-paced society, we need to take this approach to the training for running. Make it fast, simple, sweet, and to the point! This is also one of the fastest ways to get kids in shape. Many studies have suggested that high intensity interval training, which is training at high speeds with low total volumes of work, can raise both anaerobic and aerobic endurance levels. In fact, one study by Izumi Tabata of Japan showed that a high intensity interval program of just 4 minutes of work, raised the aerobic endurance levels more in highly-trained athletes, than did the typical long & steady endurance method. This study tells me you can do more, in less time, and get more accomplished. I’ve used this simple strategy in my XC athletes and have increased their fitness levels, based on race-pace VO2 ratings, by 20%, in the course of a season. They were 20% fitter at the end, than they were at the start of it. It’s simple & it works.

We also have technology available today to assist us in finding the right training paces for these high intensity runs. We no longer have to go by the measuring wheel & the stopwatch to figure these out. Today’s GPS speed monitors help us do the trick in discovering instant running paces & speeds attained while in training. Even graphical data can be downloaded from this technology, to discover how your athletes are affected by any terrain & weather condition. It is an invaluable tool for assessment and training.

With new technology and new studies showing us that we can train smarter, faster, and get in shape quicker, its time we start to develop a new edge in running for today’s youth. Running is losing its edge. It is about time we do something about it, and change the way we think about training for the pure sport of running. Let’s develop our young runners into something more than just a blur of speed on a track or cross-country course: turn them into real athletes, with a competitive fire that doesn’t die!

Rick Karboviak, is a Performance Trainer for Speed Dial Coach, his own company, located in Thief River Falls, MN. He is also the head coach of the TRF XC team, & is the long distance coach for their track team. His new e-book, titled “Endure!”, can be found at: http://topfitnessprofessionals.com/endure.html

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Complete Speed Training Newsletter Exclusive

I have a working relationship with clothing and equipment giant Eastbay. Eastbay normally allows me to make discount offers to just my Complete Track & Field members.
I have been talking to them and they finally agreed to open it up and allow all of my newsletter subscribers to benefit from the latest discount. Not only a discount, but the biggestdiscount they have ever offered.

A little information about Eastbay:'
Eastbay is a world supplier of quality athletic footwear and apparel, featuring major brands such as Nike, Reebok, adidas and New Balance. Established to meet the performance needs of high school and college athletes, that mission takes Eastbay's catalogs and Internet site around the globe - to all50 states and more than 120 foreign countries and properties'

They are offering my Complete Speed Training Newsletter subscribers a huge 30% off discount with no minimum to buy.

Here's the catch though. They will only honor the discount for 2 days from 6.15.06 - 6.16.06.
If you need workout clothes, shoes, cleats, apparel, equipment, and/or any other training gear, the next 2 days would be the time to do it. Summer training is weeks away for some (and has already started for others) so

When you go to www.Eastbay.com, you MUST USE THIS CODE TO RECEIVE THE DISCOUNT:

Code: LKS16CF6

Please do not share this code with others as I only want my loyal subscribers to benefit from this deal.

Remember, it will be a 30% off no minimum event and runs on 6.15.06 - 6.16.06 and uses code LKS16CF6.

Go to www.Eastbay.com and check it out!

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Barry Ross - Secrets to Running Faster

Since publishing Underground Secrets To Faster Running,
I’m frequently asked why there seems to be minimal
information regarding on-track sprint training workouts
in a book about running faster. This is often followed
by questions about standard sprint training protocols,
such as: What about volume? What about density? Intensity,
CNS fatigue, distance, recovery days?



And so on ad infinitum.



They are fairly common questions, but are they fair questions?



Let’s examine them from a different viewpoint.



If we recognize them as standard questions,
then they are not really about 'secrets'. Rather, they
encompass the common vernacular of the sprint culture.

What the questioners really want to know is how the answers
to their questions might differ within the parameters of the
protocols they already use and whether any difference might
give them an edge, as trainers or athletes, over the competition.



Therein lies the problem with the questions. The focus
of sprint coaches and athletes is on changing the numbers
within the framework they know. It’s about finding
magic or secret numbers - what number of repeats of a distance,
how many plyo jumps on the track, how many rest days, what
number of hard days, how many recovery days, etc. There
is never a challenge to the framework, only to the numbers
that are provided.



Underground Secrets To Faster Running would be about the
weight room if it was written to show how its particular
strength training protocol fits within the broader and
more well established category of strength training. But
Underground Secrets To Faster Running is not about the
weight room. It’s about addressing a paradigm change
in training to run faster that is long overdue. Its about
the science of sprinting and the elimination of the rampant
guessing as to what actually happens during high speed
sprinting.



