Summer training: July and August

Most of you have been keeping fit by doing activities other than track for the past couple of months. Hope you got the recovery you needed (mentally and physically), aches and pains have subsided, and you are maintaining or improving general fitness and strength.

Improvement in track and field is gradual. No quick fixes or shortcuts. If you want to get better, now is the time to start making yourself a better athlete.

Design your plan based on what you like to do -- as well as what you need to do. You own your plan and are responsible only to yourself for follow through, but I want to know what it is you plan to do. Might just be a sentence or two -- or a detailed schedule. It's up to you.

What you do depends on what time and facilities/equipment you have available, the time you have available, and what track and field events you do. Regardless of event, get 1 or 2 higher-intensity workouts a week and 2 or 3 lower-intensity workouts. Have 1 or 2 days between high-intensity workouts. If you are training for a fall sport, you likely are training for that sport now. In that case, just add some high-intensity acceleration work into your program.

High-intensity work is anything with fast speed:

• Acceleration (up to 30m) up to 10 reps 95% (could use short, steep uphill)
• Maximum velocity (40-60m) up to 8 reps 95% (could use slight downhill)
• Strength work moving moderate weights quickly.
• Medicine ball throws (overhead, scoop, push, slam, side, hop, etc) -- starting with 50 total adding 10 a week.
• Plyometrics (on grass/turf). Skips, hops, bounds -- starting with 50 contacts and adding 10 contacts each week.

Lower-intensity work is anything of moderate speed and higher volume (reps):

• Tempo runs on grass/turf (60-75%) totaling 1000 to 3000m broken into sets. (ie,, 2x5x100 with :45/2:00 rec) 
• Jump rope intervals (20sec on/40sec off), adding sets as weeks go along
• Long hills (slight uphill 150-300m or so)
• Bodyweight exercises
• Stadium stairs (run, bound, skip, hop, etc)
• Technical work (HJ approach, circle runs; H drills, oppo). High volume, low intensity.
• Cross training, other sports (basketball, tennis, biking, volleyball, swimming, etc)

Summer is the best time to work on your weaknesses. Consider the following:

• Strength
• Speed
• Stamina
• Skill

Also consider your weight, your eating habits, your hydration, your sleep, your flexibility. There may be some things to improve in one or more of those areas (things other than workouts).

Make up a weekly plan with some general idea of what type of training you will do, and then follow your plan. Example:

M - Bike to stadium for stair workout
T - HJ approaches and hurdle drills
W - Tempo runs
T - Strength (High intensity) and medball throws
F - Off
S - Acceleration and plyometrics (High intensity)
S - Off

Prior to heading out the door for a specific workout, you write down specifics and take it with you. Example:

7/2 Bike 1 mile to high school and do 3x15 rows of stadium stairs: running every step, every other step, hopping every step, hopping every other step, skipping using every step, Walk down recovery between reps, 2 min rest between sets. Bike 1 mile home.

Start off somewhat easy and gradually do more as you build yourself up over the next two months. Build your stamina and strength while maintaining your speed and skill. If you lack certain skills, summer is a good time to improve those. And you never want to get too far away from speed for too long.