The Truth About 400m Training (webinar)
This past weekend I had the opportunity to speak at the Illinois Track and Cross Country Coaches’ Annual Track and Field Clinic.
I have to give Jim Miks and his staff two thumbs up for the entire weekend. Not only did they bring in some incredible speakers, but their organization and professionalism were second to none. Everything I needed was taken care of so all I had to think about were my presentations.
Not to mention the fact that, after spending hours talking track, they’re also some very good coaches who taught me a thing or two about coaching!
If you live in that area, you would be doing yourself and your athletes a favor to attend next year’s clinic.
I sat in on both of Scott Roberts’ (University of Alabama Women’s Sprints/Hurdles/Jumps) since I spoke in the same auditorium after him and got some great takeaways for both 400IH and sprint hurdles.
If you’re a track coach and you don’t attend at least one major clinic each year, you’re losing out on a great opportunity to pick up new information.
OK, to the 400….
I’ve recorded my presentation from that conference on ‘The Truth About 400m Training’ in webinar format.
(I’ll send out my ‘Short Sprints Secrets’ presentation early next week.)
You can watch that video here:
http://www.athletesacceleration.com/lgslides
To your success,
Latif Thomas
P.S. Post your questions and comments below.
January 15th, 2010 at 11:51 am
Latif-
You mentioned at the clinic your lack of an indoor facility and that you us your hallways. We have a similar situation and was wondering what are some ways you utilize the space you do have in the halls. What are some workouts, etc.
>>> I always hesitate to give workouts that have no perspective in terms of where and why they fall into the actual program.
That said, if you only have short hallways to use, you have to consider the energy system demands/physiological effect you are looking for in that particular workout. So if I want a traditional acceleration day, that’s no problem. If I want to do speed endurance, but only have a 40m hallway, we just do short runs with short (turnaround and go) recoveries. An example would be:
2 – 3 x 30/30/30 with no rest between reps and 4-8′ between sets. 30/30/30 meaning: run a 30, stop, turnaround, run a 30, stop, turnaround, run a 30, rest
For tempo runs if you have a short hallway and nothing else, we generally do bodyweight circuits with a jog in between exercises for short sprinters. For long sprinters, we’ll go outside for submaximal work as long as it isn’t blisteringly cold. If you have longer hallways, but weird angles that don’t allow traditional distances and times, this is where your notes come into play.
We have a roughly 200m triangle shaped upstairs to run on, with 2 90 degree turns. So running a ‘200′ A) isn’t exactly 200m and B) has to be based on a differen’t ‘fastest 200m time’ since you can’t equate a track 200m with a high school hallway 200m. So over the course of a season or two, I develop my own table of times based on workout results that allow me to (more often than not, but not always) give accurate times for kids to run. The main thing, when you don’t have good facilities, is to keep good notes and records of times during workouts so you don’t generate workout times that are wildly fast or wildly slow.
If you want me to be more specific, just ask a more specific question.
Latif
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January 15th, 2010 at 12:30 pm
Latif,
Great speaking with you last Friday night before the clinic. I wish I could have attended your 3rd sesson topic (sprints).
>>> Tony – It was great talking with you as well. I had a great time and got a nice collection of new ideas from Friday night’s event. In particular I love your site and your posting and recording of the fly 10s. I’m trying to figure out how I can steal a lot of your ideas and adapt it to my own program.
Now if I can just get the football coaches to actually have their kids lift weights and do speed work as opposed to nothing at all…
Don’t hesitate to get in touch when you have questions!
You can catch the ‘replays’ of my 1.) long sprint and 2.) short sprint presentations, here:
1.) http://www.athletesacceleration.com/lgslides
2.) http://www.athletesacceleration.com/stslides
NOTE: As of this posting (10:30am 1/18/10, the short sprint presentation is not up, but should be within the next 24 hours or so.)
January 15th, 2010 at 12:38 pm
How do you determine what event a young new runner should train for? Are there basic standards that I can use as a guide? His father ran 21.6, 46.8, 1:54
Daryl Everett
>>>Daryl – Generally speaking I treat talent development the same way I train sprinters: short to long. Develop his mechanics, strength, etc. at the shorter distances when he’s young and maximize his potential. As he gets older and stronger, you can move him up. His best event will become more clear in time.
