• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Click here to download the  free ebook of Alberto Juantorena’s  detailed training workouts leading up to the 1976 Montreal Olympics

SpeedEndurance.com

Success in Track & Field ... and Life

  • Home
    • About
    • Contact
  • Track & Field
    • 400 meters
    • 800m & Mile
    • 1/2 & Full Marathons
    • Long & Triple Jump
    • Hurdles
  • Training
    • Weight Training
    • Abs & Core
    • Injury Prevention
    • Shoes & Spikes
    • Masters
  • Coaching
    • Freelap Friday Five
    • Interviews
    • Sports Nutrition
    • Sport Psychology
  • Archives
  • Shop
    • My account
    • Checkout
    • Basket

400 Meter Training Tips from NIKE’s Bill Bowerman

You are here: Home / 400 meters / 400 Meter Training Tips from NIKE’s Bill Bowerman
9
SHARES
FacebookTwitter

October 6, 2009 by Jimson Lee 1 Comment

Last Updated on January 11, 2017 by Jimson Lee

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 Smith, respectively. He quotes:

From these tables of training patterns, all of which produced world-class runners, we learn three things:

• A flexible plan is there, but it must be followed.
• Success is in direct proportion to the talent present.
• If the training pattern is not enjoyable, no lasting success is possible.

 

HIGH-PERFORMANCE TRAINING FOR TRACK AND FIELD 7.1 HIGH-PERFORMANCE TRAINING FOR TRACK AND FIELD 7.2

Analysis

Pretty vague answers from The Great One, no?

He doesn’t say long to short or short to long.  He doesn’t talk about speed work or mental toughness.  He talks about the obvious.

But I firmly believe you cannot have a donkey winning the Kentucky Derby.  See bullet point #2.

Thus, raw speed or genetics has a huge impact on whether you will succeed as an elite 400 meter sprinter.

But I don’t want to send kids away to soccer or football.  A good well laid-out training program will improve any athlete.  After all, improving is what it’s all about?

Because improvement brings out so many other qualities such as self-esteem, confidence, and goal setting, just to name a few.

And of course, the coach’s real role is not to screw up your athletes.  Most athletes will improve with any training program with realistic training loads and sufficient rest.

See also  InsideTracker: How to Track and Improve your Testosterone & Zinc levels, Naturally

But whether they make it to the Olympic podium is another matter.

About Bill Bowerman

Bill Bowerman was a legendary coach at the University of Oregon and producer of many national champions and Olympians during his 25-season tenure. Winner of numerous track and football state championships as a high school coach, he won four NCAA team titles and produced team members for six consecutive Olympic Games as a collegiate coach.

He also served as head coach for the U. S. Olympic Team in 1972. He produced world-record holders in the 100, 400, and discus, as well as the 440-yard relay and the 4 x 1 mile relay.

He was co-founder of Nike and the author of Jogging, which launched the running boom in the United States.

>> Bowerman and the Men of Oregon: The Story of Oregon’s Legendary Coach and Nike’s Cofounder

 

About Bill Freeman

Bill Freeman coached track athletes for 30 years, working with athletes from the middle school level through the Olympic Trials levels.

He was the director of the combined events competitions at the 1972, 1976, and 1980 U. S. Olympic Trials.

A professor of exercise science at Campbell University in North Carolina, his other books include Peak When It Counts : Periodization for American Track and Field (4th ed), which is required reading for USA Track and Field coaching certification, Physical Education and Sport in a Changing Society (6th Edition), Competitive Runner’s Training Book with Bill Dellinger, and the previous editions of this book, starting with Coaching Track and Field in 1974.

Category icon400 meters,  Book Reviews,  Coaching,  Featured Story,  Training Tag icon4x400,  John Smith,  Mile,  Nike,  relay,  Soccer,  speed

About Jimson Lee

I am a Masters Athlete and Coach currently based in London UK. My other projects include the Bud Winter Foundation, writer for the IAAF New Studies in Athletics Journal (NSA) and a member of the Track & Field Writers of America.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. chui chimani says

    October 18, 2009 at 11:48 am

    I would suspect that the example tables represent some block during GPP?

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Recommended

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xbs-aWxyLk

Shop Our Store

  • Bud Winter (9)
  • Championship Productions (6)
  • Clyde Hart (2)
  • Derek Hansen (1)
  • Electrical Muscle Stimulation (2)
  • Jim Hiserman (6)
  • Jimson Lee (4)
  • Uncategorised (0)

Articles by Category

Products

  • Jim Hiserman - Developing 800m Runners: Identifying, Categorizing and Developing 400m-800m Type Athletes $42.99 $39.99
  • Private Coaching - Monthly Plan $600.00 $525.00
  • Jim Hiserman-Developing-Distance-Runnersv2 Jim Hiserman - Developing Distance Runners Volume 2: A Systematic Approach to Developing Individual Success within a Dynamic Team Culture $34.95 $29.95
  • Feed-the-Cats-Clinic-3-Pack-701 'Feed the Cats' Clinic 3-Pack $64.99
  • Tony Holler's Feed the Cats": A Complete Sprint Training Program Tony Holler's "Feed the Cats" Complete Sprint Training Program $49.99
  • Bud Winter and Speed City presents Arthur Lydiard 509x716 Bud Winter & Arthur Lydiard MP3 [Download only] $9.99

RECENT POSTS

  • IFAC 2022: The Return of In-Person Conferences (with Virtual option)
  • Here is our 400m Discussion Recording… over 2 Hours Long
  • The Best Free Coaching Book – post Beijing 2022 Olympics
  • The Ultimate 400m Track Webinar for Coaches & Athletes
  • NACAC Athletics Coaching Science Series 2022
  • Top Six 400m Predictor Workouts (Number 4 is my Favourite)
  • Best 6 Podcasts for 2021 (and Beyond)
  • Why Karsten Warholm’s 45.94 400mH WR is my Highlight of 2021
  • Sprinting: 10 Research Articles for Effective Sprint Training [Part 23]
  • Pressure in Sports – Reflections from Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Copyright © 2023. SpeedEndurance.com is owned and operated by Aryta Ltd. Privacy Policy
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy