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← 4 x 4-Week Preseason Sessions

Session 3: Power

Bounds, single-leg hops and push-then-jump pairs to turn strength into power. Weeks 9 to 12 · 3 days a week · 30 to 40 minutes a day

Day 1

Shins, strength, event technique

Event:
Session 3 · Day 1 · Circuit A2 rounds, left to right

Shin quick sets A

Toe and heel walks

  • Sets & Reps: warm-up, once through

Knee-to-wall ankle check

  • Sets & Reps: warm-up, once through

A-march

  • What: A slow march that builds the sprint leg action.
  • How: March forward tall. Lift the knee to hip height with the toe pulled up, step over the other knee, and put the foot down under your hip.
  • Cue: "toe up, step over"
  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 15 m every warm-up.

A-skip

  • What: The A-march at skipping speed.
  • How: Skip forward. Knee to hip height, toe up, then snap the foot down under the hip. Opposite arm drives.
  • Cue: "knee up, snap down"
  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 20 m every warm-up.

Small pogos

  • Sets & Reps: warm-up, once through

Strength: push, then jump A

Squat

  • What: A loaded squat.
  • Cue: "chest tall, knees out"
  • Sets & Reps: goblet squat 3 x 5 (3 s down, 2 s pause at the bottom).

Rear-foot raised split squat

  • What: A split squat with the back foot up on a bench or step, for hip extension strength.
  • How: Long stance, back foot laces-down on a knee-high bench. Lower the back knee toward the floor, front heel down, then drive up.
  • Cue: "back knee down, front heel drives"
  • Sets & Reps: 3 x 5 each leg, slow.

Your event A

Long jump

Continuous takeoffs

  • What: A pop-up takeoff on every third step, without stopping.
  • How: Jog forward. Every third step, lift the free knee and pop into the air, then land and keep going.
  • Cue: "step, step, pop"
  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 50 m, 8 to 10 pops each.
Triple jump

Rhythm bounds

  • What: Even bounds over 30 m.
  • How: Jog in three or four strides, then bound 30 m, same rhythm every step. Count the bounds; fewer means more power.
  • Cue: "even sounds"
  • Sets & Reps: 4 x 30 m.
Hurdles

Wall attacks

  • What: Explosive lead knee drives against a wall.
  • How: Hands on the wall, body leaning about 60 degrees. Drive the lead knee up fast, then snap it down.
  • Cue: "explosive knee, fast return"
  • Sets & Reps: 8 to 10 each leg.
Pole vault

3-step walking plant

  • What: Plant timing from three walking steps.
  • How: Start three big steps from a wall or the box. Walk left, right, left, pushing both hands up as the tip hits.
  • Cue: "hands up before the tip"
  • Sets & Reps: 10 to 15 reps.

Tap your events above.

Session 3 · Day 1 · Circuit B2 rounds, left to right

Shin quick sets B

Single-leg calf raise

  • Sets & Reps: toward 30 in a row each way

Tib raise

  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 15

Single-leg balance with eyes closed

  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 30 s each leg

Single-leg broad stick

  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 5 each leg, before hops.

Strength: push, then jump B

Romanian deadlift

  • What: A hip hinge with weight, for the hamstrings and glutes.
  • Cue: "hips back, flat back"
  • Sets & Reps: 3 x 5, slow.

Calf wall push

  • What: A still push through the ball of the foot that loads the Achilles.
  • How: Hands on the wall, lean from the ankles, heels up halfway. Lock the ankle and push into the floor without moving.
  • Cue: "lean, lock ankle"
  • Sets & Reps: 30 s, 4 rounds, close to your hardest. Single leg, or hold a weight

Your event B

Long jump

5-step pop-ups

  • What: Takeoffs from a short run-up.
  • How: Five steps, pop off a line, run through it. No measuring.
  • Cue: "long, short, pop"
  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 5.
Triple jump

RR LL bounds

  • What: Two bounds on the right, two on the left, repeated.
  • How: From a walk-in, bound right, right, left, left. Toes up in the air, flat contact, paw the ground back.
  • Cue: "hop, step, switch"
  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 20 contacts.
Hurdles

4-count position

  • What: The hurdle clearance position, held and released.
  • How: On one foot, lead knee at hip height, trail leg in its V behind you. Count 1 set, 2 hold, 3 snap the trail leg to sprint position, 4 stand.
  • Cue: "freeze, then snap"
  • Sets & Reps: 8 each side.
Pole vault

Takeoff jump, no pole

  • What: The vault takeoff, straight up.
  • How: Four-step run-up to a mark. Plant the last foot and jump up, knee up hard.
  • Cue: "jump up, not forward"
  • Sets & Reps: 8 to 10 reps.

