Mercy High School — Track & Field Individual Training

⏱ Total Workout — 45 Minutes

Mercy High School — Track & Field

Coach K-W’s Individual TrainingUpper Body & Core

45 Minutes

10 Exercises

3 Sets Each

0 Equipment

Warm-Up

~5 min

Arm Circles

30 sec forward · 30 sec backward

Description

Stand tall with feet shoulder-width apart. Extend arms straight out to your sides and make controlled circles, starting small and gradually increasing the size of the circles. Reverse direction after 30 seconds.

Form Tips

Keep your core braced throughout — don’t let your back arch.
Move from the shoulder joint, not just the wrist or elbow.
Keep a tall posture — chest up, chin neutral.

Coach K-W’s Notes

“Big circles — shoulder to ear and back.”
“Feel that shoulder open up — you’re prepping it for work.”

🏃 Loosens the rotator cuff and shoulder capsule — critical for arm drive efficiency in sprinting and for reducing upper body fatigue over long distances.

Speed Bag Punches

3 × 20 reps · 20 sec rest

Description

Stand with feet hip-width apart in a slight athletic stance. Raise fists to chin height and rotate your forearms in rapid forward circles, mimicking the motion of hitting a speed bag. Keep elbows elevated throughout.

Form Tips

Elbows stay up — parallel to the floor.
Stay light on your feet with soft knees.
Move at a brisk, rhythmic pace — not sloppy and fast.

Coach K-W’s Notes

“Elbows up, rhythm steady — control the motion.”
“Think about your arm swing on the track — this is training that same rhythm.”

🏃 Warms up the shoulders, forearms, and upper back while building rhythm and coordination that directly translates to efficient arm drive mechanics.

Inchworm

5 slow reps

Description

Stand tall with feet together. Hinge at the hips and place both hands on the floor. Walk your hands forward until you reach a high plank position. Pause, then walk your feet toward your hands keeping legs as straight as possible. Stand and repeat.

Form Tips

Keep legs as straight as possible — feel the hamstring stretch.
In the plank position, brace your core and squeeze your glutes.
Move slowly and deliberately — this is a warm-up, not a race.

Coach K-W’s Notes

“Walk those hands out — long body, tight core.”
“Hamstrings tight on the way back in? Good — that’s the point.”

🏃 Dynamically activates the entire posterior chain — hamstrings, glutes, lower back — while engaging the core and shoulders, preparing the body for the full demands of the workout.

Upper Body

~18 min

Push-Up

3 sets × 12 reps · 45 sec rest

Description

Start in a high plank with hands slightly wider than shoulder-width. Lower your chest toward the floor in a controlled manner, keeping your body in a straight line from head to heels. Push back up to the start. Full range of motion — chest nearly touching the floor.

Form Tips

Don’t let your hips sag or pike up — maintain a rigid plank position.
Elbows should track at about 45° from your torso, not flared wide.
Exhale on the way up; inhale on the way down.
If full push-up is too difficult, drop to knees — maintain the straight back.

Coach K-W’s Notes

“Squeeze everything — glutes, core, quads. One rigid plank.”
“Chest to the floor — don’t short yourself.”
“Controlled down, explosive up.”

🏃 Builds chest, shoulder, and tricep strength that powers arm drive — the engine of your sprint mechanics. A stronger push-off arm means more speed out of the blocks and through the straight.

Pike Push-Up

3 sets × 10 reps · 45 sec rest

Description

Start in a downward dog position — hips high, forming an inverted V-shape. Bend your elbows to lower the top of your head toward the floor between your hands. Press back up through the shoulders to the starting pike position. This targets the shoulders far more than a standard push-up.

Form Tips

Keep hips elevated throughout — don’t let them drop toward a plank.
Spread your fingers wide for a stable base.
Press through the heel of your hand on the way up.
Keep the neck in a neutral position — don’t strain to look forward.

Coach K-W’s Notes

“Hips stay up — you’re not doing a push-up, you’re doing a shoulder press.”
“Think about pressing the floor away from you.”

🏃 Develops overhead shoulder strength and stability — essential for maintaining upright posture in the late stages of a race when fatigue causes the upper body to collapse and waste energy.

