If you guys remembered I posted a while ago about help with my weights workout for sprinting. What do you guys think of a modified Westside Barbell style routine? Ie, instead of doing a max day with 1-3 reps, change it to 3-5 reps. For the max lifts I’d use good mornings, snatch grip deadlifts of a podium etc. I’d change the workout every 3 weeks, working with similar parameters to Dave Tate’s conjugated periodisation article. Working with the following split (keep in mind I can’t change the track training times)
Saturday: Max effort squat/dlift day (except with 3-5 reps instead), track: hillwork sunday: bench max effort day, track: technique day, monday: rest, tuesday: dynamic squat day, speed endurance day; wednesday: dynamic bench day, thursday: tempo runs, friday: rest
I think it could help, but remember, Westside is designed specifically to get the three powerlifts up. So it might not be the best. Some of the exercises or techniques are worthwhile though, especially speed movements (don’t forget cleans, snatches, high pulls etc.), and tons of hamstring work. Louie says (and others like Hatfield concur) that using compensitory acceleration will increase power and strength, increasing your springting power. So don’t discount the Olympic lifts and variations.
It sounds good to me. But if you’re a sprinter then you really don’t need to be doing the dynamic effort days…I remember reading an article Louie wrote about this somewhere. The powerlifters do the dynamic days to basically keep them fast…if you’re sprinting then you’re already doing the equivalent of “super-dynamic days”
My track season is over and finished ok 100(10.67) and 200 (21.47). I too have a question for yall, this offseason im lifting 4 times a week, running 4 times. Most of my lifting work will be in rep range of 3-6 and sets of 4-5, now should I run first or run after? also my running schedule is this: monday-sprint work 10-60 meter sprints, wed-Plyos, friday-hills and steps, saturday will be tempo, lifting wise:legs on mon. and thurs(squats,power cleans, deads,calf raises). and upper body on tues. and fri.(bench,pull-ups,dips,incline press,shoulder press), Will this combination of lifting and running work well together? I start in two weeks.
I would not go over-board with the Westside stuff; I would simply utilize your Westside routine as a training cycle, for a month at most. What would you say is your weak-point? The start, high-end speed etc…?
one thing, DO NOT try to bring up your endurance if you want to work on speed. Do endurance months later, not now.
Like Deep says, a lot of the exercises will help directly for a time, but if you look at WSB as a set of principles rather than a powerlifting workout you can replace exercises and keep the improvements moving.
Willie, check out some of Charlie Francis’ articles “High Octane Training” or read his book “Training for Speed.” I think he said that they did all their running prior to weight training. As he said that it is safer and more effective. Doing heavy squats or other leg work and then trying to run is sometimes dangerous. But sometimes you just can’t do it the other way around. I’m not a sprinter, but I’ve incorporated sprints in my workouts. Usually I do them on off days, but since I’ve needed to up my cardio to burn some fat and get a bit leaner, I’ve had to start doing it after my workouts.
Willie, from what I’ve read, it depends on the time of the season to decide when you place your sprint/weights workouts. Charles Francis always made his athletes do weights after sprinting (because he believed sprinting was the higher priority so it should be placed first). However, I know the HSI group (Maurice Greene, Ato Boldon, John Drummond) early in the season, does its weights BEFORE sprinting (weights at 10-11am, sprint at 1pm, 1 hour in the weights room max). I think this is because of the benefit of post-tetanic facilitation. If you look at one of Ian King’s Question of Power columns, he advocates a periodisation that goes from general prep with weights BEFORE sprints, to specific prep with weights AFTER sprints. I think this makes sense, and gives you the best of both worlds.
Have yo guys heard of periodisation? What are you trying to achieve? The powerlifting workouts are just that - powerlifting workouts…
Your question is generic one, and so is impossible to answer. Are you in the USA and in mid-season? Willie confused me 'cos I assumed he was from the 'States, but stated his season had finished - Oz perhaps?
