Is it very different for different people, can you give me a general range.
Is it very different for different people, can you give me a general range.
Depends on what you mean ... I think you could do 4 weeks of workouts from where you are at any given time (whether it's in some sort of basic speed-shape, or coming from distance running, or off the couch) and sharpen up a bit. Or, you could do about 3 months of progressive workouts to get better results. Proper training and a better peak would require 6-12 months of well-planned periodization. Reaching lifetime max would be something like 4-8 years of the latter.
Depends heavily on starting point, but I’d probably say 6-8yrs for most. Obviously if a high level short sprinter or 800 runner wanted to move across it would be significantly less
About 4 months ago I was also looking for this exact information, I never found any, I don’t know anything else other than my experience. I wanted to train for a 400 and I only had 6 weeks to work with before I had to start training for xc. Just for context, I had just finished an 800m training cycle, and my 400m at that point was 53.5 but I think that in better conditions and without my retarded negative split I was in shape for 52 high or at least 53 flat. I took 3 weeks of complete rest after that training cycle, so I was fairly detrained before beginning my 6 week 400m training cycle. I started lifting 3 times a week, (squats, deadlifts weighted lunges, and super heavy weighted lunges but only the top part of the range of motion) and then I would go to the track or just in the street in trainers 3-4 times a week and do like 8 strides starting at mile pace and ending at around 300-400m pace. 2 days off per week. Also in the final week I did one peaking workout, and I also did a 200m trying to hit goal pace, I got 25 flat. I ended up running 50.5, which I was very very happy with, and given it was a time trial, maybe I could’ve gone even faster in a race, which leads me to believe that 6 weeks is all you need to get to probably 98% of your ceiling for 400m. If you’re not coming off a mile or 800 training cycle, maybe more like 8 weeks. It would help if you list some of your training history.
ienjoyracing wrote:
About 4 months ago I was also looking for this exact information, I never found any, I don’t know anything else other than my experience. I wanted to train for a 400 and I only had 6 weeks to work with before I had to start training for xc. Just for context, I had just finished an 800m training cycle, and my 400m at that point was 53.5 but I think that in better conditions and without my retarded negative split I was in shape for 52 high or at least 53 flat. I took 3 weeks of complete rest after that training cycle, so I was fairly detrained before beginning my 6 week 400m training cycle. I started lifting 3 times a week, (squats, deadlifts weighted lunges, and super heavy weighted lunges but only the top part of the range of motion) and then I would go to the track or just in the street in trainers 3-4 times a week and do like 8 strides starting at mile pace and ending at around 300-400m pace. 2 days off per week. Also in the final week I did one peaking workout, and I also did a 200m trying to hit goal pace, I got 25 flat. I ended up running 50.5, which I was very very happy with, and given it was a time trial, maybe I could’ve gone even faster in a race, which leads me to believe that 6 weeks is all you need to get to probably 98% of your ceiling for 400m. If you’re not coming off a mile or 800 training cycle, maybe more like 8 weeks. It would help if you list some of your training history.
Thank you all for the information.
Well I'm a 400m specialist, I've only ran track for about a 1 and a half years . My 400m pb was 49.5.In the summer and fall after racing I typically do nothing but play a little tennis to stay in shape.Then In early winter I do short sprints 30-150 to work on speed.In indoor I never did anything over 200(for a race in the winter).During this time I lift weights twice a week, Sprint 3 times a week and have one or two plyometric sessions. I start train for 400m late into the winter, I do some aerobic traning at the start, normally 1000m repeats, and slowly starting running sprints over 200 and build up to 500m sprints. Two months in I have lowered the 1000m repeats to 600m and the don't get any lower for the rest of the season. In the outdoor season I have 4 sprint days, one for speed, one for speed endurance, a 400m specific training session and some over distance repeats. My lifting and plometric look the same look the same as indoor.I graduated early at 17 but I am still going to train in my gap year before college, my goal is low 48, I want to sprint for a D2 school. I typically start training in January and stop in june but. I may start earlier this year that why I asked the question.
If your confused at any part and have questions let me know.My training isn't the best because I don't have a coach, my high school was small and didn't really have a team so I competed unattached. If you have any good sprint training or weightlifting advice, I'm open to recommendations.
rezi wrote:
Depends heavily on starting point, but I’d probably say 6-8yrs for most. Obviously if a high level short sprinter or 800 runner wanted to move across it would be significantly less
To make my more clear how many months does a 400m specialist need to train to for the 400m to reach their yearly 400m best.
