Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Step One
Literally, step one is the most important step in the development of speed. It epitomizes the explosion of fast twitch muscles. Most athletes that have superior ability exhibit significantly faster first steps. They get out of the blocks faster, they move to the ball faster and generally look smoother and in better control.
An exercise that I have found to be the foundation for first step quickness is the utilization of the Aerobic Step. The aerobic step is the piece of exercise equipment that uses a 4 to 8 inch rise, and you step on it and off of it. Very simply put, this one exercize tool seems to isolate the muscles that heighten growth prospects for those muscles that govern EXPLOSION!
There are many ways to use the step, however the mere fact that you step on to it and off of it for 15 to 20 minutes per day will surely improve your first step. By utilizing differnent angles and for different durations will further improve your explosiveness. If you are from Missouri, and have to be shown, then it is up to you to try it for two weeks to see the results of which I speak. It appears that by using the step, you develop the muscles around the base of the calves,achilles area, and in the head of the thigh.
From the anecdotal evidence, these areas may hold an answer as to where one should be concerned when working on the first step quickness. Realizing that muscles are three dimensionally shaped masses, you should also realize that training that muscle requires training that muscle as such. In other words, to most effectively train the muscle for first step quickness you should work all sides of the muscle and wherever it attaches at the bone.
Since we are approaching the development of first step muscles specifically, then you must focus the use of the aerobic step in a way that maximizes the attack angles on the the three dimensions of the muscle and its attachments(Muscle to ligaments to bone, put in layman's terms, which is all I know). So with that said, you must try to hit every area of the muscles when doing the step.
This is how I would suggest utilizing the step;
1.Start with an easy to do step on and step off, straight at the step for 10 minutes, switching lead steps periodically through out the ten minutes. Step on step off!
2. Step on, step off the other side of the step, for a 30 count, again, simple step on step off then turn and go the other way, so as to always balance lead leg, don't overemphasize any particular leg and you will develop better balance.
3. In a sideways fashion step right foot on top of step then left foot on top of step then left foot off followed by right foot off, repeat for a 30 count for each lead leg.
These are basic examples of how I would start to use the step to build the first step quickness that lies within all of us. All you need to do is create variations on this theme by trying to hit different areas of the spots I highlighted on the legs and you will develop the areas three dimensionally. By the way, I call this method of hitting all areas of the muscle, Toroidal Training. Catchy, huh?
An exercise that I have found to be the foundation for first step quickness is the utilization of the Aerobic Step. The aerobic step is the piece of exercise equipment that uses a 4 to 8 inch rise, and you step on it and off of it. Very simply put, this one exercize tool seems to isolate the muscles that heighten growth prospects for those muscles that govern EXPLOSION!
There are many ways to use the step, however the mere fact that you step on to it and off of it for 15 to 20 minutes per day will surely improve your first step. By utilizing differnent angles and for different durations will further improve your explosiveness. If you are from Missouri, and have to be shown, then it is up to you to try it for two weeks to see the results of which I speak. It appears that by using the step, you develop the muscles around the base of the calves,achilles area, and in the head of the thigh.
From the anecdotal evidence, these areas may hold an answer as to where one should be concerned when working on the first step quickness. Realizing that muscles are three dimensionally shaped masses, you should also realize that training that muscle requires training that muscle as such. In other words, to most effectively train the muscle for first step quickness you should work all sides of the muscle and wherever it attaches at the bone.
Since we are approaching the development of first step muscles specifically, then you must focus the use of the aerobic step in a way that maximizes the attack angles on the the three dimensions of the muscle and its attachments(Muscle to ligaments to bone, put in layman's terms, which is all I know). So with that said, you must try to hit every area of the muscles when doing the step.
This is how I would suggest utilizing the step;
1.Start with an easy to do step on and step off, straight at the step for 10 minutes, switching lead steps periodically through out the ten minutes. Step on step off!
2. Step on, step off the other side of the step, for a 30 count, again, simple step on step off then turn and go the other way, so as to always balance lead leg, don't overemphasize any particular leg and you will develop better balance.
