400m Training

How to sprint more relaxed.

September 2, 2018 by Editor

Beleive it or not, one of the things that can help you improve your speed significantly is running relaxed. Something that we tend to do is tighten up if we feel as if we are under pressure whilst running. It might be that we are losing in a race or that we feel that we need to run faster to beat our personal record time.

You will never reach your full speed potential if you run with a tense body. So you must train yourself to run relaxed and in a way where you can maximise your horizontal force output so that you can run as quickly as possible.

Here are a few things that you can do to help you stay relaxed.

Focus on a single point in front of you.

You want to focus on reaching the end point. Choose a point such as a pole or a marker and focus only on reaching that point.

Focus on bringing your elbows backwards.

Many athletes pump their arms and keep their fists clenched. Instead, focus on driving your elbows backwards as far as possible in a relaxed manner.

Focus on keeping your body fluid.

No part of your body should be tense. Just stay as relaxed as possible when you are running.

Run your own race.

You need to focus on executing your own race in order to win the race. Focus on executing the different phases of your running so that you will drive, accelerate and maintain your speed for the duration of the race.

Focus on executing your technique.

This is the most important thing that you can do. You must focus on executing your technique so that you will run as relaxed as possible. Your technique will be what you have practiced with the A and B steps, as well as other running drills that you have practiced.

The conditioning training that you’ve been doing should allow you to run faster simply by executing more power and having more speed endurance.

Focus on your breathing.

Concentrate on the way you inhale and exhale as you run.

Develop your conditioning to allow yourself to run more relaxed.

The better your fitness and conditioning, the easier you will find it is to run relaxed. Strengthen your muscles (especially your core) and your strength endurance so that you can run with more intensity for longer.

Are there some other ways or methods that you use to relax whilst you run? Let us know in the comments below.

Increase your speed by improving your ankle flexion!

August 30, 2018 by Editor

This is an incredible hack for developing speed. However, many people either don’t know about it or choose not to do it as a way to improve their speed and power. Quite often, we hear about coaches saying that athletes need to improve their flexibility. But alot of the time, they are unclear in explaining the benefits from improving an athletes flexibility.

When it comes to improving your ankle flexion, there are clear benefits that you will notice.

Improved range of motion
Increase in stability and strength
INCREASE IN SPEED

The third point is the one that you really want!

So in this post, we will share some of the things that you can do to improve your speed as a result of improving your ankle flexion.

Test the range of motion in your ankle.

See how many centimetres is in your ankle’s range of motion. If it is less than 10cm, you will need to do stretching exercises to improve the range of motion. You want to get to 15cm or more.

Knee-to-wall exercises

Stand with your front foot next to the wall. Stand with your other foot behind you and bend your body towards the wall so that your knee touches the wall. This should get your body used to the movement of having your knees in front of your ankles and also improving your range of motion.

Lower calf stretch

Put your leg behind you and keep your foot on the floor. Bend your back knee and lower into the floor. Maximise the stretch and hold it for up to 30 seconds to lengthen the muscle. Repeat this stretch 3 times on each leg.

Upper calf stretch

Have one foot in front of the other and bend forward whilst keeping your back foot on the ground. This will stretch your upper calf.

Deep squats.

Deep squats are ideal once you have increased your ankle range. You will be able to develop additional strength and explosive power through your ankle.

To protect your back, do these initially as front squats. If you don’t have the ankle range initially, you can use weightlifting shoes or conduct the exercise on a weight plate that will give your ankles an angle, compensating for the loss in the range of motion and allowing you to keep your knees forward.

Single leg squats

To really develop the strength in your ankle, conduct deep single leg squats (or at least go as low as you can). Make sure you maintain the proper technique. This will help you develop the strength in your flexible muscle tissue.

Calf raises (gym equipment)

You can use the calf raise equipment at the gym to help lengthen your ankle’s range of motion. Simply add weight and go down into the movement. Hold it at the bottom for 15-30 seconds. Ideally, do this as a single leg exercise.

Dedicate at least 3 sessions a week for developing your ankle’s range of motion.

Until you get the range of motion that you desire, dedicate 3 sessions a week so that you improve the range of motion.

Let us know about your improvements in the comments below.

Improve your running technique to run faster with less effort.

August 28, 2018 by Editor

The two don’t sound like they go hand-in-hand, but it is true. If you learn how to run with good technique, you end up conserving more energy, which will allow you to run longer and faster. There are a couple of factors that you need to keep in mind when it comes to the benefits from the running technique. This is because the running technique alone won’t make you run faster. It needs to be combined with the conditioning of the body.

