Any track and field guys here?

[Brandon R.]

Anyone do track events in high school/college/beyond? I'll probably end up doing the jumping events and maybe a few others, and I want to start preparing now.

I'd like some suggestions on what exercise besides olympic lifts and squats and deadlifts to do to get better. Any form tips would be appreciated too.

Thanks

[Brandon Smith]

Hey Brandon,

I threw shot and discus in HS and hammer, 35-lb weight, shot and a little javelin in college. For throwers obviously squats and deadlift were key, with the Olympic lifts/variations (power clean/snatch, high pulls, etc), along with SLDL, good mornings, incline bench for shot, military press/push press, rotator cuff work, some curls/pullups/dips never hurt either. In season our lifting was pretty short and sweet, out of season all of the above were staples for most of us.

If you end up a jumper, a lot of the same will apply, especially the olympic lifting. Plyos including box jumps, bounding, etc will also be a huge part of your training.

Brandon

[Brandon R.]

Hey Brandon,

I threw shot and discus in HS and hammer, 35-lb weight, shot and a little javelin in college. For throwers obviously squats and deadlift were key, with the Olympic lifts/variations (power clean/snatch, high pulls, etc), along with SLDL, good mornings, incline bench for shot, military press/push press, rotator cuff work, some curls/pullups/dips never hurt either. In season our lifting was pretty short and sweet, out of season all of the above were staples for most of us.

If you end up a jumper, a lot of the same will apply, especially the olympic lifting. Plyos including box jumps, bounding, etc will also be a huge part of your training.

Brandon

Thanks for that.

I might try to do discuss since I think I'd be ok with that and all our throwers graduated, so the field is wide open for me.

Wish I could do javelin or hammer, but I can't imagine a bunch of high schoolers throwing big hammers or javelins would be too smart. lol Guess whoever decided what events high schoolers would do was smart enoguh to forsee the stupid things that we might end up doing. ha

And I do need to add more plyo work into my routine. Right now I'm doing the Vertical Jump Bible beginner workout and that should have a good amount of plyos later on.

[John Schuna]

Anyone do track events in high school/college/beyond? I'll probably end up doing the jumping events and maybe a few others, and I want to start preparing now.

I'd like some suggestions on what exercise besides olympic lifts and squats and deadlifts to do to get better. Any form tips would be appreciated too.

Thanks

Perhaps a clarification as to what jumps you will be competing in? High, long, triple? I was a collegiate thrower myself and coach as well.

Do you train for strongman as well?

As for training, there really doesn't need to be much if any emphasis on adding strength and/or mass to the upper-body. Upper-body mass is next to worthless in the jumping events (especially high jump). The extra mass only decreases the amplitude of vertical projection during a jump, which limits your overall height and or distance of the jump.

I would suggest resistance training workouts that emphasize squatting and olympic lifting movements. Lots of Olympic work from the floor with added emphasis on only the pull portion of the lift (i.e., additional clean pulls, and snatch pulls). Close stance front and back squats through the full range of motion should be staple movements.

Set -Rep schemes in the lower ranges (Oly. lifts - 3 reps or less per set) should also be used. This will help ensure that strength gains are principally neural and not due to hypertrophy (There are no high-caliber jumpers that have the muscle-bound look). Just some thoughts.

[Brandon Smith]

Thanks for that.

I might try to do discuss since I think I'd be ok with that and all our throwers graduated, so the field is wide open for me.

Wish I could do javelin or hammer, but I can't imagine a bunch of high schoolers throwing big hammers or javelins would be too smart. lol Guess whoever decided what events high schoolers would do was smart enoguh to forsee the stupid things that we might end up doing. ha

And I do need to add more plyo work into my routine. Right now I'm doing the Vertical Jump Bible beginner workout and that should have a good amount of plyos later on.

Hey no problem at all. One Brandon to another. haha. I actually found some of my old college programs not too long ago if you ever want an idea of the breakdown in the weight room.

