IAAF New Studies in Athletics – focus on 400 meters

The latest issue of IAAF New Studies in Athletics special edition focused on the 400 meters:

• The 400 metres by Jurgen Schiffer
• The aerobic mechanism in the 400 metres – by Enrico Arcelli, Marina Mambretti, Giuseppe Cimadoro, Giampiero Alberti
• New Studies in Athletics Interview with Clyde Hart

The IAAF New Studies in Athletics is published quarterly in March, June, September and December. Subscriptions can be obtained from the publishers of NSA, Meyer & Meyer in Germany, or by going to the IAAF website.

The annual subscription is $50 USD plus shipping costs of $25 USD. Back issues can be ordered for $10.

Since the IAAF New Studies in Athletics is a paid publication, obviously I can’t copy and paste the entire contents here. I will provide a snippet here, but I will go more in detail in my bi-monthly newsletter (see sign up form on the right, or at the bottom of this article)

New Studies in Athletics Interview with Clyde Hart (summary)

New Studies in Athletics: What does it take to perform well in the 400m?
Hart: It is important for 400m runners to follow proper race strategy in order to obtain the best results. We like to use what we call the 4 P’s:

• PUSH – the first 50m hard .
• PACE – it is important that the runner knows prior to the race after consultation with his coach, what their time should be for the first 200m of the race.
• POSITION – the runner must use the third 100m to evaluate his position in the race and determine if he needs to continue at the present pace or if more effort is nec­essary to put him in a better position going into the final 100m.
• POISE – This is the most difficult of the four segments: Not knowing exactly the status of your runner at this point it is difficult for the coach to advise the runner any­thing other than to maintain their poise, good technique, and stay as relaxed as possible to prevent the onslaught of fatigue.

The 400 metres by Jurgen Schiffer (summary)

The purpose of this overview is to give a brief history of the event and summarise the current consensus thinking on the following points:

• Types and characteristics of 400m runners
• Energy and speed distribution in the 400m
• Mental makeup of successful· 400m runners
• Characteristics of the 400m and commonalities with sprinting
• Biomechanical aspects
• Training principles
• Training methodology.

The Aerobic Mechanism in the 400 meters (summary)

ABSTRACT

The 400m is generally considered to be a highly anaerobic race, but the findings of various researchers on the percentage contributions of anaerobic and aerobic energy mechanisms are not consistent. Drawing on a selection of publications, this article looks at how the energetic characteristics of the event are studied and explains the reasons behind the vari­ation in findings. It considers:

1. differences between men and women athletes
2. differences between sprinter and endurance type athletes
3. the influence of different methodologies
4. differences caused by the performance level of the athletes studied.

The authors find that performance capacity represents the most important quantitative factor for explaining the different percentages of intervention of the energy mechanisms. They also look at oxygen consumption and suggest an increase in pH level in the first IS0-200m inhibits Type II muscle fibers from using the aerobic mechanism in the later stages of the race.