Strength Training for Track and Field

TRACK AND FIELD FROM A STRENGTH

COACH’S PERSPECTIVE

The past is irretrievable, the present is incomplete, the future has already begun. Volkogonov.

Overview

Characteristics of each event for the strength and conditioning coach.

Strength and conditioning needs/tools of each event.

Training thoughts Challenges

Event Overview

Sprints Jumps Throws Endurance

SPRINTS/HURDLES

Sprints/Hurdles

Short sprinting events follow a pattern:React to the gunGet out of the blocksIncrease velocityAchieve maximum velocityMaintain maximum velocityAttempt to slow the least

Block Clearance Strong legs help

athletes get out of the blocks

However, when getting out of the blocks, the rear leg is exerting ~61% of the force that the front leg exerts (Coh et al 2009).

http://www.lollylegs.com/training/starting.aspx

2009 World Championships, 200m

0-50m 50-100m100-150m

150-200m

Time (s), Bolt 5.6 4.32 4.52 4.75

Time (s), avg 2-8 5.8 4.5 4.7 5.01

Velocity (m/s), Bolt 8.93 11.57 11.06 10.53Velocity (m/s), avg 2-8 8.57 11 10.56 9.97

110 meter hurdles

Take-off (Braking)

Take-Off (Propulsion)

Landing (Braking)

Landing (Propulsion)

Horiz. Vel. m/s 7.61 7.2 7.34 7.57

Vertical Vel. m/s

2.27

From Coh and Iskra (2012). Examining four hurdlers, mean 110m performance is 14.63 seconds.

Hurdlers are still achieving significant horizontal velocities.

Vertical velocity is also going to be a factor in their performance…

Short sprint considerations When clearing blocks, both legs don’t

exert equal force. One leg exerts force at a time when

sprinting. Exert force against the track. Horizontal velocity is important. Sprinting athletes are prone to

hamstring injuries.

Short Sprints, Training Considerations

Consideration Requires Tools

Block clearanceMaximal strength Squats, Deadlifts, RDLs, etc.

Power Olympic lifts, plyosOne-legged focus

Split Olympic lifts, one-leg Olympic lifts, split squats, lunges, one-leg RDLs, etc.

Exerting force against track

Maximal strength Squats, Deadlifts, RDLs, etc.Eccentric strength Pause/eccentric lifts, hip extension exercises

Power Olympic lifts, plyos

One-leg at a timeOne-legged focus

Split Olympic lifts, one-leg Olympic lifts, split squats, lunges, one-leg RDLs, etc.

What About the 400?

From Hanson and Gajer (2009). Looking at world class, national, and regional level male athletes.

400, Energy Systems

400m Hurdle 400m Flat

Best Time 55.69 52.04

Study Time 61.71 54.95

10 sec 57/43 62/38

20 sec 45/55 55/45

30 sec 43/57 55/45

40 sec 40/60 60/40

50 sec 40/60 60/40

From Zouhal et al (2010). Looking at six nationally ranked athletes. Splits represent anaerobic/aerobic contributions at each point in time.

400, Considerations

Same considerations as the short sprints without block clearance.

Hurdles and sprint may be different, though limitations to the study

If energy system information is correct, would require higher volume training than the short sprints.

Jumps

www.usatf.org

Long Jump

From www.britannica.com

Long Jump

High take-off speed is essential for good performance.

Minimize knee flexion at takeoff (Muraki et al 2005).

Long Jump

 Approach Speed (m/s)

Hor. Velocity at Takeoff (m/s)

Ver. Velocity at Takeoff

Female 1984 Olympics 8.6 8.1 2.8Male U.K. Long jumpers 9.95 8.55 3.37

From Hay et al (1985) and Graham-Smith and Lees (2005).

Triple Jump

From www.britannica.com

Triple Jump

Phases:Approach runHop: take off and land on same footStep: take off and land on different feetJump: take off from one foot and land on

both

Triple Jump

Phase Velocity Avg. Horizontal Force

Avg. Vertical Force

Last stride of run-up

10.2 m/s

Hop 9.4 m/s -0.5 3.2

Step 8.06 m/s -0.8 3.8

Jump 6.96 m/s -0.6 3.7

Forces and velocities during each phase of the triple jump, 1984 Olympic Games. From Hay and Miller (1985). Forces are in multiples of bodyweight.