Asymmetrical Push-Up

3 sets × 10 reps each side · 45 sec rest

Description

Start in a push-up position with one hand placed wider than normal and one hand placed close to the body (or on a slightly elevated surface). Lower your chest toward the floor, allowing more load to shift toward the closer hand’s side. Press up and alternate sides each rep or each set.

Form Tips

Keep your hips square to the floor — resist any rotation.
Core stays tight — this move challenges your obliques as a stabilizer.
Lower slowly and deliberately — control is the goal here.
Complete all reps on one side before switching.

Coach K-W’s Notes

“Hips level — don’t let that outside hip drop.”
“Load that shoulder — feel the difference between sides.”

🏃 Corrects left-right muscle imbalances that are common in track athletes from repetitive unilateral movements. A balanced upper body reduces injury risk and improves overall running economy.

One-Arm Tricep Push-Up

3 sets × 8 reps each side · 45 sec rest

Description

Lie on your side with your bottom arm wrapped across your chest. Place your top hand flat on the floor near your ribcage. Press through that top hand to raise your upper body off the floor, then lower back down with control. This isolates the tricep on the working side. Complete all reps before switching sides.

Form Tips

Keep your elbow tight to your body as you press — don’t let it flare.
Stack your hips and keep your body in a straight line.
Squeeze the tricep at the top of each rep.
Start with 5 reps per side if 8 is too challenging — form over numbers.

Coach K-W’s Notes

“Elbow in — tricep is the engine here, not the shoulder.”
“Full extension at the top — lock it out.”

🏃 Isolates and strengthens the tricep — the muscle responsible for the powerful back-drive phase of arm action in sprinting. Stronger triceps = more powerful arm swing = faster leg turnover.

Butterfly Dips

3 sets × 12 reps · 45 sec rest

Description

From a seated position, plant hands behind your hips with fingers pointing forward. Lift your hips and bend your elbows to lower your body toward the floor, then press back up. Keep your chest open and shoulder blades squeezed together throughout the movement.

Form Tips

Keep elbows pointing straight back — not flared to the sides.
Don’t let your shoulders shrug up toward your ears.
Lower until your upper arms are parallel to the floor.
Maintain a tall chest — don’t collapse forward.

Coach K-W’s Notes

“Elbows back, chest proud.”
“Control the descent — no dropping.”
“Squeeze the tricep at the top and hold for a beat.”

🏃 Builds tricep and posterior shoulder strength that supports the backward push phase of arm swing. This directly adds power to your stride cycle without adding bulk that would slow you down.

Core

~17 min

Dead Bug

3 sets × 8 reps each side · 30 sec rest

Description

Lie on your back with arms extended straight up toward the ceiling and knees bent at 90° directly above your hips. Slowly lower your right arm and left leg simultaneously toward the floor, keeping your lower back pressed flat. Return to start and repeat on the opposite side.

Form Tips

Lower back must stay pressed flat into the floor the entire time — non-negotiable.
Move S-L-O-W-L-Y. Speed defeats the purpose of this exercise.
Breathe out as you extend — this helps you maintain the back pressure.
Only lower as far as you can without arching your back.

Coach K-W’s Notes

“Smash your low back into the floor — I want to see it stay flat the whole time.”
“Slow is smooth, smooth is strong.”
“Breathe out as you reach — rib cage down.”

🏃 Trains anti-extension core stability — the ability to keep your spine neutral while your limbs move. This directly mirrors what your core must do during each running stride, protecting your lower back and improving force transfer.

Boat Twist

3 sets × 20 reps (10 each side) · 30 sec rest

Description

Sit on the floor with knees bent and feet hovering slightly off the ground. Lean back slightly to find your balance point. Extend arms straight out in front and rotate your torso side to side, reaching toward the floor beside each hip. Keep your feet off the floor throughout.

Form Tips

Rotate from the rib cage — not just the arms.
Keep your chest lifted and avoid hunching forward.
If too difficult, plant your feet on the floor while you build strength.
Move with control — the pause at each side maximizes the contraction.

Coach K-W’s Notes

“Rotate — don’t just swing your arms. Twist the torso.”
“Feet stay up — fight for it.”
“Each touch down is one rep — keep the rhythm.”