If you condition your body in the right way and learn to run with the right running technique, you will run faster.

What do you need to do with your running technique?

You need to keep your hips high by running tall.

You can do this by focusing on running tall, however you must focus on running horizontally. Do not project your force vertically. Project it horizontally so you can increase your horizontal speed.

Focus on accelerating off each stride.

This is something that you must focus on during each phase of the sprinting process. From the drive phase where you are building your initial acceleration, to the transition phase and improving your leg turnover.

Aim for your heel to come over your knee while you are running.

You want to improve your stride length while you are running. You can do this by bringing your knees up. However, it is easier to focus on bringing your heels over your knees. This will also help you improve your leg speed turnover.

Stay relaxed.

You must not be tense when you are running. You must remain as relaxed as possible. Yet focus on having the muscles execute the horizontal force to make you run faster.

Your arms should be coming straight up and down.

It’s important that your arms do not swing from side to side otherwise it will force your body to go off-balance. Make sure your elbows drive backwards and your hand comes by your ear.

Your head should be straight and focused on a fixed point in front of you.

Focus on a point in front of you and run straight towards that point. Focus on your technique whilst running to that point.

Running drills that you can practice at home.

High knees

A skip

B skip

Combine the technique with your speed training conditioning.

As you improve your body’s conditioning to execute more horizontal force, you should notice that you will run faster simply because you are executing more power whilst maintaining your form. You will also notice that your rate of deceleration will slow down simply because you are conserving more energy whilst you are running.

Practice these and let us know your improvements in the comments below.

Get instant speed with straight leg running drills.

August 28, 2018 by Editor

This one is a quick, yet very effective post about straight leg running drills. This drill will help you activate the muscles in your hip so you can execute more power and explosiveness, thus allowing you to run faster.

Whether you plan to run faster in a sprint, middle or long distance running or in a sport, start incorporating these drills into your workouts so you can improve your horizontal speed quickly.

What are straight leg running drills?

You can see a demonstration of the drill below.

Why are they beneficial?

These drills work the hips, hip flexors, and hamstrings. Particularly, the muscle groups that contribute to greater horizontal speed. If you can execute the strength of those muscles with additional speed, you will run faster due to having a more explosive stride and also increasing your stride length.

It is common to see sprinters doing straight leg running drills as a part of their warm-up to activate the muscles around their hip area.

Variations that you can try.

Straight leg bounds

Similar to the running drill, however you bound for distance my maximising the power in each stride. You can do this for 30m (10 bounds for 3 repetitions).

Straight leg drills on a hill/incline

This will definitely work your hamstrings. Be careful with this on an incline as it does put more stress and tension on the muscles.

Straight leg drills with a weighted sled

You can take a weighted sled (with light weights) and do the straight leg running drill with added resistance.

Straight leg drills into running

You can do the straight leg drills so that you can feel your hips coming higher. When you are ready, transition into running with a similar movement and accelerate for 20-30m.

Try this and let us know what you have experienced in the comments below.

Get faster with weighted hip thrusts!

August 28, 2018 by Editor

One of the weighted exercises that seems to be underrated when it comes to developing lateral speed is the weighted hip thrust. It is a simple movement that will incorporate the use of the glutes, hamstrings and hip flexors that will allow you to use more strength and execute more power when running.

The more power your legs can execute, the longer your running stride will be and the faster you will run. You will also be able to run more efficiently because you will be using less energy and taking fewer strides.

In this post, I want to show you a couple of variations that you can incorporate into your speed and development training.

Body weight hip thrust

Start by doing the movement with just your bodyweight. You want to place your body on something sturdy like a bench. Let your back rest on the bench and have your feet flat on the floor. You will be pushing your pelvis up, but you will be pushing through your heels.

Push until your hips come forward. You should feel your muscles activate.

You can see a good video demonstration below.

Weighted hip thrust.

This is the same, however you will do the movement with a barbell. Add enough resistance weight for you to do the movement. To avoid the weight adding too much pressure on your hips, use a foam protector or yoga mat to protect your body against the force of the weight.

You can see a video demonstration below.

Single leg hip thrust

When you feel more confident, start incorporating the single leg hip thrust into your routine. Make sure you straighten out your leg and push through your glute.

You can see a video demonstration below.

Repetitions and sets.

You want to aim to do 8-10 repetitions and you want to do 3 sets for each exercise.

When you are doing the movement, you want to build your explosive strength, so make sure you power through your hips with the resistance weight.

When you feel like the intensity is becoming too easy, increase the resistance weight.