Long and Triple Jump: In Common

Sprinting during the run up

Leg stiffness during take-off

Need for vertical force development

Sprinting Leg StiffnessVertical Force Development

Technique Bounds Vertical Jumps in Place

Acceleration Sprints Maximum Strength Maximum Strength

Max. Vel. Sprints Eccentric Strength Olympic Lifts/Variations

Resisted SprintingSplit/Single-Leg Olympic Lifts  

Stride Length Drills    Split-Style Olympic Lifts    

Long Jump and Triple Jump: Differences

Long Jump Triple Jump

Same leg is take-off leg

Different leg for hop/step and jump

One effort Three efforts

  More impact on lower body

Long Jump and Triple Jump: Differences

Long JumpSame leg is take-off leg Single-leg maximal strength

  Single-leg Olympic lifts

  Single-leg plyometrics

  One effort Low volume, high intensity

Triple JumpDifferent leg for Hop/step and jump

Single-leg maximal strength, train both legs

 Single-leg Olympic lifts, train both legs

 Single-leg plyometrics, train both legs

  Three effortsTraining hops, steps, and jumps separately and together

   Ability to maintain effort across three jumps

High Jump

Approach run Plant/takeoff Flight phase/bar clearance

High Jump Approach and Plant

Athlete achieves 6-8 m/sec on approach Last 4-5 steps use a curved approach Increasing stride frequency in the approach Horizontal velocity decreases as the

athlete begins the curved approach• Minimize knee flexion during the plant• Full body extension at toe-off

High Jump Flight Vertical velocity may

exceed 4 meters/second during the flight phase

www.benchallenger.com

High Jump Velocities

Hor. Vel. Touchdown (m/s)

Vert. Vel. Touchdown (m/s)

Hor. Vel. Takeoff (m/s)

Vert. Vel. Takeoff (m/s)

Male 2005 IAAF World Championships 7.78 0.33 4.31 4.3

Female, elite 6.13 0.27 4.57 3.41

From Antekolovic, et al (2006) and Isolehto et al (2007).

High Jump Tools

Phase Cue AddressingRun-Up Sprinting Technique

Acceleration SprintsMax. Vel. SprintsResisted SprintingStride Frequency DrillsSplit-Style Olympic Lifts

Plant Minimize knee flexion Single-leg maximal strengthSingle-leg eccentric strengthSingle-leg Olympic liftsSingle-leg plyometrics

Full body extension Squats/deadliftsOlympic liftsVertical plyometrics

Flight Vertical velocity Maximal strength trainingOlympic liftsVertical plyometrics

Pole Vault

Pole Vault Run-up phase obtains a large horizontal

velocity to prepare for the planting of the pole. But, the pole is a complication.

Take-off: Generate enough vertical impulse while minimizing loss in horizontal velocity.

Pole Vault Stats

Max Hor Vel Last Stride 9.44625Hor Vel at Touchdown 9.36625Hor Vel at Takeoff 7.66625Hor Vel at Pole Release 1.68125Ver Vel at Takeoff 2.81Max Ver Vel 5.0375

Velocities in m/s. Taken from Angulo-Kinzler et al (1994). Analyzing 1992 Olympic Games (men).

Pole Vault Tools

Phase Cue Addressing

Run-Up Sprinting Technique

Acceleration Sprints

Max. Vel. Sprints

Resisted Sprinting

Stride Frequency Drills

Split-Style Olympic Lifts

Plant Minimize knee flexion Single-leg maximal strengthSingle-leg eccentric strength

Single-leg Olympic lifts

Single-leg plyometrics

Review of JumpsMales Females

Long jump 10.25 9.41

Triple Jump 9.5 8.18

Pole Vault 8.6 7.41

Comparison of approach speed (last 5 meters in m/s) for top males and females in the 2002 European Championships. From Petrov (2004).