Tap your events above.

Session 3 · Day 1 · Circuit C2 rounds, left to right

Shin quick sets C

Soleus walks loaded

  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 15 m each way.

Calf max push, single leg

  • What: A short, all-out push through the ball of one foot into something that will not move.
  • Cue: "push hard, stay still"
  • Sets & Reps: 5 x 3 s single leg.

Two up, one down calf raise

  • What: A calf raise up on two feet, lowered slow on one.
  • How: On a step, rise on both feet, lift one foot, and lower on the other leg over 3 to 4 s, knee straight.
  • Cue: "up on two, down on one"
  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 6 each leg.

Ball-between-heels calf raise

  • What: A bent-knee calf raise with a ball squeezed between the heels, for the soleus and Achilles.
  • Cue: "squeeze, rise, hold"
  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 12 with a backpack.

Strength: push, then jump C

Spanish squat

  • What: A deep sit-back hold that loads the knee tendon.
  • How: Loop a band behind both knees and anchor it in front of you. Sit back until your knees bend about 90 degrees, shins straight up and down. No band? Hold a wall sit.
  • Cue: "shins straight, sit back"
  • Sets & Reps: 30 s, 4 rounds, close to your hardest. Single leg, or hold a weight

Single-leg bridge hold

  • What: A one-leg hip lift held at the top, for the hamstring and glute.
  • How: Lie on your back, one heel on the floor, other leg up. Drive the hips high and hold, ribs down.
  • Cue: "heel down, hips high"
  • Sets & Reps: 30 s, 4 rounds, close to your hardest. Single leg, or hold a weight

Your event C

Triple jump

Tap drill

  • What: Single-leg hops over mini hurdles with a flat-foot strike.
  • How: Set low mini hurdles or ropes in a line. Hop over each on one leg, cycling the hop leg through and striking flat.
  • Cue: "cycle and tap"
  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 6 hurdles each leg.
Hurdles

Running man

  • What: Fast leg switches in a split stance.
  • How: Split stance. Switch front and back feet fast, like sprinting in place.
  • Cue: "fast switches"
  • Sets & Reps: 3 x 10 s.

Tap your events above.

Mental rehearsalevery day, three times

Find one video of an athlete in your event whose form you want, and study it. If you already know correct technical form from experience, picture yourself instead. Close your eyes and run your event in your head: walk through your warm-up drills, step onto the runway or into the blocks, and run one jump, one hurdle race or one sprint with correct form all the way through the finish. Feel each body movement. It takes as long as your race, plus a minute for your warm-up drills.

  1. When you wake up.
  2. Right after your circuits.
  3. Before bed.

This trains your nervous system. Imagery plus physical practice beats physical practice alone [8].

Daily shin ABCsevery day, rest days too

Every day, rest days too, 2 to 3 minutes.

  • Seated ABCs: trace the alphabet with your big toe, each foot.
  • Band ABCs: loop a band around your toes and trace the alphabet against it.
  • Foot on foot: cross one foot over the other and push against it, up, down, in and out, 5 s each way, then switch.

Day 2

General plyos, modified Nordics, tendons, hips and core, events

Back to top
Event:
Session 3 · Day 2 · Circuit A2 rounds, left to right

General plyos A

Single-leg hops

  • What: Five hops in a row on one leg, for distance.
  • Cue: "forward, not up"
  • Sets & Reps: 3 x 5 each leg, every athlete.

Modified Nordics A

Soleus walks

  • Sets & Reps: warm-up, once through

Knee-to-wall ankle check

  • Sets & Reps: warm-up, once through

A-march

  • What: A slow march that builds the sprint leg action.
  • How: March forward tall. Lift the knee to hip height with the toe pulled up, step over the other knee, and put the foot down under your hip.
  • Cue: "toe up, step over"
  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 15 m every warm-up.

