Plyometrics

Yesterday I took a look at the standing long jump. According to the work of Dr. Anatoliy Bondarchuk, no positive relationship between standing long jump performance and 100m performance can be found in elite sprinters.

If you check out my post on the standing long jump you will see why I still make a case for the inclusion of this exercise in the training programmes of speed based athletes.

It is also interesting to note that there is actually a positive relationship between performance levels in the two activities amongst lower level athletes (even though this relationship breaks down amongst elite athletes). With this in mind, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at some real life examples.

In Britain, during the winter months, young athletes compete in a type of track & field known as sportshall athletics. One of the events included in sportshall athletics is the standing long jump. I have taken the results from the 2009 UK final in the under 15 boys standing long jump. Every athlete from this event who has a 100m time to their name from the 2009 outdoor track & field season has been included in the list below.

Their definately apprears to be a positive relationship between standing long jump ability and 100m sprint performance in these young athletes. It does not appear to be a very strong relationship though. If this data was subjected to the appropriate statistical analysis I have strong doubts as to whether the correlation between the two activities would prove to be significant.

Athlete - SLJ(m) - 100m(s)
C. Smith - 2.82 - 10.91
T. Johnson - 2.66 - 11.7
A. Lawal - 2.53 - 11.9
M. Chambers - 2.50 - 11.67
J. Weir - 2.50 - 12.0
J. Oyedele - 2.45 - 12.5
J. Ingham - 2.40 - 12.14
R. Newton - 2.38 - 11.50
N. Facey - 2.38 - 12.0
B. Free - 2.38 - 11.9
C. Hanson - 2.38 - 12.6
A. Aldridge - 2.36 - 11.5
J. Randall - 2.32 - 11.78
D. Howells - 2.32 - 12.3
K. Afolabi - 2.30 - 11.4
C. Edwards - 2.28 - 11.9
T. Bridge - 2.24 - 13.21
W. Davies - 1.84 - 12.0

So what does all this tell us?

I can now confidently state that the standing long jump should definately NOT be used as a stand alone test to predict sprinting performance. It could possibly be used to monitor the effectiveness of training programmes, but only as part of a comprehensive and well thought out battery of other tests.

The standing long jump may well be useful plyometric training for the speed based athlete. In particular it will be of use when introducing athletes to plyometric type training as it is of lower intensity than more traditional plyometric exercises.

Take a look at Linford Christie plyometric training for examples of higher intensity exercises that athletes would progress towards.

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Jump Far, Sprint Fast: Could it be that simple?

I recently noticed a particular question asked by an individual on the forum of Nigel Lewis' long jump site. The questioned, posed by a 100m sprinter, was relating to the use of the standing long jump. The athlete wanted to know what sort of distance he should be aiming for in this exercise.

A quick look through the book 'Transfer of Training in Sports' by Dr. Anatoliy Bondarchuk resulted in me finding a table of 'Model Characteristics of Speed-Strength Preparation of 100m Runners'. From this table it appears that the following standing long jump performances are characteristic of specific levels of 100m performance:

Standing Long Jump Perfromance (Correlating 100m performance)
3.10-3.30 (10.00-10.20)
3.00-3.20 (10.20-10.40)
2.90-3.10 (10.40-10.60)
2.80-3.00 (10.60-10.80)
2.70-2.90 (10.80-11.00)

It would appear that an athlete targetting a sub 10 second performance in the 100 metre sprint would require the ability to achieve an absolute minimum on 3.10 metres in the standing long jump.

However, the work of Bondarchuk has also shown that a positive interrelationship between performance levels in the two activites of standing long jump and 100m sprinting only exists in lower level athletes.

There will still be a strong positive correlation between 100m and standing long jump performance in a heterogenous (widely varying levels of ability) group of athletes. But if you take a group of closely matched elite sprinters, there will be no relationship whatsoever between their performance level in the 100m and the standing long jump. In contrast, if you take a group of closely matched lower level athletes, say 11.10-11.40 second sprinters, there will be a positive relationship between standing long jump performance and sprinting performance within this group.

Does this mean that once an athlete reaches a certain standard they should no longer worry about developing their standing long jump ability? Not so fast.

