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Heptathlon is a women-only event that tests athletes’ speed, strength, mobility, and endurance through seven events over two days. Training starts early with a focus on core competencies and coordination before progressing to heavier work for endurance. Responsible training avoids injury and ensures a strong body for life.
A heptathlon is a women’s sporting event, designed to be the women’s counterpart to the decathlon. Like other combined sporting events, the heptathlon tests the speed, strength, mobility and endurance of the athletes, who compete in seven events over the course of two days. Training for a heptathlon requires the patient development of the necessary skills and abilities, and heptathletes usually prefer to train with coaches who specialize in developing athletes for the heptathlon. In addition to being an Olympic event, heptathlons of various levels are held all over the world.
Events in a heptathlon include high jump, long jump, shot put, javelin, hurdles, and two runs, one at sprint distance and one at longer distance. The pole vault, intermediate sprint distance and discus that are included in a decathlon are excluded from the heptathlon. The event is tailored for female athletes, who as a general rule have slightly lower muscle mass and endurance than male athletes, although, of course, there are many female athletes who are vastly superior to their male counterparts. In general, a heptathlon is a women-only event, unlike decathlons, which are technically open to both men and women.
In training for a heptathlon, most coaches like to start early if they intend to develop professional level athletes. The foundations for skills and technique are laid early, typically between the ages of 13 and 18. Hard exercise is not required at this stage, as it can harm the developing athlete’s body. By focusing on providing core competencies, the coach ensures that the athlete will have a body tuned for performance as they begin training at a heavy level.
In the early years of training, heptathletes typically also work on speed and coordination, training with sprint distance runs and working to be highly mobile in the field. Once the foundations have been laid and the athlete’s body has had time to mature, the trainer begins with heavier level work to improve endurance. Longer runs are built into the workout, and the athlete works with weights and other tools to perform at their peak level.
By training an athlete gently and in stages, coaches avoid the plateau phenomenon, which often occurs when athletes are developed too early. While the athlete may progress in leaps and bounds in the beginning, failure to lay the foundation of coordination and skill can result in serious injury. Responsible training for heptathlon competition also ensures that the athlete has a strong body for life and will not suffer from painful conditions later in life related to training too hard.
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