"Fly Ins"; "In and Out" Training

One of the main reason to post workouts from various top coaches is not to copy them, but to incorporate the ideas into your training program.

You should tailor the number of reps, sets, distances and recovery to each individual athlete, including yourself, if you run in the Masters.

If you are not familiar with the name Lance Baumann, you can read a quick bio on Lance Brauman: Speed & Power Drills For Sprints & Hurdles.

The 30 meter “Fly in” drill (2 x 3 x 75 meters)

This is 2 or 3 sets of 3 x 75m where it’s broken down with cones at 15m, 30m, 30m. 3 minute recovery between reps and 5 minute recovery between sets.

The first 15m is the “head-down” acceleration phase, followed by 30m of transition to get into a full upright position with increasing acceleration. The last 30m is all out, hence the term “fly in”, keeping an eye on good dorsiflexion and landing your foot directly under your hips. No over-reaching or over-extending.

Thoughts: 3 minutes is barely enough time to slow down from top speed, stop, turn around, and walk back to your blocks. With limited recovery, you are turning a high intensity workout into an upper end medium intensity workout. The price you pay might be in degrading technique, which would be bad. Highly conditioned athletes may find this sufficient, but if you notice their form dropping, you may want to either add more recovery or shorten the distances.

In-and-out Drills (2 x 3 x 55 meters)

This is 2 sets of 3 x 55m where it’s broken down with cones at 15m, 10m, 20m, and 10m. 3 minute recovery between reps and 5 minute recovery between sets. A 3rd set can be added for elite or advanced sprinters later in the season.

The name implies moving “in and out” of top speed sprinting. Like a car, you are constantly shifting gears as follows:

• 15 meters of acceleration
• 10 meters of an aggressive turnover phase
• 20 meters of “floating and relaxed running” but don’t slow down nor accelerate
• 10 meters of an aggressive sprint

Thoughts: This is a good workout for a 400 meter sprinter to teach them to accelerate into the curve at 200 meter mark. Even 200 meter sprinters should learn to accelerate when they reach the straightaway at the end of the curve at the 100m mark. The thought of “picking up speed” when you are already running full speed may sound confusing.

This drill or workout is also good for the 4×100m relay when used in a desperation attempt to catch the outgoing runner!

Like the above 30 meter “Fly in” drill, 3 minute recovery may be too short. So you will want to modify it to make sure technique is not compromised. When it does get shoddy, stop the drill.

Conclusion: the overall concept of these 2 workouts or drills will definitely help you & your athlete. Just add seasoning to taste.