Up, Up and Away Hurdlers

By Amiee Craig

Some basic strategies for hurdlers to develop core and muscular strength.

    There are many programs designed for track and field athletes, but this one is aimed specifically for hurdlers. By nature, hurdling is a vigorous event that requires strength and muscular endurance. To sprint full speed, jump over a barrier, land and maintain that same full speed requires muscular strength particularly in the legs and core. This program is the begin­ning toward strengthening those key areas. An athlete with basic strength needs toward spend time developing power.
    POWER is the amount of work done in a certain amount of time, or in other words, an increase in power is the ability to do more work in a given amount of time. To increase power, an athlete must strengthen muscles and increase velocity. This is done by doing low-volume but high-intensity exercises. The core exercises need to include upper body (e.g. bench press), lower body (e.g. squats), and total body exercises (e.g. power clean). During the two weeks of the heavy intensity cycle, a workout program of 3-5 days/week for the core exercises would look something like this:

    Note: Include a recovery time of 3 minutes between each set so that the body has enough time to recover the necessary energy systems in preparation for the next set. Do not skip the recovery period.
    Supplementary exercises should also be done to strengthen the areas specific to hurdlers. They need to be low-volume and high-intensity and included with the core exercises. An example of supplementary exercises for the midsection, hamstrings, and back is shown in this table

    Note: Include a recovery time of 2 minutes between each set. If the total time of the strength training program exceeds an hour, alternate the exercises during the recovery period. For example, do a set of curl-ups and then a set of glute­ham raises and then return to the curl-ups. Never alternate the core exercises, though.
    The Guesstimate Method helps determine the amount of resistance to use. The athlete should guess the maximum amount he/she can lift for the given exercise. Lift this amount for one set doing the given amount of reps. If the chosen amount is too easy, then increase the resistance for the next set. If it is too hard then decrease the amount.
    Low-volume and high-intensity exercises to strengthen key areas will help the athlete develop the power necessary for hurdling. An athlete developing power is well on his/her way to an exciting and successful season.

FROM: Track Coach 18