Latif
January 15th, 2010 at 1:07 pm
I have a lad who is working on his speed (rugby player) I am trying to teach his the benefits of running with higher hips (power application) when he tries to lift after 5/6 steps he slows down. I believe this comes from an exaggerated movement of the trunk. Can anyone help with this problem or shed some light on it?
New coach
>>> I’d have to see it to give a good answer. If you send a link with a video of him running, I can give you a better answer.
Latif
January 15th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Latif what is your strategy for running the 400 meters? When to go out hard, when to float and how to finish? My son excells in the 100, 200 and long jump but this year I plan on having him compete in the 400 for the first part of the season to get him stronger and hopefully get his 200 time down. He will not run a 200 until a few meets before our districts. I would appreciate your philosophy in the 200 also. Thank you.
>>>How to run the 400: Get out hard for the first 100m (treat first 4-5 steps like an open 100m), float from 100 – 250, run 250 – 300 *hard* like you’re running uphill, 300 – 400, focus on opening up range of motion with the arms and driving the feet into the ground. And pray.
200: Hard as you can for first 40m, float 40 – 90, ‘reaccelerate’ 90-110, lift and open up 110 – 200m.
I don’t disagree with your strategy for priming him for the 200, per se, but as an inexperienced runner, I would make sure he has enough 200s during the season that he makes his mistakes in meets where there’s nothing on the line.
Latif
January 15th, 2010 at 2:51 pm
Excellent information on training 400m runners. This reinforces my ideas and thoughts on how to train sprinters. For anybody that doesn’t have the Complete Speed Training DVD’s and signed up for Complete Program Design For Sprinters, it is well worth the money. Latif does a great job of presenting the information in an easy to understand way. My question would be, how do you set up the workout for those sprinters that do jumping events also? When do they get time to work on those events without compromising a workout that they need to do?
>>> Thank you for the kind words, Scott.
This is a very popular question. I take my philosophy from what I’ve learned studying the combined events. I look for commonalities between events and training qualities and match them up in practice. It just means your athletes who do multiple events must be generalists and not specialists, i.e., do a little bit of everything.
So your long jumper 100/200 runner does approach work on Monday. That is his speed/acceleration work for that day. He doesn’t do the track workout. If you’re doing VMax that day, he does most of the LJ approach work and then 1 or 2 fly runs at the end. If it’s a heavy jump day, he does none of or less of the plyos the sprint group is doing since he’s getting plyos in with his jump work. If it’s block work, he does half the approaches and half the block work. Keep the total volume the same, but break it up based on specific event needs and individual strengths/weaknesses.
Latif
January 15th, 2010 at 3:25 pm
Latif, I currently have a female athlete in my program who is a legitimate D1 prospect (100m – 11.74, 200m 24.01, LJ – 19′2″, TJ – 39′9″ all done as a sophmore last year). Since she will rarely be running a race that lasts beyond 25 seconds – just an occaisional 4 x 400, do you think I should keep the majority of her interval training to 45 seconds or less? I would love to hear your opinion on this? Thanks
>>> It’s not her interval work that you need to worry about. But I wouldn’t even have my pure 400m runners doing interval work of 45 seconds very often unless they’re running 80-89% intensity 300s. Point being, interval work isn’t really that relevant to a sprinter.
What is going to make her faster is the way you structure your acceleration, Max Velocity and Speed Endurance runs. Focus your efforts there and keep your interval work to 100-200 meters with shorter rest.
Latif
January 15th, 2010 at 5:49 pm
Latif
I’ve just watched your video about the ‘ Truth About 400m Training ‘ I’ve seen/heard the information before but it’s great to hear it again. I believe also in train fast to run fast.
About the 400 meter. I can remember (i’m 45 yrs old
) a Cuban athlete who was a good 800 m runner and also the 400 m. His name is Alberto Juantoreno.
At the Olympic Games in Montreal in 1976 he won the 800 m in a worldrecord 1.43.50 and 3 days later the 400m in 44.26 the fastest time on sea level.
