When it comes to training all elements of acceleration and max velocity (top end speed), I used to be a ‘short to long’ purist. On paper it’s completely reasonable to assume if an athlete can’t accelerate from 0-10m the way you want then having them do 20m and 30m runs is counterproductive. Because it will…
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All posts by Latif Thomas
The Truth About Distance Runners and the Weight Room
Finally! Scott Christensen’s brand new course is finally ready for you, and we can’t wait to see the results you get because of it. If you’re currently trying to incorporate a functional strength training and power development component to your middle distance and distance program, or you think you want to start, make sure…
Conferences I’m Speaking At in December [Chicago & Maine]
I’ll be speaking at two conferences I recommend you attend. On Saturday December 1, I’ll be at the Maine State Track Coaches Conference at Thomas College. It’s not a huge event yet, but I like that these Maine college coaches are taking the initiative to create content for high school coaches in order to…
How to ‘Reverse Engineer’ the College Schedule to fit HS Season Length
I got on the phone with Kebba Tolbert the other night because I had some questions. We decided to record it. I had the hour long conversation transcribed and it came out to 24 pages of additional content. If you haven’t already read my entire interview with Kebba, you can get it here for free….
Unicorns, Show Ponies, & The Mythical Straight Leg Bound Progression
In 2012 I spoke at the MF athletic All Star Track and Field Clinic in Atlantic city. I roomed with Tony Veney. If you’ve ever roomed with Tony Veney, it is quite the experience! (Don’t be mad at me Tony!) During one of my breaks, I had the opportunity to sit in on a lecture…
Sprinters Need to Stop Running in Practice
Running is not sprinting. Sprinting is not running. Let’s say you can currently throw a fastball 90mph. You want to get it to 100mph. Do you think the solution is to spend the bulk of your time throwing large volumes of pitches at 75 miles per hour? No because that would be dumb. Sprinters hate…
My Favorite Sprints, Hurdles, & Jumps Programs to Steal From
There are only a few days left before Christmas and we’re having a ‘Last Minute’ sale. All digital programs are 30% off through the end of the day on Christmas Eve. Click here to see our full catalogue of track and field programs. (Use coupon code XMAS30 at checkout.) We have a lot of programs…
How to run separate short and long sprints workouts at the same time
Chances are you’re in charge of the entire sprints group. You know your 100m runners and 400m runners often need different types of training. But, if you’re watching short sprints come out of blocks, you lose track of the long sprints rest period and you screw up that workout. If you’re timing the long sprints…
Training in the Hallways: Mangaging Shin Splints and Training Volumes
To make sure I crossed every ‘t’ and dotted every ‘i’ before launching my new Complete Program Design for Sprinters program, I asked coaches to answer the following: What is your biggest question about training in the hallways? I’ve received 318 responses so far and noted some clear patterns in what you asked. I took…
The Two Best Workouts for Combo 400/800 (and 600) Runners?
When it comes to training the appropriate energy system, one could argue writing workouts for 100m runners requires relatively little nuance. But, if you coach kids who excel at both the 400 and 800 (and 600 if you live in the northeast), you’ve got to find the optimal dose of speed and endurance work. A…
Stop Doing “Recovery” the Day After Speed Work [PART 3]
“When you free yourself from volume concerns, the picture becomes much clearer.” – Vince Anderson (Texas A&M) ==> Click here to read Part I: Training Deeper in the Same Pool ==> Click here to read Part II: Training Shallower in the Same Pool I heard Vince say this at the first USTFCCCA Event…
Stop Doing “Recovery” The Day After Speed Work [PART 2]
In Part 1, I explained the many benefits of using back-to-back training sessions of high neuromuscular demand as a model when your are planning training for your sprinters. In regular people terms this means back-to-back speed days. If you haven’t read it, it’s worth checking out before continuing on here because it explains the underlying…