Jamming Workout for the 100/110m Hurdler

by Steve McGill

Yup, it’s that time of year again at the high school and college level. Time to get ready for the big races that determine how long your season will last. This time of year, the emphasis is on physical and mental preparation. Coaches are on edge because we have to consider all possible scenarios in which our athletes might compete, and we have to prepare them for all possibilities.

[am4show not_have=’g5;’]

[/am4show][am4guest]

[/am4guest][am4show have=’g5;’]

For the 100/110m hurdler, the time for working on technique is over; now it’s all about being fast and quickening the cadence between the hurdles. With that thought in mind, one of my favorite workouts to do this time of year is what I call the “jamming workout.”

I originally got this workout from Renaldo Nehemiah’s high school coach, Jean Poquette, who used it to help Renaldo dip under 13.0 hand-timed as a prep. In this workout, the word “jamming” suggests just that – the hurdles are moved in super-close to force the athlete to deal with how crowded he or she will feel when sprinting between the hurdles at full speed with the adrenaline pumping.

For this workout, the first hurdle is set on the race mark, at race height. All hurdles after the first hurdle are moved in three feet from race spacing, with the height staying at race height. From a block start, with commands given by the coach, the athlete will sprint over all hurdles without consciously thinking about technique at all, but just focusing on reacting to the hurdles as the hurdles rush up at him or her.

How many hurdles should be dictated by the coach. For me, the workout would usually go something like this:

• Two reps over the first three hurdles.
• Two reps over the first five hurdles.
• Two reps over the first seven hurdles.

I like to do this workout with more than one hurdler lined up, so that the competitive component is built into the workout. If you don’t have two hurdlers of comparable ability, then have a not-so-fast sprinter do the reps beside the hurdler. Also, have the hurdler(s) switch lanes every other rep so that he or she doesn’t get too comfortable. If you have more than two hurdlers, then have them switch lanes after every rep.

For rest, I give a minimum of five minutes between reps. I want every rep to be all-out, in the danger zone, react or crash.

As part of the warm-up for this workout, a hyped-up version of the quick-step workout will help. Set up five hurdles 16-18 feet apart, one click below race height, and have the hurdler do the quick-step drill a few times in order to get used to the super-quick reactions they will need to execute in the workout.

At the end of the warm-up, prior to beginning the actual workout, have the athlete(s) do full-out sprints, out of the blocks, without commands, over the first two hurdles. Again, the purpose is to get him or her prepared to the rhythm of the workout.

As coach, feel free to experiment with the volume and the spacing. If the first rep over three is great, then you might want to go straight to five instead of doing another rep over three. If the first rep over seven is outstanding, then you may want to end the workout right there. As for spacing, if three feet is feeling too dangerous, then try 2 ½. Make the minor judgment-call adjustments as you see fit.

[/am4show]