Far from being a book about how much weight one can lift,
it fully addresses one of the most (if not the most) important
aspects of sprinting: The effect of mass-specific force
on running speed. It goes on to describe a very simple
yet powerful training method that will result in faster
running, even if most of the standard on track training
protocols were significantly reduced or eliminated.



At this point, many will think that what I’m writing
here is merely a way to increase sales of my book (while
that is not the case, I would certainly welcome that outcome!).
Others will shake their heads while muttering to themselves,
.Just another weight guy trying to make himself important.
He doesn’t get it that you have to run to be fast.
Just get on the track and run..



Well, I do get it. You do have to run to be fast…and
faster. But you must do more than that to run your fastest.



There is purposeless running and there is focused running.
There is purposeless strength training and purposeful
strength training. Can you distinguish between them?



Since this article is in response to the track training
portion that appears to be missing, let’s look at
that aspect first.



Did you know that 95.89% of the track coaches throughout
the world use purposeless running to train their sprinters?



How did I arrive at that precise number? By strict scientific
research? By analysis of local

coaches and interpolation of raw data? By regression analysis?



By guessing?



You caught me! I guessed.



Which is precisely how coaches arrive at the ‘right’ number
of repeats at the ‘right’ distance. It’s
what they do because they’ve always done it, or darn
close to it. Is this the best way to build a sprint training
program? I don’t think so!



Are you part of that large, guessed-at number of coaches?
You are if you give your sprint group a single set of instructions:
Today I want you to run 5 200.s , then 8 100.s, 10 50.s
then do some block work and call it a day. Or, maybe you’re
the up and down ladder type instead. Same guess, same result.



Are you thinking to yourself, “That’s not
me! I don’t guess, I got my workout from John S..
or Charlie F... or Clyde H.. or Dan P. or the guy at the
clinic I went to.”



And those coaches and clinic guys got their workouts from
where? From the coach that coached them? Years of trial
and error? By keeping up with the latest in research?



Perhaps the fundamental question should be: What is the
purpose of training on the track?



There are really only 2 purposes for on-track training:
neuromuscular adaptation and plyometric training.



In its simplest form, Neuromuscular adaptation is teaching
your body to adapt to high speed movements without loss
of energy. You can only do that by running at your high
speed as often as possible, but this is no secret.



What is plyometric training? It is defined as causing
a rapid change from eccentric contraction (lengthening
a muscle) to concentric contraction (shortening a muscle),
in which elastic energy is stored and released. The act
of running fast is a plyometric exercise, so it trains
for the storage and release of elastic energy. Elastic
energy is a necessary part of increasing your speed. How
much running should you do?



As much as is effective in increasing your speed, but
this is no secret.



The number and length of repeats should be different for
each runner, and they must have a specific length and measurable
goal if they are to be effective. Either specific time/distance
or distance/time goals work best. If someone is telling
you to run x number of repeats at x distance, ask them
why that number and that distance. Ask them how it would
specifically benefit your particular needs and demand an
answer with specific number goals, such as maximum completion
time per rep. If you’re a coach, ask the same question
on behalf of your athlete before you give them a workout
or shame on you! When running speed decreases to a point
below the goal over a set distance, or distance covered
decreases to a point below the goal over a set time, your
workout should end. Immediately. But stopping when goals
can no longer be met is no secret.



(Psst. I’ll have to keep my voice down so no one
can hear this secret except you: muscles don’t care
about what the are being used for! They don’t ask
if they’re lifting a weight or walking up stairs,
or moving down a track. They only want to know about the
load placed on them so they can gauge how to respond. This
is the same basis of the strength training protocol in
Underground Secrets To Faster Running!)



If you’re thinking that a track workout could be
very short, you’re right. If you’re thinking
that it could be very long, you’re right. The preceding
statements reveal this important ‘secret’:

There is no magic number of sets or reps in a running protocol.
The correct number of set or reps is based upon the portion
of the race you need to work on. That differs for every
sprinter.



What about rest times between repeats?



(Hey tiger, here’s a little used underground secret,
just between me and you:

Inside the weight room or on the track, it’s all
about the phosphagen pool. It’s a secret revealed
in Underground Secrets To Faster Running.)



What about form problems, what about sleds, hill running
or weight vests to increase strength?