Greeting from Rob from the Netherlands.
Rob – Good call with the Olympic Champ 4/8 guy. I don’t dispute it can be done. My question is: What could he run in a 200?
- Latif
January 15th, 2010 at 6:28 pm
I really like your 12 week off season program for training 55-400m. I have the 1-11 weeks however I don’t have week 12. Will you please email me week 12 I really appreciate all that you do for the sport.
Jason
>>> Week 12:
http://www.athletesacceleration.com/preseason-training-for-400m-runners-week-12/
January 16th, 2010 at 5:30 pm
Latif,
Enjoyed both of your presentations in Chicago – as well as both of Scott Robert’s hurdle sessions!
I was looking forward to your sessions, and you did not disappoint.
Thanks for posting the webinar!
>>> My pleasure!
LT
January 16th, 2010 at 8:35 pm
I would like to know how you break down the 400 meters into it’s basic running parts as far as race strategy goes. Also, what would be a weekly training routine for a 400 meter runner?
>>> How to run the 400: Get out hard for the first 100m (treat first 4-5 steps like an open 100m), float from 100 – 250, run 250 – 300 *hard* like you’re running uphill, 300 – 400, focus on opening up range of motion with the arms and driving the feet into the ground. And pray.
Weekly (preseason) training plan for 400m:
http://www.athletesacceleration.com/blog/2009/08/24/steal-my-400m-program-week-1/
For quick links to all 12 weeks:
http://www.athletesacceleration.com/preseason-training-for-400m-runners-week-12/
For more on how to write effective workouts for sprinters:
http://www.CompleteProgramDesignforSprinters.com
January 16th, 2010 at 8:39 pm
I thought this was good information. It reconfirms much of what I already believed. Here is my query: Do I treat the 600 as a sprint or as a middle distance event? As a sprint coach, I have thus far treated it more like a 400 than an 800 and my 600 runners have had reasonable success. That said, I do have some doubts about strictly employing a 400 program , and I have been sticking in some 800 type workouts here and there. Any thoughts or advice is most welcome!
>>> Fred – That is an excellent question and one I am currently wrestling with. I personally have a hard time calling the 600 ‘mid distance’, especially on the boys side. Good kids are running less than 90 seconds and I just can’t see that as mid distance. I’d say that my philosophy is very similar to yours – treating them like 400m runners with a higher volume of recovery work and the occasional ‘800′ workout. I do not do any mileage with my 600 runners. I still believe that developing a speed reserve is the key to running fast 600s. I also have a tough time using a straight 400 model with my 600 runners, but my program looks *much* more like a 400 program than an 800 program. They do the same lifts as my 55m runners, also. So, I say: Speed, Speed, Speed! To me, a great 600m runner is simply a natural 400m runner who is more Type IIa than Type IIb – i.e., someone whose 800m time is going to be comparatively faster than their 200m time.
LT
January 19th, 2010 at 8:48 am
Thank you Latif. Your adviced is very much respected and appreciated.
January 19th, 2010 at 10:50 am
Hey Latif, i am currntly a junior in high school running the 800m and 400m race. My times aren’t that good right now. I currently run a 2:12 in the 800m, and 55sec in the 400m. I really want to get faster and drop m times so that i can hopefully recieve a scholarship. Is there any advice you can give me as far as training or how to get better and faster ?
>>> Learn as much as you can is my primary advice and start doing the the type of training that makes sense, but that isn’t done in your program.
But the first thing I think when I see your times is that you should watch my short sprint seminar video:
http://www.athletesacceleration.com/stslides
Latif
January 21st, 2010 at 7:14 am
When Latif mentions strategy for the 400 meters and states “float from 100-250″, coaches and athletes should realize that this does not mean slowing down or speeding up, it means maintaining what you built up over the first 100 meters, and he is so correct when he says “pray” at the 300 because that is all you really have left.
January 21st, 2010 at 11:22 pm
Latif,
Have you ever heard or seen of Brent McFarlanes’ Speed “stacking” workouts for speed endurance. They can be found in his book “The Sciences of SAC (Speed Agility Conditioning)” If you have what do think of them? If you havn’t, I can get them to you to review.
