The distance, 400 meters long, is the longest sprint. To learn to run 400 meters, you need to train your legs and be able to correctly distribute forces along the distance.
Leg workout for running 400 meters
It is important for any sprinter to have strong legs... Therefore, at least half of the training time should be devoted to general physical preparation for training leg muscles.
For this, such exercises as: squats, squats with a barbell, "pistol", lunges with a barbell or dumbbells, foot training, walking on a support with dumbbells, leg presses, etc. are suitable. You can alternate them in different ways, but after doing 5-6 repetitions, you need to jog on 100-200 meters for a cool down. Then continue to do the exercises.
It is important to stop strength training no later than 2 weeks before the race itself, otherwise the legs may not have time to "scatter".
Explosive strength training for running 400 meters
Explosive power is essential for a quick start. Since 400 meters is, albeit a long, but still a sprint, a quick start is no less important than passing the entire distance. He trains by jumping. Such exercises include high jumps, "frog", jumping on a support, jumping from a place, jumping from foot to foot, jumping rope.
As in the case of training leg muscles, jumping exercises must be "diluted" with periodic jogging... It is best to stop jumping work no later than one and a half weeks before the start.
Speed endurance training for running 400 meters
Speed endurance is the most important component of running this distance. It is very important, after gaining speed at the start, to keep it until the very finish. Speed endurance is best trained by running stretches 200-400 meters 10-15 times with a little rest.
More articles that may be useful to you:
1. 400m Smooth Running Standards
2. What is interval running
3. Running technique
4. Running Leg Exercises
Here are examples of options for working to increase speed endurance:
10 times 400 meters, rest 3 minutes or 400 meters light jogging
15 times 200 meters, rest 200 meters by jogging or walking
20-30 times 100 meters each with 1-2 minutes rest.
There are many options, the main thing is to understand the principle itself. It is also important to understand that for such a distance there is no need to run longer stretches, say 600 or 800 meters, since this is not speed training, but general endurance, which is more needed by middle athletes than sprinters.
A tactical understanding of how to decompose forces at a distance of 400 meters
Very often inexperienced athletes, and quite often professionals, make mistakes by starting very quickly. But there is no strength left to the finish line, and such runners are overtaken by those who more competently spread their strengths.
When running 400 meters, it is important to know your strength and understand how fast you need to run the distance, so as not to "fall" at the end of the path. There is only one way to understand this - by running this distance. That is why competitive experience is important for an athlete.
You can build one of the strength endurance workouts so that at the beginning of the workout after warm-up, immediately try to run 400 meters at maximum strength. Then you will understand how fast you need to run. This can be done no later than 1.5 weeks before the start.
It is best to decompose the forces at a distance as follows:
- Starting acceleration of 50-60 meters in order to take an advantageous position at the edge and accelerate your body as quickly as possible from a resting position.
- After that, look for your maximum speed, at which you understand that you will maintain the entire distance. So run 200-250 meters
- Start the final acceleration 100 m before the finish line. Here the task is to move your legs as quickly as possible. Increasing the frequency of hand work will also help. Even if the work of the arms goes faster than the work of the legs, the legs will still try to "catch up" with the arms, and the speed will be faster.
Even without physical training in just a month, you can show a good result at a distance of 400 meters. It is advisable to train 4-5 times a week, alternating the load. That is, today you train leg strength, tomorrow you do jumping work, and the day after tomorrow you train strength endurance, and then return to leg training. Two weeks before the start, exclude strength leg work from training and leave only running and jumping. And 1.5 weeks before the start, remove jumps and leave only running. Three days before the norm or before the competition, leave in your workout only a couple of runs of 100-200 meters and a good warm-up and cool down.
To improve your results in running at medium and long distances, you need to know the basics of running, such as correct breathing, technique, warm-up, the ability to make the correct eyeliner for the day of the competition, do the correct strength work for running and others. Therefore, I recommend that you familiarize yourself with the unique video tutorials on these and other topics from the author of the site scfoton.ru, where you are now. For readers of the site, video tutorials are completely free. To get them, just subscribe to the newsletter, and in a few seconds you will receive the first lesson in a series on the basics of proper breathing while running. Subscribe here: Running video tutorials ... These lessons have already helped thousands of people and will help you too.
Good luck in the competition!
