Developing a Kick: Speedwork vs. Lifting

Do you have low max speed or do you just don't have a kick?

If low max speed I would say you should do both weights and strides. I am not sure how old you are so that affects on how hard you should hit the weights, but you could also do plyometric exercises instead. These are all sorts of jumps (do them on turf, if possible) that really help your explosiveness and strength.

If you just don't have a kick I would recommend doing workouts that teach you to change gears. I would do 4x1000m at a steady pace (3:30-3:40 maybe for you, I don't quite know) with the last 200m fast. Another variation to that is 4x1000m with on the first set the last 100m fast, second set last 200m, third 300m, fourth 400m. Rest should be around 2-4min. This will help you when there's a longer kick. This workout will also be good for you if your max speed isn't that high.

Practice surging within runs, when tired. Plyo and weights will make you good at plyo and weights.

What do you mean? Is your 100m sprint speed slow or do you just not have a kick at the end of races? There's a big difference in solutions.

why not both?

Try running some hills and then strap on a pair. The kick is a measure of the size of your balls.

Your kick is your ability to fight through fatigue at the end of a race. You never actually approach your top speed at the end of a distance race, and if you do, it's because you didn't run the rest of the race hard enough. Your level of speed is to a great extent determined by genetics and a distance runner should not strive to increase it through training. All you can do is develop your ability to increase your effort at the end of a race by always finishing your workouts and races as hard as humanly possible. Nothing else will make a difference.

From my experience, the best thing to do in order to better your kick is to increase the mileage and do ~100 meter strides post run. I have never seen an improvement in my kick after doing a lot of lifting.

for me, my kick is determined half by my endurance and half by my ability to get in the zone during a race.

Unless you're a girl I don't know what you're kicking for with a 4:58 mile. If you want to place higher, focus on what you can do to actually improve your overall time. When you're one of the top runners and will be in a tactical race, then you can worry about kick, but even a "tactical" HS conference race will likely be won in better than 4:58, no?

Otherwise, hill sprints.

Lifting does not directly help your kick. It helps your biomechanics by strengthening specific muscles, which CAN help your kick because you'll maintain optimal form better.

Obama sucks! wrote:

Your level of speed is to a great extent determined by genetics and a distance runner should not strive to increase it through training. All you can do is develop your ability to increase your effort at the end of a race by always finishing your workouts and races as hard as humanly possible. Nothing else will make a difference.

Lol please don't listen to this nonsense. Sprint training works just as well for distance runners as anyone else. Are we forgetting the most obvious examples of Rupp and Farah increasing their speed?

I agree with Cbenson4, but I also think/know that strength training can increase your max speed though. Especially olympic lifts like hang cleans. However, with a 4:58 Mile your max speed is most likely not the problem like others have said. Your ability to change gears might be. Workouts that train that will therefore be very useful.

Also, do not listen to Obama sucks. Speed training is good even for distance runners especially if they want to be competitive. On top of that a miler is not a distance runner! Also do not attempt to finish every workout as hard as humanly possibly. This will get you injured and you are most likely not going to make a lot of progress.

Hill sprints are also a good suggestion and despite of what runner who professes says, plyos and weight training definitely increases your speed. It also helps your form and makes your body stronger so you can handle more training without getting injured. However, weight training and plyos shouldn't be the only things you do and it shouldn't be a goal on itself, but rather a training method.

I'm a very firm believer that as you increase your strength and aerobic/anaerobic power, you are able to kick better simply because you are more efficient and your body has adapted to the increased levels of training.

That being said, I think that strides/accels, along with lifting and plyometric work should be included in your training regimen.

Crimson runner wrote:

for me, my kick is determined half by my endurance and half by my ability to get in the zone during a race.

this suits me as well.

keep in mind that if OP is a 4:58 guy, he's much better off getting more aerobically fit. the 4:40 guy with no kick still beats the 4;58 guy with a kick.

@ reed. Very true about 4:40 vs. 4:58 guy, I also think that the main focus should be on getting more aerobically fit. However, I also think that some strength training (weights, plyos, or even hill stuff) will be beneficial even for a 4:58 miler. This will actually help him handle the aerobic training to get to faster times plus it will help his mechanics which will also keep him injury free. It will also help him change gears when in a tactical race (or maintain form when fatigued), so I see it as a win-win.

Get more aerobically fit and actually practice picking it up at the end of select repetitions.

While a 5 x 1k workout with consistent pacing helps your fitness you need to then do stuff like 2 x 1200 with each lap getting progressively faster. Teach yourself how to ramp up your effort in a training situation rather than expecting it to happen on its own just because you're in a race.

Look at the thread on Caleb Ndiku.

get stronger. being able to be fresh in the last 400m is better than running a 5min mile and feeling like trash.

If you get aerobically much stronger you will have a kick at 4:58 pace because then you are fresh at that pace.

this. especially the hill sprints bit.