We have established that standing long jump performance does not directly explain differences in 100m sprint performance amongst elite athletes. However, there will be other exercises in which there exists a positive relationship between performance level in the activity and 100m sprint performance. In turn, it may well be that performance in this activity is related to performance level in the standing long jump. In such a situation the standing long jump would be an indirect method of improving sprinting speed in elite athletes.

As you can probably see, it would be possible to develop a hierarchy of exercises in this way, and the next question would be which other exercises have the strongest positive relationship with the standing long jump exercise.

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Stuart McGill: Core Training

Following on from yesterdays thoughts on Stuart McGills comments on training, I have found an interesting video with Professor McGill. In this video McGill provides demonstrations of recommended exercises for training the ''core''.

I too would not recommend crunches as a suitable exercise for athletes to be performing and so it is interesting to see what alternatives McGill suggests for training the mid-section.

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Stuart McGill

I have just been reading through the latest issue of Athletics Weekly, and came across a great interview with Stuart McGill. McGill is the worlds leading expert on spine biomechanics.

In this interview there was one particular point made that was extremely timely considering yesterdays post on training hip flexion and hip extension simultaneously.

McGill stated that explosive hip flexion training plays an important role in developing sprinting speed, but is also very hard on the back. This sentiment supports my thoughts on the exercises presented by Bret Contreras in yesterdays blog post. The activation of the latissimus Dorsi during hip fexion/extension movements will allow for greater hip stability during such exercises. This is a positive move when it comes to minimising the risk of injury.

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Bret Contreras

Bret Contreras just put up an interesting piece on his blog discussing simultaneous hip extension and hip flexion. The video below shows the exercises Bret came up with to train hip extension simultaneously with hip extension on the opposing side.

The exercises have been adapted from the work of Mel Siff and Yuriy Verkhoshansky. I particularly like the look of the first exercise as it would appear to require a co-contraction of the lats along with the glutes.



You can check out Brets blog post here, and I would also strongly recommend you also read this Bret Contreras Interview which is very insightlful.

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Sanya Richards

Sanya Richards, the current world 400m champion, began the session in the video with two repetitions of 200m each in 30 seconds with 30 seconds recovery. Coach Clyde Hart made the point that this type of work develops an athletes oxygen uptake ability. Whilst I would agree that this type of work to rest ratio is excellent for developing aerobic capacity, I would suggest rather more than two repetitions would be required to acheive this kind of training effect. Perhaps such a small amount of short recovery work was being used merely as maintainance work for the aerobic system.


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The hill sprints Richards performed at the end of the workout should be considered as a form of resisted sprint training. The hill was not very steep, which allowed her to perform her repetitions without a significant alteration in running technique.

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Carolina Kluft Plyometrics

Here is a taste of what it takes to become the Olympic Heptathlon Champion.

The plyometric drills Kluft was performing are very similar to those shown in the Linford Christie plyometric workout that I posted previously.


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What I would like to look at today is the way in which Klufts workout was structured. Clearly a whole number of different elements will need to included in a heptathletes training session. In order to achieve the maximum benefit from the training session it is important carefully consider the order in which the different training elements are performed.

Following the warm-up Carolina Kluft first performed some high jump work. This can be classed as technical training. It is usually advisable to perform technical work early on in the training session before the athlete is carrying any fatigue.

The next element of training was the plyometric drills and then the final element was a 600m time trial. This training session clearly shows a pattern of moving from the least fatiguing element of training being performed first to the most fatiguing element of training being performed last.

It would have been counterproductive to have performed the 600m time trial before the plyometrics since it would have reduced her force production capability and increased ground contact times during the jumps. In contrast, very little fatigue will have been carried over from the jumps into the 600m time trial.

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Dan Pfaff

Here is a great insight on training from Dan Pfaff. There is a tendancy to focus on the short term in training and competition. Indeed, on this blog there is a strong emphasis which exercises are the best to use. Whilst this is important, it is not the complete picture. We must not forget to look at how various exercises and different elements of training are to be put together in a long term plan.

For this reason, todays video is quite refreshing. The interview touches on how to plan a training programme and the take home point is to work backwards from the date of the goal competition.


