Integrating Strength & Power Training for Sprinters into the Track Session

The Employment of On-Track, Applicable Strength Training Methods Transferable to Sprint Performance.

Jim Hiserman is the author of 3 books:

Integrating Strength & Power Training For Sprinters Into The Track Session

PART I

After reading Jimson’s response to questions regarding Justin Gatlin’s endorsement of VertiMax, I thought it might be valuable to re-assess the various Strength/Power Training Methods that have been proven, through peer-reviewed research studies, on elite or national level sprinters and/or athletes in speed oriented sports (rugby backs, soccer players, etc.).

Most of the studies that reveal positive correlation between Specific Strength/ Power exercises and Maximum Velocity, Acceleration or Explosive Block Starts involve weight room exercises with Olympic Bars, Kettle Bells and Complexes involving weights with Plyo-Boxes and Elastic Bands CAN be found in the references listed in STRENGTH AND POWER FOR MAXIMUM SPEED (2010) here on this website.

Squats, Jump Squats, Speed Squats, Pause Squats, Counter Movement Box Jumps, Kettle Bell Hip Thrusts, Box Drops w/ Vertical Jump, BarBell Step-ups, Accelerated Dumbell Step-ups, etc. have all been found to develop the strength/ power needed for improving the various components of the Sprint Race.

HOWEVER, it might be of particular value to high school coaches who have neither:

access to a weight room,
extra time to spend in the weight room or
a knowledgeable Strength & Conditioning Specialist to monitor the training.

First, it is important to define the various types of strength that influence sprint speed development.

It must be remembered that there are FIVE, separate but interdependent, types of Strength that all play roles in development and/or improvement of Maximum Velocity Sprinting. These include:

Absolute Strength: Sometimes termed Maximum Strength,
Power: Sometimes termed Speed-Strength,
Explosive Strength: Sometimes termed Strength-Speed,
Reactive Strength: Sometimes termed Elastic Strength (Plyometric Training is another term) and
Strength Endurance.

Before getting into the On-Track Methods for training these various types of Strength/Power OUTSIDE the weight room, it is important to review what Biomechanical Analysis has suggested in regards to the specific areas in which Strength and Power training might best be applied.

According to Dr. Ralph Mann, in The Mechanics of Sprinting and Hurdling, (Ralph Mann, PhD., 2007 Edition),

“The most critical component of sprint mechanics lies in the management of upper leg mechanics. It makes the most demands on both strength and proper movement. All performance components are vital, but this is where the major difference is made in elite sprint performance.” (pg.117, last paragraph)

Prior to this statement, Mann lists three major challenges that elite sprinters must overcome.

The first challenge involves the sheer magnitude of the demands. The hip extensors demand peaks that are near the limits of human performance at ground contact. Mann states that only the most powerful of athletes have the ability to produce the leg extension forces needed to produce an effective action.
The second challenge involves force demands as the emphasis shifts from hip extensors to hip flexors. Mann points out the extreme difficulty of producing these forces effectively at rotational speeds of over 500 degrees per second.
The final challenge, which Mann terms one of concept, proves to be the most difficult. Mann states “Whereas it is commonly believed, and intuitively supported, that a sprinter should use their hip extensors to drive the body down the track during ground contact, the data tells us otherwise. In fact, the best of the elite sprinters only emphasize leg extension for the first 25 percent of ground contact. The last 75 percent of ground contact, the elite sprinter is actually using high levels of hip flexor activity to stop the backward rotation of the upper leg.”

In an earlier article on Speed Endurance titled: Neuro-Biomechanics of Maximum Velocity Sprinting, By Loren Seagrave, (Read Part 1 and Part 2) the following points from this article both concur with Mann and elaborate on how to “teach” what Mann proposes from his above statements derived from his biomechanical analysis.

“The prime example comes in the transition into the Residual Phase, where the brain must send the message to dorsiflex the foot before T.O. (take-off) into the Residual Phase. German studies have shown EMG messages occurring while the foot is still in contact prior to T.O. At T.O. there is stored elastic energy if the foot is dorsiflexed, thus reducing the amount of time required to recover the leg (i.e. get the thigh and leg moving forwards sooner after T.O. to save time in the Recovery Phase.