All of those questions relate to how your muscles work.
All of those issues are addressed by and through the strength
training protocol in Underground Secrets. None of them
should be used or addressed on the track.



What about speed endurance, speed strength, strength speed?



All of these are improved in the weight room, and speed
endurance is enhanced by targeted on track training in
addition to the weight room.



What about CNS fatigue?



Interestingly, coaches seem to believe something different
then experts in this area. Certain well known sprint coaches
are brazen enough to base their entire workout around CNS
fatigue. What do the real experts say? Here’s some
examples:



“Hence, during exercise, only 5HT neurons that are
firing should increase 5HT production/release when brain
TRP rises. It is not known which 5HT neurons fire during
exercise; the 5HT neurons that respond to exercise-induced
increases in brain TRP are therefore not known. Hence,
it is not possible to conclude which 5HT neurons contribute
to the generation of central fatigue. Because some 5HT
neurons control specific functions important to physical
performance (e.g., respiration), the current understanding
of 5HT neuronal function in central fatigue might benefit
from the study of specific 5HT pathways during exercise.

--
Exercise, Serum Free Tryptophan, and Central Fatigue; John
D. Fernstrom and Madelyn H. Fernstrom

Departments of Psychiatry, Pharmacology, Epidemiology,
and Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine,
Pittsburgh PA, 2006





“Several factors have been identified to cause peripheral
fatigue during exercise, whereas the mechanisms behind
central fatigue are less well known.


- Eva Blomstrand,
Astrand Laboratory, University College of Physical Education
and Sports and Department of Physiology and Pharmacology,
Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, 2006





While researchers in the field believe 5HT and TRP are
responsible for CNS fatigue, they simply don’t
know what causes these fiends to generate CNS fatigue.
To base a training protocol on a factor that no one is
sure about seems ludicrous. That being said, it doesn’t
hurt to keep on-track and weight room training to no
more than what is essential.



The bottom line of all the foregoing? You’ve
probably wasted enormous amounts of your
valuable time spending useless hours on the track. More
than likely, your workouts focused on effects rather than
causes. In other words, the entire framework from which
your speed training has been derived could be seriously
flawed. If your on-track or weight room workout is based
on a model other than the spring-mass model, you can be
sure it has serious flaws.



By now you are probably wondering if there
really are any unrevealed 'secrets' to faster
running? The answer is simple: yes and no.



No, there are no ‘secrets’ as
to how we run faster. The spring-mass model of running
locomotion introduced in the late 1970.s, followed by extensive
testing of many of its facets from the 1980’s through
the early 2000.s revealed that .secret.. The results of
the rigorous research over nearly 30 years has shown the
validity and merit of the model to virtually all locomotion
experts throughout the world: Those who understand the
causes and effects of bipedal and quadrupedal running.
Unfortunately, sprint coaches rarely fall into the category
of experts in locomotion.



The spring-mass model takes into consideration the effects
of gravity, as well as the physics of motion and energy.
From that model, and the testing of it, has come some surprising
conclusions that should alter the entire sprint workout,
both in the weight room and on the track.



Those conclusions have been kept .secret. from us for
more than 20 years. Not by the real experts, but by the
self-proclaimed experts. The .guru’s. of the sprint
community simply don’t want to accept the studies.
Instead, they put up straw man arguments with no basis
in fact, show little or no understanding of physics, and
ignore the effect of gravity.



Are there ‘secrets’ to faster running revealed
in Underground Secrets To Faster Running? You can bet on
it.



The most important of the factors affecting running is
mass-specific force. The greater the force applied
to the ground relative to mass and in opposition to gravity, the
longer the stride length and the faster the stride rate.
Stride rate increases because ground contact time decreases,
not because the limbs are moving faster.



Longer stride rates are effects of strength training.
Faster stride rates are effects of strength training. Simply
running on the track will never maximize stride length
and stride rate. Increased mass-specific force comes only
from strength training.



Mass-specific force may not seem much like a revealed ‘secret’ at
first glance. In fact, many would say they already knew
that being stronger then your bodyweight would make you
run faster. What they are referring to is the ability to
apply force from a muscle contraction. They will often
use squat max vs. bodyweight as their example.



However, that is not what mass-specific force in opposition
to gravity means. Mass-specific force in opposition to
gravity does not come from muscle contraction. It is isometric
(by definition - strength production without change in
muscle length). An accelerating mass (the sprinters body
as it returns to the ground) increases force. Gravity acting
on the falling human body will cause ground contact force
to reach or exceed 3 times bodyweight. The ability to withstand
hitting the ground that hard without collapsing (thereby
dissipating energy) requires tremendous isometric strength.
Where is the most efficient place to increase that strength?