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Of course, the nature of planning in track and field will be different to most team sports. This is because a track athlete is likely to target a single competition in which he will aim to acheive a peak performance. In contrast, most team sports require a consistently high level of performance to maintained for the duration of the season. Achieving a single peak at a particular competition would be unlikely to significantly contribute to the success of the team.

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Medicine Ball Exercise

The other day I showed a video of Latif Thomas explaining the importance of acheiving triple extension during ground contact (or whilst still in contact with the starting blocks) during the beginning of a sprint.

Olympic Weightlifting is a great way to develop a forceful triple extension of the hip, knee and ankle joints. As discussed in my post on triple extension, there are other ways of loading up this movement pattern as well.

There are a whole host of reasons why a coach may decide not to use the Olympic Lifts with his athletes. If you decide that Olympic Lifting is not appropriate in your circumstances, but you still want to develop a strong triple extension in your athletes, give this simple medicine ball exercise a try.



Another advantage of this exercise is that, because the jump transitions straight into a sprint, all of your athletes will buy into it. They are likely to (straight away) see how it will benefit their performance.

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Tommy Kono Weightlifting

In the second part of this Tommy Kono lecture on Olympic Lifting there is a greater emphasis on the second part of the snatch (dropping down into the catch position). However, the emphasis still remains on the importance of keeping the bar close to the body.



Another point made was that it is acceptable to adjust the position of the feet prior to dropping into the catch position. If an athlete is struggling to acheive sufficient depth in the catch position, then a slight repositioning of the feet will help with acheiving greater depth.

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Tommy Kono

Yesterday I stated that the Olympic Lifts are may favourite way of training for a strong triple extension of the hip, knee and ankle joints. So for today I have a detailed instructional video in one of these lifts, the Snatch.

The coach in this video is Tommy Kono, a World and Olympic Weightlifting Champion and coach in three Olympic Games.

Here are a few of the key points Tommy makes in the video:

1) In the starting position the shoulders should be higher than the hips and the hips should be higher than the knees.

2) Shoulders stay over the bar until the knees are almost straight.

3) The bar should remain close to the body throughout the lift.



Tommy also made a good point about why we need a strong back arch throughout the lift. Once the legs are almost fully extended (at the end of the first pull from the ground) the hamstrings are placed under a stretch. This stretch will result in the subsequent hip extension being more forceful. However, if the lifter starts to round the back the hamstrings will no longer be placed under such a great stretch and less force will be generated. The overall performance in the lift will suffer, as will the training effect.

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Triple Extension

In the video below Latif makes the point that the key factor in covering the first 10 metres of a sprint in less strides is acheiving triple extension out of the blocks.

My favourite means of training triple extension is the use of the olympic lifts, but as Latif points out, there are alternatives out there.



The main point I want to look at today is, why is it so important to acheive triple extension out of the blocks (or when coming out of a three point start)? We know that most elite sprinters do not acheive full triple extension during the ground contact phase at maximum speed. So why would they need to at the beginning of the sprint?

Well, the main difference to consider is the ground contact times. When sprinting at maximum speed the ground contact time will be less than 0.1 seconds in elite sprinters. In contrast these sprinters will have ground contact times of around 0.2 seconds during the acceleration phase. The time spent in contact with the blocks when driving out at the start will be longer still.

This means means that early on in the sprint there is more time available to develop full triple extension. The intention to acheive full triple extension during maximum speed sprinting is still high, but there is insufficient time on contact with ground for it to happen.

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Dynamic Mobility

For me, unless there are severe mobility restrictions, the key to developing greater stride length is increasing force application to the ground. Mobility work does still perform an important part of the training programme though (not least because adequate mobility allows for key strength training exercises to be performed with sound technique).



The over and under hurdle drill shown in the video above is a popular method of developing hip mobility.

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Steve Hooker

Here's a taste of what it takes to become an Olympic and World Pole Vault Champion.

At the start of the video it was interesting to see Steve Hooker performing the stiff leg deadlift with such a great range of motion. Most athletes will struggle to lower the bar below knee level without suffering from a breakdown in technique. Perhaps this is an indication of the level of flexibility required to be a top Pole Vaulter.

I also found the upside down exercise interesting. I goes to show that we should never stop being creative in our exercise selection.


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It is of great interest to look at the strength training of top pole vaulters. These athletes are renowned for having great speed. This is because run up speed is of great importance to the to the end result (the height cleared).

