I know the popular thought is that we drive our arms back to add a little more power, but why is it that when I do all-out 200M repeats on little rest it's my biceps and chest that fill up with lactate? I don't doubt you and the rest of the sprinting world is right, but I'm unsure why I get such a huge pump in those muscles when doing anaerobic capacity workouts.
I think the number one answer is to lift weights, particularly seated rows or upper rows. I personally don't do huge weights during in-season training (specific prep) and it's mostly 4X15 dumbell shoulder presses and 4X15 seated rows on the upper body. There's another exercise that Maurice Greene did that was to do bicep curls rapidly with light weights and alternating arms like running motion. All of these things give you strength and endurance for the sprinting/kicking motion which is to pull with the arms.
It could also be that you're pushing anaerobic intervals too much or running them too fast...or your body isn't used to them. A single all-out 200 for elite sprinters has been measured (Locatelli) to create ~20 mmol/L lactate level, and you can get the lactate level too high by using too short rest between 200s or too many 10X400m sessions.
Thanks. I come from cycling and have the ability to build up extraordinarily high levels of lactate, and not surprisingly am a long sprinter on the bike. In cycling they say the arms help clear a lot of lactate that the legs produce and my first thought was that maybe the muscle group working the least was taking on the most lactate? My back, abs, the backs of my arms and both the front and back of my legs felt somewhat similar in terms of the lactate accumulation, which was dramatically less than what my chest, front delts and biceps seemed to be taking on.
I'm not very fit for a runner. We did 2 sets of 3, with 4:00 between the reps and 8:00 between the sets. It was a capacity workout so the idea was to go as close to 100% as possible while staying in complete control.
I started lifting weights again about 8 weeks ago after a 10 year lay off from them. It was shocking how heavy a 35lb dumbbell felt after being able to incline press 120lb'ers for 8 reps 10 years ago.
"the popular thought is that we drive our arms back to add a little more power, but why is it that when I do all-out 200M repeats on little rest it's my biceps and chest that fill up with lactate?"
Coach d, you were asked a question. Are you not able to answer it?
That's not lactate. You can't feel lactate. Your problem is muscle fatigue from the weight training.
Ha ha! coach d has no clue why you get sore biceps and chest when you run.