How to Get Faster at the 400M

Design your diet for the race. To train for and recover from the 400, you usually need to increase your dietary intake. More importantly, you need to increase your dietary intake of the right foods. Consume complex carbohydrates and dodge simple carbs and sugars. If a carbohydrate has more than three ingredients or is enriched, it will not provide the energy you need and your body will quickly convert it to fat, which you don't need. Consume lean meats and high protein foods such as soy and red beans. Consume as many fruits and vegetables as your body will allow. The vitamins they provide are critical for your body's conversion of protein.

Divide the race into four parts and train for each. Every 100 meters of a 400 meter race is a race in itself. Train for each part on a different day of the week. For example, train for the first 100 meters with a sprint day on which you run no distance greater than 100 meters. On the second day, train for all 400 meters. For example, complete 400 meters five times in one workout. On the last two workout days of your week, cover 200 and 300 meters about 10 times apiece. Run the distances at the precise speeds you expect yourself to run in a race. Allow yourself less recovery time on short-distance days than you do on your long-distance days.

Rest. The 400 may be the most difficult race in all of track and field and is unquestionably the most difficult sprint. If you train too much, your times will certainly suffer. Three days of rest per week for a 400 meter runner is not uncommon. Your body must have time to repair and rebuild itself.