400 Meter Hurdling

Contributed by John Raffensperger  Contact John with questions at: jsraff@avalon.net

400 hurdle workouts need to focus on a fast rhythm.
It’s easy to get caught up in just your stride pattern and staying in a comfortable rhythm.

Do the long sprinters workouts most of the time,
with 2 good workouts a week over hurdles.
Be creative with your own workouts and incorporate the hurdles into a long sprint workout.
Long sprint means 400 and sometimes 200 meters.

Northern Iowa Track and Field
400 Hurdlers Workouts

Starts over 3 hurdles,
starts over 4 hurdles,
starts over 5 hurdles,
starts over 4 hurdles,
starts over 3 hurdles.
3 to 4 minutes rest between each start.


5 sets x starts over 5 hurdles.
3 to 4 minutes rest between sets.


170 m sprints over the last 4 hurdles x 5 sets


Start from mark at hurdle number 6.
Build up to race pace going into hurdle number 7.
Try to get into your stride pattern going into number 8, 9 and 10


4 sets x starts over first 5 hurdles,
rest 1 minutes,
run 100 without hurdles
Take 5 to 7 minutes rest between sets


Starts over 3 hurdles,
starts over 5 hurdles,
starts over 7 hurdles,
starts over 4 hurdles.
Take 5 to 8 minutes rest between each start


2 x starts over first 4 hurdles,
rest 1 minute,
finish over the last 6 hurdles.
Take full recovery (10-15 min) between sets
If you can only do one, then maybe the second set you can do the start over the first 4 hurdles
rest 1 minute and then run over hurdles 5, 6, 7, and 8


6 x 100 m. sprints
4 x 60 m. sprints
Take 3 minutes rest between each repetition
No Hurdles

Workout Ideas

EARLY SEASON
4 x 400 with only hurdles 8, 9, 10
3x 400
1) 200 flat, last 200 hurdles
2) 200 hurdles, last 200 flat
3) 200 flat, last 200 hurdles

EARLY SEASON (NO HURDLES)
4 x 600 @ 1:40
(approx) 4-8 min. rest.

EARLY SEASON
10 x Hurdles #1 & 3 from blocks
(or) 5 x Hurdles #1,4.5
(or) 7 x Hurdles #7 & 10

LATE SEASON( PEAKING)
MONDAY (Speed day)
Usually no hurdles
3 x 300 with a full rest at close to top speed.
(or) 100/200/300/400 ladder.
Top speed and full rest

TUESDAY (Hard hurdle day)
5 x 200 over hurdles at race pace.
(or) 5 hurdles and rest,
4 hurdles and rest,
3 hurdles rest,
then 2 hurdles.
One repetition

WEDNESDAY (Combo day)
2 x 200 flat at top speed then 2 x 5 hurdles.
Good rest.
(or) 6 x 100 then 4 x 3 hurdles.

THURSDAY
Good warm up (pre-race)
Some short bursts of speed. (30-40m)

FRIDAY (Competition)

400 Low Hurdle Drills

Odd hurdle drill: 

  • Pace hurdles at diffent distances in order to have the
  • body adjust to the hurdle as if to simulate the end of the race and being tired.

Loop Hurdling:

  • 2 lanes on the straight away 20m apart to practice.
  • Down, move over lane and come back.

Alternate Lead Legs

  • 12 Hurdles 11-12 meters 4-5 steps between

FIRST CORNER

  • A big key to the race is being relaxed thru the 1st turn
  • spend a lot of time working over 1st 3 Hurdles.

ALTERNATING DRILL

  • Set 5 or more Hurdles at 7 meters and 2 steps between.
  • Hurdler must be able to alternate.
  • Drill needs to be done some on curve occasionally.

12 meter ALTERNATING DRILL

  • Set 3-4 Hurdles on turn and alternate lead legs

BERGAN DRILL

  • Set from 4-6 Hurdles on either side of lane line on turn at 7 meters
  • Hurdler goes over trail leg first hurdle edge opposite trail leg over the 2nd hurdle, etc.
  • 3-4 reps with trail and 3-4 reps with lead.

RHYTHM DRILL

  • To develop 15 stride rhythm.
  • Set 4 LH at 17.7m and go 7 strides

STRIDE AND HURDLE DRILL

  • Start at 100 meter start,
  • stride and accelerate into 1st turn
  • run 3 Hurdles on back stretch.
  • (Repeat 4 times)

1-2-3- DRILL

  • Hurdler goes over 1 hurdle,
  • jogs back and runs over 2 and jogs back
  • and does 3 hurdles
  • Work on straight and also some on curve.

CURVE TECHNIQUE

  • Set 8-10 hurdles 28-29 ft. apart around curve
  • attack with 3 strides or place hurdles 12 meters apart
  • 4 step alternating.

SKIP HURDLE DRILL

  • 4 x hurdles #1 & 2,
  • skip #3 & 4,
  • hurdle #5 & 6,
  • skip # 7 & 8,
  • an hurdle #9 & 10, and on to finish
  • (Makes hurdler run while tired)

ALTERNATING DRILL

  • 2 x 8 and remove hurdles #1 & 2
  • Follow with 2 x 4 normal Go from normal starting line.

Training / Conditioning

1-8 AT RACE PACE

  • Should be a quality workout.
  • x 4 early season,
  • x 2 late season.

1-8 THEN FINISH

  • Same as 1-8 but finish race w/o hurdles.

1-5 AT RACE PACE

  • Speed and relaxation are the key.

HALF AND HALF

  • 1st 200 w/o Hurdles,
  • last 200 with Hurdles.

STEP DOWN (GOOD MONDAY WORKOUT)

  • 1 x 350-300-250-200 running over hurdles.
  • Run tough, don’t worry about time.

OVERDISTANCE WORKOUT

  • Run 400 in :60 (early season)
  • :55 (late season) and blast 100m with Hurdles.
  • Start at 100 m start line.

RAFF/WOODY WORKOUT

  • 3 Hurdles on backstretch with 20 m start
  • and finish in Lane 7
  • Rest 45 sec.
  • run 5 hurdles at 20 m spacing back toward start in Lane 8 (20 m to start and 10 steps between)
  • Rest 3 min and repeat.
  • 3 times = 1 set.
  • Do 3 sets
  • rest 4-5 min between sets

CONDITIONER

  • 4 x 400 with only hurdles # 8, 9, 10 (also helps alternating)

HELP DETERMINE PR TIME

  • 2 X 300 with hurdles, sprint remaining dist. and TIME.
  • 15 min between sets.
  • This should be what they are capable of running at State.

LATE SEASON

  • 1 x 9 and sprint to finish.
  • Rest 15 min
  • 1 x 7 and sprint to the finish
  • Time these to get an idea what they are capable of

600 HURDLES (Good Monday overdistance)

  • Run 200 w/ hurdles,
  • next 200 w/o hurdles
  • final 200 w/ hurdles for total of 600 meters
  • rest 10 min. and repeat
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