Championship Speed and Power Drills: Middle Distance/Distance

with Andrea Grove-McDonough, University of Toledo Director of Cross Country and Track and Field
2021 Mid-American Conference Champions (Women's Cross Country);
2021 MAC Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year;
University of North Carolina Head Men's & Women's Cross Country Coach in 2019;
Iowa State University Head Women's Cross Country Coach from 2013 to 2018;
2017 Big XII Champions (4X Big XII Champions);
4X Big XII Coach of the Year;
2014 NCAA Cross Country Runners-Up;
2008 Canadian Olympic Trials 10,000 meter Champion, 2x Canadian National Titleist, 7x National Canadian Team Member, NCAA All-American at 1500 meters

with Troy McDonough,
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist;
Physical Therapist and Assistant Track Coach at Iowa State University from 2013 to 2018;
NCAA Division 1 All-American in Decathlete, Member of 2006-2007 United States Bobsled Team

Traditional distance running coaches have primarily focused their efforts toward, and spent their training time on, increasing the aerobic running volume of their athletes. They have little consideration of one simple fact: running is the prolonged repetition of a series of one-legged hops-an activity that demands far more functional strength and power than most coaches (and runners) realize or train to enhance.

Using a progressive approach intended to address the needs of the beginning (or low-strength, low-coordination) runner, up to and including elite-level competitors, coaches Andrea Grove-McDonough and Troy McDonough demonstrate a range of progressive and challenging exercises. These range from static and dynamic core strength and stability enhancements, to a multi-joint-focused medicine ball series, to a highly advanced agility and power ladder progression. Employing high-level male and female distance runners to show how to do each activity properly , the McDonoughs include detailed, essential explanations of key coaching points and make technical corrections of the demonstrations.

Strength and Power Series

In this teaching unit, learn how and why to incorporate strength training exercises with functional plyometrics designed to improve your runners' ability to maintain speed on the stable, but unlevel terrain that characterizes cross country running. You'll also learn to enhance in-race acceleration as well as finishing speed for middle and distance track racers. Included are:

• Properly executed back squats with a barbell and an appropriate amount of weight followed by a squat jump to expand an athlete's strength, power, and neural functionality.
• Single-leg body weight squats from atop a 24" box in combination with single-leg squat jumps to increase a runner's power plant.
• Box step-ups with a barbell followed by alternating-leg box jumps to develop functional strength and power and provide a significant, meaningful challenge for even the highest level runners.

Agility Power Ladder Progression

Faster running in races begins with training to run faster, and having strong stabilizer muscles around the hips, knees, and ankles is essential to fast running and injury prevention. In this unit, learn how to incorporate a speed/agility ladder via a myriad of physically-and mentally-challenging coordination and quickness exercises.

• The Double Forward Quick Foot exercise, though relatively low-impact, is a drill that encourages explosive forward movement designed to reduce ground contact time, which is the key to running speed.
• The Single Forward Quick Foot exercise makes the transition to single-leg support and challenges the athlete to maintain quickness and posture in a highly functional drill.
• The highly functional, highly challenging Single-Leg Zig-Zag Hop demands focus, dynamic strength and coordination from the athlete. As with all the higher-level exercises, McDonough emphasizes that this drill should only be undertaken when the athlete has mastered the preceding exercises.

You will notice that the use of high-level athletes to demonstrate these exercises-from the most fundamental to the most advanced-allows you to see them performed properly, which is an invaluable aid when it comes time to incorporate them into your training sessions.

McDonough provides a wide array of functional, challenging, and fun exercises that you can incorporate right away-whether you are in-season, off-season, or somewhere in between.

"I don't always have access to a weight room, so I loved how Coach McDonough provided alternate strength drills I can use virtually anywhere, regardless of the number of athletes I have to work with. I also liked hearing explanations as to why I might use a particular drill and what its purpose was. I like to know why I should be doing something and my runners do, too." - Customer Review