Greek Sprint Program

2x3x100m or 200m depending on your event.

Bump, I know the 400m runners did similar workouts of all out 300-400 repeats and produced a ton of sub 48.5 runners and a couple sub 46 runners, the 400 runners did do short 40-80m repeats 2 or 3, sometimes on the curve before the workout.

The Greeks were busted for serious PED use.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2006/jun/27/athletics.sport

The top two sprinters from that era remain clean, and you really think that the 50 or 60 runners who went 48.xx-49.xx were doping?? Vice versa for other events. The method of 98% intensity long rest works. The sprinters caught doping were using recovery aiding drugs meaning you should take more rest if you need it

A doping program does not dope the slow runners, this is how scandals break out. They work them like sled dogs until one has a break through and before they become elite/world class they are doped hard, and then feigned off. Those who got caught were simply unlucky as WADA was cracking down on this phase by drug testing more young sub elite junior type athletes.

Basically, in conclusion the method does work but should be adapted to your recovery and fitness levels.

From what I’ve read and seen (mostly on a now I think defunct thread on the Charlie Francis forums) the Greeks were adapting the Abadjiev Bulgarian weightlifting method to track. The problem with that system though, it seems, is that it’s very difficult to actually maintain without chemical assistance

Drugs aside, I wonder what their warmups must have been like leading into these 90% runs. I imagine it would have to be pretty extensive

I was actually just reading your thread where you mention the Charlie Francis forum link to the Greek training. https://youtu.be/To2rzlnoGYA is the link to a Greek 400 runner, since they had such a large volume of sub 49 400m runners I believe that the key to the Greeks sprint team was long to short, as in those who could steadily improve to the sub 48 range of this very intense training would be moved down to 100 and 200m repeats making recovery easier and overall volume more attainable. Funny enough the Greeks took 5 days off before a meet and did absolutely no weights or plyometrics of any kind even though most of there sprinters are on the bigger side.

That’s interesting and sort of reminds me of Pyrros Dimas’ (Three Time Olympic weightlifting gold medalist) development, starting with extensive work when younger and moving to a more Bulgarian approach as he aged.

So it’s hard to gauge the Greek system I feel without more knowledge about the early stages of development. Those 90-100% reps may work, but how do you reach that point that you can tax your central nervous system sufficiently for this kind of work to be viable

RedJohn wrote:

Bump, I know the 400m runners did similar workouts of all out 300-400 repeats and produced a ton of sub 48.5 runners and a couple sub 46 runners, the 400 runners did do short 40-80m repeats 2 or 3, sometimes on the curve before the workout.

So you want to copy a program that produced a ton of mediocre times while massively doping?

You need to read my other post, also a 48 second 400 is not mediocre for a bunch of 18-22 year old's previously running in the 51-55 range. That's stellar improvement. I believe the reason they lacked on the world stage was because of lack of periodization, any form of strength/plyometric conditioning, and nutrition. There was little overall interest in a 4x4 team rather a strong 4x1 and 4x2 squad. Since the best runners moved down there was little need to work on shorter non lactic workouts in the off season (accels strides GPP...) Meaning 400m runners slowly burnt out.

Overall I think the program works without weights as long as you add an acceleration day or two during your GPP looking like this for a 400 runner

Monday: 3x(3x30m) or 5x60m @99%

Tuesday: 20min warm up 1x60m, 1x80m, 2x2x300 20-30min rest @97%

Wednesday :20min warm up 2x60m, 2x2x400m @90%

Thursday: 20min warm up, 5x60m @95% plus 5x100 @80%

Friday: 20min warm up, 5x400 @90%

Saturday: 20min jump rope, 20 min intense static stretch plus massage or ice bath

Sunday:2x2x400m @90%

This would work well for a runner in the 50-55 range that can do 10x200m in 30 or less @ sub 85% of there heart rate, and is not racing a lot, taking 5 days off before a race helps a lot, maybe add a 5x60 session and a hard 4x100m instead of doing nothing.

Any "program" will do well given unlimited amount of drugs. I mean, just look at the Kenyans...

There was less then ten high level dopers that tested positive for the Greek national sprint team, none who tested positive were in the 47-49 range, meaning that the program works, but long 2 or 3 months of recovery after season are needed plus years of adaptation. It would make absolutely no sense why the Greeks would be paying millions on "mediocre" runners as I already explained.

Also there are many legal non PED ways of increasing recovery

So, just bumping. Anyone have info on their program?

Just reviving this old thread for some more info?

Look up starting strength dot com Greek sprint program, that fills in all the gaps

No doubt the Greeks were doped, and I don't recommend copying them, or anyone, but I oddly enough I agree much more with their training philosophy than with what predominates today. I do not know how they actually trained, but I would follow the basic template of training by replicating as closely as possible the demands of actual competition. If training to run rounds I would replicate the competition schedule, recovering fully, then rinsing and repeating. I would also supplement this with a hard, but simple and short weight training program approximately once a week, but no plyos or other gym training.

RO777 wrote:

Hay, guys. I recently read about the Greek's sprinting program more specifically Kostas Kenteris and Katarina Thanou's programs used in, I think, the 2000's. Does anyone have ANY knowledge about it? And I would also love to hear your opinions. They did something like 1x3x100200m twice a day (A.M. and Afternoon) with 30min break between each run. First rep was at about 85-90% the rest was max, using a two-week cycle of, I believe, 3on, 1off, 2on, 2off, 2on, 4off. No plyo's or weights (as I read). Closer to comp they would drop to one session a day and closer still they would drop down to single reps and then rest 5 days before a meet.

This is what I've gathered. Would love correction and guidence and opinions, as I'm a perfectionist and would love doing this.

Thanks.

Kenteris and Thanou were absolutely famous for playing hide and seek with drug testers in their prime. It was a running joke in the track and field community. Whatever training they were doing was heavily assisted chemically.

Flo’da boy wrote:

That’s interesting and sort of reminds me of Pyrros Dimas’ (Three Time Olympic weightlifting gold medalist) development, starting with extensive work when younger and moving to a more Bulgarian approach as he aged.

So it’s hard to gauge the Greek system I feel without more knowledge about the early stages of development. Those 90-100% reps may work, but how do you reach that point that you can tax your central nervous system sufficiently for this kind of work to be viable

The different training programs Dimas used were because he was born and lived in Albania until he was 19. While there he trained under Zef Kovaci, doing a variety of different exercises for reps, up to 80% max. After he moved to Greece, where the Bulgarian system was used, he mainly did snatches, clean & jerks, squats, and front squats, usually only in single reps working up to 100% of max nearly every day. Dimas eventually developed a hybrid program of his own that combined the Bulgarian system with various assistance exercises he'd been doing in his youth.