Acceleration Training

Improve your speed using tempo and cadence.

September 8, 2019 by Editor

I’d mentioned in a previous post about the importance of developing your speed endurance to improve your average speed over a race. To improve your speed, you must be able to hold your technical form while you are running so that you can execute power with each stride for the duration of the race.

When building your speed endurance and ultimately speed, you aren’t going to improve simply by trying to go “as fast as you can”.

Instead, you need to train your body to hold and execute the movements over longer distances so that it becomes easier for you to race with more intensity over the shorter distances.

To do this, you need to run at a tempo and run with a cadence.

What is the tempo?

The tempo is the average pace that you will be running over a certain amount of time. For example, if you are running 400m, you might run at a tempo that will allow you to complete the race in 60 seconds.

When you are training for tempo, you will train your body to run at that pace. To successfully run at that pace, you need to know the cadence (or rhythm) to allow you to run at that pace.

What is the cadence or rhythm?

The cadence will essentially be the average steps per second. This will control your turnover while you are running.

You want to develop the cadence of your running and minimize the rate of deceleration by maintaining the cadence of your run. But, you will be doing this while maintaining the correct running technique, which will see you run with your ankles coming over your knees and you powering behind with your heel to drive and execute the maximum explosiveness from each stride.

What are some strategies that you can use?

Break your tempo and cadence into stride counts

4 stride count

6 stride count

8 stride count

16 stride count

32 stride count

Work out the tempo per second.

You can try to do the following and then increase the cadence as you become stronger.

4 strides per second

6 strides per 2 seconds

8 strides per 2 seconds

8 strides per second

How can you measure this?

You can take a video recording of yourself and count the strides in the different phases of your race depending on the tempo that you are running. For example.

Power phase

10m

Measure the amount of steps taken in the driving phase. Record the steps taken at each 1-second split and at each 10m phase.

Acceleration phase

20m

30m

40m

Measure the amount of steps taken in each phase. Record the steps taken at each 1-second split and at each 10m phase.

Full stride phase

40-60m

Record the amount of strides they take once they are in the full sprinting position.

Cadence and tempo phase

60m +

Count the steps between 60-80m based on the athlete running at 95% of their personal best. This should be the benchmark for their running tempo and cadence.

Once the athlete becomes better with controlling their tempo, rhythm and cadence, they will be able to concentrate on being more explosive with their stride.

Due to their increased strength endurance and maintenance of their running tempo, they should be able to increase their stride length, stride rate (turnover), and power in each stride, which will allow them to run faster over the running distance.

Sprint starts

September 6, 2019 by Editor

Getting a great start in a race will put you at an advantage. Once you are in front at the start, the rest of the field has to play catch-up with your pace, speed, and deceleration.

If you have done the right speed-endurance conditioning training, your competitors will find it difficult to catch you if you have got off to a blistering start.

There are a few things you can focus on to improve your start when sprinting so you can gain the advantage needed to excel in the race.

You need to be able to explode from the start position.

In the sprints, you will be in a crouching starting position. But you won’t be able to get the full advantage if you aren’t able to explode using the power in your hips, glutes, hamstrings, calves, and ankle flexion to get out and into your acceleration mode.

Rather than focusing on the starts solely, work on the explosive exercises that will allow you to get your body in the right position so you can power out of the blocks successfully.

What exercises will you need to do to help you improve your start?

Reverse lunges.

Do these to train your muscles how to explode from a low single-leg position. The emphasis will fall on your glutes as you power up.

Squats

Aim to do this with good technique and ideally in barefeet. Aim to do full squats to get your muscles used to exerting power from a low position.

Deadlifts

You want to get your body exerting power through the complete hip hingement. Progressively overload the muscles using this exercise and explode so that you will be able to generate more power on the track.

Weighted hip thrusts.

These will help you build strength and power, which will see you improve your horizontal acceleration, speed, and stride length.

Bounding from a static start for speed and distance.

You want to get your body used to exerting power. So you will need to do bounding from a static starting position (ideally in a low position to simulate the starting position, such as a 3-point start) and then power through for maximum power and turnover.

What starting drills should you focus on?

You want to focus on the first 20-30m of the race, which is the power phase, which will transfer into the acceleration phase.

You will be taking the power development that you have been doing at the gym and with plyometrics and put it into a real-life racing scenario.

You will also train yourself to improve your reaction time. However, it is more important for you to drive out of the starting position comfortably and with quick turnover.

Your quick turnover won’t be any good if you don’t have the power to lengthen your stride. So make sure you continue to develop your power and stride length as it will be important in the latter stages of the race.

Starting drills – 20m starts.

Have someone start a timer and record your 20m speed times. If you have access to an electronic timer, that would be ideal as you will be able to record more accurate data and eliminate the human error with the timings.

Conduct each start (at least 10) and aim for 95% intensity since you want to focus on developing your technique, power, turnover, and control.

Sprinting start running angle.

You will be powering out on a 45-60 degree angle until you reach the end of your acceleration phase. You must train your body to power horizontally whilst your body is at that angle.

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.

How to run faster in one day (If you want instant results!)

June 13, 2018 by Editor

All runners want to improve their running speed instantly, but is it really possible to run faster in one day?

Realistically, you need to develop your speed over the long-term. However, there are a number of things that you can do to boost the chances of you running faster within 24h. Here are a few tips.

Be well rested

The performance that your body gives depends on the amount of recovery and rest that it has had. If you decide to play intense sports the day before, stay up late or consume alcohol, it will fatigue your muscles and minimise the chances of you improving your speed.

So before any event where you want to run fast, make sure your muscles are well-rested.

This means getting a good nights sleep of approximately 8h. It also means sleeping in comfort, so not tossing and turning or wandering throughout the night.

Make sure your body is hydrated.

Consume water regularly to ensure that your muscles aren’t dehydrated. The easiest indicator is that when you go to the restroom, your urine should be transparent or translucent. If it is yellow, it usually means that you are still dehydrated.

Make sure you run horizontally.

It sounds obvious, but there are many athletes who bounce or bound upwards when they are running instead of running in a lateral movement. An easy trick is to imagine yourself being sucked into a vacuum at the finish line.

Focus on the finish line.

Don’t look at the person running next to you or look at the crowd. Focus only on the finish line and run your own race.

Focus on executing your technique.

If you maintain your technique during the race, you will be able to execute each phase and run faster. Don’t overstrain or force yourself to go faster. Maintain your form and build on each step that you take.

Accelerate off each stride.

With each step that you take, execute that extra bit of power. Think of yourself “exploding” with each stride.

If you are sprinting in a race, do the following.

Keep your body tall.
Drive with power for the first 20-30 metres in your race.
Keep your toes up when you are running.
Fuel your body with the right nutrition.
Stretch well and warm-up properly.

Useful resource.

Strength, Speed & Power: More Than 100 Exercises to Help You Run Faster, Jump Higher, and Throw Harder

This post contains affiliate links.