STRENGTH TRAINING FOR SPRINTING PERFORMANCE

A heavy lower-body day to get you strong and powerful, and prevent injuries while sprinting

BY JAHMEEK MURRAY-TAYLOR EMMA ARSENAULT

Firefighter, ex-pro athlete, personal trainer at All Day Fit, and one of Canada’s Top Fitness Trainers 2022 in Toronto, ON. JAHJAHBANKS ALLDAYFIT.CO

Strength training not only has the potential to reduce your risk of injury by correcting muscle imbalances and improving muscle activation, but it will also increase the efficiency of your sprinting biomechanics which results in improved sprinting performance.

Front Squat

Rep Range 6-8 | Sets 4

All Day Fit 5 Coaching Cues:

1. Corkscrew your feet into the floor - encourages awareness and tension in foot.

2. Big breath in, brace your core.

3. Elbows in and up to engage your lats.

4. Open your hips as you pull yourself into the bottom.

5. Drive your feet into the floor to stand tall.

Rest the barbell across your shoulders, elbows forward with your fingertips under the bar. The weight of the bar is on your shoulders, and your fingertips provide some control.

The key to a good front rack is having sufficiently “high elbows.” In practical terms, your upper arms should be close to parallel with the floor in the front rack, with your elbows pointing straight ahead.

Trap Bar Deadlifts

Rep 6-8 | Sets 4

All Day Fit 5 Coaching Cues:

1. Line up the middle of your foot with the middle of the trap bar.

2. As you hinge imagine pushing your bum to the wall behind you.

3. Place hand directly in middle of the bar.

4. Pull slack out of the bar to engage your lats.

5. Drive your feet into the ground to stand tall.

The trap bar deadlift is a total-body movement that can be utilized across various sports. Both veteran athletes and newcomers to the gym alike can benefit from training the trap bar deadlift due to its wide applicability.

The design of the trap bar allows you to align the weight closer to your centre of mass. By standing within the frame instead of behind a standard barbell, you can increase your leverage and assume a more upright posture. I highly recommend the trap bar over the standard barbell for most people! ➝

Bulgarian Split Squats

Reps 6-8/side | Sets 3

All Day Fit 5 Coaching Cues:

1. Start in the bottom position.

2. Plant leg slightly tighter than 90 degrees.

3. Square your hips.

4. Squeeze under your armpits to engage lats.

5. Push through front foot to bring you to standing.

The Bulgarian split squat is a single-leg squat where the back leg is elevated on a bench or a sturdy chair.

Any time you can work your body unilaterally —meaning that you target one side of your body independently from the other—you can improve side-to-side muscle imbalances!

Copenhagen Plank With Knee March

Reps 8-10/side | Sets 3

All Day Fit 5 Coaching Cues:

1. In a side-plank position, place the top leg on a bench with the bottom leg under the bench.

2. Lift the hips until your body is in a straight line.

3. March knee to hip while maintaining a long spine.

The Copenhagen plank strengthens the adductors to protect against adductor strains when sprinting!

Eight Weeks to a Faster 10 km

An achievable plan for anyone wanting to improve their 10 km time

BY LISA HARVEY  TORONTO WOMEN’S RUN/FINISHERPIX

1992 Olympian - 10,000 metres, three-time World Outdoor Track Team Member, eight-time World Cross-Country National Team Member, multiple time Canadian medalist at distances from track to the marathon, 2022 University of Calgary Hall of Fame Inductee, Mile2Marathon Run Coach in Calgary, AB.

LISARUNSWIM

The 10 km is one of the most challenging and rewarding race distances. You begin fast with the excitement of the spectators and fellow participants, then settle into your rhythm and finish strong over the last two k ilometres. Would you like to improve your 10 km time but just haven’t been able to shave off the last few seconds? Runners of all abilities can reach their goal 10 km time with this eight-week plan. Before starting this plan you should be comfortable running for 30 minutes at least three times per week. Trust the process and believe in your abilities!

The plan consists of a workout (Thursday), long run (Sunday), two easy runs (Tuesday/Friday), and an optional cross-training day. Running by effort (i.e. how your body feels) at the beginning is the key to determining the running pace that feels best for you. The long run—called Long Slow Distance (LSD)—should be done at a comfortable pace that you could maintain for an hour or more. Think about controlled breathing, relaxed arm swing, low knee lift, and feet touching the ground lightly with each stride. Easy runs are shorter runs during the week where you are running 1530 seconds faster than your long run. The workouts are a chance to practice race paces and good running form. They consist of a 15-minute easy warm-up run, strides, intervals, and 10 - 15-minute easy cool down.

COACH’S TIPS

• Include rest days, strength, and flexibility exercises.

• Wear supportive running shoes with good cushioning. Try a few runs in new shoes before the race.

• Eat a balanced diet, sleep well, and drink water throughout the day.

• Be patient – listen to your body and take time off running early to avoid injuries.

• Be consistent – follow the plan and move the workouts to fit your work/life schedule.

Legend

Strides – Accelerations to practice faster leg turnover and good running form (good posture, knees driving forward, arms bent). On an 80 - 100 metre flat stretch of pathway or grass, think about starting at an easier pace and finishing fast.

5 km Pace – Based on your last 5 km race or 10 seconds per km faster than your last 10 km race pace.

Negative split – Run at your long run pace for the first half of the run and then try to run slightly faster for the second half.

Fartlek – Speed play in a continuous run. They are repetitions where you are running by feel at a perceived level of exertion of 7 - 8 on a scale of 10. Fartlek benefits runners by helping them adapt to changes of pace in a race without needing to take rest breaks, and further boosts their fitness with the active recovery.

EIGHT-WEEK 10 KM TRAINING PLAN

warm-up: 15 min easy + 3 strides and drills, 5 km, cool down: 10-15 min easy