• Home
• About
• Contact
• Blog
• Best of Articles
• Archives
• Promotions

Subscribe

• 40 Yard Dash
• 400 meters
• 800m-Mile
• Coaching
• Marathons
• Most Popular
• Nutrition
• Soccer
• Supplements
• Track and Field
• Training
• Videos
• Weight Training

Building a Better Runner DVD Giveaway

Last year, I reviewed the DVD Building a Better Runner by RunningDVDs.com. This training DVD was produced by Coach Jay Johnson, the middle distance coach at the University of Colorado, and Mike Smith, the head cross country coach and middle distance coach at Kansas State University.
This is a great product as it doesn’t focus […]

Basil and Pesto - It’s Better than you Think

Now that I’m living in Italy, one of the most popular foods and spices is basil, otherwise know as Ocimum basilicum.
Basil is the key ingredient in pesto – along with pie nuts, parmesan cheese and olive oil.  That’s it.  It’s my emergency meal when there’s nothing in the house to eat.  When I’m STARVING, all […]

USATF Podium Education Project, December 2009 in Orlando, FL

INDIANAPOLIS - Some of the world’s most respected coaches and scientists are among the scheduled presenters for USATF’s Podium Education Project, Dec. 10-13 and Dec. 17-19 in Orlando, Fla.
The featured speaker for both sessions will be German biomechanist Dr. Klaus Bartonietz. The author of countless articles on biomechanics and technique for throwing events, weightlifting and […]

Dwain Chambers, Ato Boldon and Box Jumping

Several years ago in the days before YouTube, there was a viral video of Ato Boldon doing a 60 inch or 1.50m box jump (approximately).  Obviously, people confused this with the vertical jump or vertical leap test, but it is a good indication of explosiveness.  And bravery.
I am a firm believer in plyometrics, and I […]

How NOT to do Sled Training

In the YouTube video below, we have Veronica Campbell-Brown training with Tyson Gay.  Two world class athletes.  Fast forward to the 1:20 mark and you will see VCB doing a variety of 4 drills with a sled or harness.
First, who am I to argue if these drills and exercise are crap, considering the success of […]

Flying 30 for Sprinters: Achieving Max Velocity and Maintaining it Over the Critical Area of Race

The post was written by Ed Barber, currently the Sprints / Pole Vault / Multis coach at Hartnell College in Salinas, CA.
A Level III certified USATF Coach, Coach Barber took Calvin Harrison (44.78) to the Olympic Trials in Atlanta 1996.   Calvin went on to earn a gold medal in the 4×400m Relay.

Flying 30 for […]

Asafa Powell and Carmelita Jeter - Peak Training Age

Can you imagine having a 17 year old male sprinter on your team who runs 11.45 for 100 meters, then the following year as a Junior he runs 10.50.  10.30 is the IAAF “A” standard so you dare to write him off as “Nah, he’ll never be a world class sprinter” kind of attitude.  Would […]

Differences in Maximal Speed Running between Baseball Players and Sprinters

With the World Series in full swing (no pun intended), I couldn’t help but notice how baseball players run “slightly different” than Track and Field sprinters.
I’ve often argued that in a 40 yard dash test, technical changes are required just to cover the distance in 36.8 meters.  The starting position is a good example.  You […]

How Much Sleep Do We Need? Use REM Cycles

Once again, with standard time approaching and daylight savings time ending, you actually gain an extra hour of sleep and that alone can screw up your sleeping patterns.
At least temporarily.
But what about oversleeping?  How many people, especially teenagers, sleep over 10 hours a day?  WebMD carried an article on Physical Side Effects of Oversleeping.
So the […]

Italian Sprint Heroes - Livio Berruti 200m Rome 1960

During my prime running years, Pietro Mennea’s 200m WR was the holy grail.  19.72 was the 200m WR standard for 17 years.
In fact, Pietro Mennea won the 200m 1980 Olympics in the Moscow Boycotted Olympics.  He also won the Bronze medal at 1972 Munich Olympics at the same distance.  Mennea competed in 4 Olympics (72-76-80-84).
When […]