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Trey Hardee

Right at the start of this video it shows Trey Hardee performing some foam rolling. This can very usefully be included at the start of all training sessions in order to work on soft tissue quality.

Part way through the video his coach was discussing the merits of dumbbell versus barbelll bench press. He made an interesting point that, if there are any minor shoulder injuries that must be worked around, the dumbbell bench press can easily be adapted by turning in the palms of the hand.

Of course, the barbell bench press can be adapted too. In this situation a narrow grip would result in more tricep activation, less pectoral activation and less stress on the shoulder.

For me, the main advantage of the barbell bench press is that it is usually possible to use a greater load in comparison to the deubbell version.


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Also, regarding shoulder health, it was intersting to see Trey perform shoulder mobility exercises using a stick. The exercises shown develop mobility in the gleno-humeral joint. This, along with exercises for scapular stability is essential for shoulder health.

This post is particularly relevant training for arm speed. Remember, speed training doesn't just have to be running speed. For more on this, check out my post on the fastest athlete in the world.

For anyone who wasn't sure, Trey Hardee is the current world decathlon champion.

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Lifting and Sprinting

The video below represents the final part of this series on the application of Olympic Weightlifting for sprinting performance. In this video, I would like to bring to your attention the pulling progression that was shown.

When discussing the previous video in this Olympic Weightlifting series, I mentioned that the Olympic Lifts should be taught in reverse. By this I mean that the end part of the lifts should be developed first and the start of the lifts should be developed last.



In terms of developing the pull, this video showed this progression being performed from the hang position. With regard to the reverse method of teaching the lifts, one would start by performing pulls from the mid thigh position. The next progression would be to pull from the hang position (as shown in the video). The final progression would be to perform a pull from the floor.

Lifting and Sprinting part four.
Lifting and Sprinting part three.
Lifting and Sprinting part two.
Lifting and Sprinting part one.

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Sprint Float Sprint

In this video you will see a popular speed training method called sprint float sprint. This is usually performed over a distance of 60 metres. The first 20 metres is performed as fast as possible. During the second 20 metres the aim is to relax as much as possible whilst still maintaining speed. In the final 20 metres the athlete should sprint at maximum effort again, with the goal of increasing speed.



The rationale for this type of training is that if an athlete tries to keep on sprinting faster once he has reached his top speed, not only will he be unsuccesful but he will actually suffer from a breakdown in sprinting technique. Instead, he should try to relax as much as possible having reached top speed - this will allow maximum speed to be maintained for a longer period of time and minimise any drop of in speed once fatigue takes effect.

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Stopwatch Fraud

A few basic home truths for coaches are covered in the video today. The big take home lesson is ALWAYS ROUND STOPWATCH TIMES UP TO THE NEAREST TENTH OF A SECOND. Of course there are other factors that can affect the reliability of hand timing, but this is the big one.



So, the old saying of 'the stopwatch never lies' is perhaps not as true as we might have thought. Peronally, I am a big fan of using electronic timing whenever possible. If you have access to timing gates, I would strongly recommend using them for testing purposes.

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Resisted Sprint Training

There is a really interesting resisted sprint training method shown in the video below. It shows the sprinters using a release mechanism so that they can immediately transfer from resisted to unresisted sprinting.



I am aware of some speed chutes having release mechanisms, but this is the first time I have seen this with sled pulling. I would be interested to hear if anyone has used anything like this in their training.

Also, be sure to check out my previous blog post on resisted sprint training.

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Sprint Faster with Olympic Weightlifting

Plyometric exercises are usually thought of as being jumping exercises. In reality any exercise that takes advantage of the stretch shortening cycle is plyometric in nature.

The stretch shortening cycle refers to movements that involve a rapid eccentric (muscle lengthening) phase immediately followed by a rapid concentric (muscle shortening) phase. The stretch shortening cycle increases the potential for force production. This is because connective tissues such as tendons and ligaments store elastic energy during the rapid eccentric phase. If the concentric part of the movement immediately follows the eccentric phase then this elastic energy is released, allowing for greater force production. If there is a pause before the concentric phase starts then the stored elastic energy is lost, and cannot be released to allow for increased force production.