Tendons, hips and core A

Spanish squat

  • What: A deep sit-back hold that loads the knee tendon.
  • How: Loop a band behind both knees and anchor it in front of you. Sit back until your knees bend about 90 degrees, shins straight up and down. No band? Hold a wall sit.
  • Cue: "shins straight, sit back"
  • Sets & Reps: 30 s, 4 rounds, close to your hardest. Single leg, or hold a weight

Single-leg bridge hold

  • What: A one-leg hip lift held at the top, for the hamstring and glute.
  • How: Lie on your back, one heel on the floor, other leg up. Drive the hips high and hold, ribs down.
  • Cue: "heel down, hips high"
  • Sets & Reps: 30 s, 4 rounds, close to your hardest. Single leg, or hold a weight

Hurdle lunge

  • What: A deep lunge that opens the front of the back hip. Hip mobility for every event.
  • How: Step into a long lunge, back leg turned out like a hurdle trail leg. Push the back hip forward and hold.
  • Cue: "back hip forward"
  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 20 s each side, every warm-up.

Your event A

Long jump

Max-effort approach jump

  • What: A full-effort jump from a short run-in, at a high target.
  • How: Three to five steps in, take off, and reach for something high: a branch, a backboard, a mark on a wall. Full effort and full rest every rep.
  • Cue: "run, plant, reach"
  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 3. Each jump is one contact.

Tap your events above.

Session 3 · Day 2 · Circuit B2 rounds, left to right

General plyos B

Bounds

  • What: Alternating-leg bounds, each one a long, flat stride.
  • How: Jog in, then bound right, left, right, left, free knee up, arms working. Every bound the same length.
  • Cue: "every bound the same"
  • Sets & Reps: 3 x 20 m, once single-leg hops are easy and your legs feel normal the next morning.

Modified Nordics B

A-skip

  • What: The A-march at skipping speed.
  • How: Skip forward. Knee to hip height, toe up, then snap the foot down under the hip. Opposite arm drives.
  • Cue: "knee up, snap down"
  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 20 m every warm-up.

Small pogos

  • Sets & Reps: warm-up, once through

Tendons, hips and core B

Copenhagen plank, short lever

  • What: A side plank with the top knee on a bench, for the inner thigh and hip.
  • How: Side plank on your elbow, top knee on a bench or a partner's hands. Lift the hips into a straight line and hold.
  • Cue: "stack hips, lift"
  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 15 to 20 s each side.

Front and side plank

  • What: Still holds for the trunk.
  • How: Forearms down, body in one straight line, ribs pulled down. Turn to one elbow for the side plank.
  • Cue: "long and still"
  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 30 s each.

Wall knee drive

  • What: A knee drive against a wall for hip flexor strength.
  • How: Hands on the wall at shoulder height, body leaning forward in a straight line. Pull the heel up toward your butt and bring the knee through to hip height, toe up. Set it down and repeat.
  • Cue: "heel up, knee through"
  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 8 each leg.

Your event B

Tap your events above.

Session 3 · Day 2 · Circuit C2 rounds, left to right

Modified Nordics C

Modified Nordic

  • What: A slow forward lean from a kneel, resisted by your hamstrings, finished with a hip pop.
  • How: Kneel on a pad, partner holding your ankles. Keep hips straight and lower your chest toward the floor as slowly as you can. Catch yourself with your hands. Push back up, then pop the hips through so the hip, knee, and ankle extend together.
  • Cue: "lower slow, pop the hips"
  • Sets & Reps: 3 x 3 in Session 1, 3 x 5 from Session 2.

Toe and heel walks

  • Sets & Reps: warm-up, once through

Tendons, hips and core C

Banded or pulley knee drive

  • What: A knee drive against resistance on the ankle.
  • How: Loop a band or a simple pulley around one ankle, anchored behind you. Stand tall, hand on a wall if you need it. Pull the knee up and through to hip height, then lower slow.
  • Cue: "pull it through"
  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 10 each leg.

Floor knee pull-through

  • What: A slow mountain climber for hip flexor control.
  • How: Start in a push-up position. Pull one knee toward your chest, slow and controlled, then return it. Hips stay level.
  • Cue: "slow knee, flat back"
  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 8 each leg.

Calf wall push

  • What: A still push through the ball of the foot that loads the Achilles.
  • How: Hands on the wall, lean from the ankles, heels up halfway. Lock the ankle and push into the floor without moving.
  • Cue: "lean, lock ankle"
  • Sets & Reps: 30 s, 4 rounds, close to your hardest. Single leg, or hold a weight

Your event C

Tap your events above.

