Add-Another-Hurdle Workout (for 300/400h)

This workout is designed to help long hurdlers develop a consistent stride pattern through the first half of the race.

Do this in warm weather, on fresh legs. In the fall, it can be done as the “speed day” workout in place of shorter sprints. In the spring/summer it’s a good race-preparation workout.

After a full warm-up that includes some hurdle drills and one or two run-outs from a standing start to the first hurdle, begin the workout by working on stride pattern to the first hurdle. Ideally, use starting blocks. If no blocks are available, then start from a 3-point stance. For hurdlers new to the event, work with your coach on establishing a comfortable block setting. For hurdlers with experience in the event, begin with the block setting you have had the most success with in the past. The coach should give commands, and the athlete sprints to the first hurdle. The coach counts strides while the athlete focuses on sprinting and attacking the hurdle in rhythm.

After the first rep, coach and athlete meet to discuss how things went. If the coach noticed any stuttering, any lowering of the hands, any zig-zagging in the lane, any rhythm issues at all, those issues should discussed and addressed. The biggest decision to be made regarding the first hurdle is whether to switch the feet in the blocks. If the hurdler is taking 24 steps to the first hurdle, for example, and is stuttering to fit in the last couple strides, it might be decided that 23 steps to the first hurdle would be ideal. So, in the next rep, try that and see how it goes. The athlete may have a lot of trouble coming out of the blocks with the other foot in front, so you may have to spend a lot of time working on that one adjustment. The first hurdle is very important for establishing tempo and rhythm for the entire race, so even if getting the first hurdle down takes an entire session, it’s worth it.

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Once you have the first hurdle down, add the second hurdle and work on clearing the first two. Now, you want the momentum and rhythm established over hurdle one to continue through that first hurdle. After clearing the first hurdle, there should be a seamless transition back to running on the ground. If you land off-balance, with your hips twisted, anything like that, then continue to do reps over the first two until you get that smoothed out. Also, again, you’re working on stride pattern. Again, coach counts, athlete runs. What you’re trying to do with this workout is develop a race strategy, a race plan, so that you’re not going into races hoping and wishing and praying, but going into races knowing what you’re doing. If the athlete is able to alternate lead legs, that adds another dimension to the equation. If you’re taking 23 steps to the first hurdle, for example, should you be taking 15 steps to the second hurdle, or should you alternate and take 16? These are questions that can only be answered by doing reps and discovering what feels fastest, most fluid, and most comfortable. You might be able to get to the second hurdle in 15 strides, but is it too much of a stretch? Does it require so much effort that you won’t have energy left for the latter part of the race? The coach and athlete must communicate with each other regarding such questions, and come to a decision together as to what works best.

Once you’ve settled on a consistent stride pattern over the first two hurdles, the goal is to keep adding a hurdle, maintaining the same stride pattern you held between the first two hurdles throughout the first five hurdles (400h) or four hurdles (300h). Basically, you’re trying to establish your stride pattern for the first half of the race. Once you’ve got the first two down, it’s just a matter of maintaining the rhythm you’ve already established. The goal is to do as few reps as possible. If your first rep over two hurdles is excellent, add a third hurdle immediately.

The workout should end once you’ve achieved what you set out to achieve for that day (maybe your goal was to get the first three hurdles down), or when it becomes obvious that the quality is gone and won’t be coming back.

Once you’ve done this workout a couple times and you feel confident in your approach to the first hurdle, you can increase the quality and decrease the quantity of reps by starting the workout by going over two hurdles, so that you can build up to five sooner. You can also, at some point, add a competitive dimension by having teammates do the workout together instead of taking turns.

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