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Every week, I get several emails from readers on how to run faster. Some are from parents of pre-teen children in Track, Soccer and Football. Other readers include Masters athletes.
I’ll share some of the highlights from my various phone calls here in this article.
And, as per usual, I’ll keep it simple and to the point.
There are only 2 things to know on how to run faster:
- technical competency and efficiency
- force production
That’s it!
So when these gurus offer the next greatest DVD or expensive training camp, the above 2 points is all you really need to know.
(At least when I hold a private training camp, you get to enjoy the wonders of Italy… food, culture and history!)
Technical Competency
Being efficient in whatever you do is the key to success. Anywhere from your golf swing, studying for exams, or cooking an Italian dinner. Sprinting is a skill that must be coached. Granted, having the right genetics help, but the point is anyone can ran faster if you improve your technique, and become more efficient at it.
If I prescribe 10 x 200m, or 8 x 300m at 65-70% max speed, I can assure you any bad technique will be corrected. Whether it’s overstriding, or flailing arms (I swear these kids are holding invisible school books under their armpits), eventually you will learn how to run efficiently to get through the workout without throwing up. That’s where I come in and give constructive criticism on your interval runs.
Think of the early Beatles playing 7 hour gigs in Hamburg, Germany. You have to become really efficient with your guitar strumming and vocal chords, or you will be in a world of hurt!
When mechanics are perfected, the only way to increase speed is to develop the ability to generate force at greater range of motions.
I’ll skip the technical sprinting tips for another day.
Sprinting and Physics 101
Sprinting is a game of physics. It’s all about vectors and I outlined that in my recent book The Rocket Sprint Start (with Bud Winter). Even the wind has vectors, especially in the 200m.
So here are some considerations when developing a strength program, from Youths all the way to Masters athletes.
The stronger you are, the more force you’ll be able to apply to the ground, which will make you faster. To get faster, strength training is based on two equations:
- Force = Mass x Acceleration
- Power = Force x Velocity
That’s it!
6 Tips to Sprinting Faster
So here are 6 tips I recommend to everyone who wants to run faster and be a better sprinter.
(1) Start with GPP and general strength training. You have to be fit first, and I’ve always said you have to be an athlete first before you can become a sprinter. Lazy athletes need not apply.
(2) Keep strength exercises on stable footing, and even surfaces. (i.e. foot contact with a non-moving ground) These include squats and deadlifts. Keep in mind the specifc movements to the skill of sprinting, that is, muscle and joint angles for the triple extension of the hip, knee, and ankle.The point I am trying to make is don’t do the bench press while resting on a physio ball on your upper back. Or squat while standing one leg on a bosu ball.
(3) Incorporate single leg exercises, but be careful. These can include bounding or hopping for plyometrics, lunges or Bulgarian/Borzov split squats. For the latter, I like to advance the single legged squat in 3 phases:
- bodyweight only
- holding a weight plate for added load
- add an explosive jump when you go up. You get the picture.
(4) Plyometrics, including hurdle hops, depth jumps, and med ball throws. I covered this topic in several blog articles in a 6 part series on Plyometrics, Ground Contact Time, and Sprinting.
(5) Olympic lifts, including power cleans (i.e. clean and jerk without the jerk). Save the snatch for elite and more serious athletes. I recommend as young as 14 or 15 years old to start doing Olympic lifting, and really pay attention to technique. Use a broomstick as the very first set… seriously. Don’t rush the workout.
(6) Different loads must be used for power training.The greater the force, the lesser the speed. The greater the speed, the lesser the force. Thus for maximum power, there is a sweetspot between the two (see the 4 part series on force velocity curve and work backwards). As a percentage of 1RM, peak power can be obtained as low as 30% of 1RM. It’s all about the maximum rate of force development (RFD).
This was my demise during my College years. I was fairly big & muscular and very strong in the weight room at the static lifts like bench press and squats, but I could never translate that to the track. I never broke 7.00 seconds in the 60 meters. Years later, I realized I didn’t have that explosive power required for the first 30 meters. My teammates would gain 2 meters in the first 30m, and I could never make it up.
