Does weightlifting hinder speed?

[CAP701]

Someone on my track team told me this. He said I was weightlifting too much and it would weight my body down. i weightlift tues, thurs., and sat., but I do different parts of my body every day. I'm one of the slowest guys on the team, so it makes me wonder, is he right?

[chuckd1356]

No, if you practice running, and you work out everything, it will make you a better vaulter.

That's at least from my experience.

[CAP701]

that's what I thought. I run 3 miles monday, do a sprinters workout wed., then pole runs friday. After I get back from military camp I'm going to, I'm going to start a stride lengthening workout. that's why I'm running the 3 miles

[vballswimvault]

No! Long distance training is no good for vaulting, it just messes up your stride. When you run long its a completly different form then for sprints. So instead, you really should focus on sprints--really no more than a 100 at a time. Think about it, when you vault you take seven or so lefts which is less than 100 meters.

Accelerations, falling starts, and sprints will help your run for vaulting. Focus on that, and good luck!

[mcminkz05]

To keep it short, it depends on how you train. You do nothing but Bench and Curls and put on 10 lbs, you will get slower. You keep most of your focus on legs, core, and olympic lifts, you will more than likely get faster.

[rainbowgirl28]

Someone on my track team told me this. He said I was weightlifting too much and it would weight my body down. i weightlift tues, thurs., and sat., but I do different parts of my body every day. I'm one of the slowest guys on the team, so it makes me wonder, is he right?

Depends on how you lift. If you are doing explosive Olympic lifts, it should help you get faster. If you are lifting like a body builder, it probably will not help.

[CAP701]

My problem is that June 17-22 I'll be going to a Air Force Academy boot camp, and I have to make sure I'm used to long distance so that I can make the run. After that, I plan on doing nothing but short sprints.

[rainbowgirl28]

My problem is that June 17-22 I'll be going to a Air Force Academy boot camp, and I have to make sure I'm used to long distance so that I can make the run. After that, I plan on doing nothing but short sprints.

Well there is nothing wrong with that, you just have to accept that if you want to do both things, your pole vaulting may suffer a bit.

[CAP701]

well, then it's going to have to happen...oh well....but thanks to everyone for discussing with the noobie how to train . This forum has already helped me a bunch and I've only joined for like 2 weeks now

[powerplant42]

Hey, that's the summer program, right? Well, hope you had fun there, and good luck getting in to USAFA if you decide that it's for you. (You've already done the harder part, getting into the summer program!)

But anyways, something that might be useful if you DO want to be a good mid/long distance runner and a good pole vaulter/sprinter is to try something like this:

Start out at a comfortable jog
After one lap, sprint or 90% the next 50 meters
Walk through the straightaway, or slowly jog/form run if you'd like
Then jog to the start line, then do a 100 meter sprint
Get back to the start line, then repeat until you've done a mile or two

That's just a simple combo workout. Mess around with speeds during your running, and always watch how you run, since doing long distance WILL mess up your stride if you aren't careful. Anyways, good luck with everything!