Strength Training Concerns: Sprints/Jumps Hypertrophy

Angle of pennationMoving with mass

Injury preventionHamstrings

Injury causation

THROWS

General Thoughts There are going to

be common themes between the events:Angle of releaseHeight of releaseVelocitySingle leg/levering

www.usatf.org

Discus The speed of the

discus at release is the single most important contributor to long throws.

Females may use more sophisticated technique than males, males may rely more on physical strength (Leigh et al 2008).

What Kind of Strength is Important? Karampatsos et al 2011:

Male throwersMean 49.64 meter throwsMean 1-RM Back Squat 252 kg, r=0.61

(n.s.)Mean 1-RM Incline Press 127.5kg, r=0.96

(p<0.01) between press and throw Perspective: How good are the

throwers?

Yu et al (2002)

Discus throwers at the 1998 camp at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (51.83-60.22 meter throwers).

The greater vertical and horizontal ground reaction forces, the greater distance on the discus.

Shot Put

Men Result (meters) Velocity (m/sec) Angle Height (m) Height (%)21.77 14.13 35 2.1 106

21.2 13.99 34 2.08 113.720.93 13.63 37 2.29 112.3

Women 20.19 13.33 36 2.34 119.419.74 13.31 39 1.93 107.219.09 13.1 36 1.93 110.9

2008 Indoor World Championships, shot put. From Gutierrez-Davila et al (2009).

HammerVariables MeanAge 25.8Height (m) 1.85Weight (kg) 116Body Fat 22.40%Hammer Throw (m) 72.171-RM Snatch (kg) 131.71-RM Clean (kg) 1651-RM Back Squat 245% Type II Muscle fibers 60.1% Type II Muscle Fiber CSA 66.10%Standing Broad Jump (m) 3.09

Information from six international-caliber male hammer throwers. Muscle information is from the vastus lateralis. From Terzis et al (2010).

Hammer Velocities

The hammer is moving at velocities of up to 24 meters/second during the turns (Rojas-Ruiz et al 2009) with a release velocity that can be even higher.

From Brice et al (2011).

Javelin

Men WomenJavelin Release Angle 38 42Hor. Vel. Javelin (m/s) 21.3 16.2Ver. Vel. Javelin (m/s) 17.1 14.55Hor. Vel. COG, Run (m/s) 5.19 5.41Hor. Vel. COG, Before final contact (m/s) 5.28 5.36Vert. Vel. COG, Release (m/s) 1.59 0.89

Top 5 Men and Women, 1984 Olympic Games. From Komi and Mero (1985).

Javelin Characteristics

Men WomenDistance (m) 86.11 66.6Javelin Release Angle 35.3 36.23Javelin Release Vel. (m/s) 29.3 25.6Hor. Vel. COG, Before Final Contact (m/s) 6.91 6.23

Top three finishers, men’s and women’s, 2009 IAAF World Championships. From Lehman (2010).

Throws: Commonalities Base level of total body strength required

for success, different for each event Once that base level of strength is

achieved, a need to learn How to use itHow to apply it to the event

For each throw, horizontal/vertical velocities and height/angle of release are all important. These velocities exceed what can be achieved with free weights.

Throws: Tools (Commonalities)

Total Body StrengthLower Body Strength Squats, deadlifts, hip extensionsUpper Body Strength Presses, rows

Using Strength/Application

Expressing Strength Quickly

Olympic lifts, speed lifts, pause/eccentric liftsPlyosThrows

LeveringEccentric Strength

Maximum strength development, eccentric lifts, pause lifts, plyos

Single-leg Strength Lunges, step-ups, split squatsSingle-leg Power

Plyos, split-style Oympic lifts, one-leg Olympic lifts

Throws: Event-Specific

Discuss: rotation, lever off one side, stretch

Shot: glide requires a push off one leg Hammer: shoulders, rotation Javelin: requires a run-up, lever off one

side

ENDURANCE EVENTS AND

STRENGTH TRAINING

Endurance: Benefits

Running economy Anaerobic threshold Velocity Leg stiffness

Endurance and Strength Training Paavolainen, et al (1999):

22 elite cross-country runners (maximal oxygen consumption ~64 ml/kg/min; 5K time ~18.25 minutes)

9 week study, 9 training sessions/week○ Explosive group: 32% training was 20-100 meter sprints,

plyos, and high velocity strength training○ Rest of training standard below/above lactate threshold runs○ Control group: 3% of training was explosive in nature

Results:○ 5K time decreased from ~18.5 min to ~18 min for Explosive,

no change for control○ Ground contact time, running economy, and maximal oxygen

consumption improved in explosive group, no change in control

Concerns for Endurance Athletes Takes time Skill component Joint wear and tear Hypertrophy and running Prejudices

TRAINING: PUTTING IT ALL

TOGETHER

Principles

Strength training needs to support track and field training

Strength training needs to complement track and field training

Strength training should be brief, focused, and effective

Strength and power should be trained year-round

Linking Training

1. Determine the most important focus for training

2. Set up the training for that

3. Determine the next-most important focus of training

4. Set up the training for that focus, make sure it syncs with the most important

Repeat steps 3 and 4 for each successive focus of training

Preparation Phase I: General Preparation Most important

component:

Track work Second most:

Strength training Third most:

Plyometrics Fourth most:

Everything else

Preparation I (GP) AccelerationMaximum VelocitySpeed EnduranceMaximal StrengthPower

Hypertrophy

1x/week1x/week1x/week1x/week2x/week (1 wt, 1 plyo)1x/week

Speed TrainingDay of the Week

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Track Training Emphasis

Acceleration:Falling / Standing / Crouching Starts, 3x10-20 meters each

Recovery Maximum Velocity:Standing Starts, 3-5x60 meters

Recovery Speed Endurance:4x150 meters

Biomotor Ability/Energy System

Speed/ Strength/ Phosphagen

Endurance Speed/ Power/ Phosphagen

Rest Endurance / Glycolytic

Adding Strength TrainingDay of the Week Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Track Training Emphasis Acceleration:Falling / Standing / Crouching Starts, 3x10-20 meters each

Recovery Maximum Velocity:Standing Starts, 3-5x60 meters

Recovery Speed Endurance:4x150 meters

Biomotor Ability/Energy System

Speed/ Strength/ Phosphagen

Endurance Speed/ Power/ Phosphagen

Rest Endurance / Glycolytic

Strength Training Emphasis Maximal Strength:Back Squats, 3x6-10x80-90%RDLs, 3x6-10Bench Press, 3x6-10x80-90%Bent Over Rows, 3x6-10Military Press, 3x6-10

Power Clean, h, AK, 3x3x60%Clean Pulls, h, K, 3x3x60%Push Jerk, 3x3x60%

Upper/Lower Body Weight Circuit, 3x8-12 reps

Adding PlyometricsDay of the Week

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Track Training Emphasis

Acceleration:Falling / Standing / Crouching Starts, 3x10-20 meters each

Recovery Maximum Velocity:Standing Starts, 3-5x60 meters

Recovery Speed Endurance:4x150 meters

Biomotor Ability/Energy System

Speed/ Strength/ Phosphagen

Endurance Speed/ Power/ Phosphagen

Rest Endurance / Glycolytic

Strength Training Emphasis

Maximal Strength:Back Squats, 3x6-10x80-90%RDLs, 3x6-10Bench Press, 3x6-10x80-90%Bent Over Rows, 3x6-10Military Press, 3x6-10

Power Clean, h, AK, 3x3x60%Clean Pulls, h, K, 3x3x60%Push Jerk, 3x3x60%

Upper/Lower Body Weight Circuit, 3x8-12 reps

Plyometric Emphasis

Standing long jump, 3x10Hurdle hops, 3x5 yards

CM Jump, 3x10Jump to box, 3x10

Steps for Organizing Training

Identify the competitions Organize the year around the

competitions Plan the concept Plan the details

Challenges

Most strength and conditioning coaches come from specific athletic backgrounds

Usually team sports with lots of contact Requires education about the events,

needs, and what kinds of motivational approaches work with athletes.

Training should help to improve track and field performance, not training.

[email protected]