Elitetrack: Sport Training & Conditioning

My senior year of college (2005) I was a very competitive DIII sprinter.  Since then I have re-adjusted my priorities and put various responsibilities ahead of running(graduating, getting my masters, teaching, coaching...).  I never assumed it would take 3 years before I seriously got back into it, but here I am.  I turn 25 in May and as far as I know male sprinters peak 25-27 (if i’m wrong and its younger don’t tell me...)

I am now coaching sprinters and jumpers (about 10-12 athletes) at a DIII school and becoming a personal trainer.  I’m pretty busy, but have found a decent amount of time to train.  I really want to stick to it this time, so I figure making one of these journals will help me stick to it and maybe help me get some input that will help with my training.

As of last monday (the day my training actually started), I had gained 20 LBS(up to 165 from 145), my body fat is up from about 7 to about 13, and my lifting is frankly depressing. 

I started somewhat randomly last week.  It wasn’t planned out for a peak or competition or anything, i just got fed up with not being in shape.

I plan on just doing the hundred and the deuce at first, and I’d like to get back into jumping(haven’t done it seriously since high school).  In college the 400 was arguably my best event, but I won’t lie, i’m too much of a bitch to do that right now.  I’ve decided not to set any goals time wise until I see what I can do.

Wish me luck!

Week one looked like this

Monday (4/3/08):
Hills (about a 7 degree paved incline) 4x20meters, 4x30 meters, 4x40 meters (1min-1.5min rest between reps, 4 min rest between sets)

Lifting: 4x5 jump shrug, 5x5 box squats(got up to like 225...quite depressing), 3x12 seated good mornings, 3x15 back extensions

Tuesday (4/4):
Tempo: 16 x 100...would have done more, but I was on basically an 85 meter circle track, somewhat hard surface.  I’ll never do tempo there again, it was a night mare.

2xAb circuit (20 seconds on 20 seconds off for about 7 minutes...4 minutes between circuits)

Wednesday (3/5)
Same as monday on the hills...I would have switched it up, but I had to do the workout with one of my athletes who couldn’t make the regular practice time

Lifting
4x5 one arm snatch, 5x5 bench, 3x10-12 incline bench, 3x10 seated rows, 3x15 pull ups (20 is probably my max right now), 4x10 lat pull downs

Thursday (3/6)
I did my Tempo warm up (about 1200 yards of various med ball throws and jogging after the ball, then a new athlete was introduced to me and I was asked to walk him through the sprinting warmup, so I did that.  I didn’t get much of a tempo workout in after that.

2xAb circuit

Friday through Sunday I was in Ithica at the high school state meet

Monday 3/10/08

Hills
4x20, 4x30, 4x40....1min rest between reps, 4min reps between sets

was going to do some med ball throws, but I had an athlete that needed to do a workout so I was pressed for time

Lifting
4x5 hang cleans
3 box jumps, tested my vertical (28 inches)
4x5 box squats
walking lunges 3x10 each leg
3x10 RDL
was going to do glute ham raises, but i kept cramping up

I would not worry about speed work or any type of explosive lifting right now. You have 20 lbs./7% bf to lose. You need to create a plan which is going to have you drop that weight fassssttt. This should be done through diet, some type of high volume lifting program (German Body Comp., and Escalating Density Training are 2 that come 2 mind that I have used with clients with alot of sucess) and a shitload of tempo work. When you are down in excess of 10 pounds then you may want to start getting into some more specific training means. Right now all you’re doing is weighted sprints which may cause injury and taking away from what you really need to accomplish to get back on the right track. On another note you vertical is not that bad for a 20 pound weight increase. What was it before? Keep track of that number as it should increase every 2 weeks as you continue to lose weight which will be enabling your relative strength to improve.

Quik - I think the German Body comp has the right idea. EDT looks more like body builder type lifting, but if you had success with it, perhaps my ideas on it are misconstrued.

Benny - I have a workout I am doing with an athlete on tempo days in addition to everything else that could fit in with your schedule. PM me if you want to take a look.

Good to have a “Quik” sighting… How you been?

QUIKAZHELL - 11 March 2008 10:53 AM

I would not worry about speed work or any type of explosive lifting right now. You have 20 lbs./7% bf to lose. You need to create a plan which is going to have you drop that weight fassssttt. This should be done through diet, some type of high volume lifting program (German Body Comp., and Escalating Density Training are 2 that come 2 mind that I have used with clients with alot of sucess) and a shitload of tempo work. When you are down in excess of 10 pounds then you may want to start getting into some more specific training means. Right now all you’re doing is weighted sprints which may cause injury and taking away from what you really need to accomplish to get back on the right track. On another note you vertical is not that bad for a 20 pound weight increase. What was it before? Keep track of that number as it should increase every 2 weeks as you continue to lose weight which will be enabling your relative strength to improve.

I should clarify.  When we competed I was usually in the 150-155 range.  I got down to 145 for a little while during indoor 05 (around the time of BU through SUNYACs...) I agree though, I need to drop a lot of this weight.  I’ve already altered my diet somewhat, and I plan on getting in 4ish tempo workouts a week for the first month or so.

As far as the hills, I don’t think of them as the type of speed work that would make me worry about injuring myself.  Because of the incline and short rest (about a minute between reps) there is no way I’m over 85% max speed.

Yesterday was actually the only time I’ve ever tested my vertical.  Mike tested it once or twice, but either he didn’t tell me or I forgot.  As for the height, I won’t lie, sitting on my ass has done wonders for my elasticity.  I feel more springy than I ever have.  Bounding was never a strong suit of mine and I can easily out bound my 40+foot tripple jumper now.  I’m thinking of eventually testing my RRLL just for fun.

I have no Idea what I’m going to do with my lifting yet.  For now I want to do what the SSC guy here is having my athletes do, because frankly I think they are doing to much and I want to feel out the workouts to see if I should modify their sprinting to avoid injury.  Thanks for the info though, I’ll probably google that German body comp thing, it sounds like what I need right now.  Do you happen to know if it is similar to the east german stuff that Mike uses?

Chad Williams - 11 March 2008 02:20 PM

Quik - I think the German Body comp has the right idea. EDT looks more like body builder type lifting, but if you had success with it, perhaps my ideas on it are misconstrued.

Benny - I have a workout I am doing with an athlete on tempo days in addition to everything else that could fit in with your schedule. PM me if you want to take a look.

I’ll deff PM you.  The facilities I sometimes have to work with are such crap, I’m always looking for alternative tempo workouts.

Tuesday 3/11/08

Had to get up at 4 today for work, only slept a few hours, so today’s workout sucked a little

Med Ball Warmup (1200-1600 meters of various med ball throws followed by chasing the ball)
Hurdle Mobility
16x100 tempo.  No abs, no circuit, no med ball....I’ll make up for it thursday.

Nothing today, too busy.  Hills or IT tomorrow.