Feed the Cats Speed Training for the 400m | Lactate Workouts & Sprinting the 400

[@speedcoachbates]

My son has a 100m of 10.41 following max speed workouts. Most people....coaches think we sprint a lot but we really don't. We train year round max speed

[@coachtonyholler]

Love it!

[@speedcoachbates]

I started coaching track the last couple years using your principles as a foundation. I point all other coaches now into the feed the cats system.

[@lancastergerard]

My 7th grader has his first ever track meet next week. He doesn’t go to really go to team practice because he also trains for baseball and tries to play pickup basketball everyday.I’ve been watching ftc videos and training him on the side with workouts 1-2x / week as a warmup for the other 2 sports. After watching some of the ftc presentations He and his older brother who ran xc in middle school now argue that they are ‘cats and sprinters’. As a torn scrawny distance runner I can’t wait to see how this all plays out😅

[@dennisrobinson8008]

It works

[@lancastergerard]

Anecdote on sprint mechanics: as a d3 xc and 400m and 800m runner 30 years ago I never ran shorter than 200m in practice and never ran this faster than 90% 400 race pace. After seeing a sprinter from an opposing team run 49s with sprint form and cadence I thought ‘oh that’s what I should look like’. Ran nothing except pb’s after that. Ps… we were doing Sunday morning 16 mile runs with the distance group

[@coachtonyholler]

I was a sprinter in college and my coach had us do six mile runs on Mondays. Nuts!

[@andrewjoyce7374]

Gerard... u are not a liar. You are an outlier

[@dennisrobinson8008]

After: Attacking the ground with a excellent stride. Before: thinking a distance mentality was the way.

[@styx1253]

The best

[@andrewjoyce7374]

I watch all of the videos no matter how much I think I know about what you are saying or even if this is part of a clip i have already seen. I can't hear it enough. Hormesis is the thing I needed to hear today.. "you are not sick you are acidic"

[@seonevans5647]

I agree with this coach. When my son started running at age 7, he was doing alot of 400 and 500 meters. The coaches kept saying he needs to condition. As he got taller, he had good stride length but his turnover was gone. I started watching your videos of lactate workouts and doing hill running. He’s 12 now and hitting low 12’s and high 11’s in the 100. He hates the lactate workouts but they are essential to his development. Thank you for this information.

[@Leonidas-eu9bb]

Mr. Holler what do you think about short uphill sprints (hill or stairs) for building specific strength/power? I got it that it won't train max v. But it could work like a drill. I think it helps with posture and front side mechanics and doesn't effect recovery as much as max v.

[@coachtonyholler]

It’s good but we have no hills in Plainfield. Definitely does not address max velocity.

[@davidjanbaz7728]

@@coachtonyholler Parking Garage inclines .

[@coachtonyholler]

@@davidjanbaz7728 perfect!

[@davidjanbaz7728]

@@coachtonyhollerand declines would address max v.

[@jameslowe1092]

I agree with this. My question is just when!? If you are a track athlete and looking to peak in August for championships, you’re not going to be trying to increase their speed when they come back to training in call it October/November. So when do you implement the intention of getting your athletes to physically be faster?

[@jameslowe1092]

Unless I’m completely off here, just trying to learn more as a track coach.

[@coachtonyholler]

Forget peaking. Peaking is old school BS. Coaches would pile on work for months making athletes slower (and often injured). They would then stop the abuse and athletes who SURVIVED the abuse would get fresher and run faster. Coaches would take all the credit. TRUST THE PROCESS. FTC is a program that is ALWAYS PEAKING. FTC IS ALWAYS PRIORITIZING HEALTH AND JOYFUL TRAINING.

[@jameslowe1092]

@@coachtonyholler thank you! If I may ask, does resisted sprinting fit anywhere in your program? So sleds, overspeed cable, etc?

[@coachtonyholler]

@@jameslowe1092 x-factor

[@dummy._.1212]

Intense endurance creates vascularity for beginners to tone not much for vets

[@bryanwhipkey2365]

Endurance does not create speed but speed endurance training will allow athletes to maintain top speed or close to top speed over a longer distance. I like to train speed endurance in different ways to keep distances as short as possible while training the targeted energy system.