In high school, most of the shot putters were football players, but there were a lot of runners/jumpers also throwing the discus and javelin so you should give the discus a try. Too bad Texas doesn't have javelin in HS. Massachusetts did, no hammer though.

A great track strength training resource is Dan John: http://danjohn.org/ He really knows his stuff if you haven't read anything by him.

[Brandon R.]

Perhaps a clarification as to what jumps you will be competing in? High, long, triple? I was a collegiate thrower myself and coach as well.

Do you train for strongman as well?

As for training, there really doesn't need to be much if any emphasis on adding strength and/or mass to the upper-body. Upper-body mass is next to worthless in the jumping events (especially high jump). The extra mass only decreases the amplitude of vertical projection during a jump, which limits your overall height and or distance of the jump.

I would suggest resistance training workouts that emphasize squatting and olympic lifting movements. Lots of Olympic work from the floor with added emphasis on only the pull portion of the lift (i.e., additional clean pulls, and snatch pulls). Close stance front and back squats through the full range of motion should be staple movements.

Set -Rep schemes in the lower ranges (Oly. lifts - 3 reps or less per set) should also be used. This will help ensure that strength gains are principally neural and not due to hypertrophy (There are no high-caliber jumpers that have the muscle-bound look). Just some thoughts.

Good info, thanks.

I'm interested in doing all three, but I wouldn't be upset if I only did long and triple.

I don't specifically train for strongman, just to get stronger. I do like a lot of the things strongmen do though. I have a log and an atlas stone.

And adding more pulls from the floor, I seem to be doing what you've written. I do both a powerlifting squats and atg. Sets depend on the week, but I'll either do 5x5 or 3x3.

Anyone with any more advice would be appreciated.

[Brandon R.]

Hey no problem at all. One Brandon to another. haha. I actually found some of my old college programs not too long ago if you ever want an idea of the breakdown in the weight room.

A great track strength training resource is Dan John: http://danjohn.org/ He really knows his stuff if you haven't read anything by him.

I'd like the programs if you could post them. And the link looks interesting. Gotta look at that later.

[Knelly]

I did the Jav, Disc and shot in highschool....and threw the hammer in college. I had one of the best coaches in the USA...Bill Sutherland. We spent alot of time in the weight room. All the lifts Brandon mentioned are great. You need to add front squats in there, I did those so much. Also you can never have a strong enough core section for throwing.

Also, my advice...throw the hammer! I coach track at the highschool level and I am going to start teaching the hammer throw to my Juniors and Seniors...if you train when no one else is around...it might not be so dangerous! Just make sure you have a net or cage around you!!!!

Good Luck!

Kristin

[Brandon R.]

Also, my advice...throw the hammer! I coach track at the highschool level and I am going to start teaching the hammer throw to my Juniors and Seniors...if you train when no one else is around...it might not be so dangerous! Just make sure you have a net or cage around you!!!!


A few problems with that.
1. I'm definitely not the type for throwing things other than discuss. Not a very strong upper body at all, most of my strength is in my legs.

2. I don't think we have a place to safely throw a hammer. (or even have a propper one to throw. lol)

3. The old throwing coach isn't at my school anymore, so I'm not sure whats going on there, or which coach to talk to. Gotta find out and see if he'll even let me before I even try and throw discuss.

[Brandon Smith]

I'd like the programs if you could post them.

No problem, I'll dig those out and post them up for you.

I did the Jav, Disc and shot in highschool....and threw the hammer in college. I had one of the best coaches in the USA...Bill Sutherland. We spent alot of time in the weight room. All the lifts Brandon mentioned are great. You need to add front squats in there, I did those so much. Also you can never have a strong enough core section for throwing.

Good call there Kristin, front squats are a great addition too! You threw at SCSU? Bill Sutherland is a great coach. Threw against a few of the SCSU guys (Dan Bourque and Roy Bogue) when I was at Tufts. Great hammer/weight throwers there.