Mental rehearsalevery day, three times

Find one video of an athlete in your event whose form you want, and study it. If you already know correct technical form from experience, picture yourself instead. Close your eyes and run your event in your head: walk through your warm-up drills, step onto the runway or into the blocks, and run one jump, one hurdle race or one sprint with correct form all the way through the finish. Feel each body movement. It takes as long as your race, plus a minute for your warm-up drills.

  1. When you wake up.
  2. Right after your circuits.
  3. Before bed.

This trains your nervous system. Imagery plus physical practice beats physical practice alone [8].

Daily shin ABCsevery day, rest days too

Every day, rest days too, 2 to 3 minutes.

  • Seated ABCs: trace the alphabet with your big toe, each foot.
  • Band ABCs: loop a band around your toes and trace the alphabet against it.
  • Foot on foot: cross one foot over the other and push against it, up, down, in and out, 5 s each way, then switch.

Day 3

Speed, then modified Nordics, shins, strength, events

Back to top
Event:
Session 3 · Day 3 · Circuit A: Speed and acceleration3 rounds, left to right · sprinters, jumpers, hurdlers, vaulters: all

Run these fast, with full rest between reps. Doing this part separately in your day is OK; together is best.

Speed and acceleration A

A-switch

  • What: A fast switch of legs from the A position.
  • How: Stand tall in the A position, one thigh up, toe up. Switch fast so the up foot snaps down under the hip as the other knee comes up.
  • Cue: "switch fast"
  • Sets & Reps: 3 x 6 switches.

Speed and acceleration A

Drop-in start

  • What: A sprint start with a short jog in, to feel the open acceleration shape before the still starts.
  • How: Jog two or three steps into the line, then sprint 15 m. Push out low and rise a little with every step.
  • Cue: "push out, rise"
  • Sets & Reps: 4 x 15 m, after the single-leg rebound and before the falling and push-up starts.

Speed and acceleration A

Falling start

  • What: A sprint start from a forward fall.
  • How: Stand tall, feet together. Lean from the ankles, not the waist, until you tip, then sprint 15 m.
  • Cue: "lean, push out"
  • Sets & Reps: 3 x 15 m.

Speed and acceleration A

Push-up start

  • What: A sprint start from the floor.
  • How: Lie in a push-up position on the line. On "go," push up fast and accelerate, staying low.
  • Cue: "rip the arms"
  • Sets & Reps: 3 x 15 m.
Session 3 · Day 3 · Circuit B2 rounds, left to right

Modified Nordics and shin quick sets B

Single-leg rebound, back foot raised

  • What: Bounces on one leg from a split stance, heel staying up.
  • How: Back foot on a low step or a foam roller, front knee bent. Bounce on the ball of the front foot without letting the heel touch down.
  • Cue: "heel stays up"
  • Sets & Reps: 3 x 5 each leg.

A-march

  • What: A slow march that builds the sprint leg action.
  • How: March forward tall. Lift the knee to hip height with the toe pulled up, step over the other knee, and put the foot down under your hip.
  • Cue: "toe up, step over"
  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 15 m every warm-up.

A-skip

  • What: The A-march at skipping speed.
  • How: Skip forward. Knee to hip height, toe up, then snap the foot down under the hip. Opposite arm drives.
  • Cue: "knee up, snap down"
  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 20 m every warm-up.

Small pogos

  • Sets & Reps: warm-up, once through

Modified Nordic

  • What: A slow forward lean from a kneel, resisted by your hamstrings, finished with a hip pop.
  • How: Kneel on a pad, partner holding your ankles. Keep hips straight and lower your chest toward the floor as slowly as you can. Catch yourself with your hands. Push back up, then pop the hips through so the hip, knee, and ankle extend together.
  • Cue: "lower slow, pop the hips"
  • Sets & Reps: 3 x 3 in Session 1, 3 x 5 from Session 2.

Strength: push, then jump B

Romanian deadlift

  • What: A hip hinge with weight, for the hamstrings and glutes.
  • Cue: "hips back, flat back"
  • Sets & Reps: 3 x 5, then 3 broad jumps.

