Track Training Tips
- For athletes involved in track, the legs are the most important part of the body. It's important to break down each part of the leg and ensure it is stretched in a way that prevents injury, loosens the muscle and gets the blood flowing in the body. When stretching your calves, stand 3 feet from a pole or wall and place your hands up against the object. Place one leg back 2 feet and make sure your heel is touching the ground. Hold for 30 seconds and then alternate legs.
To stretch your hamstrings, use an object that sits waist high. While standing 3 feet in front of it, place one foot on top of the object, keep the other foot firmly on the ground. Reach out with the arm on the same side of the leg and touch your toes. Hold for 20 seconds and then alternate.
To stretch your quads, stand up straight and bend one foot toward your buttocks, while standing on the other leg. Grab your foot with the same side hand and hold the position for 30 seconds before alternating. If you have a difficult time standing up, you can place your other hand on a wall or pole to keep steady. - Warming up helps prepare your body for maximum performance. The body needs to gradually get itself into a position, so that you can exert as much force from it as possible. A warm up can last anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes. One of the best warm up tips for track athletes is to run 20 meters and extend your knee as high as possible on each stride. Push off with your calf, which should help you drive your knee into the air. Make sure to breathe while you are warming up, and drive your arms up and down as fast as possible. Another way to warm up is to run backward, extending your legs as far back as possible. Reaching backward helps develop your hip flexors, hamstrings, quads and fast twitch muscles.
- Conditioning is vital in track, and it's important to find ways to improve performance and increase endurance. The better condition you are in, the faster you will be able to run. There are a variety of ways to improve conditioning, whether you are working out by yourself or in a group. When you are working out with a group of at least four runners, jog around the track in a single file line. The runner at the back of the line sprints to the front to take over as the leader. Once the new leader has assumed his position, the runner now at the back of the line sprints to the front and replaces the leader. Another way to develop conditioning is to sprint the straightaways and job the curves around the track as many times as possible.