February 5, 2020
One of the topics I discuss in my book, The Art of Hurdling, is how to build a conditioning base for the 400m hurdles. I’ve always felt that conditioning for hurdlers should involve hurdling, even in the very beginning of the off-season. That philosophy somewhat contrasts the approach of many coaches, who prefer to build a base before putting any hurdles up. But my logic is simple: jumpers jump, throwers throw, vaulters vault, sprinters sprint, and hurdlers hurdle. So, while I’m definitely not saying that hurdlers should hurdle every day, I am saying that hurdling work should be incorporated into the training plan at least once a week throughout the year. The thinking is, the only way a hurdler can get used to the rigors of hurdling is by hurdling. The only way a hurdler can refine technique is by hurdling. For the 400m hurdler, I’m cool with plenty of non-hurdling workouts in the off-season to develop strength and speed-endurance. But I feel that if hurdling isn’t included in the mix from the giddy up, then we may not have enough time to get to the type of super-demanding race-prep workouts that are so essential to optimizing success in the championship part of the season.
One of my go-to workouts for building hurdle-endurance for the long hurdler is the back-and-forth workout, also known as the up-and-back workout. It’s a pretty basic workout that is nevertheless very effective. Five hurdles up, five hurdles back. I first learned about the workout from Renaldo Nehemiah’s coach, Jean Poquette, who used a 110h version of the workout when coaching Nehemiah. I adapted it to the 400h by stretching out the spacing—placing five hurdles at the marks for hurdles 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 in one direction, and five more beside them facing the other direction.
Recently I’ve posted a few videos on my Instagram page and YouTube channel showing one of my hurdlers doing the workout. Below is one of those videos. If you want to learn more about the workout and others that I use in coaching my 400m hurdlers, pick up a copy of the book from its Amazon page.