3. In a sideways fashion step right foot on top of step then left foot on top of step then left foot off followed by right foot off, repeat for a 30 count for each lead leg.
These are basic examples of how I would start to use the step to build the first step quickness that lies within all of us. All you need to do is create variations on this theme by trying to hit different areas of the spots I highlighted on the legs and you will develop the areas three dimensionally. By the way, I call this method of hitting all areas of the muscle, Toroidal Training. Catchy, huh?
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Ain't Heavy-continued
Everybody saw Michael Johnson run in two different Olympics, so there is no secret about his ability. Conversely, Houston ran in near obscurity because he could only win the very shortest races, but for 60 yards or less no one could beat him except maybe Ben Johnson on steroids. I suspect there are a few cats in Jail though that could give any world class runner a go, too bad about that though!
Michael Johnson, on the other hand could cover longer distances and for a short period of time he did it better than anyone else, ever! His thang was that he had superior form accompanied by super speed developed over many years and most likely over many generations. In my opinion, his key to success was that he left the blocks hell bent with desire, but once he hit the 3rd and 4th gears he had long strides that seemed to defy gravity. For a while he just touched the ground for fleeting moments. He was the Flash!
His robotic form had you believing he was not really that fast, but his results contradicted what you saw. I believe that illusion came from a different type of explosion that I describe as the Stride portion of the sprint. A stride isn't necessarily a languid prolonged movement. Rather in the sprint it is a series of leg bursts that are quite long, however due to their smoothness and rapidity seem to be appear almost slow. The secret is that the longer the stride the more distance covered and if you can pick em up and put down very fast you will be as fast as you can be!
Its like this see, if you cover 10 yards with three strides and you make the strides at a faster pace you will cover the 10 yards faster, simple, huh? So like Mike, you have to practice covering those simple ten yards faster, then string a bunch of ten yards together. If you are running just ten yards you just need to explode but if you have to cover more ground, then you must string more of the ten yarders together.
This may all sound trite at this point but as we begin to discuss training for the different parts of the sprint, then this will make perfect sense, I hope! This discussion can be extrapolated to just about any sport that deals with running except distance running or distances over 800 yards/meters.
Michael Johnson, on the other hand could cover longer distances and for a short period of time he did it better than anyone else, ever! His thang was that he had superior form accompanied by super speed developed over many years and most likely over many generations. In my opinion, his key to success was that he left the blocks hell bent with desire, but once he hit the 3rd and 4th gears he had long strides that seemed to defy gravity. For a while he just touched the ground for fleeting moments. He was the Flash!
His robotic form had you believing he was not really that fast, but his results contradicted what you saw. I believe that illusion came from a different type of explosion that I describe as the Stride portion of the sprint. A stride isn't necessarily a languid prolonged movement. Rather in the sprint it is a series of leg bursts that are quite long, however due to their smoothness and rapidity seem to be appear almost slow. The secret is that the longer the stride the more distance covered and if you can pick em up and put down very fast you will be as fast as you can be!
Its like this see, if you cover 10 yards with three strides and you make the strides at a faster pace you will cover the 10 yards faster, simple, huh? So like Mike, you have to practice covering those simple ten yards faster, then string a bunch of ten yards together. If you are running just ten yards you just need to explode but if you have to cover more ground, then you must string more of the ten yarders together.
This may all sound trite at this point but as we begin to discuss training for the different parts of the sprint, then this will make perfect sense, I hope! This discussion can be extrapolated to just about any sport that deals with running except distance running or distances over 800 yards/meters.
Monday, April 11, 2005
He Aint Heavy, He's My Brother
So it goes that if you train to win you will have a chance, but if you sit on your ass and/or train incorrectly you will be doomed to failure, ha ha ha! How many times have you seen super athletes seemingly working like a dog to improve only to see them fail by a hair. Winners at the top levels usually win by an inch or foot, and what makes that possible is usually the first step quickness superiority of the winner.