A few problems with that.
1. I'm definitely not the type for throwing things other than discuss. Not a very strong upper body at all, most of my strength is in my legs.


Yes it might be a little tough to actually throw the hammer in HS, but if you can find a coach to teach you the footwork, you can drill and drill and drill with just a broom handle. You'd be surprised, but the hammer is actually almost all about lower body strength. After the wind at the start, your arms are just there to hold onto the hammer.

[John Schuna]

Yes it might be a little tough to actually throw the hammer in HS, but if you can find a coach to teach you the footwork, you can drill and drill and drill with just a broom handle. You'd be surprised, but the hammer is actually almost all about lower body strength. After the wind at the start, your arms are just there to hold onto the hammer.

For beginners all the arms do is hold onto the hammer. However, once you get good (throwing 50 meters or more) they are required to do a lot more than that. For instance, the downward force in the hands at 0 degrees during the last turn on an 80 m throw is well in excess of 600 pounds. However, for the most part, the hammer throw does not require extreme upper body strength.

[Matt Brouse]

In this country a young HS thrower having had practice time or dare I say be somewhat profient in the foot work and balance necessary to throw the hammer is light years ahead of the average incoming freshman.

Motor patterns are best develop in and around age 8 - 10...the earlier the better. For all movments.

[steve Barkley]

I ran in college, did long jump, high jump, 800m, 400m, and 1500m.

As for lifts, all lifts will help you in one way or another. I personally feel squats and deadlifts will help in anything, along with cleans. Do some Plyos, they will help a huge amount.


As for throwing discuss, almost 95% of it is all technique. My buddy works with throws at the high school we work at, and all the main focus is technique. He has been able to help people add 10feet to a throw in less then 1 hour of work, and all it is, is just adjusting a little peice of technique.

So if I can give any words of advise, before worrying about the weights, work on technique first, weights second.

[Brandon Smith]

I'd like the programs if you could post them. And the link looks interesting. Gotta look at that later.

Thought I had posted this before....but I ran across it again, so anyone who's interested, take it for what it's worth.

Tufts Track and Field Throwers
Weight Training – Strength Phase

The goal of this training phase is to increase the strength of the major muscle groups to prepare for the power phase. Your absolute strength (the amount of weight you can lift) will steadily increase. The next phase will concentrate on increasing the speed with which you can lift that weight. (speed = distance)

The following table represents the basic progression of training percentages:

Percent____Reps/Set___Total Reps (optimal)___Range of Reps
55-65______3 - 6________24_________________18 – 30
70-75______3 - 6________18_________________12 – 24
80-85______2 – 4________15_________________10 – 20
Above 90___1 – 2________7__________________4 – 10

For the core exercises, the above table will serve as the guideline for workout progression. The core exercises during the strength phase are squat, deadlift, and bench press. The assistance exercises include the rack squat, rack deadlift, and rack bench, and towel bench. The assistance exercises mimic the core lifts but allow you to use increased poundages.

Our training will follow the below cycle:
Beginning: November 22, 1997
Ending: January 17, 1997
Total weeks: Eight
Number of lifting days per week: Three

*Day 1*
Squat (c)
Rack Squat (c)
Lunges (a)
Dumbell shoulder press (a)
Dumbell shoulder raises (a) – Front and side
Ab Crunches (a)

*Day 2*
Deadlift (c)
Straight Leg DL (a)
Bent over rows (a)
Shrugs (a)
Bicep curls (a) – any two ex.
Pull-ups (a)
Hyperextensions (a)

*Day 3*
Bench Press (c)
Incline Press (c)
Narrow grip bp (a)
Rope Push downs (a)
Dumbell Incline (a)
Dips (a)
Hanging leg raises (a)
Hyperextensions (a)

Week / Core / Auxillary
1 / 60% x 3 x 8 / 3 x 10
2 / 60% x 3 x 8 / 3 X 10
3 / 70% x 3 x 6 / 3 x 8
4 / 80% x 2 x 7 / 4 x 8
5 / 90% x 1 x 7 / 3 x 8
6 / same as 1
7 / same as 1
8 / same as 2

Tufts Track and Field Throwers
Weight Training – Phase 2

The following six week program builds upon the strength developed over the previous 8 weeks and begins to build explosive or ballistic strength. The lifting days are twice each week with at least one day of rest between days.

