Elitetrack: Sport Training & Conditioning

I train for the 100/200m.  With family commitments my training is sometimes a shotgun aprroach.  Sprint resistance, sprint training, overspeed and endurance training.  Do it all on one day and hope something sticks.  It can take 2 to 3 days to recover in order to feel good again.  What do you other "mature" guys find on recovery time. 
I hope to use alot of what I have learned on this forum to design a better traing program.

bingo…your hamstring tendon? Overspeed tears up the insertion area and has screwed my athletes career thanks to a coach that has no clue what he is doing.

Although I don't train for strength events, I find that my recovery for longer events takes about twice as long as it used to 20 years ago.  Therefore, I have two choices, either reduce the workload so I can run workouts more frequently or increase the time between workouts to 3 days.  My preference is to reduce the workload.  I find that going 90-95% instead of all-out leaves me with fewer injuries and a structured routine (which I like).

Despite my lack of a comprehensive training program, something I'm working on thru what I'm learning here, I too have found it takes 2 - 3 days after a strenuous round of intervals.  I used to use a "shotgun" approach and try to work on all aspects sprinting on one day.  I'm currently injured (calf pull) and hope to do as you have done - cut back the work load.  When people find out that I'm a sprinter they tend to say "wow, your old to be sprinting.  My take on it is "I'm not old - I'm getting older, everyone is…  You just need to learn how to adjust your training and listen to your body.  Something I still working on.  Good Luck - "Keep on Tracking"

“bingo…your hamstring tendon? Overspeed tears up the insertion area and has screwed my athletes career thanks to a coach that has no clue what he is doing.“

Re the above, I’m a 33 yr old triple jumper who did most of his training throughout the winter in the gym but with the season approaching upped my track work considerably. I then noticed after sprint sessions pain in my left hamstring/buttock area, right at the top of the leg which hurt when I “drove” off it - ie sprinting.  I’ve seen a physio and although difficult to isolate exactly where it hurts, he thinks I’ve pulled the tendon at the top of the hamstring. It’s taking an age to heal and very difficult to massage etc. Is this what you were referring to in the quote above and how long do you think before it heals and am going to be able to sprint??

:splat::smug:

what was the overspeed mistake(s) that was made Phoenix?

I don’t want to speak for Carl but overspeed training tends to force the touchdown point further in front of the athlete’s center of mass than in normal or resisted strinting. This can easily lead to hamstring injuries because of the combination of increased load and increased stretch on the hamstring.

reduce workload & intensity, increase recovery methods

massage
hol/cold contrast baths
icing injury prone ares
sleeping by 10pm    see huge gains just by sleeping earlier not later
reducing mental, enviromental stresses (alcohol), (sun), (smog)
soft tissue work
pool tempo jogs
periodised program

anyone got any others?

In addition to the above:
*Proper footware
*Nutrition
*Supplementation
*Choosing the most appropriate surfaces for a given workout

Nice question.

I think recovery is one of the most neglected aspects of training.

For us normally guys.  People who have work, family and other committments and don't have the money to massage every session.

I don't think you necessarily need to reduce intensity although the volume will have to be reduced.

The cool down after training is important.

After training session My cooldown, this includes recovery recovery methods, takes 2 hours.

Would if a tempo session 20 minutes at track, at home upto 60 minutes stretch specific ice massage or massaging (tended to be shins or plantar fascitis) and than relaxing bath or shower for about 15-20 minutes.  My approach to this was more mental

After a speed session it would be similar on track, home and stretch if not a super intense session or yoga, ice massage insertion points of hamstring etc…  Hot and cold shower for 15 minutes.  Before I went to bed (being single I could do this) some heat cream on insertion points.

NOt sure if others agree but it worked for me.

Someone mention pool work.  I only ran 3 times a week.  2 speed and 1 tempo.

Do weights the same day as your intense track sessions.

Just some things I have done.

Here are some of the things I do.

Take a walk

Elevate my legs

Dynamic and Static Stretches.

I hurt my hamstring last year when I went sprinting without warming up properly (most likely cause anyway - might have been other factors too; whatever).  I was limping for a couple of days, lost range of motion and could barely walk let alone run.

First big shock: it takes ages to heal.  I'm 8 months down the road, and I have just resumed outside sprinting (I did treadmill work only since June, with one brief period outside that caused a regression).  It's still not fully healed either, as it reminds me it's there every now and then.  I don't know if this will always be the case (as I fear), or whether, with time, it will become fully healed without any "reminders of existence" (I wouldn't call it pain, an occasional discomfort - usually when I sit down for a while).

One thing that has helped me enormously is a new stretching routine for the lower body.  I got it from a couple of really good strength conditioning coaches (Mike Roberstson and Eric Cressy) - they have a DVD called Magnificent Mobility.  It ain't cheap at $50, but I swear it's helped me a lot.  The focus is on lower body flexibility.  I used to do a load of static stretches and even some "ballistic" stretches (didn't really know what I was doing, and obviously didn't learn from articles…I had to see them on a screen before I finally worked out how to do it "more properly").

I also do Epsom salts bath after a hard leg-workout (GH raises and all that) and/or sprinting.  No idea if it helps, but it's easy to do.   Touch-wood, things have gone well for me - I am able to resume outside sprints 1-2 times/week with no problems, which I'm very happy about.

WiZ

mike - 07 June 2005 09:59 PM

I don't want to speak for Carl but overspeed training tends to force the touchdown point further in front of the athlete's center of mass than in normal or resisted strinting. This can easily lead to hamstring injuries because of the combination of increased load and increased stretch on the hamstring.

i think only if the athlete is not strong enough to handle the load..

Wiz,
Have you had that hammie looked at? 8 months is a loooong time.
a couple of other suggestions to help are a foam roller (Cress & Mike wrote an article a t-rag about them) and contrast showers 3 min hot, 1 min cold repeat 3 times.

Hi again John:

I did go to see a local sports-chiro, who has a very good local reputation.  I left more than disappointed though - he said "stop running", and offered no alternative.  Given that I had actually made progress by running in a controlled way (treadmill), I was not prepared to throw in the towel that lightly.  I continued running, but kept the intensity always below my 100% - running a treadmill makes that easy, even on an incline (I was doing multiple sets of 10mph sprints, 10% incline in the end).  My hamstring always let me know it had worked, but it felt like it was getting better albeit slowly.

I tried a foam roller for a while (I read the Cressy/Robertson article a long time ago - thanks for the tip though!).  It didn't seem to do anything for me.  Never tried the contrast showers though - I will give them a go if I feel my progress stops.

My hamstring seems to be very good now - discomfort is virtually non existant, and yet I work it hard in terms of strength-training (deads, GH, RDL's etc.), and now with my outdoors all-out sprints again.  But it is definitely not its former-self, as it can still remind me to this day that it was once "hurt" by/during overzealous and/or ill-prepared exercise.

I keep a close eye on it after every workout (sprints) and look for signs of regression or progression.  It's a tough balance - I want to sprint, but I certainly don't want to do irreversible harm (or more than I already may have done).

WiZ

Have you tried ART? I hear it is pretty good.