🏃 Builds rotational core strength — the key to efficient arm-leg cross-body coordination in running. Every stride requires your core to rotate slightly; this builds the oblique power to do it efficiently and without energy leaks.

Bent-Leg Jackknife

3 sets × 12 reps · 30 sec rest

Description

Lie flat on your back with arms extended overhead and legs straight. Simultaneously raise your knees toward your chest and reach your hands forward to meet them, crunching from the midsection. Lower back down with control and repeat. This is a dynamic hollow body crunch variation.

Form Tips

The movement should initiate from your core — not momentum or hip flexors.
Keep your lower back as flat to the floor as possible at the bottom.
Reach actively with your arms — engage the lats too.
Control the descent — the slow lower is where you get stronger.

Coach K-W’s Notes

“Scoop the belly — pull everything toward the center.”
“Arms reach, knees reach — meet in the middle.”
“Slow on the way down — resist gravity.”

🏃 Develops the hip flexor-core connection needed for powerful knee drive in sprinting and hurdling. Strong jackknife mechanics translate directly to faster, more efficient knee lift off the ground.

Breakdancer Kicks

3 sets × 10 reps each side · 30 sec rest

Description

Start in a tabletop position on hands and feet (knees hovering just off the ground). Rotate your hips and sweep one leg underneath your body in a wide arc, then return to the start position. The motion is fluid and rotational — your whole body twists as the leg sweeps through. Alternate sides each rep.

Form Tips

Keep your hips low and mobile throughout the rotation.
Support arm stays strong — lock that elbow and shoulder.
Keep the movement fluid — don’t rush, but don’t stall either.
The kick leg sweeps in a full arc — full range of motion.

Coach K-W’s Notes

“Rotate through — let the hips open up.”
“Sweep long — full extension on that kick.”
“Strong support arm — don’t collapse that shoulder.”

🏃 Builds rotational core stability and hip mobility simultaneously — two qualities that are essential for fluid, efficient running mechanics and injury prevention in the hip and lower back.

Basketball Shots

3 sets × 15 reps each side · 30 sec rest

Description

Stand with feet wider than shoulder-width. Hinge at the hips and reach both hands toward one foot in a squat-like position. Drive upward, rotating your torso and extending your arms overhead in a shooting motion to the opposite side. Alternate sides in a fluid, athletic motion — like picking up a ball and shooting to the opposite basket.

Form Tips

Power starts from the legs and hips — not just the arms.
Keep your core braced throughout the rotation.
Full extension overhead on each “shot” — don’t cut the range short.
Stay in control — don’t let momentum run away with you.

Coach K-W’s Notes

“Drive from the ground up — legs, hips, core, arms — in that order.”
“Full extension every time — reach for the sky.”
“Feel that diagonal pull through your core.”

🏃 Trains the full diagonal force-transfer chain — the same pathway used when driving your opposite arm and leg during a sprint. This full-body rotation is the foundation of powerful, coordinated running mechanics.

Cool Down

~5 min

Child’s Pose

Hold 30–45 seconds · 2x

Kneel and sit back on your heels, arms extended forward on the floor. Let your chest sink toward the ground. Breathe deeply. Decompresses the spine and releases the lower back and lats after all the pressing work.

Bound Angle (Butterfly)

Hold 30–45 seconds · 2x

Sit tall with the soles of your feet together and knees falling out to the sides. Hold your feet and gently press your knees toward the floor. Opens the inner groin and hip flexors — critical recovery for runners who spend all day with hips in a forward plane.

Camel Pose

Hold 20–30 seconds · 2x

Kneel upright and gently arch back, placing hands on your heels. Open the chest toward the ceiling and let the head follow naturally. Stretches the entire anterior chain — chest, abs, hip flexors — counteracting the forward-flexed posture of running and push-ups.

Tabletop / Reverse Pike

Hold 20–30 seconds · 2x

Sit with hands behind you, fingers pointing forward. Press hips up toward the ceiling, forming a flat tabletop shape. Drop the head back gently. Opens the chest, stretches the shoulders and wrists, and activates the glutes as a finishing move to reinforce hip extension.