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Topics - speedstik1028

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ADARQ & LanceSTS - Q&A / Fall Training-Desperate
« on: September 06, 2011, 09:22:45 am »
Hey Lance,
I am first and foremost a sprinter in track and have had a very successful summer in training I believe in speed training. I really want to increase my max speed and acceleration, and continue training for it in the fall. I am not doing an organized sport in the fall, but will have to scrimmage basketball on Tuesday and Thursdays. I was wondering what I could do for my workouts, and on which days I could do them to keep making gains in speed throughout the fall. Thank you so much.

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ADARQ & LanceSTS - Q&A / Weight/Losing Upper Body Weight
« on: August 03, 2011, 10:09:55 am »
Dear Lance and ADarq,
I was recently weighed in at 6'3.75 and 188 lbs. I know I have a relatively low bodyfat because my abs show a lot, but I also work them a lot. I'm currently training for speed and my vert (see journal) but I still have the feeling that at 16 I'm carrying around some babyfat/extra weight. I was wondering what I could do about losing some of this, including diet specifics and extra work, without compromising my recovery from weight and explosive training. What do you think of the upper body ergometer? Will that put on weight in my upper body. Right now I'm discouraged about the size of my arms. They're nearly as big as my calves and I do not like big arms. Is there anything I can do about that?

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400m Sprinting or Shorter / Sprinter Training
« on: June 17, 2011, 08:30:25 am »
Upper Body: How to develop the perfect sprinter's upper body, thanks to Linford Christie.
Upper body? But you sprint with your legs, surely? True enough, but a sprinter neglects strength in the upper body at his or her peril. Dynamic arms and torso add an additional explosive weapon to the sprinting armoury. As an indicator of upper-body strength, many top male sprinters can bench well over100 kg. And both male and female athletes will also include in their weights workouts upright rows, press in front and behind the neck, dumbbell flies and so on - as well as literally tens of thousands of bodyweight circuit exercises.

The emphasis on the upper body in sprinting can mainly be traced back to Alan Wells (1980 Olympic 200m champion). He developed an extensive dynamic upper-body routine using a boxer's speed ball as a central feature. To this he added extensive blocks of circuit work involving such exercises as 'chinnies' and press-ups. More recently, of course, Linford Christie has taken the art of upper-body conditioning to new levels. Not surprisingly, because of his immense international success, many other athletes around the world have begun to emulate his awesome upper-body development.

Now that Britain's most successful athlete is coaching, you can readily see his trademark arm and torso emphasis being reflected in the developing physiques of the athletes he coaches - for instance, Jamie Baulch (400m) and Darren Braithwaite (100 and 200m). I recently watched Braithwaite undertake one of Christie's upper-body sessions, and in doing so gained a real insight into the hard work that goes into conditioning for an event that lasts a bare 10 seconds.

First I asked Braithwaite why there was a need for a powerful upper body. A dynamic arm drive is essential, he said, at the start, middle and end of a sprint race.

The start and pick-up
As Braithwaite explained, the rearward drive of the arms behind the body as it accelerates from the blocks will add to the exaggerated drive of the legs and will also help keep the athlete low - all required for a quick getaway. Great power is needed by the sprinter to accelerate rapidly and a vigorous arm drive will contribute to this and prime the athlete for the pick-up, mid and end phases of the race.

Mid-race, the sprinter will most probably be on top of his or her form and should feel in total control. Braithwaite emphasized that at this point the arms and legs should be working in perfect harmony. 200m and 400m runners may actually concentrate on arm movement mid-race in order to stay relaxed - hunched shoulders will cramp their ability to do this.

The finish
When form begins to fade (particularly over 400m), a concentration on a purposeful and long arm drive can help prevent the inevitable shortening of stride length that often ensues. Only a well-conditioned one-lapper will be able to drive the arms purposefully at this stage. Power and endurance are required - lactic acid can build up in the arms as much as in the legs.