What is up with that? Very simple, so sayeth the speed merchant. If you train to be in shape rather than to develop first step explosion or top end speed then you won't have those necessary elements to successfully compete at the very top levels and thusly win by an inch.
Of course, if you train to run a marathon and that is your goal, then it is ok to train to be in shape. It isn't that you will be a world class marathoner, since that is only possible if you train like a mad man and you are from an economically deprived nation. Kind of like a light weight prize fighter; I have observed that you always bet on the fighter or marathoner from the most economically decimated country. Those people have the most motivation to win so it improves your odds!
Train To Beat The Band
Now that I have lain the ground work for why some people are speedier and that some people are anamolous in that they beat the odds, now I will discuss the way to improve your speed to your potential. No kidding, you actually have a chance to get faster, develop quicker first step explosiveness and generate more top end speed if you will just listen to the next few missives from the speed merchant. These insights are based on 45 years of personal experience and countless hours of other folks' input.
Recognize first, that we all have an innate and predetermined top end speed and first step explosion rate. Now, how do we get the most out of these two genetically determined characteristics? Simple, yet not so simple unless you know what the merchant knows!
Your workouts must be specifically designed to create a more explosive first step and to improve and maximize your high gears. To put this in terms of distance, explosion would correlate with the first 50 yards of a race while the top end would be reached after the first 50 yards and heretofore by the 80th to 120th yard of a race. Before the 50 yard mark you are normally accelerating and exploding in the run. While in the attainment of top end speed you are usually maxed out by the 120th yard as to your top speed. For example, Houston Mctear, one of the fastest people I ever saw run 60 yards, appeared to be accelerating through out the 60, where he usually petered out and was caught by the other sprinters by the 100 yard mark.
On the other hand, Michael Johnson seemed to gather momentum until he reached a peak speed around the 120 to 160 yard mark, where he would maintain that speed for as long as 400 meters!
Mctear's Explosion
His innate ability came through at a very young age. He was recognized for his explosiveness while still in high school. If you watched him run you would notice his deep lean, short, almost choppy steps and his wanton desire to bust out of the pack in nearly every race he ran indoors.
DeepLean- The first fifteen steps of a sprint are characterized as a fight against gravity. The runner must use gravity to propel himself forward while maintaining balance enough to get into the next phase of the run. I am sure track afficianadoes can break a sprint into various other segments, however for the merchant's purposes of explaining how to get faster, just hold your horses you afficiandoes.
As the Ubersprinter comes out of the blocks or off the line or off a base or charges to ball or scrambles to get an advantage he always comes out low and keeps his center of gravity down near the earth. If he stands too quickly he loses a step. Its like trying to race a car while starting in 2nd or 3rd gear. You will lose the race if you start at the low speed unless the race is over several hundred miles like Indy. But in my view of the running world, life is a drag, race that is. Vroom, Vroom!
Choppy Steps- Pick em up, put em down as fast as you can at the beginning of the race. In this phase of a run you are using only fast twitch muscle to propel your body forward or sidewards or upwards or whatever. Important point! To carry any other type of muscle at this point of a run is plain stupid! It is excess baggage and simply defies logic to carry it along and expect to run faster.
It really kills me to see people who are trying to improve their speed by working on speed training then going out for a 5 mile run. The choppy steps work best when you are using every scintilla of your energy to pick em up and put em down as fast as you can. The extra weight of slow twitch muscle fibre only adds ballast to the ass. I will talk more about the effects of improper training for speed later.
Wanton Abandon-Eyes watering, air exploding from lungs, and arms pumping like a mofo; That is wanton abandon! There is no appearance of control only a desire to be out of the blocks first. To be a world class sprinter you have to let the animal inside OUT! Modern sprint coaches have refined almost every element of the sprint including the arm movement, leg movements, and body and head leans. While all those elements are critical to being a successful sprinter, the baseline elements necessary for a successful runner/athlete are what you would have seen had you seen Houston run.
Next will be, what makes Michael run and how to train for the development of fast twitch muscle fibre, since thats all you need anyway. Later!
