Workout for Double Hurdlers

The workout below is designed for hurdlers who compete in both hurdle events. About this time of season, it’s good to do workouts that include both hurdle events, as workouts should be moving toward being more specific to the order of events in a meet. In high school and collegiate meets, the 100/110m hurdles generally come very early in the meet, while the 300/400m hurdles come more toward the middle or latter part of the meet.

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The idea of setting up workouts in such a way that mimicked the order of events first came to me several years ago, when I was coaching Johnny Dutch and he was preparing for High School Nationals, which I believe was sponsored by Nike back then, in 2006, the summer after his junior year of high school. The schedule makers had put the hurdle races very close together, with the 400 hurdle final coming first, and the 110 hurdle final coming one hour later, making a double very difficult. My email plea for a change in the schedule went unanswered, so I decided we’d train accordingly. Early in the week, I had him do a workout in which he did 2 reps over the first 8 hurdles of the 400h race, then, after a rest of about 15 minutes, I had him do two reps over the first 7 hurdles of the 110 race. This workout proved very beneficial, as it prepared him mentally and physically for what he’d be expected to do at the meet. He ended up winning both races, although he was later disqualified for hooking in the 400h race.

The workout below is based upon the same principle, but the volume is greater because March is still a time for building hurdle endurance, and the peak part of the spring season is still about 8 weeks away.

The Workout:

Out of the blocks, against a teammate if one is available, the athlete does the following:

• 2 reps over 1 hurdle
• 2 reps over 3 hurdles
• 2 reps over 5 hurdles
• 2 reps over 6 hurdles

Then, over the long hurdlers, the athlete does the following:

• 1 rep over 1 hurdle
• 1 rep over 2 hurdles
• 2 reps over 4 hurdles

The hurdles for the 100/110 portion of the workout should be set at race height, with all hurdles after the first one moved in one foot.

Rest between all reps should be three minutes, so that each rep is at full speed. Once the athlete is clearing five and then six hurdles, the rest can be increased to four and then five minutes. Quality is key in this workout.

Rest after the 100/110 portion of the workout should be 15 minutes.

Rest between reps for the 300/400h portion of the workout should be three minutes. Athletes who run the 400 hurdles should do their last two reps over the first five hurdles instead of just the first four.

The coach’s aim in this workout is to help facilitate a confidence in the athlete that transitioning from one event to the other is manageable. This workout later in the season will consist of much fewer reps, more hurdles per rep, and more rest between reps. But for now, more volume is appropriate.

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