View Full Version : Weighted sprints
datank69
04-13-10, 12:18 pm
I do a good bit of cardio which doesnt help my lifting much. I have my own Sled that i pull behind me. How much does that help in perspective to my lifting? advice from other sprinters please.
BigChrisF
04-14-10, 8:16 pm
I'm not a sprinter, but sled dragging will help increase your general physical preparedness as well as aid your lifting as a recovery workout. If you don't overdo it, sled dragging in itself won't adversely effect your lifting gains. If you are competitively sprinting, all the work that goes with that will.
tire workouts followed by running with sprints isn't bad either
ive never done sled
i wouldnt overdo it on the sled pulling, from a sprinting perspective its got its place but overuse might affect ur sprinting form over time. by form i mean technique. at my club we do harness work where we have a harness around our waist which finishes behind us in 2 handles and a partner holds on & just basically adds resistance. not a deadweight, but just a little added weight. this can develop power and leg speed, but u tend to take smaller strides, the entire run (be it over 40m, 50m or 80m etc but 100m the tops, always done on a straight) is virtually 1 huge drive phase. the sled will be similiar so its worth noting that you wont be going through a transition to upright running or fully opening out. obviously the benefits are there in terms of power/leg speed, but the lack of full sprinting would tell in a competition.
Its worth noting that allan wells became olympic champion and never trained with any sort of weights. A good way of developing explosive power is with plyometrics, which is very dynamic and takes you through a substantial range of motion that sled/harness work lacks.
of course, the best thing is to incorporate all these techniques into ur regime.
with regards to hindering building muscle size, to be honest it will probably help, power/strength training, particularly for legs has been shown to increase the body's release of anabolic hormones which have an effect on the body as a whole. its also worth comparing a world class marathon runner to a world class sprinter. the sprinters are all much more powerfully built and much more ripped.
Just dont overdo any 1 type of training, or u risk going down the overtraining route which is bad news all round. variety is the spice of life.
i wouldnt overdo it on the sled pulling, from a sprinting perspective its got its place but overuse might affect ur sprinting form over time. by form i mean technique.
Agreed. When you do something that involves a lot of technique, it is best to work at training that technique with the body you can generate without added weight. I see a lot of athletes make the mistake of altering what they do normally for something different. For example, I have seen quarterbacks practice with a weighted football thinking it will help them throw further and harder. But in the end, all they are doing is putting stress on technique and screwing up their technique. They are practicing in situations that will never occur and should be practicing with regular footballs to perfect their form.
So if you are going to sprint, be certain your technique is where it should be. Adding weight and pulling a sled can be helpful, as long as you are not pulling a weight that is going to interfere with the way you do things.