Last year I was capable of about 57.5-58 by the end of XC, and was in about 53 shape by the time indoor ends, and sub 52 relay speed by the end of track.
That was off speed based 800m training. I think with specific 400m training 3 months would be adequate to have a successful season.
I used t go from couch to Olympic A qualifying in 6 weeks.
It depends on your health and how much beer you drink.
Stick to rep 300ms.
10 x 300 100 walk recover.
15 x 150
20 X 200
variable speed work.
Stay healthy - no injuries.
If you want to run fast, stop doing all that 1000 stuff. They usually give you enough rest between races.
Intervals, understand your technique. Keep healthy. Rest days when you're feeling it.
Eventually drop the 300s to 5X
When you race, don't waste the first 125.
Beast in the 400m wrote:
rezi wrote:
Depends heavily on starting point, but I’d probably say 6-8yrs for most. Obviously if a high level short sprinter or 800 runner wanted to move across it would be significantly less
To make my more clear how many months does a 400m specialist need to train to for the 400m to reach their yearly 400m best.
For a 400m specialist, I believe ideally 10-12 months of well-planned, periodized training.
Sub-8 Mile wrote:
Beast in the 400m wrote:
To make my more clear how many months does a 400m specialist need to train to for the 400m to reach their yearly 400m best.
For a 400m specialist, I believe ideally 10-12 months of well-planned, periodized training.
Maybe I want to start pre season Training in November then.
Got sick over Christmas vacation one year in college and did nothing for probably a couple of weeks. Started training 3xweek building up to 8x100m (started while still not feeling well). Ran a 54 something indoors. Trained 5-6 days/week for two more weeks and ran a 51 something. Nothing very fast but not much training either.
Beast in the 400m wrote:
rezi wrote:
Depends heavily on starting point, but I’d probably say 6-8yrs for most. Obviously if a high level short sprinter or 800 runner wanted to move across it would be significantly less
To make my more clear how many months does a 400m specialist need to train to for the 400m to reach their yearly 400m best.
12.
Beast in the 400m wrote:
rezi wrote:
Depends heavily on starting point, but I’d probably say 6-8yrs for most. Obviously if a high level short sprinter or 800 runner wanted to move across it would be significantly less
To make my more clear how many months does a 400m specialist need to train to for the 400m to reach their yearly 400m best.
The best in the world typically have about a 9 month training plan. The 3 months extra each year they just keep generally active/fit without any structure: hiking, jogging, lifting, pickup soccer, whatever they feel fits them.
Yeah so your already coming from a pretty high level, and if you don’t have any season constraints as I did, I think the ideal season length that professionals use is around 9 months as someone else stated. But given your not a professional and 9 month periodization would be quite boring, something that would be similarly effective and much more fun would be fitting two training cycles in there, with the focus being on the second one. Or, given that this is truly an off year, maybe play around with some distance and see if you have any distance potential, it wouldn’t be detrimental to your 400m necessarily, and if you do have some distance talent it would translate into some scholarship worthy times in the 800.
ienjoyracing wrote:
Yeah so your already coming from a pretty high level, and if you don’t have any season constraints as I did, I think the ideal season length that professionals use is around 9 months as someone else stated. But given your not a professional and 9 month periodization would be quite boring, something that would be similarly effective and much more fun would be fitting two training cycles in there, with the focus being on the second one. Or, given that this is truly an off year, maybe play around with some distance and see if you have any distance potential, it wouldn’t be detrimental to your 400m necessarily, and if you do have some distance talent it would translate into some scholarship worthy times in the 800.
Thanks for the advice I was Thinking of trying an 800m
I ran a pretty good at running the mile back in PE in 10th grade, well technically I ran 1600, but I ran it in 4:53 on a gravel track and I was not really doing any running or sprinting back then just playing League tennis.
Depends.... as always
But minimum really would be 8 Months, but again depends on if planning a single/double or even a triple periodisation and also your training back ground and philosophy of training (concurrent/s-l/ l-s etc)
And then further, depends on your actual physical characteristics and even commitment and lifetsyle