The requirements for increased force production through stretch shortening cycle activity are:

1) a rapid eccentric (muscle lengthening) phase
2) an immediate transition from the eccentric phase to the concentric (muscle shortening) phase

Sprinting involves a high level of stretch shortening cycle activity. The muscles of the lower limb rapidly lengthen as they absorb the impact of ground contact upon initial foot strike. In order to keep the ground contact time to a minimum there is a very quick transition from the eccentric phase of the movement to the propulsive concentric portion.

Many people assume that jumping exercises need to be included in the training programme in order to overload the stretch shortening cycle. Whilst it is true that traditional weight training methods will not directly improve the ability to generate force through the use of the stretch shortening cycle, this is not true of Olympic Weightlifting.

When performed correctly, a phenomenon known as the double knee bend occurs with lifts such as the clean and the snatch. The initial knee extension that takes place when lifting the weight from the floor results in a rapid lengthening of the hamstrings. The knee then 're-bends' as the lifter makes the transition into the second pull from the mid thigh, resulting in a rapid shortening of the hamstrings and lengthening of the quadriceps. As the second pull takes place there is a triple extension of the hip, knee and ankle joints resulting in a shortening of the major leg muscles. This is followed by a rapid lengthening of the same muscles as the athlete drops under the bar in order to receive it at the shoulders or overhead in the catch position.

As you can see, if the correct lifting technique is used there is a series of stretch shortening cycles that take place when performing lifts such as the clean and the snatch. This makes these lifts far more applicable to improving sprinting performance than just about any other weight training method.

In summary, the stretch shortening cycle is of great importance to sprinting since it allows greater force to be produced during the ground contact phase. Traditional weight training methods only improve force production ability as result of adaptation to the neuromuscular system. Traditional plyometric activity (jumping exercises) primarily results in an improved ability to use the stretch shortening cycle. Olympic Weightlifting results in adaptation to both the neuromuscular system and the connective tissues affecting the stretch shortening cycle. For this reason Olympic Weightlifting techniques should be included in the training programmes of all sprinters.

Tim Egerton
sprintstrong.com

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Soccer Speed Training

In the video below Alex Maroko outlines how he would structure a week of training for a soccer player.

Alex pointed out that soccer requires the ability to perform repeated sprints. Nonetheless he still emphasises the development of maximal speed and acceleration.



Also covered was the use of tempo workouts to help with repeated sprint ability. In actual fact, tempo running is probably something all speed based athletes should incorporate into their training programme. This is regardless of whether or not they require the ability to perform repeated sprints.

I have covered tempo training in more detail here. This is an important component of training for high level sprinters. This is because it can take around 48 hours for an advanced athlete to recover from a high intensity training session. Tempo training, when performed correctly, can enhance the recovery process.

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The Fastest Athlete In The World

In the video below Alex Maroko tells us who he thinks the fastest athlete in the world is. Of course, Alex has not gone for the obvious answer of Usain Bolt. Instead he has chosen someone who displays impressive 'game speed' or agility.

I too believe that being the best 100m sprinter in the world does not necessarily make you the fastest man in the world.



For me, there are two ways of looking at this:

1) Which human can run faster than any other person on the planet?
2) Which human can move a limb at a greater speed than any other person on the planet?

To answer the first question it is of no use simply giving this accolade to the first person past the post in a straight line race from A to B.

Why?

The winner of the race is not necessarily the athlete with the greatest top speed. The second placed athlete may have lost the race due to a poor start or a poor acceleration phase. In this situation it would be perfectly possible for the athlete who placed second to have reached a greater top speed.

With regard to the second question, my hunch is that a Javelin thrower somewhere in the world probably has the ability to move his arm at a greater speed than anyone else. The title of 'fastest arm in the world' could, however, easily belong to an athlete from any number of sports that heavily rely on throwing.

I really want to hear your thoughts on this matter. Leave a comment below and tell me what you think. You can answer either question or even both questions. Most importantly though, I want to hear the reason for your answers.

My favourite answer will win a prize!

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Functional Movement Screen

In my post on the overhead squat, I mentioned how this exercise is often used as part of a screening process to help determine whether an athlete requires any corrective exercise in their programme.