The cue for therapists when reteaching someone to walk is not to lift the knee, but lift the top of the foot! This evokes the “triple response”; by curling the toe up (lifting the top of the foot) the knee and hip also respond! Those with too pronounced backside mechanics and slow recovery do not send this message of dorsiflexion soon enough. Since recovery requires velocities of over 400 degs/sec, the smaller muscles must do it, not the larger ones.

The Gastrocnemius (begins above the knee and goes down to achilles) becomes an extremely fast knee flexor! Joint position dictates muscle recruitment (this is the Speed Dynamics principle), with dorsiflexion of the foot and other joint movements.”

“In cyclical motions, part of time muscles must contract, and part of the time they must relax. Hip extension from ground contact through the Drive Phase is vital, and requires hamstring contraction. If the hamstring contracts during the Recovery Phase then it does not have time to relax, and the result is either premature fatigue or worse, injury! By reducing the moment of inertia through dorsiflexion of the toe, then Recovery is quicker and allows the hamstring to relax and recover for the next contraction during the Drive Phase.”

“When young people learn to bat in baseball and they swing the bat too slowly to hit the ball, the appropriate adjustment is to choke up on the bat and thus be able to swing faster. If the length of the leg is shorter, then it too can swing faster! The same principle also works in sprinting. Just before the Transition Phase – when the thigh blocks – coaches will often observe athletes floating in the air in a blocked motion. The legs work in concert and in opposition, so a blocked leg cannot go down until the opposite leg begins to move forward – in other words, they need to work on the Recovery Phase to enhance the Transition Phase! “

“Coaches can drill athletes to use a maximum acceleration of the hip flexors and a maximum deceleration of hip extensors by means of a fast leg drill.”

“Another cue to look for as a coach is the angle between the thighs at the moment the foot touches the ground. The knees should be at least together: an excellent measure of quality and perfection of leg recovery mechanics. If there is light, i.e. some angle between the legs at TD, then a forward TD and braking is occurring, thus Vmax is reduced. In drills, sprinters should shift the hip forward – this avoids stress on the ham from hip back. The shoulders should remain directly above the hips, and the athlete should use the lower two abdominals to stabilize the pelvis (the upper four are used for breathing). This is a skill, and like any it can be unlearned and overridden by bad technique!

The sprinting action can be practiced in a Whole Method by maintaining a stable and upright torso, then dorsiflexing the foot (thus initiating the triple reflex of the ankle-knee-hip joints), then drive the thigh down and grab back into the ground and end up tall with the hip over the knee. Excellent strength exercises that will enhance the specific strength of the sprint cycle are squats, lunges, step-ups, and bounding.”

To follow up on the above teaching cues by Seagrave, aimed at harnessing the Neural Components of Efficient Force Application techniques, Mann summarizes his analysis with the following statements:

“The key to producing elite sprint performance is emphasizing Front Side Mechanics, while minimizing Back Side Mechanics. To accomplish this, the athlete must understand the proper concept, including an ACTIVE TOUCHDOWN and an ACTIVE TAKEOFF.”

… that can be developed via teaching the Neural Aspects of Active Touchdown and Takeoff Techniques AND the use of Strength and Power Methods that transfer directly to both Horizontal and Vertical Components of Force Application and Active Touchdown and Take-off abilities of the sprinter.

So, in addition to frequent and consistent teaching of proper sprint mechanics and the various drills that BOTH enhance sprint mechanics AND, like “Fast Leg” and “High Knee” Drills, help develop the necessary Hip Flexor Strength needed for optimal performance.

Part II below will give some limited examples of the various methods to achieve optimal strength and power development in order to meet the biomechanical demands of applying the optimal Touchdown and Takefoff forces necessary for maximum sprint speed development.

These methods focus on the employment of exercise modes that

cover the entire spectrum of the Force/Velocity Curve
effectively transer to the efficient application of proper ground reaction forces during both acceleration and maximum velocity phases, and
can be integrated into the sprint training session with use of On-Track Methods utilizing sleds, tubing, Bullet Belts, Plyo-Boxes, MedBall Throws/Jumps, Bounding, Hopping and BW Lunge and Squat variations.