Elitetrack: Sport Training & Conditioning

Hi,
I'm a high school long jumper looking to have a breakout year this season. Last season all our older LJ's graduated, and i was the only one who knew how to do it. My PR was 17'4. I did some training, switched my steps, and got a little faster, so by the last meet of the year I jumped 19'5. I was happy with this improvement, but not satisfied. Over the summer I worked hard to improve my speed and my vertical (which I did). I'm wondering what I need to do these last few months leading up to the season to improve even more.

Not knowing exactly what you feel are your 'weak' points, I am going to give you the brief synopsis of what you should focus on to make yourself a better jumper…(if you'd like to get more in depth with your personal training we could do that too).  These aspects might sound familiar to you but they are critical so keep pushing them in practice.

Focus on mastering your approach first and foremost.  It sounds like 'changing your steps' has helped you and by getting faster you've become a better jumper.  Keep working on your speed but at the same time don't lose sight of your sprint mechanics such as stride length and stride rate, as well as the tempo of your approach.  Simply put, master 'How' you get down the runway…not just 'How Fast'.  Remember, if you can't control your speed at the board you will not see the end result you're looking for.

Off the track, stay in the weight room and keep working hard.  Concentrate on your full squats and if OL's are not in your weekly routine, try to make them a part of it now.  If you have a coach who can work with you, more power to you.  (You may already perform cleans, snatches, etc. in your workouts).

It sounds like you'll be going into the season in good shape…I find that is half the battle for h.s. athletes in track & field, as many who aren't too dedicated sit around in the winter and do much of nothing. 

Welcome to the board 'Who got em'

Thank you…i'm glad to be here.

I learned at the end of the season last year it's hard to jump when ur at a full sprint. Optimal speed rather than full speed.

My workout isn't much right now. I have a new coach who doens't believe in working with the field eventers right now. Could you give me a good weekly work out i can do by myself until the outdoor season starts? I'd really appreciate it.

That's too bad to hear about your coach's stance on the field events.  Why don't you email me (or post) what you'd like specifically as far as workouts are concerned.

Well right now I work out 4 days a week. Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday with my team, and on Wednesdays with the girls team (they have a real good coach). I do alot of plyometrics with teh girls coach so thats my usually wed. practice and thursday we usually do sprints. The other two days we usually just lift. So i'd like to know some lifts I could do, and anything else you could recommend that you think could be beneficial.

'Who' -

Looking at your set-up, I'd think about a Mon.-Wed.-Fri. weekly plan where you would perform high demand CNS exercises (this is where your plyos would fit in) with some lighter general conditioning on Tues.-Thurs.  I would stick with 1-2 days of plyo work (sounds like wed. is already a heavier plyo day for you so that's fine) with one of those days being more moderate.  Perform your plyos before your lifting on these days.

Lifts I would perform without hesitation are:  Back Squats (full), Power Cleans, Snatches, Hang Cleans.  The latter 3 are olympic lifts(OL) or variations of.  They are critical for power development in jumpers.  Do these types of lifts on your heavy days (M-W), again performing plyos prior to them.  Upper body exercises on these days should consist of some type of pressing movement (flat bench, incline, mil. overhead, push press) as well.  Everything else could be considered 'auxiliary' or 'complimentary'.  You can choose a couple other exercises to perform here.

If you go with this plan of lifting heavy on M-W-F, reserve T-TR for general strength circuit type work.  On the messageboard you can find many different ideas for circuit training…check it out.  If you don't do it already, I would begin working with med balls 1-2 days a week as this training is excellent for core strength and general fitness.  Med balls can be a great compliment to the circuit training on these days.  Look up med balls on the messageboard as well and you will find some great stuff.

Putting it together for you this would look like:

MON.- Plyos
      Squat, Clean, Press lifts

TUES.-Med Balls
      Circuit Training lifts

WED.-Plyos (heavier if you wish)
      Squat, Clean, Press lifts

THUR.-Med Balls
      Circuit Training lifts

FRI. - This day could be a recovery day for you if you'd like to
      perform another high CNS day (similar to M-W) on Saturday.

When involved with the OL's, make sure you have a coach who is knowledgable/certified to teach you these lifts, as they are highly technical and can be dangerous if not performed correctly.  The back squats are irreplaceable and should be a part of any jumpers workout, 2 days a week in my opinion (sometimes 3 depending on the training period).

Also, if you don't already, get a good training partner you can work hard with….this can be invaluable as you might know.  If you need anything else just drop a line…but like I said before, browse the messageboard and you'll also find some fantastic stuff regarding training!  Take care and I hope this will help you get started.