The torso - abs and back
Throughout the sprint, abs and back muscles will be working as a kind of strait-jacket to allow for maximum power transference between upper body, legs and track.If the torso is weak, then lateral movement can occur and waste valuable effort. The sprinter needs all the powerful available to go straight down the track. No wonder, then, that sprinters complete punishing circuit routines which involve repeated dynamic exercises. Look at Christie himself as he drives for the line, a balanced and rigid upper body, arms punching forward and back, and you'll see the supreme result of such specific conditioning.

Non-sprinters can find out what the torso goes through when sprinting by completing a 30-second burst of stationary arm sprinting. You'll find your body wants to rotate laterally with each arm movement unless you brace yourself mid-region.

Braithwaite's workouts
Athletes like Braithwaite will work on the various muscles in the shoulder, chest, abdominal and back regions by employing weights and circuit routines, sometimes in combination. Some sessions will be heavy, others will be more endurance-based, depending on the time of the training year.

All the exercises that follow form part of Christie's upper-body workouts, used specifically during the conditioning phase, ie, pre-Christmas/indoor season.

Bench press (chest development)
The bench press forms a key part of the sprinter's upper-body workouts - although it must be said that the exercise can be over-done, especially if athletes becomes too concerned with what they can 'bench' rather than with why they are training: for speed. The bench primarily develops the pectorals and triceps but in a plane of movement that is not specific to the sprinting action. Don't regard the bench as the equivalent of the squat for the upper body; although there are positive strength gains, these are less specific to the sprinting action than squatting itself.

Sample part session:
Bench - 25 reps x 50kg, immediately followed by 25 press-ups. Two minutes recovery, then repeat 4-5 times. Two mins recovery, then same again, but with 40kg on the bar.

Shoulder press, upright rowing, bent-over rowing
Developing the deltoids, rhomboids and traps, these exercises, like the bench, will generally strengthen the muscles used in the sprinting action. Performing front and rear shoulder press variants will provide the greatest dividend since the deltoids and traps work to pull the arms both back and forwards, as in sprinting. Christie's athletes perform seated shoulder press, which prevents the legs giving any assistance to the exercise.

Sample part session:
Seated shoulder press - 15 x 40kg, immediately followed by 15 x upright rowing, immediately followed by 15 x bent-over rowing (all with the same bar loaded at 40kg). Two mins rest, and repeat as above up to 5 times

Dumbbell work
Dumbbells allow for a more symmetrical body development, since a weaker left arm cannot be overridden by a stronger right one, as can be the case when using barbells. For this part of the session, Braithwaite used various weight dumbbells - 15, 10 and 7.5kg. The combination of exercises involved sprint arm drives, alternate shoulder press and curls, all done in succession with about 20-30 reps of each exercise. Once again, 4-5 sets would be carried out.

All the examples given here actually formed a part of only ONE strength endurance session as performed by Braithwaite! I would like to thank him for his invaluable help in preparing this article.

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ADARQ & LanceSTS - Q&A / Shredded/Lean Upper Body
« on: June 15, 2011, 11:29:16 am »
Hey ADARQ/ LanceSTS!
First off I wanna say adarq.org is the best training website on the internet.
I'm a high school athlete whose focus is 200/400m sprinting (but I also play basketball and high jump, so vert is very important to me). Last time I measured my vert it was about 38-39 inches (16 years old). I'm still in track for 3 more weeks then it's down to raw explosive training for a couple months, which I'm pumped for. Since I've been injured quite a bit in the past two years I feel as if even though I'm very lean (6'4  185) I'm still carrying a little extra weight up top, particularly my arms. Since I'm most likely going to end up putting on a few pounds lower body I was wondering what I should do to train upper body if I want my arms to stay the same size, but get more efficient. I have a six pack, but my arms are really not that cut. I was thinking of just doing body weight exercises, but if you have any  recommendations about what to do to get a shredded, but still powerful upper body without putting on size they'd be greatly appreciated. Do you guys have any information on what sprinters/high jumpers do to train their upperbody? Thanks so much guys for making me a better athlete.

Speedstik

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Introduce Yourself / Yeee
« on: April 15, 2011, 09:10:51 pm »
Hey,
I'm new to adarq but I love what's going on here. I look forward to having my questions regarding reaching athletic potential answered, and helping others where I can. Check out my progress journal. Peace.

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