• 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

Developing Acceleration: Assisted & Resisted Training Methods

You are here: Home / Coaching / Developing Acceleration: Assisted & Resisted Training Methods
38
SHARES
FacebookTwitter

July 11, 2012 by Jimson Lee 3 Comments

Let me get to the point.  Sprinting good times is primarily acceleration development.  Basta!.  If you think you’ll get faster running cross country, well, maybe I can sell you an analog watch that tells the correct time only twice a day, or real “fake” Gucci bags.

If YOUR top speed is 10 m/s and MINE is 11m/s, I’ll kick your butt because (1) I’ll have a longer acceleration phase (2) higher top end speed and (3) all I have to work on is speed endurance to maintain my speed.  You’ll be counting the hairs on the back of my leg.

So with that in mind, other than proper biomechanics, there are a few things you should keep in mind with it comes to assisted and resisted training methods to improve acceleration development.  I covered these topics in several articles, but I’ll focus on assisted and resisted training methods.

sled training for sprinting

Assisted Training

Downhill running, pulleys and strong tailwinds

In my article on overspeed training, I preferred to use slight downhill grades over a rope or pulley (i.e. towing). While it may increase stride frequency, or increase stride length, it comes at a cost: increased ground contact time.  Bobsledders preferred the downhill method as it mimics the real deal.  But you are not a bobsledder.

These devices should NOT make you run faster, rather they should help you run and reach your top end speed more efficiently.

So there is a place for this in your training, but keep the grades and tensions very mild.   Just like Long jumping 30 feet with the aid of a trampoline doesn’t serve a purpose.

See also  You Have To Be an Athlete First, Before You Can Be a Sprinter

As far as wind helping athletes, I covered that topic in a lengthy article last year titled, Wind Assistance: Do Illegal Tailwinds help Sprinters?.  I prefer to train with the wind at my back.  Some coaches make the athletes run into the wind for strength and psychological training.  Psychologically, I like to see fast times when I check my splits with Freelap.  We live in a world of instant gratification and short attention spans.

Resisted Training

Uphill running, Isorobic Ropes, Bands and Sleds

In my article on  uphill running benefits, the slight uphill grade keeps their technique in balance, which is the popular term "staying tall".  Also, the ground rises to make contact with the feet, so athletes do not overstride, but it does increases ground contact.

Last year, I wrote about Driving Resistance Band Training with Baseball’s Marlon Byrd training with the Driving Resistance Band under the watchful eye of Remi Korchemny. Yes, that SNAC guy. (This was a 6 part general series on How to Improve Acceleration)  The purpose of the bands is for improving reactive strength or elastic strength, which is one of the major factors in speed development.

One has to be careful as too much load will severely increase the ground contact time of the runs, as every exercise you choose has its place in the Force-Velocity curve.  Just ask anybody doing plyometrics and depth jumps.  You can increase the load by adding a weight vest, or you can raise the height of the box.   Common sense will tell you jumping off a  48” box is not 4 times better than a 12” box!

See also  How much Horsepower does Usain Bolt Generate?

From my article 3 years ago on  Resistance Running with Sleds and Isorobic Ropes, here are some tips and advice for using sleds and isorobic ropes:

  • install the device about half a meter from the ground (18 inches)
  • distances anywhere from 10-30m (great for indoor workouts)
  • "slowdown" of 5-10% in expected, but no more as technique usually deteriorate when over 10%
  • ideally on the track with spikes, and good for indoor training
  • belt secured just above the hips no higher than the waist
  • keep proper care not to obstruct the runner with the incoming rope
  • make sure the sled does not knock over the Freelap transmitters

Developing Acceleration with Proper Sled Use

This section will only deal with sleds.

As a guideline, I always use the 10 percent rule to adding more weight.  That is, add 10% of your body weight, but don’t forget to include the weight of the sled!  But it’s a bit more complicated that that.

There are four true variables when working with sled sprinting, and that is:

  1. distance
  2. mechanics
  3. load
  4. speed

Of course, the best method to determine the effectiveness (or degradation) is actually timing the runs (and a close eye on biomechanics!)

But those who have used sleds will realize that first movement times of normal sprinting may be huge factor because of the jerky motions of the sleds overcoming inertia.

Since I use Freelap for my training, here is a great 2 part article (Part 1 is here, and Part 2 is here) that discusses the challenges of using sleds and how to incorporate Freelap into the analysis.  In Part 1, the article goes more into detail about the 4 true variables mentioned above on using sleds. In Part 2, it discusses Mixed Loading, Contrast Training, Complex Training and the ever-so-important periodization of sled use.

See also  Interview with Tyson Gay (by Jennie Rees)

I hope this quick summary answers a few questions on assisted and resisted training methods.

Category iconCoaching,  Track & Field,  Training

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. OKtav says

    July 11, 2012 at 8:29 am

    Question for specialists – What if between resistance/”loaded” series the athlete intercalates 1 or 2 short (3″) normal accelerations without load /resistance/rubber ?

    Reply
  2. suresh saini coach 45 fraction runners says

    July 14, 2012 at 5:07 am

    slope angle during up hill runs should not be more then 6 degree, and in case of down hill angle should not be more then 5 degree. sled runs are less recommended as they have jerky moments.

    Reply
  3. Oktav says

    July 15, 2012 at 11:49 pm

    … My previous comment/ question was about a possible way to restore sensations after sled series; one the problematics was the increasing of the ground contacts times and eventually the modification of the body-posture… Could the intercalated series diminish the “side-effects” of sled runs?

    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

  • Oregon22 Coaches Club now Online
  • 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]

Copyright © 2023. SpeedEndurance.com is owned and operated by Aryta Ltd. Privacy Policy | Cookie 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
Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}