(Shhhhh, don’t let anyone see or hear this underground
secret: It’s in the weightroom. Not on the track.)



So what, you say, big deal. That’s why I’m
in the weightroom doing my squats, power cleans, deadlifts,
and all my ballistic stuff. So I get strong enough to push
of the ground to..



To do what? Propel yourself into the next stride with
a massive push off? Sorry, that doesn’t happen because
IT CAN’T HAPPEN.



What???



Think about it. If you’re a weight room stud, you
know how much force is required to push up a big weight
when squatting. If you believe you push off the ground
during a sprint by using a concentric contraction of the
leg muscles then consider this: Ground reaction force plate
measurements show maximum forces of 3 times bodyweight
at midstance during high speed running. Research shows
that ground contact times can range from .09 to .10 seconds.
Half way through that time frame is midstance. So maximum
force is fully developed in .05 seconds or less.



If you weigh 150 lbs, and you can push your bodyweight
plus an additional 300 lbs (a total of 450 lbs or 3 times
bodyweight) 3 meters down the track from a voluntary muscle
contraction of one leg (with a minimal angle of flexion)
lasting 5 hundredths of a second or less, then you’ve
got bigger secrets to reveal than I do.



Where are these massive forces coming from if we cannot
apply them by volitional muscle contraction? Force measurements
are correct, so what force is being measured?



Ground reaction force plates measure the opposite side
of the force applied to them. This relates to the 3rd law
of physics. Because of the reasons stated earlier, you’re
not pushing off the ground with a force equal to 3 times
bodyweight. Instead, you’re hitting the ground as
a falling body with that amount of force. That’s
why the force, and your response, can occur in such a short
time frame. If you collapse, or partially collapse (increase
knee flexion) under the force being thrust against you
from the ground, then you can’t use that force to
your advantage.



Increasing the ability to withstand that force, by opposing
it with isometric strength, increases your ability to use
it to your advantage. In fact, being able to withstand
forces of multiple times your bodyweight (mass-specific
force) increases running speed dramatically. How? Partly
because of what ground reaction force does to you. You
hit the ground with 3 times bodyweight, but the ground
is hitting your real bodyweight, 150 lbs in our example.
Think of it this way, if you hit a cue ball into another
billiard ball, without any added spin of the cue ball,
then the both of them will react equally upon contact with
each other, i.e. the cue ball will move back to you and
the struck ball will move away from you. The reactions
are equal and opposite. If you hit a bowling ball with
the cue ball, the bowling ball will barely move and the
cue ball will move toward you for about twice the distance
of the earlier example. What happens when your little
150 pounds of rock hard mass hits the earth’s mass?



If your answer to the last question is that your going
to fly, you may or may not be right. In the cue ball analysis,
the surfaces of all the objects are about the same hardness.
Not so with you and the earth. If you are rock hard in
your ability to withstand the blow, you will fly and your
stride length will increase.



(Hey, you! Yeah you, the one reading this article! Stay
tight with me on this, k? --

You don’t need to spend all that time working on
paw-back or push-off drills, ya know? They don’t
do nuthin to help! Just a an underground secret between
me an you, k?)



What about ‘form’ defects? How does one fix
overstriding?



(Listen up! Don’t tell anybody this underground
secret: Overstriding is a strength issue for almost all
who suffer from it, but it can be fixed. in the weight
room.)



What about upper body strength? How about arm swings?



Each of these issues falls under the parameters mentioned
at the beginning of this article. The spring-mass model
renders most of these as moot. They are not training issues
at all. The reason this is so hard to believe for so many
coaches and sprinters is because the purveyors of the old,
false parameters are so heavily engrained in the sprint
culture world wide.



Strength training and on-track training are simple. The
protocol of Underground Secrets To Faster Running treats
them as that. Instead of inventing new lifts or using lifts
based upon false information, its focus is solely on what
is really needed to run faster. It takes many of the training
aspects of on-track training inside the weight room, thus
shortening and laser focusing that protocol as well.



Abandoning the familiar is always difficult. In this case,
abandoning the old is imperative – if you want to
run faster!




If you want to learn more about Coach Barry Ross's 'Secrets'
click on the link below:

Underground Secrets To Faster Running

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Training the Female Athlete

See how some of the world's leading sports coaches and trainer's design their programs specifically for training female athletes.

