Breaking Down the Wall: Training the High School 400 Meter Runner

The 400 meter dash requires a balance of speed and endurance unlike any other event in track and field. Coaches must develop athletes who can compete to the end after the body’s energy systems hit a wall. No one has overcome this challenge better than Coach Clyde Hart, the greatest 400 meter coach in world history.

Hart coached athletes to 15 Olympic medals, including 11 gold. He coached a gold medalist in either the 400 or 4x400 in 6 straight Olympics (1992-2012). As the longtime coach at Baylor University, Coach Hart had unparalleled success, coaching 6 NCAA individual 400 meter champions and 20 NCAA championships in the 4x400 meter relay. Now, former high school coach Dr. Derek Leininger sits down with Coach Hart to give you a coach-to-coach breakdown of the science behind the wall runners hit in the 400 meter dash.

Leininger takes an in-depth look at the training program Coach Hart developed during his 56 years coaching collegiate and professional runners in Texas. Identifying guiding principles and sharing Hart’s detailed workouts, Leininger provides insightful and practical advice on how to customize Coach Hart’s 400 meter training program for high school runners.