For example, sprinting is at speeds up to 5 strides per second, or at velocities up to 12 meters per second (over 27.8 miles per hour, or 44.7 Kilometers per hour, to be exact). There’s no way you can do squats, or pushups, or even sit-ups at that speed movement. So if your 1RM is 405lbs for the squat, you should be doing doubles or triples (2 or 3 reps) as slightly less weight (i.e. 90%), and considering doing 3-5 reps with an explosive upward movement at even lighter weight.
Jimson Lee
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Jimson, as always another great article!
I agree, power training (with lighter loads) is crucial for translating your strength to the track. It’s a huge shame many coaches and athletes miss the boat here, because science does not always back it up, and it does’t ‘feel’ like you had a good workout. CRUCIAL!!
Jimson, I also like your force-speed section. How many athletes in all sports do we see with great ability in training. When put in a comp, they try too hard, thinking that pushing harder is the way to go.
Hey Guys,
Would like to ask for suggestions regarding overcoming turf toe. I have a couple high school sprinters who are also competitive soccer players. Both sustained turf toe injuries about 18-24 months back. They are mostly recovered (turf to never goes away completely due to changes in the big toe knuckle) but have recurring push off issues for starts and jumps. Both are very strong for their size/age so I have considered switching one’s start but the other is a hurdler and switching jump foot is out of the question at this point. Spring steel shoe inserts helped some but have there issues as well. In soccer I tape their toes to lessen upward force but it is an issue in track. Any thought will be appreciated
1. Get the checked by a “good” orthpedic specialist and consider giving them orthotics for their feet
2. Strengthen their feet and lower leg muscles
3. Personally I think Sprinting, Jumping and playing soccer competitively while injured is very wrong. Why not skip something to decrease the strain and work on solving the problem. I know someone who tried to combine Sprinting and playing soccer (both competitive) and he screwed up his limbs (->knees). I don’t think one should combine track and field with such a sport like soccer, that surely has it’s impact on the knees. Rather choose bewtween soccer or track and field and be good at one thing.
@Jimson,
you said you used to be able to lift good weights but realised you still could not generate the explosive power over the first 30m, meaning everyone had at least 2 metres on you straight away…DITO!!! I’ve dones my first indoors ever at 37 and note that people I can beat, equal or get close to over 100m are as much 0.4 or more better over 60mtrs., same people who are 0.4s better are the same speed outdoors over 100m!!! What do you suggest? your article on matt shirvington training shows one weights session a week with low weights just explosive. would that help…..
thankyou
@Doug, I think I would focus more on elastic strength and do more plyometrics and explosive work. i would also consider using sleds (I didn’t use them back then). Just watch out as this type of work is hard on the CNS. Again, this is a case by case basis.
thankyou Jimson, I will focus on that then, would like to see a masters 11.3 / low 23 this year……
By the way, excellent site!!! Being self coached, I have many books and manuals, but this site is my mecca of training and learning and the best sprinters website found anywhere!! half the week my laptop only gets opened to come here !!!!
Thanks Doug, I wish I had a better way to organize the 1481 articles posted. I guess categories and the search function are the 2 best ways. Lots more to come!
Jim,
I have a youth daughter age 9 who PB by 16 secs in the Jr. Olympics in the 1500 meters. How can I improve her speed for next year. She also runs the 400/800 meters as well?
Maybe I am talking rubbish here, but how would you react on this. It is an extract from an article where a person, not a professional track person, asks about Calf Implants so that these muscles would develop.
“”In Calf Implant Surgical Operation usually a light anesthesia with muscle dome-like implant is placed under the film on a muscle .
More generally, shaped calf muscle but also the inner edge of the outer edge of design is possible. Since the implant is placed just on top of the muscle , so the calf muscle and ankle tendon area between the implants do not be enlarged. Surgery after brisk support stockings are necessary for approximately three weeks. Calf Implants do not affect healing after physical or tactile skin””.
There is more to it in the article what you surely got the idea. So, to make calf muscles work quicker.