Get an inside look from elite coaches like Stephen Holt, Ryan Lee, Alwyn Cosgrove, Erin Perry, Jeremy Boone and Brian Grasso, and other top trainers as they give you their secrets on:

- the correct way to assess your athletes
- quick and easy ways to improve speed and agility
- little known secrets to ACL injury prevention
- how to increase conditioning and strength levels in any female athlete
- the truth about core development
- new ways to get your female athletes to improve nutrition and maximize performance
- how to avoid the 3 most common injuries facing female athletes

http://www.topfitnessprofessionals.com/femalestrengthtraining.html

As you know or have found out, the way you approach training males and training females is not the same. Physical attributes are not the same so their programs should not be either.
The Female Strength Training guide gave me new tips and strategiesto use and implement in my program that I was using for training myfemale athletes.

You might recognize the sports coaches names above.I have recommended and used myself, other products from them. This is because I truly trust and respect their top quality information (and even better, it works!)

If you work with female athletes or have a female athlete in your family, you need to check out this resource:

http://www.topfitnessprofessionals.com/femalestrengthtraining.html

Monday, June 12, 2006

Sports Coaches Wanted

I am looking for high quality in-the-trenches speed traininginformation. I want to know what coaches are doing forworkouts, which exercises (and why) you are using, tips and training techniques that you are using to make your athletes faster.

Why am I looking for this? Besides always wanting to stay up-to-date on the latest information, there are many other coaches,athletes and parents looking for the same quality ideas and theories from the real world to take and use for themselves.

If you think you qualify, and want to submit your workouts and techniques in an article form, 1 Speed Training (www.1SpeedTraining.com)is looking welcoming you and looking forward to helping you share your ideas to a broad audience.

Your articles will be posted, topic specific, on the site with your speedtraining information.(it's also a great way to promote yourself, company and website).

To submit your article or inquiries, you can contact Brad Jones through the site at http://www.1SpeedTraining.com

Sunday, June 04, 2006

Summer Training for Speed - Part II

Conditioning
Most coaches agree that conditioning work is a must for summer training. What they don't agree on is what conditioning is. Conditioning should not be referred to as just aerobic training.If you are a speed and power athlete and you are running mileage, I truly feel bad for you. You are putting yourself at a severe disadvantage and are actually hurting your performance.

Some of our conditioning work focuses on recovery. Thereare so many programs that are just hammering athletes with sprints, agility work, plyos, weights, etc. These modalities should be worked on but there needs to be a structured recovery program in place. You can't overload the central nervous system day in and day out, recovery is essential. As they say, you don't get stronger and faster from theworkouts, you get stronger and faster from recovering from the workouts.

What types of conditioning should you do?

I continually stress the importance of general strength circuits. You can work on multiple facets while performing GS circuits. You are working on strengthening, balance, coordination, and aerobic capacity. We use this as a recovery day type of workout.

These workouts are especially great when training younger athletes. General strength circuits help build a greater work capacity, something today's youth athletes are badly in need of.

Example of a General Strength workout:
Here is an example of a general strength circuit performed on the grass:

Split squats - 10 each leg
Jog 50 yards
Rotational push-ups - 8 each
Jog 50 yards
Bicycles - 1x30
Jog 50 yards
Burpees - 1x10
Jog 50 yards
Staggered push-ups - 10 each
Jog 50 yards
Russian twists - 1x25
Jog 50 yards
Backwards lunges - 10-each leg
Jog 50 yards
Lateral lunges - 10 each leg
Jog 50 yards
Reverse crunches - 1x20
Jog 50 yards
1 Leg squats - 10 each leg
Rest 3 minutes and repeat circuit.


Tempo Running
Extensive Tempo are runs at 65-79% intensity (HR ~140-160). I typically use these runs at 100-600m. The length of these runs are going to be dependant on the demands of the sport.
For the most part, I do not use Extensive tempo runs too often. The old saying 'train slow to run slow' could be used here. A problem with extensive tempo is that you can't work on your running form at all with such slow speeds. The demands of most sports do not require our athletes to run far distances at slow speeds.

The benefit of using extensive tempo runs are they can be used to help flush out the system. If your athletes are feeling tiredfrom previous workouts or even sore, extensive tempo workouts are great for recovery.

We do use them at the beginning of training sometimes tobuild a little base before jumping into intensive tempo workouts.Also this type of workout helps to enhance oxidative mechanisms.
We use extensive tempo with our general strength circuits for the most part. This is where the athlete 'runs' from station/exerciseto the next.

