USA Track

In 2014, through our Nike contract, Will Hitzelberger was asked to lead a Strength Initiative with USA Track & Field (USATF). The project was to evaluate the “strength & conditioning” programs that the fastest human beings in the world were following. Listed below is a summary of the evaluation needs:

We can’t disclose the coaches or athletes or the feedback provided, but it was an incredible experience spending time with this type of speed. The coach was very welcoming and had no problem sharing his weaknesses and opportunities for improvement. Not typical qualities you find in high performance environments like this one. We sat down for several hours after a long morning of training to discuss his training program, periodization, energy system focuses, strength plan, and track plan. We talked about the faults in his programming, opportunities to improve and obstacles in the way.

One of the biggest surprises to me was his dual role of track coach and strength coach. To be an elite coach in one discipline takes constant vigilance to stay on top of the game, but to try and juggle two different areas at the level of expertise required for world-class athletes seemed like a very big challenge for one person to control. The coach was clearly one of the best Track Coaches in the world. He works with and improves some of the fastest athletes around the world, and thus his track workouts and programs are elite and world class.

It was a great learning opportunity for Hitzelberger to truly understand a “day in the life” of what an athlete in this sport, at this level go through.

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The USATF Project set us up perfectly to take on a group of runners that would seek us out in 2016, with the Olympics in Rio coming up. They were all in Orlando, Fl preparing for Olympic Qualifiers. These athletes would train with their track coach in the morning and then come in for training immediately after. For most of them the focus of their training was on stability and strength. Three of the four were previous Olympians at the end of their careers giving it one last shot.