[@coachtonyholler]

We can them lactate workouts. itccca.com/12626/2016/12/the-survival-of-king-mithridates/

[@JamesPennOnline]

My 2nd season training my daughter with FTC approach. One thing I've added to help "speed endurance" in addition to lactate days is one 100m or 110m sprint at the end of speed days (speed days usually 30m flys). I think it give a minimum dose of "speed endurance" without burning the steak. Thoughts?

[@coachtonyholler]

I just refuse to train at slower than race pace.

[@mookrunner1]

Hi Coach, thank you for your videos. Can you please point me to your approach to 800m racing? Thank you for your time.

[@coachtonyholler]

Generally speaking, you need to be a cross country runner in sumner and fall (but not neglecting athleticism). Then pivot to speed in the winter and spring track season… running the 800 and 4x4.

[@mookrunner1]

@@coachtonyholler Thank you! Excited for the next 12-16 months. I'll keep you posted.

[@slimjakey]

Interestin, what would you say of Clyde Hart's 400m training for the likes of Jeremy Wariner and Michael Johnson, who he would have run 1 mile tempos on grass during the pre-season?

[@coachtonyholler]

@@slimjakey I’m the opposite of Clyde Hart. My guys don’t run sub 21 in 200 before I meet them! simplifaster.com/articles/400-sprint-feed-the-cats/

[@elite-_-greens-4522]

So what if I’m trying to get as fast as possible by doing things shorter than 100meters but also trying to train for the 400? How do I still try to get as fast as possible but train for the 400? How would a week of training or even 2 weeks of training look like for me ?

[@coachtonyholler]

@@elite-_-greens-4522 simplifaster.com/articles/400-sprint-feed-the-cats/

[@Emmanuel-ko2me]

would you consider sled pulling a drill for x-factor days?

[@coachtonyholler]

Yes

[@rhinotv3646]

On critical zone work out do you have to have the 10 meter build up on the 200s?

[@nuthanthu4259]

When to do lactate workout ? .. you told after lactate workout day off but what is the best workout to do before lactate threshold workout When to do 23 second drill 150x3 and critical zone work out in mid season or competition time?

[@coachtonyholler]

We never do threshold work. Too slow. Do lactate work 4-5 days before a meet.

[@Yuvigains]

❤

[@q8madrid98]

Coach I really would like to practice with u, can u coaching online?

[@coachtonyholler]

$300 first month

[@markolim8938]

Endurance creates speed from 800m onwards

[@coachtonyholler]

Understand your point. I just can’t call sub max distance running “speed”.

[@bestonemusic]

Can you give us a bio mechanical definition for running walking generally why are we able to move on the ground ? I honestly think you can't. Prove me wrong!

[@coachtonyholler]

@@bestonemusic ???

[@michaeldillard1408]

Anaerobic speed endurance

[@gothops2632]

I remember Charlie Francis saying that tempo running reduces nerve transmission resistance or something to that effect. Is that bullshit?

[@coachtonyholler]

I haven’t prove tempo to be wrong, but I’ve proven you can eliminate it. And… cats don’t like tempo.

[@DineroBryce]

What should my target time for 300m be if I run a 58 400?

[@coachtonyholler]

Don’t like 300 targets. 200 PR +1, 2nd 200 PR +3. Improve you 200 to improve your 400.

[@dele1573]

Thats good for your elite athletes but wont work for HS athletes running 100, 200, 400 and a relay all in one day meet

[@coachtonyholler]

I’ve done it for a long time my friend.

[@bryanwhipkey2365]

I'm a firm believer in the "Feed the Cats" method. With that said I believe 400m athletes require speed endurance work outside of lactate work. Our athletes main focus is speed and explosion all year and that's all we do early. We then add lactate work similar to the feed the cats program. Once we have reached out speed potential for the season we add in some longer training (we still focus on speed and explosion that never changes). By doing this we become faster, lactate threshold is higher, aerobic/cardiovascular system is more efficient therefore supplying the body with more oxygen allowing us to run faster for longer. By doing this a 50 sec guy becomes a 48-49 in the season instead of being stuck at a 50. The way I see it is take a group of cheetahs chasing an antelope. All of them are fast because they are cheetahs. If the antelope gets lucky and gets away the cheetahs tire and run out of energy they are used to catching prey quickly. If one of those cheetahs has chased an antelope 100m farther he eats the antelope.

[@chickentendiezzzz]

so how long is the “incomplete rest”?

[@coachtonyholler]

~4 minutes (at least 3)