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Quote from: seifullaah73 on June 24, 2012, 07:48:56 am

Can you explain how to do tempo runs, i came across one place which said you run at a slow pace for about 15-20min.

thanks

lol, that's continuous tempo.  Definitely not something a sprinter should do regularly.  Continuous tempo is generally for middle/long distance running.  Try this:

http://www.elitetrack.com/faqs/answer/216

http://tnation.t-nation.com/free_online_forum/sports_body_training_performance_bodybuilding_strength/tempo_work_in_sprint_training

post number 8, which is an extensive tempo example


I know Charlie Francis liked to use extensive tempo almost exclusively, and did little to know intensive tempo work.  However guys like Glen Mills(Asafa Powell's coach) think that alternating speed days and intensive tempo is better.  Generally, extensive tempo is more intense than intensive tempo(duh).


Personally, I prefer extensive tempo, to keep my CNS fresh.  The total volume in meters of tempo, and the distances per repetition will be based on your abilities as a sprinter.

Sprint-float-sprints or ins-and-outs are runs of longer duration (60-90m) that can also be used to develop maximal velocity. Typically they start with a 20-35m hard acceleration (sprint). The acceleration is followed by a second segment (20-30m; the float) where the athlete focuses on running relaxed and using the momentum developed from the first acceleration. The third segment (20-30m), is basically a flying sprint (see flying sprints above).

Flying sprints are sprints of short duration (10-30m) performed with a short preceding run-in (20-30m)

Quote from: seifullaah73 on June 23, 2012, 11:18:36 am

Its quite interesting the spiral technique. But i would like a detailed explanation on how to do it.

I went to the site and got this info on how to do it.

"spiraling your arms with your hand supinating on the upstroke and pronating on the downstroke"

so when you hands is coming forward and up your hands are supposed to be in a supinating position.

below is a diagram of different hand positions.



That looks strange, the palms facing upwards when coming up instead of neutral position and facing down when going back.
you rotate from the elbow.

please someone explain
thanks

I'll save you a lot of time by advising you not to waste your time with this stuff. 

I will second Avishek's advice that "relaxation" is not as good of a cue as "awareness".  Might have to steal that one . There is nothing "relaxing" about sprinting.  However, again I will remind you that it's probably not in your best interest to worry to much about spiraling your arms or relaxing at top speed.  If you aim to improve and work hard enough that in a couple of years you will go from your current ability to being essentially a new person who is significantly faster. 

Rather than worrying about relaxation or spiraling your hands you should continue to work on your full effort sprints as well as relaxed tempo work at about 75-80% intensity.  Doing tempo work and realizing that you can go pretty fast without trying will help you learn to "relax" more when you are competing.  If you train successfully you will go from:   

A 140 pound person running 15.x seconds.
A 160 pound person running 11.x seconds.

The drastic improvement you can make as a beginner by just getting stronger and more powerful and accelerating to newfound speeds means that if you spending time working on your technique cues at your current levels won't pay off as much as you apply more much strength to the track and go much faster.  It's akin to going to the moon and having to relearn how to run at different gravity levels.  The only cues your should work to fix now are those which are gross motor inefficiencies (ie. arms coming across body, legs arms not coordinated).  Cues are important but if they were as important as power in track we wouldn't have so many of what seem like counterexamples in the sport today.  I forget the athletes name but the guy who got 3rd or 4th in the NCAA's 400m (I think from Illinois or somewhere in the big ten) ran a 45.1 or something and ran the last 300 meters with his torso and head tilted completely back and his back completely arched.  He looked horrible.  BUT he ran a 45.1.  More efficient running would probably take him to approximately 44.7....   Point being he would get slightly better.  BUT he has a 45.1 because he is still very very strong.  That's where you want to be.  It's a great problem to have.   Get incredibly strong and enjoy being fast, and start worrying about these cues when you run sub 12 seconds.   

Good luck!   

Those are some great quotes, i will have to check ou tthe links later.

Of course I cannot claim to be an expert as I have not even competed yet despite training 100m for almost a couple years now consistently, but I do claim to understand exactly what it means to relax in top speed. When I reach top speed I know it, it feels distinct from anything else. It's also very difficult to:
1. keep my head down
2. speed up strides

1. My body naturally becomes upright, and keeping my head down is more difficult. 2. The reason I cannot forcibly speed up my strides as much as I can in the fist 30m is b/c i'm up in the air more and thus my legs are going through more of a cycle motion rather than a kicking forward motion which I do for the first 10. Thus, when I get there after 50ishm, I just get into the form which I know so well now, and put as much power behind each stride as I can, one stride at a time. Edit: trying to do anything else just feels less ecnomical. I've tried t keep my heels lower by kicking more, but that just seems to fight air resistance and the upward motion of my body during each stride.

I am not completely sold that being relaxed will help, because I think another term one could use is awareness. If you become aware of how your stride feels once at top speed, you may realize that trying to fight it by speeding it up or clenching your teeth together doesn't really help, and is actually detrimental if it screwed up your form. But you can be aware and not wasteful of energy.

So memorize how it feels at top speed is what I am offering. To do this you cannot test out submax drills. It has to be 100% effort, but the awareness of form will be more relaxing than clenching the teeth and flexing the neck muscles.