Four-Hurdle 100m Back & Forth Workout

Let me begin by noting that this workout is not the same 100m back and forth workout on the Workouts link Under the Free Articles menu. That one involves 10 hurdles, with 5 facing one direction, five facing the other. For this workout, the set-up is as follows:

Set up two hurdles going one way, and two more beside them going the other way, one lane over. The spacing between the hurdles should be somewhat random. Don’t put the hurdles on any particular marks. The first hurdle should be somewhere in the first 30 meters, and the second hurdle should be somewhere in the last 30 meters.

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The hurdles should be set at race height for the 300/400m hurdles – 30 inches for females, 36 inches for males.

From the 100m start line, the athlete sprints over the two hurdles and runs through the finish line. After a 30-second rest, the athlete turns around and sprints 100 meters the other way, clearing both hurdles that are facing that way, then running through the original 100m start line.

Unlike with the 10-hurdle back and forth workout, these reps will be timed. Give the athlete target times. The second 100 should be within a second of the first one. So if the athlete runs the first 100 in 14 seconds, the target time for coming the way back is 15 seconds.

Athletes should take a 2-3-minute rest between reps, depending on conditioning level.

Athletes should do in the range of 6-10 reps for a complete workout, depending on their conditioning level.

With each rep, move each hurdle by a foot or two one way or the other.

Beyond the conditioning aspect, the purpose of this workout is to teach 300/400m hurdlers to keep their hands high and attack each hurdle aggressively even when they’re not sure about stride pattern. They can’t stop at the hurdle, they can’t put their hands on the hurdle, they can’t go around the hurdle. If they hit a hurdle, they have to recover. They have to keep running, even if it means clearing the hurdle with their weaker lead leg. They’re being timed each rep, so they have to hit the target times.

If the quality of the reps is diminishing too much, then add more rest between reps or reduce the amount you originally intended to have them do. You never want quantity without quality.

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