Scott
>> I’ve heard of it but haven’t looked at it. What is the basic premise/philosophy behind the ’stacking’ workouts?
LT
January 22nd, 2010 at 1:48 pm
The basic philosophy is to challenge the speed endurance (anaerobic lactic) system even more. Runs are divided into shorter sections with a brief recovery in between. Supposedly delaying the onset of inhibiting fatique. This allows running to be done at the highest speed possible, the speed where motor unit activation is most productive. The total distance over which speed endurance can effectively be done may even be extended. (This is a paraphrase from the book) Some workouts are: ALL DONE AT 95-100%
2-3(8×40m) 20sec between reps – 6min between sets
3(150m + (5×40m) + 150m) 20sec between 40 reps – 45sec recovery elsewhere – 6min between sets
3(5×60m) 30sec between reps – 4min between sets
2(2×80m) 30sec between reps – 8min between sets
3(60m + 70m + 60m) 45sec between reps – 8min between set
2(6×100m) five recoveries 1min/2min/1min/2min/3min
2(120m + 80m + 120m) 60 sec between reps – 10min between sets
Thoughts? I’ve used some of these and they seem to be good work. I kind of like them for Junior High kids especially because they tend to run 5×60m with 30sec recovery with more intensity than they would 1 flat 300m.
>>> In essence, I follow a similar philosophy. My recoveries aren’t quite that short for efforts over 50-60m, but we do a lot of short recovery speed endurance work for distances under 150m. Once we get in the special endurance and special II range, the recoveries get longer, but are not complete. I have no disagreement with this concept, I think it gets good results, I think it is good for athletes who don’t have the skill, speed or strength to maintain postural integrity at that intensity over longer distances and, as you mentioned, I think it is an effective strategy for middle schoolers.
So, for example, one early season workout we’ll do (especially because we employ a short to long progression with our sprinters, so we’re not going to do 60s if they don’t know how to run a 30) is:
Short Sprints: 2-4 x 3 x 30m – 30 seconds between reps, 4-5′ between sets
Middle of the season, with long sprinters:
2-4 x 3 x 60m – 90 seconds reps, 6-8′ sets
LT
p.s. i’ll send you the slides
January 25th, 2010 at 6:46 pm
Hey latif,
All the info is very good. I did purchase your sprint esign program. Lots of good info I coach kids from 7-14 and I am trying to apply this to info to my team. I have 100-800 meter runners. I am confused of how to apply this to my age group. Any suggestions would be appreciated
Thank you
>>> You’re going to have to be more specific as a theoretical answer to that question could go off in any of a number of directions. In short – keep the training simple, always err on the side of undertraining versus overtraining and focus on developing speed not slow ‘endurance’ runs.
LT
January 31st, 2010 at 6:51 pm
I have purchased your program for my daughters and have worked with them to better thier speed. What I have a problem with is that the coach wants to do a slower workout or give them a general workout and tell them to go do it. This does not improve thier time. I had to teach my daughter to come out of the blocks because the coach would not, well her time went from 27′0 to 26.1 and they seemed surprised. I don’t want to bump heads the coach, I just want to work with my daughters ahead of time to give them the foundation that will work with what they are being taught. So how do you combine one training to offset the other???????
>>> That’s a very tough call. And probably one of the most popular, if not THE most popular questions I get. You don’t want to overtrain your daughter by having her do your workouts and the coaches’.
The only real answer I’ve come up with is for you to be the parent that has too many questions. As a coach, I don’t mind these parents because I know I have answers. So you have to approach the coach with a ‘Mickey the Dunce’ mindset. Go in and play stupid. Ask why they’re doing one type of workout instead of another. Just don’t ask like you already know the answer. Ask like you’re genuinely curious and don’t have an agenda.
The main thing with most coaches is this: they don’t know what the hell they’re doing.
So when you ask questions, they’re going to get defensive. Why? Because they aren’t sure of their answers. So don’t put them in the corner, try to get them to acknowledge that there is a better way than what they’re doing. You just have to do it in such a way that they think it was *their* idea.
LT