What is up with that? Very simple, so sayeth the speed merchant. If you train to be in shape rather than to develop first step explosion or top end speed then you won't have those necessary elements to successfully compete at the very top levels and thusly win by an inch.
Of course, if you train to run a marathon and that is your goal, then it is ok to train to be in shape. It isn't that you will be a world class marathoner, since that is only possible if you train like a mad man and you are from an economically deprived nation. Kind of like a light weight prize fighter; I have observed that you always bet on the fighter or marathoner from the most economically decimated country. Those people have the most motivation to win so it improves your odds!
Train To Beat The Band
Now that I have lain the ground work for why some people are speedier and that some people are anamolous in that they beat the odds, now I will discuss the way to improve your speed to your potential. No kidding, you actually have a chance to get faster, develop quicker first step explosiveness and generate more top end speed if you will just listen to the next few missives from the speed merchant. These insights are based on 45 years of personal experience and countless hours of other folks' input.
Recognize first, that we all have an innate and predetermined top end speed and first step explosion rate. Now, how do we get the most out of these two genetically determined characteristics? Simple, yet not so simple unless you know what the merchant knows!
Your workouts must be specifically designed to create a more explosive first step and to improve and maximize your high gears. To put this in terms of distance, explosion would correlate with the first 50 yards of a race while the top end would be reached after the first 50 yards and heretofore by the 80th to 120th yard of a race. Before the 50 yard mark you are normally accelerating and exploding in the run. While in the attainment of top end speed you are usually maxed out by the 120th yard as to your top speed. For example, Houston Mctear, one of the fastest people I ever saw run 60 yards, appeared to be accelerating through out the 60, where he usually petered out and was caught by the other sprinters by the 100 yard mark.
On the other hand, Michael Johnson seemed to gather momentum until he reached a peak speed around the 120 to 160 yard mark, where he would maintain that speed for as long as 400 meters!
Mctear's Explosion
His innate ability came through at a very young age. He was recognized for his explosiveness while still in high school. If you watched him run you would notice his deep lean, short, almost choppy steps and his wanton desire to bust out of the pack in nearly every race he ran indoors.
DeepLean- The first fifteen steps of a sprint are characterized as a fight against gravity. The runner must use gravity to propel himself forward while maintaining balance enough to get into the next phase of the run. I am sure track afficianadoes can break a sprint into various other segments, however for the merchant's purposes of explaining how to get faster, just hold your horses you afficiandoes.
As the Ubersprinter comes out of the blocks or off the line or off a base or charges to ball or scrambles to get an advantage he always comes out low and keeps his center of gravity down near the earth. If he stands too quickly he loses a step. Its like trying to race a car while starting in 2nd or 3rd gear. You will lose the race if you start at the low speed unless the race is over several hundred miles like Indy. But in my view of the running world, life is a drag, race that is. Vroom, Vroom!
Choppy Steps- Pick em up, put em down as fast as you can at the beginning of the race. In this phase of a run you are using only fast twitch muscle to propel your body forward or sidewards or upwards or whatever. Important point! To carry any other type of muscle at this point of a run is plain stupid! It is excess baggage and simply defies logic to carry it along and expect to run faster.
It really kills me to see people who are trying to improve their speed by working on speed training then going out for a 5 mile run. The choppy steps work best when you are using every scintilla of your energy to pick em up and put em down as fast as you can. The extra weight of slow twitch muscle fibre only adds ballast to the ass. I will talk more about the effects of improper training for speed later.
Wanton Abandon-Eyes watering, air exploding from lungs, and arms pumping like a mofo; That is wanton abandon! There is no appearance of control only a desire to be out of the blocks first. To be a world class sprinter you have to let the animal inside OUT! Modern sprint coaches have refined almost every element of the sprint including the arm movement, leg movements, and body and head leans. While all those elements are critical to being a successful sprinter, the baseline elements necessary for a successful runner/athlete are what you would have seen had you seen Houston run.
Next will be, what makes Michael run and how to train for the development of fast twitch muscle fibre, since thats all you need anyway. Later!