The overhead squat has the ability to determine the general location where certain issues may lie. For example, an athlete may be unable to squat low enough whilst maintaining good technique for any number of reasons. However, if we put a small block under the athletes heel (to elevate the heel slightly) and his depth and technique both improve, we can be confident that he has an ankle mobility issue.



The most well known and popular screen is the functional movement screen, devised by Gray Cook. This screen contains a number of other exercises in addition to the front squat. I will take a look at each of these in future posts.

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Overhead Squat

Yesterday I mentioned that the overhead squat is an important progression exercise for learning the snatch. So, today I have found a video displaying impressive strength and technique in this difficult exercise.



This exercise has further benefits on top of being a progression towards learning the snatch. The extended arms place a greater demand on the strength of the mid-section, making it a good 'core' exercise. The overhead squat is also often used as an assessment tool to help identify any mobility and/or stability issues that an athlete may have.

The athlete in the video was training with a high number of repetitions. Factors such as sets, reps, and recoveries during strength training sessions for speed based athletes is something I will cover in more detail in the coming weeks.

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Lifting and Sprinting

Continuing with this series on Olympic Weightlifting for Sprinting, the key take home points were towards the end of this video.

It was emphasised that before an athlete can perform the clean they must learn how to perform the front squat. Similarly, before an athlete can perform the snatch they must learn how to perform the overhead squat.

These are important points, and most experienced weightlifting coaches and strength & conditioning coaches favour teaching the Olympic lifts in reverse order. This means strarting with the last part of the lift and finishing with the start of the lift. This means that the front squat and overhead squat are the first movements to be taught for the clean and snatch respectively. The starting position, with the bar on the ground is the last thing to be addressed when learning the Olympic Lifts.

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Sprinters Nutrition

As promised in my post on Whey Protein, I have a video on nutrition today.

There are there areas of nutrition that the speed based athlete must be aware of. These are: workout nutrition; competition nutrition; and meals throughout the day.

In the video below Joel Marion adresses the issue of how to optimally combine nutrients during meals throughout the day.



Although the video was not geared specifically for athletes, body composition is an important consideration for performance sport. It is well understood that keeping body fat levels low allows for greater speed development, since this will contribute towards maximising an athletes strength to bodyweight ratio. Increased muscle mass will also be advantageous in many instances, particularly when it comes to accelerating over short distances such as in the 40 yd dash.

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Suspension Jumps

The video below shows an athlete performing double legged vertical jumps using a suspended assistance device which 'unweights' the jumper.

The reason for wanting to 'unweight' the athlete is because there is research out there to suggest that the greatest power outputs in squat jumping exercises will occur when the level of resistance is slightly less than bodyweight. This appears to be true in all but the most highly trained athletes. Clearly, the only way the level of resistance can be less than bodyweight is by using an assistance device such as the one shown below.



I have previously mentioned my concerns over loaded squat jumps in terms of the additional impact that must be tolerated when landing with the weighted bar. Perhaps this concern is not warranted, since we may be able to acheive greater results simply by performing the same movement without any additional load?

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Why are most protein powders made with Whey Protein?

I have recently received requests for information on nutrition for sprinters and speed based athletes. I will go into more specific details in future posts on what optimal nutrition for speed development entails.

For today, I thought I would get the ball rolling on sports nutrition by taking a look at protein.

As a proud prograde partner, I encourage you to follow the link below to find out why most protein powders are made with Whey Protein:

Click here to find out the simple answer.

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Barefoot Running

I thought I would take a look at barefoot running today, since this topic has been covered a lot in the media recently.

The video below focuses on the impact forces associated with barefoot versus shod running. However, I believe there are also a number of other factors to be considered with regard to barefoot running.



The soles of your feet contain a greater number of nerve endings than anywhere else in your body. It makes sense to provide as much stimulation to these proprioceptors as possible. This can not be achieved by running in trainers.

Track athletes will perform much of their training in spikes. This is an improvement from both the perspective of impact forces and proprioception. Just as with barefoot running, athletes will naturally strike the ground with the forefoot (rather than the heel) when running in spikes.

The obvious problems with barefoot running will occur when training must take place in public places. If an athlete is training on the streets or in the park, the risk of stepping on objects such as broken glass may be too great when running barefoot.

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