Anyway, the training phase you’re in will drastically affect what you do, so without more info I can’t give you much more guidance. Three things stand out though - don’t you do any pure speed work? Secondly, try not follow a high neural demand session with another, (especially the same day!) eg weights then hillwork… And lastly, why so much benching? Surely you can use your time more usefully?
i think you are squatting and deadlifting wayyy to much for track sprinter, unless your doing a hell of a lot of steriods. At most I personally would squat once a week and deadlift once a week. In fact i prefer to pick one lift for a lifting cycle and use it. But I figured that out from personal experience, so play around and see what you can handle. Also benching twice seems like a poor idea to me, I would like to see you bench one day and then do chins the other upper body day to balance out your upper body strength.
Well, Iain the reason my season is over is because im in college(sophomore). I have read Charlie Francis’ book and developed a similar workout with his techniques. Periodization confuses me Ive read the articles plenty and run into confusion with which is what and what is which. Our strength coach is completely gay when it comes to sprinters saying push-ups, lunges, and plyos is all we need. My workout is real specific too, quads one day, chest another, back another, and hams another. I dont know if not doing quads and hams on the same day is bad? so if you can answer that thanks? When I lift heavy my workout will probably be 10x25 meter block starts. When I lift light 6x150 will probably be the workout with tempo in between. Hills Im not doing it. The first month will be a cardio type workout, 15min mon, 20 tues, 25 weds, 30 thurs, 35 fri. until I can do 35 everyday it will increase by 5 every week, so the following week will be 20 mon.,25 tues, and so on. Just to rehab my nagging injuries. the lack of strength coach makes me vulnerable and dry, I dont have time to read some more books because I cant change my workouts frequently, I have 12 week workout and read in between but I dont think it would be smart for me to change it after 3 weeks, there are phases in it so I dont do the same thing for 12 weeks. I hope this is enough for you to help me out in developing a legit workout, Iain.
The reality of the situation is that you’re gonna have to choose something, stick with it and assess it’s efficacy when you finish. But here’s my two cents. I’m going to assume that you’re not in season because Willie’s not and you didn’t specify. If you don’t have the muscle mass you need then I’d go into a bodybuilding type of routine for 4-6 weeks. Don’t stray too much from the prime movements, but up the reps and add a few extra sets here and there. Remember that you’ll add some mass with Westside so if you think you’re close to your fighting weight then don’t worry about it. Once that’s out of the way, focus on one or two things at a time. As someone said before, you’re not going to improve max strength and endurance at the same time. I’d recommend starting with max strength, do the max effort and dynamic days for legs, then have two days on the track, one for technique/tempo and another for starts(as Willie suggested) or agility or single-leg plyos or if there’s some special technique you need to rehearse. As far as upper body, if you’re going to do both max effort and dynamic for chest then you better cut back on your track time and intensity, to something like what I’m suggesting, your body can only handle so much.
After 4-8 weeks, start sprinting longer distances(20-50m) and drop off one the upper body days, this might be a great time to utilize Staley’s article, try to determine if you have short or long levers and from that information decide which day to drop.
Basically, as you begin to sprint longer distances and devote more time to the track, you’re going to have to cut something out. On Dave Tate’s site he recommended a football coach to only perform the dynamic days(upper & lower) while they were in season. But if you determine you’re short levered then maybe you’d want to keep the max effort days. Charlie Francis talks about this in “Training for Speed”, he says that he focuses on one component, works up to a max, recovers and then moves to the next component. First are general/max strength and starts(0-20m), then max strength and max speed(20-70), then lower volume max strength and speed endurance(80-150m). Hope this helps, if you got another question, ask it.
Willie - not sure if you’re still catching this thread or whether it will last for much longer?! I’m pushed for time for the next few days, but would like to help further - or at least add my two cents worth - so will start another sprint training thread in a few days. Take it easy…
To Matt. The HSI guys do weights before track all year long.
Best,
Carlo Buzzichelli