The improvements and gains should carry over to your other weightlifting exercises such as the power clean, deadlifts and squats.

You should also notice improvements in your plyometrics, sprinting and jumping ability.

Should you do barefoot sprints training on grass?

August 26, 2018 by Editor

One of the things that worked for me while I was growing up was training on grass areas in nothing but my bare feet. As I got older, I became accustomed to synthetic tracks and forgot about the benefits of training in bare feet. When I resumed some basic bare feet training, I found that I became faster, stronger and more powerful. This is because I found that I increased the muscle range and control that I was losing through using shoes and synthetic surfaces. So in this post, I want to explain some of the benefits of bare feet training and some ways you can incorporate it into your speed training.

Increase your muscles range of motion

You should feel an immediate difference when you start running on grass with your bare feet. You will find that on grass surfaces, there is a bit more “give”, so the muscles will have to execute more power into the ground in order to propel you forward. You will find that due to the surface, your muscles will experience a greater “range of motion” in order to execute more power.

You train more stabilising muscles

This is one of the best things about training on grass with your bare feet. It forces you to use all of your muscles (especially in your ankles and toes) for more flexion, muscle activation, and power. When you train with shoes, you lose some of this as the force is absorbed by the shoe.

Your muscles and joints won’t experience as much shock.

If you have experienced extreme muscle soreness, then it is advised that you train on grass. The softer surface will allow you to train with more intensity, without your muscles experiencing as much shock compared to training on hard surfaces.

Are there alternative surfaces that you should consider training on?

Soft sand at the beach

This is handy because the force that is executed in the sand will be absorbed, making it more difficult for you to propel yourself forward. It will help you train your body mechanics in a way that will force your body to run forward. When you transition back to a harder surface such as sand or grass, you will notice the improvements in your power execution and lateral speed.

Have you trained on grass to develop your speed? What benefits have you experienced?

Let us know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading.

Jump rope exercises for speed training.

August 22, 2018 by Editor

Note – This post contains affiliate links.

One of the most effective workouts you can do to improve your speed, power and endurance is jump rope. It will allow you to improve your explosiveness and power. It is inexpensive to purchase a skipping rope that will allow you to do the exercises. You should also notice improvements in your speed fairly quickly once you start implementing jump rope exercises into your speed development routine.

In this post, we will share some of the exercises that you can do to help you increase your speed by doing jump rope training routines.

Practice single, double and triple unders.

There are several skipping types that you want to master so that you can improve your explosive power.

Single leg skips
Double-unders
Triple unders

You should aim to do up to 200 repetitions of each if you want to maximise your explosive power. This will transition into your horizontal speed and explosiveness.

The video below is a very good progression video that you can use to improve your jump rope performance over single, double and triple unders.

Straight leg skips.

This will allow you to improve your horizontal power and speed. You can combine this with straight leg runs after you finish doing the exercise.

Below is a video demonstration of the exercise.

Jump rope butt kicks.

You want to do this exercise to activate the speed in your hamstrings. Simply make your heel hit your glutes with each skip.

Jump rope high knees

You want to do skipping with high knees. Aim to get your ankle coming over your knees when you are doing the exercise.

Below is a video example.

Which jump ropes should you consider purchasing?

There are several inexpensive speed jump ropes available. Here are a few that you can consider purchasing.

Blazing fast jump rope

WOD Nation speed jump rope

Fitskuad speed jump rope

Best track spikes for 400m

July 3, 2018 by Editor

The 400m is a beast of an event that requires speed, power and endurance for 43-60 seconds. You need to maintain your technique, form and composure to give yourself the best chance of winning the race. Each step that you take is vital to your 400m performance and you need track spikes that will aid you in that performance.

That being said, the shoe is an aid. You still need to do the necessary training to win the 400m race. But when the right shoe is combined with the right training preparation, you can have a very powerful performance.

What are some key things that you need to keep in mind before buying the track spikes for the 400m?

You want to have track spikes that will force you to sprint on your toes.
You want to wear a shoe that is comfortable when running around the bend.
If it is too rigid, then it will make you think about the shoe. You want it to feel like a naked glove.

You need a shoe that will aid you throughout the different phases of the sprint, which is digging at the start, accelerating and then maintaining your tempo and form before going onto a strong finish at the end of the race.

Which track spikes are the best for 400m?

Nike Zoom Maxcat

These spikes are known to provide a greater range of motion when you are running. Thus giving you additional comfort when you are sprinting. When you want to go into your striding phase in the 400m, this shoe should give you a feeling of ease for the 3/4s of the race that you run.

