Pacing Strategy in Men's 400 m Hurdles Accounting for Temporal and Spatial Characteristics of Elite Athletes.

The final result in a 400 m hurdles race (400mH) is relative to the motor preparation, technique of clearing hurdles as well as the adopted strategy of the race, including temporal aspects (split times in particular parts of the race) and spatial elements (the number of strides taken between subsequent hurdles). The objective of the study was to identify an optimal strategy for the 400mH race, including the stride pattern and split times. Data employed for this study were derived from results of 273 races held during the men's finals of international events (Olympic Games, World and European Championships) held from 1968 to 2015.

Influence on Strength and Flexibility of a Swing Phase-Specific Hamstring Eccentric Program in Sprinters' General Preparation.

Hamstring injuries are common in sprinters and mainly occur during the terminal swing phase. Eccentric training has been shown to reduce hamstring injury rate by improving several risk factors. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that an additional swing phase-specific hamstring eccentric training in well-trained sprinters performed at the commencement of the winter preparation is more efficient to improve strength, ratio, optimum angle, and flexibility than a similar program without hamstring eccentric exercises.