Need help to improve 400m time

Short hills are great for improving speed, especially out of the blocks. A steep 30 meter hill is perfect, because you can work on driving up the hill and getting upright as you reach the top. Bounding on flat grass and up hills is great too. Supplementing a light plyometric and short sprint program with some heavy weights will give you the speed you need to hit that first 200 at a quicker pace.

Try hills wrote:

Short hills are great for improving speed, especially out of the blocks. A steep 30 meter hill is perfect, because you can work on driving up the hill and getting upright as you reach the top. Bounding on flat grass and up hills is great too. Supplementing a light plyometric and short sprint program with some heavy weights will give you the speed you need to hit that first 200 at a quicker pace.

I know hills are great, but aren't they more for the fall/winter? I assume track training is more relevant now during track season.

Also, I'd guess a workout like this would be good for acceleration:

Drill + hurdle drills

5x60m, rest 2min and 6 min rest between sets.

+ Hurdle jums (e.g: 5 high hurdles done 5 times and 5 sets? Or would lower hurdles with more distance inbetween that would give more horizontal jumps be more relevant?)

But how do I train top speed?

{"Not much sprint training". This is your problem right here. Just get out there and do the workout you were thinking of but be willing to adapt.

I'd say the reason to do low hurdles would be if the impact from high hurdles is too much. You won't be going more vertical, but rather less horizontal. It's a good idea to space them out plenty if you're planning on racing the open 400 rather than the 400 hurdles though.

For top speed, flying sprints. For instance 150s where you jog 50 meters, run 50, and sprint the last 50 (then slow down gradually to save the legs). I'm not convinced this is what you should even be working on now, but sprinting from a running start is the best way to approach maximal velocity in training.

15mph wrote:

{"Not much sprint training". This is your problem right here. Just get out there and do the workout you were thinking of but be willing to adapt.

I'd say the reason to do low hurdles would be if the impact from high hurdles is too much. You won't be going more vertical, but rather less horizontal. It's a good idea to space them out plenty if you're planning on racing the open 400 rather than the 400 hurdles though.

For top speed, flying sprints. For instance 150s where you jog 50 meters, run 50, and sprint the last 50 (then slow down gradually to save the legs). I'm not convinced this is what you should even be working on now, but sprinting from a running start is the best way to approach maximal velocity in training.

"but be willing to adapt" - is there something specific you are referring to?

The impact with hurdles has never bothered me.

High hurdles, short distance = have to jump higher to get above = more vertical?

Lower hurdles = able to have longer distance between, far more horizontal?

Racing the open 400m is what I'm already doing and planning to improve this season. The reason is just to improve my 800m time as my speed seem to be the one thing that really holds me back. Far better endurance than when I was younger and faster over 800m, only thing thats worse is my speed.

"'m not convinced this is what you should even be working on now"

Why not?

Anyway, appriciate the advice.

You need much more rest between reps on speed day.

1: 3x30 3-point starts with at least 5-6 mins between.

2: 4 x flying 20, set up two cones and start 40m back, gradually reach your absolute max speed and hold it through the cones. Take 7-8 minutes between.

3: 1 x 60m, put the start, transition and fly all together.

4: After full 10-15 mins do 1 x 150m (standing start), try to PR.

wrong mentality wrote:

You need much more rest between reps on speed day.

1: 3x30 3-point starts with at least 5-6 mins between.

2: 4 x flying 20, set up two cones and start 40m back, gradually reach your absolute max speed and hold it through the cones. Take 7-8 minutes between.

3: 1 x 60m, put the start, transition and fly all together.

4: After full 10-15 mins do 1 x 150m (standing start), try to PR.

This sounds awfully....easy? Could probably do 8x200m at race pace after something like this.

5-6mins between 30m?!

That is why you are slow and I used the name wrong mentality.

If you put every possible effort into those runs then it is a devastating workout. You need to do an actual speed workout like I suggested. All the sub-max reps with short recovery might give you strength at the end of a 400 (which you already have), but they won't improve your speed.

wrong mentality wrote:

That is why you are slow and I used the name wrong mentality.

If you put every possible effort into those runs then it is a devastating workout. You need to do an actual speed workout like I suggested. All the sub-max reps with short recovery might give you strength at the end of a 400 (which you already have), but they won't improve your speed.

I used to do that workout when I was younger, and was way faster than now, but I guess its not a pure sprint workout like the one you suggest. But i'll probably need to do some more work after, as that seems far to easy for one day.

Questions keep on coming....

How much rest do you need after the workout you suggested? Could one da an anaerobic workout the day after? Same day but 6-7 hours later?

Again, get away from the idea of doing more later (less is more). You need to absolutely blast the reps I listed, and then rest.

You can do some split 400s (250+150 off 60 secs rest) later in the week. Try 3 of those with 20-25 minutes recovery.

wrong mentality wrote:

Again, get away from the idea of doing more later (less is more). You need to absolutely blast the reps I listed, and then rest.

You can do some split 400s (250+150 off 60 secs rest) later in the week. Try 3 of those with 20-25 minutes recovery.

2 easy days, then sprint then how much rest? Do you see where I'm going? Its not substainable to rest all week. I'm just interested in how much rest one usually take after a workout like that.

Personally I doubt I'll feel it that much the day after. Or even the same day. Thats why I suggested the 200meters at 800 pace or the anaerobic workout the day after.

wrong mentality wrote:

You need much more rest between reps on speed day.

1: 3x30 3-point starts with at least 5-6 mins between.

2: 4 x flying 20, set up two cones and start 40m back, gradually reach your absolute max speed and hold it through the cones. Take 7-8 minutes between.

3: 1 x 60m, put the start, transition and fly all together.

4: After full 10-15 mins do 1 x 150m (standing start), try to PR.

You could do this and then your 8x200 RP workout the following day.

Sure, you still run say 5 days in the week.

Two can be tempo (e.g. 8-12 x 200m 60 secs rest) not too fast.

One can be short hills (not too steep) with high intensity, plus plyos.

The other two I mentioned before.

You should fit some weights in as well.

wrong mentality wrote:

Sure, you still run say 5 days in the week.

Two can be tempo (e.g. 8-12 x 200m 60 secs rest) not too fast.

One can be short hills (not too steep) with high intensity, plus plyos.

The other two I mentioned before.

You should fit some weights in as well.

This doesn't sound much like an in season schedule.

Hills are better suited in preperation for track season.

5 days a week running, one pure sprint on track and hill sprints + tempo. That equals to zero hard track work required for 800m.

wrong mentality wrote:

Again, get away from the idea of doing more later (less is more). You need to absolutely blast the reps I listed, and then rest.

You can do some split 400s (250+150 off 60 secs rest) later in the week. Try 3 of those with 20-25 minutes recovery.

what do you do during all these recovery periods? are you just sitting on the curb or the infield or something?

wrong mentality wrote:

Again, get away from the idea of doing more later (less is more). You need to absolutely blast the reps I listed, and then rest.

You can do some split 400s (250+150 off 60 secs rest) later in the week. Try 3 of those with 20-25 minutes recovery.

whatrrr wrote:

what do you do during all these recovery periods? are you just sitting on the curb or the infield or something?

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