Prices for the shoe start from $52.50

You can click here to purchase these shoes on Amazon.

Adidas Sprintstar

These shoes have been designed for the longer distance sprinting since they are far less rigid than the 100m & 200m running spikes. It doesn’t force you on your toes as aggressively as the Nike Zoom Maxcat, but it will still give you the range of motion to sprint and stride-out at pace during the 400m race.

You can click here to purchase these shoes on Amazon.

Under Armour Speed Form

If you are looking for a cheaper spike that can offer similar qualities, then you can opt for the Under Armour Speed Form.

Prices start from $49.99

You can click here to purchase them on Amazon.

Note – This post contains affiliate links.

Improve your speed with hill sprints

July 3, 2018 by Editor

One of the simplest sprint training sessions you can do is hill training. The only thing you need to do is find a hill that has a gradient that will give you enough resistance to improve your leg speed and help you develop power.

One of the mistakes beginner athletes make is that they opt for a hill with a very high gradient. (For example, 60 degree angle).

The hills will improve your power, but you want to start off by focusing on improving your speed.

Find a hill that has less than a 15% gradient.

This will allow you to maintain your usual speed, but will force you to get your knees and toes up whilst you focus on leg speed turnover.

If you want to focus on developing your power, opt for a higher gradient.

Once you start attempting to sprint up hills that have a gradient of 30 degrees or more, your body will be forced to execute more power. If you want to improve your stride length, this is good to implement into your training regime from time to time. However, you must always keep in mind that the main focus is speed development.

How long should the sprinting distance be?

You should aim to sprint 20-40m with the focus on speed development. Time your intervals and aim to get faster with each interval so that you can track your speed development.

Focus on quality, not quantity.

This type of training should help you develop your running technique, power and leg speed. It is important that you do them with a high-quality technique. Make sure that you recover well (walk back or timed interval recovery) and do each rep at 100% of your running speed.

Make sure you stretch well and pay attention to how your muscles respond to the exercise.

This type of training can be quite intense on the muscles. (Especially the hamstrings). Pay attention to how your muscles react to avoid any injury. If you feel like your muscles are becoming too tight or sore, stop doing the exercises and recover. You may find that you need to improve your muscle strength before attempting the hill training again.

What muscles do hill sprints work?

Hill sprints work the following muscles.

Quadriceps
Glutes
Calves
Hamstrings
Hip flexors
Abdominals
Arms

Due to the intensity of the exercise, your lower back muscles will start to compensate in the exercise if the other muscles fatigue. If this is the case, stop doing the exercise otherwise you will end up with a sore lower back.

If you notice that you do get lower back pain after doing this training session, you will need to improve your core strength. You can easily improve this by doing squats at the gym.

Test the after-effects of your hill training.

In the following days or following week, do a time trial to see what effect the hill training has had on your speed. You should notice that your stride pattern is slightly longer, that you have improved your sprinting power and improved turnover.

How many times a week should you do hill sprints?

Limit the training to 2 times a week maximum. Maximise the recovery days (2) so that your muscles are fresh for the next session.

If you would like to run faster, then click here to buy our speed development program.

How important is flexibility for improving your speed?

July 1, 2018 by Editor

If you want to run faster, you need your muscles to be flexible and supple. One of the keys to running faster is to run with your muscles as relaxed as possible. The first way to accomplish this is by running relaxed and avoiding any tension or strain while you are running. The second thing is to improve your flexibility so that your muscles and execute more power and so you have a greater range of motion when you are running.

How can improving flexibility improve your range of motion?

If you think of sprinter Usain Bolt, he actually has a greater range of motion compared to other sprinters in track and field. His average stride length is longer than most competitors and thus he covers more ground in a quicker time when he is running.

One advantage that he has is his height and leg length, however, all athletes can improve their stride length by improving the flexibility in their muscles.

Below are a few muscle groups that you can target.

Hamstrings

Hamstrings are one of the muscles that can restrict your range of movement significantly. Stretch these regularly so you can improve your stride length and your leg turnover.

Glutes

Stretch your glutes so that you can maxmise your power when striking the ground.

Quadriceps

When your quads are tight, it will affect your range of movement and turnover. Loosen the muscles as much as possible.

Calves

Calves are used almost all of the time and as a result, can become easily fatigued and tight. Stretch them for up to 30 seconds daily when you aren’t training or competing.

Hip flexors

Your hip flexors can become very tight and restrict your range of motion. Conduct stretching exercises such as leg swings to loosen the muscles and give them more freedom for movement.