*Day 1*
Core:
Hang power snatch – wide grip
Floor power pull – snatch grip
Hang power pull – clean grip
Aux:
Lower back work
Step ups (2 sets of 16; i.e 8 reps per leg per set; at 40% front squat max; 12 – 18” only)

*Day 2*
Core:
Push press – clean grip
Front squat
Jump squats (always 3 sets of eight; 50% front squat max)
Aux:
Ab Work
Narrow grip incline (shot putters only; 65% for five sets of three)
Percentages:

Week 1 and 2
Hang snatch / push press – 50% 8 sets of 3
Pulls/front squats – 60% 5 sets of 5

Week 3 and 4
Hang snatch / push press – 60% 8 sets of 3
Pulls/front squats – 60% 5 sets of 5

Week 5 and 6
Hang snatch / push press – 70% 8 sets of 3
Pulls/front squats – 70% 5 sets of 5

[William {Dalton} Payne]

I ran the 400 and the 100, as well as the 4x4 relay.

I bought a parachute and trained with that outside of practice and dropped my 400 time from 55.17 to 52.10 in 2 months.

edit: I did power cleans and front squats in addition to the normal track lifting sessions.
Good luck.

[WesleyInman]

I ran in HS/College- 100, 200, long jump...

I agree with others here, plyos are the way to go...

We found that some leg and hamstring work was beneficial, but most of it came down to box drops, or jumpin lunges...sprint/walk combos, and others...

[anton axelsson]

o competed in 100meter and 200meter long jump triple jump and high jump when i was younger my best 100meter was 11.2 in shorts and a t shirt. i lived in the country back in iceland and had no fancy coach i trained myself i ran atleast 5 miles a day 7 days a week and wrode a bike another 5 miles and went down to the grass field we had with a track and long jump every day and just practiced and practiced intill i got distance from start to finish rite build ur hams and quads up stay on the lighter side and youll be good perfect everything by practiceing hard

[jay lyttle]

Dave barron is on here now and then, if you private messg. Him he is a professional highland gamer, has done some strongman, track&field, and very knowledgable in any of the lifting games, pwr,oly, etc. Tell him jay lyttle sent you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Daniel Pope]

I polevaulted for rutgers in college. I basically trained like a sprinter/long jumper. I think you need a nice balance of everything. Our coach loved plyos but everyone on our team had shin splints year round and the incidence of hamstring tears was big.

I say practice all the major lifts and add in some plyometric stuff but make sure your body is recovering from everything you are throwing at it. I wouldn't sacrifice your technique training for lifting/plyos/conditioning. I often found myself doing that simply because I love training and it really hurt my performance. Better to feel fresh in practice and have quality work then be feeling sluggish and worn out from lifting. I know I always performed the best when my body felt fully recovered. If you go too far into overtraining its hard to get out.

[rjpe99]

For beginners all the arms do is hold onto the hammer. However, once you get good (throwing 50 meters or more) they are required to do a lot more than that. For instance, the downward force in the hands at 0 degrees during the last turn on an 80 m throw is well in excess of 600 pounds. However, for the most part, the hammer throw does not require extreme upper body strength.

Exactly! I took a relay team to North carolina for Nike high school nationals a few years ago. While we were on the plane I saw this kid from another high school team and I asked his coach if he was a distance runner because he was slender. Well the kid threw the hammer for a national class record at that meet and won junior worlds last year. My teams best hammer guys are definitely not the biggest upper body guys on my team.