Examples of an Extensive Tempo Workout:

1) 2 x 10 x 100m (75% intensity)30' rest between reps and 2' between sets
2) 2 x 8 x 200m (70% intensity) 1' rest between reps and 2' between sets

Remember, athletes should be able to hit their times and be within their target heart rate. If they aren't, give them more rest between reps, reduce the volume of the workout or shut the workout down because you are missing the training benefit/goal.

Intensive Tempo
Intensive tempo is usually referred to as interval training. Intensive tempo is running distances over 80 meters at 80-89%intensity. (HR ~160-180). Running intervals for tempo work is also great for conditioning and superior to running long distances.

Because intensive tempo borders on speed and special endurance due to the high intensity, lactate levels can become very high. The athletes body must adapt to handle, buffer and remove the lactate so training in this state is extremely helpful for sports that meet the same demands. Since all energy systems more or less turn on at the same time, intensive tempo is highly stressful on both the aerobic and anaerobic systems. It is a great conditioning tool used for most field and court sports.

Examples of an Intensive Tempo Workout:

1) 6 x 200m (82% intensity) 3.5' recovery between reps
2) 2 x 4 x 250m (86% intensity) 4' rest between reps and 8' rest between sets

Progress the intensity of your tempo runs based on your conditioning goals. The ability of athletes to buffer lactate accumulation will determine their success as fatigue levelsrise throughout the course of their game or competition.


Speed Endurance
Speed endurance is the ability to maintain speed in the presence of fatigue without decelerating. Speed endurance runs are going to vary in distance depending on your sport.

For example, football consists of short bursts of acceleration followed by low intensity movements so our speed endurance workouts would be of smaller distances with shorter recoveries then a track sprinter that would require longer distances and greater recovery times. So, for a greater chance of success, we must train our athletes to maintain high levels of speed and intensity, even when tired.

These workouts are mentally challenging (since the presence of fatigue), so maintaining proper form and technique must be stressed. Training at high levels while fatigued will help to improve performance, both mentally and physically at the end of the game/competition when the game could be on the line.

Examples of a Speed Endurance Workout:

1) 2 sets of 7 x 30 yards 25 seconds rest between reps and 3 minutes between sets

2) 2 x 80y 95-100% intensity) 7 minutes rest
2 x 100y (95-100% intensity) 8-10 minutes rest
2 x 120y (90% intensity) 10 minutes rest


How it relates to your summer training:
Monday: General Strength Circuits
Tuesday: Acceleration
Wednesday: Extensive Tempo
Thursday - Acceleration
Friday: General Strength Circuits


Next 2 weeks
Monday: Acceleration
Tuesday: GS Circuits
Wednesday: Maximum Velocity
Thursday: GS Circuits
Friday: Acceleration
Saturday: Intensive Tempo


Depending on your improvements and progressions:
Next 2 weeks

Monday: Maximum Velocity
Tuesday: GS Circuits
Wednesday: Acceleration
Thursday: GS Circuits
Friday: Maximum Velocity
Saturday: Intensive tempo


Your training days will look like this at the end of the summer:

Monday: Maximum Velocity (w/ Acceleration)
Tuesday: GS circuits
Wednesday: Speed Endurance
Thursday: Extensive tempo
Friday: Maximum Velocity (w /Acceleration)
Saturday: Intensive tempo


**Again the structure, set-up and volume of these workoutscould all be different sport and goal dependant. Break down your sport and see how much time you are actually jogging around vs. sprinting. Then time how long each break/rest you have in between each bout of running. This will tell you where you really need to put your training focus.

What I provided is a general guideline since I can't provide exact workouts for each sport. Some sports like soccer, gaelic soccer, rugby, field hockey, etc. are going to require more aerobic work and longer tempo intervals then sports like football, baseball and track sprinters.


If you want even greater detail then this with structured workouts done for you, sample programs, descriptions and reasons behind why you perform each speed training exercise, here are the 2 top resources:

1) Complete Speed Training
http://www.completespeedtraining.com

2) North/South Football Speed
(http://www.footballspeed.com)

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Summer Training for Speed

Summer training is a critical time for all athletes regardless of their sport. It is possibly the most important season with regards to training especially for high school athletes. Most high school athletes are 3 sport athletes so they go from soccer, to basketball, to baseball, football to track to lacrosse,field hockey to gymnastics to tennis, etc.

So coaches have a problem. Do they just try to get you ready as quickly as possible for your current sport? Do they try and work on the overall development of the athlete? Are they concerned about conditioning levels of the incoming athletes? Are they concerned about the condition of the athletes leaving after their sport season is over? Is there enough time in 3 months for a coach to put together a great periodized training program?

