Elite coaching special - Clyde Hart coach to Michael Johnson and Jeremy Wariner

In the gym - no short cuts
Clyde told how Johnson developed his weight training routine. He said: "In 1988 Michael didn't like to lift. He was just doing the routine - just doing what he had to. He needed a long term plan. Other people were using drugs.”

The significance of 1988 was that it was the year of the scandal of Ben Johnson’s positive test in the Seoul Olympics. Hart and Johnson knew it would take hard work to stay clean and beat the drug cheats.

"So I said we have got time to get where you need to be if you work in the weight room. This registered and he spent a lot of time working on his abs and hamstrings. He was a demon in the weights room for five years. My assistant would work out with him and it was something else to see them work out in that room - there were no short cuts. People think there are short cuts but people who want instant results are not going to get there."

Conditioning the key
Clyde kept going back to the theme of conditioning being key. He said: "Your body has two engines. One burns oxygen the other is anaerobic. The longer you can use engine one the more that delays going on to engine two.”

‘Going lactic’ means a build up of waste products. Clyde likened this to the build up of ash in a fire that then inhibits the proper burning of the remaining fuel. Going to the anaerobic system means more build up of lactate which is like the ash. So the late you move to the anaerobic system the better.

Clyde said: "I had thought you would have to train fast to run fast. I no longer think that. You have to know how to run fast and you need a coach who teaches you to run fast. You need drills to enhance your fast twitch fibres but then it is a matter of conditioning.

"Michael ran a 0.6sec difference between his first and second 200m in the world record. He could do that because the difference between his 200m split and 200m speed was good. Even pace is the best way to run. You were never going to beat Michael Johnson by beating him to 200m."


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