…tkaberna
Ouch… on thoughts #1 and #2
but no worries on #3 as she’s been involved in sports year round (or nearly) since she was in elementary school. She ran indoor & outdoor w/her high school (Jan-May) and then ran summer track (USATF/AAU) until August this year. She also cheers for football & basketball (which includes competitions) – where she cheers & tumbles. Fat she ain’t…
Her coaches philosophy is that lower body work is largely achieved through running & plyos (with the exception of previously mentioned calf work and squats). They feel a mileage base is essential for her success & to prevent injuries.
The focus on upper body weight training is they feel that the upper body is the first thing that breaks down in a race. The goals is for them to be able to “pump” their arms an entire race.
The strategy is for her to be able to run 3 miles in 23-26 minutes before the track season begins – feeling that if she can do this – she should be ready to run fast 300’s.
Overall – the coaches feel that this method of slowly building a base has been successful in preventing injuries and in the success of their sprinters and middle distance runners.
I realize there are many roads that lead to Rome – and each coach has a unique philosophy based on past experience, knowledge, etc.
Specifically – from a training science point of view – what are the concerns of this type of training protocol vs. that proposed by dbandre? In other words – “why” is one program likely to be more effective than the other?