Why does a sprinter only run as fast as they can for short distance before they begin to slow down? Why don't they run that fast for longer distances? Well it's a simple concept really, their body can't keep up with the energy demands it is asking for. Our bodies use energy called ATP or Adenosine triphosphate to do all things and without ATP our bodies don't survive. To replenish this ATP our bodies have two energy systems that we use at all times depending on the energy demand. The energy demand is based on the intensity and also the duration of activity. These two energy systems are called aerobic and anaerobic. Aerobic means that the body is using oxygen and anaerobic means that the body is not using or in the presence of oxygen. These systems have different abilities when it comes to replenishing ATP for energy. The anaerobic energy system breaks up into two different systems. The phosphagen system- This system provides ATP primarily for short-term, high-intensity activities such as sprinting and resistance training. This energy system relies on hydrolysis of ATP (when the energy is released) and the breakdown of another high-energy phosphate called Creatine phosphate or phosphocreatine. ADP combined with Creatine phosphate creates ATP for energy and for this to occur Creatine kinase has to synthesize this combination. This system is used during high explosive activities that last for about 6 seconds. This system has the ability to replenish a small number of ATP very quickly. This becomes a problem when the energy demands are too great for this system, so the body begins to rely on a new system more. The glycolysis system- This system is also anaerobic and is [...]

Many times injuries are freak accidents that can't be avoided, but a lot of the hamstring strains are not this. Hamstrings strains are involved with sports that include sprinting, jumping, kicking, and also highly skilled movements. Most if not all sports involve these movements, so that's why hamstrings have become one of the most prevalent injuries. In an article that was published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning a study was done about hamstring strain prevalence in the national football league. The study results show that hamstring strains were the second most injury seen, behind only knee sprains. The reason for the high occurrence of hamstring strains is because of the mechanism of injury during sprinting. Sprinting is the most common time you will see an athlete have an injury to the hamstrings. Mechanism of injury- The reason for the high occurrence of hamstring strains is because of the mechanism of injury during sprinting. Sprinting is the most common time you will see an athlete have an injury to the hamstrings. This is because when sprinting, hamstrings receive a lot of force at extreme lengths. An Eccentric contraction is a type of muscle activation that increases tension on a muscle as it lengthens. This eccentric contraction happens to the hamstrings on the front leg during sprinting right before foot contact. Once the foot hits the ground the force that comes with sprinting is now absorbed by the hamstrings. A lot of times your hamstrings are not able to handle this force at that length at the time the foot contacts the ground; this is when hamstrings strain occur. Biceps Femoris- There are three hamstrings which are all located on posterior part of the thigh [...]

What can I do to be a better player? What should I do to get me to the next level? These questions are often asked by athletes who are wondering why they are not getting to the next level or playing to their full potential. Many different answers fly around when only one question should be asked right back to them, are you doing Olympic lifts in your program? Many times the answer to this question will be no and this is the answer to the first two questions an athlete often asks. Olympic lifts are good for sport preparation because of their explosive/powerful nature and also the triple extension that is used in all of these lifts. Explosiveness or power- These lifts are done with high force in short burst. Every athlete wants to be more powerful than their competition. If you want to increase your power output, incorporating Olympic lifts into the program can get you that power. A research study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning compared peak force, peak velocity, and peak power output of power lifters, Olympic weight lifters, sprinters, and a control group. The study showed that Olympic weight lifters had the highest peak force and velocity which means they had the highest peak power of all the groups. The study also goes on to say that these lifts can be very specific for sports and may be required to reach peak power needed for some sports. Triple extension- Most if not all sports have triple extension during the sport. Triple extension is when the ankle, knee and hips are all extended. This is often achieved when doing a jump or sprinting. So even though you may not [...]

How many kids today do you know that their favorite sport is track? Or how about kids that actually run track in the first place? Me either. Youth sports are dominated by football, soccer, basketball, baseball and more of the traditionally major sports. The problem with this is that most people stick with a sport they are good at or have played for awhile. So speed development gets pushed aside because of its association with track and field. Most would say that they have no interest in track because they are either busy with other sports or they find it less fun. Now a days there is a lot of sport specific training for every sport which is important, but it some times comes at the neglect of true speed work. If you think about what track actually consists of you will realize it's the same basis of all sports. Running, jumping, and technique are the main aspects of track and every athlete knows that these are also the main aspects of every sport. The difference is when coaches begin to get away from these aspects and only focus on other sport specific skills. These sport specific skills are needed to learn how to play the game but coaches should not take out the basis of the sport itself. Track speed involves working on running mechanics, jumping mechanics and speed work. These things are often forgotten about when training for a sport. If you are one of those athletes that are trying to compete at the highest level but haven't reached it, try adding track workouts to your training and get back to the basics of your sport. If you learn how to run better, [...]