Calf wall push

  • What: A still push through the ball of the foot that loads the Achilles.
  • How: Hands on the wall, lean from the ankles, heels up halfway. Lock the ankle and push into the floor without moving.
  • Cue: "lean, lock ankle"
  • Sets & Reps: 30 s, 4 rounds, close to your hardest. Single leg, or hold a weight

Your event B

Long jump

Continuous takeoffs

  • What: A pop-up takeoff on every third step, without stopping.
  • How: Jog forward. Every third step, lift the free knee and pop into the air, then land and keep going.
  • Cue: "step, step, pop"
  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 50 m, 8 to 10 pops each.
Triple jump

Tap drill

  • What: Single-leg hops over mini hurdles with a flat-foot strike.
  • How: Set low mini hurdles or ropes in a line. Hop over each on one leg, cycling the hop leg through and striking flat.
  • Cue: "cycle and tap"
  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 6 hurdles each leg.
Hurdles

Running man

  • What: Fast leg switches in a split stance.
  • How: Split stance. Switch front and back feet fast, like sprinting in place.
  • Cue: "fast switches"
  • Sets & Reps: 3 x 10 s.
Pole vault

3-step walking plant

  • What: Plant timing from three walking steps.
  • How: Start three big steps from a wall or the box. Walk left, right, left, pushing both hands up as the tip hits.
  • Cue: "hands up before the tip"
  • Sets & Reps: 10 to 15 reps.

Tap your events above.

Session 3 · Day 3 · Circuit C2 rounds, left to right

Modified Nordics and shin quick sets C

Single-leg calf raise

  • Sets & Reps: toward 30 in a row each way

Tib raise

  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 15

Single-leg balance with eyes closed

  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 30 s each leg

Single-leg broad stick

  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 5 each leg, before hops.

Soleus walks loaded

  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 15 m each way.

Strength: push, then jump C

Spanish squat

  • What: A deep sit-back hold that loads the knee tendon.
  • How: Loop a band behind both knees and anchor it in front of you. Sit back until your knees bend about 90 degrees, shins straight up and down. No band? Hold a wall sit.
  • Cue: "shins straight, sit back"
  • Sets & Reps: 30 s, 4 rounds, close to your hardest. Single leg, or hold a weight

Single-leg bridge hold

  • What: A one-leg hip lift held at the top, for the hamstring and glute.
  • How: Lie on your back, one heel on the floor, other leg up. Drive the hips high and hold, ribs down.
  • Cue: "heel down, hips high"
  • Sets & Reps: 30 s, 4 rounds, close to your hardest. Single leg, or hold a weight

Your event C

Long jump

5-step pop-ups

  • What: Takeoffs from a short run-up.
  • How: Five steps, pop off a line, run through it. No measuring.
  • Cue: "long, short, pop"
  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 5.
Triple jump

Rhythm bounds

  • What: Even bounds over 30 m.
  • How: Jog in three or four strides, then bound 30 m, same rhythm every step. Count the bounds; fewer means more power.
  • Cue: "even sounds"
  • Sets & Reps: 4 x 30 m.
Hurdles

Wall attacks

  • What: Explosive lead knee drives against a wall.
  • How: Hands on the wall, body leaning about 60 degrees. Drive the lead knee up fast, then snap it down.
  • Cue: "explosive knee, fast return"
  • Sets & Reps: 8 to 10 each leg.
Pole vault

Takeoff jump, no pole

  • What: The vault takeoff, straight up.
  • How: Four-step run-up to a mark. Plant the last foot and jump up, knee up hard.
  • Cue: "jump up, not forward"
  • Sets & Reps: 8 to 10 reps.

Tap your events above.

Session 3 · Day 3 · Circuit D2 rounds, left to right

Modified Nordics and shin quick sets D

Calf max push, single leg

  • What: A short, all-out push through the ball of one foot into something that will not move.
  • Cue: "push hard, stay still"
  • Sets & Reps: 5 x 3 s single leg.

Toe and heel walks

  • Sets & Reps: warm-up, once through

Knee-to-wall ankle check

  • Sets & Reps: warm-up, once through

Ball-between-heels calf raise

  • What: A bent-knee calf raise with a ball squeezed between the heels, for the soleus and Achilles.
  • Cue: "squeeze, rise, hold"
  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 12 with a backpack.

Strength: push, then jump D

Squat

  • What: A loaded squat.
  • Cue: "chest tall, knees out"
  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 5, then 3 squat jumps.

