Last Updated on April 25, 2014 by Amir Rehman
I did a 10 minute video on How to Break 50 seconds for the 400 meters.
Scroll below to get to the video on YouTube.
Here is the presentation in PowerPoint with the transcript of the 9 slides on AuthorStream. You can also download the PPT or Video file (MP4 version) from that link as well.
Here is the executive summary and charts.
How to Break 50 seconds for the 400 meters
There are 2 distances you’ll need to know, and that’s the 150m and 300m. Ask anyone in Jamaica.
One of the indicators for 200 and 400 meter performance is the 150 meters time trial, on the fly. You have speed, and speed endurance, but most important, speed reserve.
First it would be scary to consider Usain Bolt’s 14.35 150 meter fly time which is probably around 13.35 subtracting 1 second for acceleration out of the blocks.
Our workouts back then (and still today) consisted of 3 x 150 meters with full recovery. You can cut back to 2 x 150m as you approach your big race. Or do a 150-120-100.
Below is the chart, but these are hand times, always rounded up to the nearest 10th.
[Tweet “Know How to Break 50 seconds for the 400 meters”]
If you want to break 50 seconds, you’ll need to get that workout at 16.5 or faster and you’ll have to watch the video for the logic behind it. I even discuss my personal results from 1991 and 1992 using this method.
Freelap is a great too to measure accurately your 150m fly time. Simply put 2 TX Juniors at the start and end of the run, and stand back 10-15 meters for the running start for a proper fly time. (I always used 10 meters)
Mr. Lee
Hello I’ve been a long time follower of your blog and I read it almost every day, my question for this article is coming form an 800 meter specialist. I want to know how often you suggest these 150 workouts as an 800 guy i do one day of acceleration work, one day of 800/1500 pace work and then one day at 5k speed. should i fit these in on my acceleration days? and if so I’m sure I should not being just doing these every monday what are some alternatives to getting my open 400 speed down I’ve ran 52. and would love to get a new pr. this season
Thanks for the help,
Will M.
@William, if you are using a double periodization model, I would do the 3×150 in the spring once the weather gets warmer. Indoors is too tight a turn. Yes, this workout is a speed workout, and I would incorporate them with short speed for 800m guys. Say 6x30m, then 3×150. Your coach *might* prefer you to do 6x150m in 18 or 19 sec, and as the season progresses, start going faster with less reps and more recovery. This is classic long to short methodology. (for 400m and shorter sprinters, I like to separate my speed, speed endurance, and special endurance workouts.
This makes allot of sense, also I am my own coach and this workout will certainly be added to my final competition phase. thank you for responding.
Hi Jimson –
Question on 400m training (35/yr old going on 36 masters athlete)….
In High School the long sprinters (and some of the 800m guys) would do this for our interval/strength workout:
– 4 x 400m (2 minutes rest), 4-6 x 200m, maybe 4 x 100m, short sprinters did the same just with only 2 x 400m.
College was a wide variety, but we’d often have days with 6 x 400 or 4 x 400, 15 minutes rest, 4 x 400.
I thought I got more out of the college ones overall, but strength wise the college workouts were better.
Now I’ll do 4-6 x 400 with 3 minutes rest (so I can run them faster), and throw in some 150 build-ups at the end.
Can’t help wondering though, would I get more out of running 300s during my interval workouts and then throwing in a special endurance workout to compliment it.
If I run 4-6 x 400, I’m going mid 60s
If I were to run say 4 x 300 rest 10 minutes and run 4 x 300, I could run mid to low 40s, seems like it would have a greater impact than running longer slower 400s OR
Run 200s in the mid 30s with short (say 90 second) rest periods.
What do you think?
Thanks!
-Markham
@Markham, wow, those are huge long-to-short workouts! (i.e. the 300/400’s) I think it depends on how much raw speed the athlete has. Those with raw speed CAN benefit from a L to S plan. Those without raw speed will just end up being “strong slow horses”.
RE: 300’s, I would cut that to 250 or 280m just to keep under the 40 sec mark. Otherwise, I’d prefer doing 500m special endurance workouts.
RE: repeat 200s, there’s a good article about the different 6x200m workouts on the Blog. See;
https://speedendurance.com/2011/01/14/400-meter-training-workouts-descending-6×200-meters/
Hi Jim,
Thanks for the great article. Regarding the 150m workouts, most tracks do not have the 150m marked on the lanes and so we normally use the nearest 400m hurdle marks for our workouts which is actually 145m, not 150m. Do you use the hurdle marks as your starting point, or do you measure a ‘true’ 150m and work from there?
thanks,
John
@John, very good point! Yes, the hurdle mark is at 145m, and we use a flywheel to mark off 5 meters more. But most HS tracks should have a 150m staggered starting line (as well as 80m).
If your track has 300 hurdle marks, the 4th hurdle is exactly at 150. If not, the 4th hurdle for the 400 hurdles is still exactly 150m, but you have to run the entire turn and only ~ 50m worth of straightaway, which is slower than running 50 m of turn and 100 of straight.
yo jimson . i have a question , i am a 40yr old euro vet. have recently done a track session doing 4 by 100meters at 12.4 / 12.4/ 12.3 /12.5 hand timed 5 or 6 meter fly start with a max of 3minutes between each , what does this mean for me track wise , i have a 30meter fly time of 3.29 {40yr} and a 60meter flytime pr last yr of 7.16 , but afterwards i had hip flexor issues. . and block start 30m at 4.10 handtimed, but pretty good handtiming , note i have a feeling i had been overtraining , also doing weight sessions.
@hugh, if you are over 40 years old and running without injuries, then you are doing pretty good! Try a few more time trials in an easy week (3 weeks hard, 1 week easy) and you might get better results with fresher legs. Also, get a 60m time from a standing or rolling start. (time of first movement)
Hey Jimson,
Great article. Question about the 16.5 goal. Do you mean all three reps should be around 16.5? Or do you mean any rep is around 16.5? Like an athlete who does 17.5, 17.0, 16.5 for his workout — is that athlete there? Or is that a 51.0 type?
Tx.
@sprint42, if I catch an athlete doing 17.5, 17.0, 16.5, then I know he’s holding back, unless the weather is crap and he isn’t warmed up enough.
Hey Jimson,
I just have a simple question of what should be the perfect time for 300m to get the 400m below 50 seconds.I am 14 yrs old and I just ran a 300m in 46secs. I know it’s slow and so I want to just know what time should be my goal.And yes,your article is great.
@anshuman, if you want to break 50 seconds, you better have a PB of 23 for 200m, and run the race in approx 24 & 26. That means you’ll have to run the 300m in 36 to cover the last 100m in 14 sec. You are only 14 years old, give it time, and work on your speed and biomechanics.
Hi Jimson,
I am a italan’s coach.
Can yuo help me?
For one girl (17 old years) that run the 400mt in the 63″, how many time she must run the 3x150mt? 20″.75?
Thanks
@Diego, if her PB is 63, then her 200m PB is around 29? That means she should be running the 150’s in 21 sec flying start or 22 sec with a standing start?
I’ve have not yet done any of these workouts because i am still in high school and i have a coach that makes our own workout, but i ran a 50.7 at a meet in a 4x400m split and what i don’t understand is that i cant get that same time again. I’ve been constantly running 52’s and i cant seem to find out what i am doing wrong, would you have any suggestions on what i am doing wrong or what i should be doing differently when i am racing.