100m athlete training program

Maximal velocity is trained in a similar manner to acceleration, with speed capacity workouts taking place earlier in the year which transition into speed development over time. In addition to track workouts for speed, sprinters will perform plyometric training and high velocity strength training in an effort to improve their force production capabilities.

Most importantly, though, is maximal velocity sprint training performed at the track. Achieving high velocities when sprinting is not easy, and the challenge of attaining high speeds becomes greater as velocities increase. It is relatively harder for an athlete to go from Because of this, athletes need to look at speed development from a long term, incremental improvement standpoint rather than a rapid process that happens in a matter of months.

As is the case with acceleration, speed training that takes place earlier in the year will be in the form of speed capacity training, which utilizes shorter rest periods and number of repetitions to challenge the athlete's work capacity over distances which are typically used for speed development. Once the athlete has developed this work capacity and ability to recover between sprints, the focus shifts toward speed development.

Speed development workouts, also know as speed training or maximal velocity training, are performed over meters depending on the athlete's capabilities at maximal intensity, using full or near-full recovery periods between sprints. An example of a speed capacity workout that occur earlier in the year would consist of something like this:.

For maximal velocity, the exercises used in the gym should be tailored toward developing the body's ability to strike the ground, absorb and produce large vertical forces, and to exhibit high levels of vertical stiffness such as during the catch of a power clean or ground contact of a depth jump. Sprinters training for speed in the gym should consider how long it takes to produce force in a given exercise, what velocities the weights or athlete's body are moving, as well as the direction of force application.

A speed training gym session for sprinters can look like:. Last but not least, the last area of sprint specific training that needs to be discussed regarding the meter dash is that of speed endurance training. Typically at the end of a m race, it looks like the leaders are accelerating away from the field. In reality, they are decelerating and a less rapid pace, while those who look like they're falling back are decelerating at a higher rate.

Speed endurance training is used to develop the skill and capabilities needed to maintain speed, as well as for training to resist this deceleration. Speed endurance may be more or less of an important factor depending on the specific athlete, but ultimately all sprinters will need to train for speed endurance if they want to run fast over meters. As with anything sprinting related, speed endurance requires both the physiological capabilities to sprint fast over long durations, as well as the skill of maintaining proper technique and posture.

An athlete may have exemplary physical endurance qualities in the gym but lack the transfer to sprinting, as they do not have the sprinting skill to maintain their speed. Similarly, a highly skilled short sprinter may lack the physiological abilities that are fundamental to sprinting over long distances at high velocities.

Because of this, training for speed endurance needs to incorporate both physical and mental qualities, giving athletes cues to help as well as exposure to the workloads which stimulate the body's recovery mechanisms. Speed endurance training for meter dash sprinters can be broken down into two primary categories: short speed endurance and long speed endurance.

In general, the sprinter should progress from shorter to longer speed endurance workouts throughout the year, but can also blend distances together into a single workout from time to time.

A long speed endurance workout that is used just prior to the competitive season could consist of the following:.

There of course a few of the speakers I keep coming back to, Chris Korfist being one of them, he owns Slow Guy Speed School and definitely worth a look at what he does for sprint workouts. Of course id be amiss to ignore one of my personal biggest influences, the work undertaken by Mike Hurst KK with the concurrent philosophy that really changed the way I think about training, especially the m. Anyway, as a way of keeping myself on the straight and narrow, here is the training phase I have just completed.

My next block which takes me to New Years, is a focus on Top Speed improvement, so take a look at my sprint workouts. I shall keep you update with training plans throughout the year as I aim to win the indoor title, as I did outdoor!

Above workouts require solid running mechanics. In order to maintain good running mechanics, we do track drills to develop efficient running form. Watch the videos on the Running Drills page and practice proper running techniques and mechanics. Disclaimer: Athletes view and use the above workouts at their own risk, and these sample programs are provided for entertainment purposes only.