Rear-foot raised split squat

  • What: A split squat with the back foot up on a bench or step, for hip extension strength.
  • How: Long stance, back foot laces-down on a knee-high bench. Lower the back knee toward the floor, front heel down, then drive up.
  • Cue: "back knee down, front heel drives"
  • Sets & Reps: 3 x 5 each leg, then 3 split jumps each leg.

Your event D

Triple jump

RR LL bounds

  • What: Two bounds on the right, two on the left, repeated.
  • How: From a walk-in, bound right, right, left, left. Toes up in the air, flat contact, paw the ground back.
  • Cue: "hop, step, switch"
  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 20 contacts.
Hurdles

4-count position

  • What: The hurdle clearance position, held and released.
  • How: On one foot, lead knee at hip height, trail leg in its V behind you. Count 1 set, 2 hold, 3 snap the trail leg to sprint position, 4 stand.
  • Cue: "freeze, then snap"
  • Sets & Reps: 8 each side.

Tap your events above.

Mental rehearsalevery day, three times

Find one video of an athlete in your event whose form you want, and study it. If you already know correct technical form from experience, picture yourself instead. Close your eyes and run your event in your head: walk through your warm-up drills, step onto the runway or into the blocks, and run one jump, one hurdle race or one sprint with correct form all the way through the finish. Feel each body movement. It takes as long as your race, plus a minute for your warm-up drills.

  1. When you wake up.
  2. Right after your circuits.
  3. Before bed.

This trains your nervous system. Imagery plus physical practice beats physical practice alone [8].

Daily shin ABCsevery day, rest days too

Every day, rest days too, 2 to 3 minutes.

  • Seated ABCs: trace the alphabet with your big toe, each foot.
  • Band ABCs: loop a band around your toes and trace the alphabet against it.
  • Foot on foot: cross one foot over the other and push against it, up, down, in and out, 5 s each way, then switch.

Week to week: the circuits show week 2, the standard week. In week 1, do fewer sets while you learn the positions. In weeks 3 and 4, add or ease off based on how your legs feel. Overtraining leads to injury.

Day 4

Optional: lifts and throws. Keep 48 hours before the next hard day.

Back to top
Session 3 · Day 4 · Circuit A3 rounds, left to right

Day 4 A

Squat

  • Sets & Reps: 3 x 3

Day 4 A

Romanian deadlift

  • Sets & Reps: 3 x 5

Day 4 A

Split squat

  • Sets & Reps: 3 x 5 each leg
Session 3 · Day 4 · Circuit B3 rounds, left to right

Day 4 B

Med ball overhead back throw

  • Sets & Reps: 3 x 3 (4 kg for most athletes)
Session 3 · Day 4 · Circuit C2 rounds, left to right

Day 4 C

Copenhagen plank

  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 20 s each side

Day 4 C

Side plank

  • Sets & Reps: 2 x 30 s
Session 3 · Day 4 · Circuit D4 rounds, left to right

Day 4 D

Tempo

  • Sets & Reps: 6 x 100 m at 70% on grass

Notes on repeating drills across all 16 weeks

Research notes

Science works through iteration, meticulous perseverance, comparison, challenge, and identifying patterns across the spheres of science, so no single study is the whole answer. Findings come from other populations, animal models, or other tissues in the body, because living systems share enough molecules and machinery that these clues help us understand our own health. Individual papers are cited as keystones to stir thinking, and each one opens onto years of peer-reviewed work it was built on. Follow the citations when something is relevant to you: they open further readings you can bring to your coach, athletic trainer, or doctor.

  1. Kubo K, Ikebukuro T, Yata H, Tsunoda N, Kanehisa H, 2010, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. Month-by-month changes in strength and knee tendon stiffness over 3 months of isometric training in 8 adult volunteers. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181c865e2
  2. Mersmann F, Bohm S, Arampatzis A, 2017, Frontiers in Physiology. Review of muscle and tendon development in youth athletes, with a tendon-loading program of at least 12 weeks proposed from adult trials. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2017.00987
  3. Oranchuk DJ, Storey AG, Nelson AR, Cronin JB, 2019, Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports. Review of 26 isometric training studies, mostly adults, on effort, muscle length, and tendon change. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13375
  4. Miller R, Balshaw TG, Massey GJ, et al., 2021, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. Muscle size of elite versus sub-elite adult male sprinters. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000002522
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