400 Meter Training Tips from Bill Bowerman

Bill Bowerman is more famous for co-founding NIKE and coaching long distance runners, but he did coach sprinters and field events.  I covered Harry Jerome and Otis Davis in previous articles.
From his book Bill Bowerman’s High-Performance Training for Track and Field (Third Edition) he compares the training patterns of Stan Wright, Jim Bush, and John […]

Speed and Strength Training with Resistance Bands

DYNA-BAND 6ft Green Medium Resistance Band
Resistance bands are great.
They can easily be rolled up to take along for travel.
You can tie 2 together and make a large loop.
You can shorten the length for extra resistance.
Resistance bands are available in a range of colours that relate to their stiffness or resistance. Colour-coding varies between the brands […]

Running Fast and Injury Free by Gordon Pirie

Gordon Pirie was a British long distance runner who died in 1991.  He is most famous for his silver medal at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics in the 5000 meters.
If you read last week’s post about the end of the Adidas and Puma Feud, then you’ll be intrigued by the connection of Gordon Pirie and Adi […]

Who wins? Kenenisa Bekele vs. Usain Bolt at 600 meters

Donovan Bailey and Michael Johnson – step aside…
Why on earth would Kenenisa Bekele and Usain Bolt race each other at 600 meters is beyond me.  If anything, it would help promote Bekele as he is not a household name as compared to Bolt, despite his amazing accomplishments.  If you don’t believe me, just go to […]

Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate - Hope or Hype?

Let me go on record with this fact:
Once injury or osteoarthritis has occurred on a soft tissue such as your shoulders, knees, elbows or Achilles, there is NO magic pill to fix the athletic injury.  Lower back pain also fall in this same category.
That pain and damage you feel is from weeks or months or […]

Dwayne Miller - Coach of LaShawn Merritt

From the mailbag:
Jimson,
You’ve covered a lot of great 400m coaches on your website like Clyde Hart, Bud Winter and Stan Dowell. 
How about LaShawn Merritt’s coach?  What kind of training philosophy does he have?  Long to Short or Short to Long?

First of all, Dwayne Miller is LaShawn Merritt’s coach.
LaShawn’s last 4 years have been impressive […]

Ladies, Increase Your Speed And Endurance While Sculpting Great Toned Muscles

This article is guest blogged by Taylor Ryan from The Art Of Weight Lifting.
Ladies, Increase Your Speed And Endurance While Sculpting Great Toned Muscles!
It doesn’t matter if your goal is to increase your marathon time or to just be able to walk up the stairs without getting winded… in the long run it’s the […]

Nike Innovation in Athletic Training Apparel - from Cotton to Lycra to Dri-FIT to Nike Pro

The following is a press release from Nike.com.  It discusses the evolution from cotton T-shirts, polypropylene  and Lycra, Dri-FIT and today’s Nike Pro.  It’s a long but interesting read.
Nike Training: The Beauty of Obsession
There is a code among Nike Athletes: Devotion is the heart of success, and preparation is the soul of performance. In order […]

Wrist Straps and Weight Belts - Good or Bad?

During my weight training days at McGill, I remember a lot of lifters were using wrist straps and weight belts, including myself.
The weight belt was good for the vanity – it tightened your waist and tucked in your beer belly, plus it inflated your chest, hence the inverted triangle appearance.  The 46” chest with 30” […]

400 meter splits - 2009 Berlin World Championships

The official splits from the IAAF can be found here (PDF).  What can we learn from these splits?
Standard Coaching Theory
If your opening 200m is within 1 second of your best 200m, and the differential between the 1st half and 2nd half is about 2 seconds, then simple logic determines your 400m time potential is doubled […]

Next Page »

NEW: Functional Strength Coach 3.0