Now there are certain coaches that focus on different aspects of what they feel is important to work on during the season. And most state athletic rules are set up so the coach can not work with their athletes out side of that sports season. This is why summer training is so important. The athletes get to work on and focus on improving all biomotor abilities.

Some consider the summer GPP (general preparatory period) work of there training plan. I wrote a few months ago about periodation (Periodization - structure of a continuous training plan) and structure of a work out plan/program so I am not going to go into this too much. A great resource that discusses periodization and program design is Alwyn Cosgrove's Training Design Program: http://www.topfitnessprofessionals.com/fitnesscoach.html

I am going to break this Summer Training Plan Recommendations Article into sections so I can cover in detail each aspect of speed training. To start off, let's hit the topic that everyone is mostly concerned about: Training Speed over the summer.

Speed WorkI hear that speed training should not be worked on in the offseason. I still have not heard a good reason for this. Why would you stop speed training when this is the skill that you are trying to improve?

I have seen athlete's work on their 'conditioning' in the off season and not perform any speed work. Then when they show up to camp for pre-season they are expected to sprint and time and time again, injuries occur. Sprinting is high intensity work that involves recruiting specific groups of muscle fibers, improving the efficiency of neuromuscularfiring patterns and is extremely taxing to the central nervous system. To not have your athletes train for this complicated process then all of a sudden you want them to perform at full speed at practice or a game is crazy.

Now, volume, intensity and density of your speed work will change throughout your training program. You should not drop speed training from your program at any part of the year.
Let's begin first, with saying what speed training is not. Speed training is not running at speeds/intensities less then 90-95%. So, running a 40 yard dash at 100% is speed work, while jogging a 100 meters at 65%. (65% is a tempo run and we will get more into tempo running during the Conditioning for Summer Training article in days to come).

Now, you maybe thinking, 'well, if I run a 400 meter (800 meter, 1 mile, etc.) at 100% intensity, then that must be speed training right?'

Wrong. This is where we need to drop a little science and physiology to clarify.

Athletes' Acceleration's own Speed Expert Latif Thomas wrote a great energy systems article last year and I will just para-phrase it for you.

'Adenosine Triphosphate, or ATP, is the immediate usableform of chemical energy for muscular activity. Any forms of chemical energy that the body gets from food must be converted into ATP before being used by muscle cells. ATP stores in muscle is limited and will deplete in 1 to 2 seconds unless restored. Resynthesis of ATP must occur immediately for muscular activityto continue. There are three systems available within the body to replace concentrations of ATP.
Anaerobic Phosphagen (ATP - CP) Energy SystemCreatine Phosphate (CP) is an energy rich compound foundin muscle cells. After high intensity exercise, creatine phosphate immediately restores ATP in the muscle without forming waste products (lactic acid). The amount of ATP that can be resynthesized from CP can last for 4 to 5 seconds. So, add that to the 1 to 2 seconds of original ATP stores within the muscle and you have about 5 to 7 seconds of ATP production from the ATP-CP Energy System.

According to the USA Track and Field Level II Sport Science manual, to really challenge this system, you need workouts of 7 to 10 seconds of high intensity (sprint) work. This means running at full speed or near full speed, but with no fatigue present.'

So, basically as Latif stated in his energy systems article, your 'true' speed work cannot be longer then 10 seconds or 100 meters for those elite runners.

OK, so now that we know what true speed work is, what should we focus on during our summer training plan?

The focus of speed training during the summer is going to be primarily on acceleration development. Acceleration is the key to most sports and needs to be constantly worked on andimproved.

Acceleration work is considered from 0-30 meters in distance for each repetition. We start out with shorter distances at about 15-20 yards. The reason we start with such short intervals, is that we want to make sure that our athletes are accelerating correctly. Your drive phase, which is your first 6-8 strides, is primarily what we are working on here.


