Runing Drills

Question
Mike

Thank you.  This is a follow up reply:

No I do not stretch ENOUGH!  I do stretch the lower body muscle groups very well and my low back as well. I make sure I stretch before any running to avoid injuries.  I am very careful about that having had a 2nd degree hamstring pull last season.  I also hydrate !  But I know I should stretch before the gym and don't.

I only listed my lower body workout, but I do lift for the upper body mainly for tone and muscle endurance (light weights high reps which is opposite of what I do for my legs.  I now seek I need to stop or minimize the lowerbody heavy weight work outs).  
Upper Body:
Bench press and chest machine(5 sets of high reps)
Incline press
shoulder machine
rows (upright & bentover)
curls
Triceps press & triceps machine
light weight dumbbells for various upperbody

I do very little core!  crunches and a medicine ball work out only.

What are plyometrics?  I don't think I have done these.

Walking with high knees - is that a regular walking pace but lifting knees to the chest or sticking your arms straight out in front of you and have your knees touch your hands?

Thank you so much I would like to continue following up.  I will check out your website as well.  I have to run, have a meeting but will check in later this afternoon.  Thanks again
Vic Winnek
Football Referee
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
Mike,
I'm a fellow Football expert an thought I'd turn to another expert for suggestions as to how to maintain my speed and get my legs to increase their stride length and height as I age.

I am a collegiate football referee, age 39 and discovering that age is starting to set in.  As I review game films of myself  I notice that my speed and quickness remains good but my strides have shortened and I no longer have the "high legs" or "high kicks" as I did in my teens and twenties.  I also noticed that each year I have to work harder to maintain my speed.  Is this just the joy of getting older?  Do you have any drills I can do during the offseason to help.

My current training:

Weights 3-4 times a week with Maxs every 3 weeks
Leg press
Leg extensions
Leg curls
calf raisers
squats (with exercise ball between back and wall)
jump rope

Running:
Jog 1-2 miles
side to side 10 50 yard
back pedal 10 20-40 yard
sprints:
5-10 100 yard
10 40 yard

-----Answer-----
Hello Vic.

Age is a factor in speed decreasing as well as stride length. I cannot say for sure it is everything, however it also looks like you're not stretching are you? I would like it if you did a follow up to this question on whether you stretch or not and how you stretch.

Now your training program with your strength doesn't have any upper body or core training? That cannot be, you must use a variety of ab exercises, as well use dumbells (i prefer them) and maybe barbells and using the same rep/set formation which should be 2RM and no more than 6RM and work every one of your muscles. Biceps, triceps and shoulder, and forearms.

Of course you need to be doing exercises like bench pressing and deadlifts. NEVER go a workout in the gym without bench pressing, 5 sets, and you want to work from 6RM down to 1 or 2RM. Deadlifts, 2RM.

As well, recent studied have shown that single leg squats are more effective than regular squats. Use this exercise a lot more than your regular squats.

Without weights, do squat jumps. As well in order to maintain your stride length you need to maintain and increase hip flexor strength. Lunges and hip raisea are what I reccomend. As well, walking high knee marches over 40-50m over 2-3 sets will really help as well.

You spend too much time in the gym, adding more muscle mass and so much strength isn't going to maintain your speed...

I see no use of plyometrics in your program, why is this? Plyometrics can be done either lightly before speed session, or done one days where you have average intensity workouts. Work on a variety of plyometrics such as depth jumps, lunge jumps, squat jumps, single leg hops, double leg hops, huge jumps over boxes and so on.

You want to make sure other than just sessions on the track, you are doing things like tempo runs and other things to maintain your conditioning level. Football players should not use jogging so much to get in ebtter aerobic shape, it dulls your speed. Work on your aerobic system by light runs before any session for warm up, and for gym or other sessions, light jogs to cool down.

You need to increase your work on the track to develop more speed and acceleration, weights dont make you faster, only stronger and develop better technique, form, posture, start, acceleration and stride.

Now a decrease in stride is reversable by proper hip flexor training, and technique work, and of course stretching. Before your speed sessions go through your 2km jog, then do dynamic stretches. Static stretching (holding the stretch) lower power output by 20%, only do static on muscles like the groin.

Do drills and light tempo runs with proepr technique and form. make sure you do 15 minutes of drill work. Then something to develop stride length is bounding, use bounding after your regular drills.

Speed sessions SHOULD NOT be 5-10 100 yards... speed training should be 2-8 seconds of full speed sprinting with full recovery in between each sprint. THIS IS VERY VERY VERY VERY IMPORTANT. Don't sprint over 50-60m. And keep the volume of so many sprints down. Go something like 5 30s, 5 60s. make sure you stay loose and fully recover.

After you go through your cool down, stretch each muscle for 30 seconds.

Please answer those questions I asked your earlier on.

best wishes,

Mike

P.S. Visit my website at http://track.createmybb.com for more info.

Answer
As I said, stretch your more easy to pull muscles 9like your hamstring) light static and light dynamic.

Marching high knees is walking at a usual walking pace but raising your knees until 90 degree level, your arms should in perfect form come up to your face opposite arm opposite leg and back to your hips and you change arms and legs. Simply walking forward. After a while, add a skip to it and then running it fast. develops high knee raise and develops stride length. While doing this, stay tall and have a very very small slight lean forward, just so you are absolutely tall and not leaning back.

Plyometrics=jumping, hopping, power movements.

Why do you wish to increase muscle endurance? Your neuromuscular system learns what you teach it, if you lift light and slow, to develop endurance and tone, makes your arms slower. Focus only on quick power movements, as when age comes, you have to decrease the weight, so dont lose your opportunity now.

Triple your core workouts! Start by variety of crunches, 3 sets of 50 reps on crunches. Leg drops, side crunches=3 sets of 30 reps on each side, hanging leg raise, bridge on front for 60 seconds, each side for 40 seconds. Always start with 50 crunches and end with 50 crunches. You can add 15 sit ups sometimes, but sit ups hurt your lower back.

Continue with medicine ball workouts and increase the volume.

best wishes,

Mike

P.S. Let me know if you want anything else.