Fred Duncan (@Fred__Duncan)

If you really want to get better at programming, take over the preparation of a track and field athlete. With team sport athletes, it’s hard to objectively measure how your work translates. But with a sprinter, you’re in charge of everything…the weight room and the skill work. ...

What determines speed? Speed isn’t just one thing, it’s the sum of multiple qualities interacting. Perceptual-cognitive speed, coordination, strength/power, endurance, the stretch–shortening cycle, suppleness, freshness/fatigue, reactive ability, relaxation…all of these ...

How Eccentrics Make You Faster and More Explosive - Fascicle Lengthening -> shifts where force can be produced, giving you greater strength at longer muscle lengths - Tendon Remodeling -> improves the tendon’s ability to store and return elastic energy ...

If all you are is a barbell specialist, how much should you really be valued? Unless you coach barbell athletes, the weight room is only a fraction of the puzzle. What makes us valuable is showing that we understand more…speed, conditioning, motor learning, biodynamics of ...

Form and function shape each other. The biodynamics of sprinting tell us what the movement should look like, while strength, power, and energy systems supply the outputs that make it possible. The best coaches know how to connect those two worlds. It’s not enough to build ...

A new study looked at six weeks of sprint interval training (SIT) in trained distance runners compared to traditional steady running (Jin et al., Frontiers in Physiology, 2025). The SIT group did 10 x 30s maximal sprints with 3.5 minutes rest, twice per week. The traditional ...

There is no “perfect” form… Whenever I post about mechanics, people rush to conclusions. But the truth is, models aren’t infallible, and the body doesn’t work in neat, rigid patterns. As Moshe Feldenkrais said: “There is no right way to move, only better ways.” Coaching ...

This graphic is a nice illustration of how muscle forces shift at different running speeds. This can help guide return to sport or return to run protocols, especially if an athlete is coming back from an injury in one of these areas. It also gives you a clearer picture of ...

I think it’s important to study both directions…what we know today from current research and where training ideas actually came from. Everyone learns differently, but for me, I’ve always wanted to understand the origins. What has stood the test of time? What constants do we ...