We are looking for during each repetition for acceleration work is:

* Your body is driving out at approximately a 45 degree angle
* Your legs are driving down and back, attaching the ground in a piston-like action
* If you are driving your legs down forcefully, your heel recovery will be kept low
* The foot should strike directly below or slightly behind the hips
* As we discussed in many newsletters before, you are stepping over the opposite knee and driving down (again in almost a piston-like action)
* Arm action is tight, not crossing the body, at a greater than 90 degree angle (your arm angle will open up a little more since your steps are greater and your ground contact time in longer then at top speed)


When you mastered intervals at 20 yards, we start to extend the distance looking for the same form perfection. If you are having form issues, we break down the training because we have found that many athletes are not strongenough to hold and maintain that ideal drive phase. What we do is trick the body to maintain the proper form by having our athletes start using different positions. For example, we will have then starting their interval on the ground seated, lying down in the push-up position, on one knee, etc. So we really bring them to the ground to make their bodies reach the proper position. Another great way to do this is through short hill training. So now you can bring the ground to them to put them at the correct angles and positioning.


Example of an Acceleration Workout:

* 3x 20 meters - push up (down position) start
* 3x 20 meters - push up (up position) start
* 3x 25 meters - seated facing 'forward' start
* 3x 25 meters - seated facing 'backwards' start

Rest interval in between each repetition is 2-2.5 minutes and 3-5 between each set.


Acceleration is the 'easiest' form of speed work because they are performed at such short intervals but don't underestimate it's importance. Acceleration work must be done before you can even look at starting maximum velocity (top speed running) work.

Maximum velocity work is when you are running at full speed,so your body will be completely upright (perpendicular to the ground), and you will no longer be leaning at an angle as you were during acceleration. You will want to relax or 'float' during maximum velocity. What this means is you want to ease back in the amount of effort you are expending while running but without slowing down and losing any speed.

This idea sounds contradictory, and like any new skill, it takes some practice to perfect. While running, you want to continue to step over the opposite knee, but you do not want to drive the ball of the foot down into the ground.This is tough to do but it is essential if you want to maximize your speed and reach your full speed potential. If you are not relaxing while you are running, your body is really fighting itself and causing you to slow down. Relaxation while at top speed must be practiced. A great work out for maximum velocity training is called 'Ins & Outs' or 'Sprint/Float/Sprint' or 'Fly Runs'.


Example of a Maximum Velocity Workout:

Flying 40's
Place a cone at the starting line, at 20yards, at 60 yards and at 80 yards. Accelerate hard to the first cone (20y). Maintain the speed you have generated by running relaxed and following the maximum velocity cues from 20-60 yards. Once you hit 60 yards, slowly decelerate for the next 20 yards, coming to a full stop at the last cone. This is a fly 40. Total volume for these workouts should be between 250 - 350 yards.

Workout 6-8 x Fly 40's
Rest interval is 5-6 minutes between each bout.


Start with 2 days a week of acceleration work. Once you feel comfortable and are performing each rep with proper form and you have reached running 30 meter intervals with no problem, add a day of maximum velocity work in. The summer is not that long and there is a lot of training to get done. The first 2 weeks of the summer will look like this:

(**Note the days that I left blank I will fill in as we discuss other aspects of summer training in future newsletters) Also, it is summer so we can give our athletes the weekend off to 'recover'.

Monday:
Tuesday: Acceleration
Wednesday:
Thursday - Acceleration
Friday:


Next 2 weeks
Monday: Acceleration
Tuesday:
Wednesday: Maximum Velocity
Thursday:
Friday: Acceleration


Depending on your improvements and progressions:
Next 2 weeks
Monday: Maximum Velocity
Tuesday:
Wednesday: Acceleration
Thursday:
Friday: Maximum Velocity


I will discuss Speed Endurance when I cover Conditioning as they will be easier to explain both topics together, but thisis wha tyour speed training days will look like at the end of the summer:

Monday: Maximum Velocity (w/ Acceleration)
Tuesday:
Wednesday: Speed Endurance
Thursday:
Friday: Maximum Velocity (w /Acceleration)


The sport requirements and goals of the athlete will influence the workouts but those are some general recommendations.


Other Summer Training Speed Guidelines:
*Intensity 95-100%
*Distance of run 20-60 meters
*Rest interval approximately 1 minute rest for every 10 meters (this is what Charlie Francis recommends and it has worked amazing for our athletes)
*Number of reps/set 2-4
*Number of sets 2-4
*Total distance in set 80-160 meters
*Total distance in session 300 - 500 meters
*Rest at least 36-48 in between each speed session


Be on the look out for next week's continuation of Summer Training for Speed where I will give you more training modalities, concepts, exercises, drills and workouts perfect for this coming summer.


If you want even greater detail then this with structured workouts done for you, sample programs, descriptions and reasons behind why you perform each speed training exercise, here are the 2 top resources:

1) Complete Speed Training http://www.completespeedtraining.com)
2) North/South Football Speed (http://www.footballspeed.com/)