There’s a link to the sprint training .pdf near the bottom of the post
Sprint training isn’t just as easy as running 100m a few times. It can get really technical.
The type of training you should do, will depend on the equipment you have available.
Here’s some ideas to get you started
Disclaimer – Train at your own risk. Always warm up before performing speed and sprint related training.
To steal a phrase from Knees Over Toes Guy – “Strengthen and Lengthen” your muscles. Invest in a foam roller and stretch and massage the muscles your are looking to strengthen on your rest days and after your training session. Dynamic stretching is a good idea before your train, but get warm with some steady state cardio first.
Sprint Training for Field Sports – Football / Rugby / Soccer
Speed in terms of football etc is often more about changing direction quickly, than having an amazing top speed.
Look at Messi, Maradona etc – I doubt they’d be great at 100m sprint, but over short distances and moving and changing direction quickly, they’re obviously not too shabby (well, in their prime).
Tibilias Anterior & Deceleration for Agility
If you want to be fast for a field sport like soccer, you need to be able to decelerate quickly – basically you need to be able to stop and slow down quickly in one direction, to shoot off like a bullet or a Usian Bolt in the opposite direction.
The Tibilias Anterior is an often forgotten and neglected muscle placed at the front of the shin.
You can strengthen it directly with a resistance band, or by placing a bag or ankle weight on your foot and “dorsi flexing” your foot – so your toes point upwards.
https://www.verywellhealth.com/exercise-program-to-correct-foot-drop-2696048
You can also use a “monkey foot” to attach a dumbbell to your foot, or you can use a resistance band to strap the weight to your foot.
I like to place the bottom of my left foot, on top of my right foot, and provide resistance that way.
I’ll sometimes put my foot in the handle of a 6k plastic kettlebell and curl that. Although it’s not particularly safe to do so – so proceed with caution/at own risk
You can also use a resistance band, tied to an anchor point and to or around your waist so that you are pulled forward and your hamstrings, glutes and tibilias anterior have to work extra hard eccentrically to slow you down.
Hamstrings
The primary muscle (or muscle group) used in deceleration is the hamstrings.
A great way to strengthen the hamstrings is to do curls with a stability ball.
With caution, you can also work up to doing a Nordic Curl
Explosive Calf Muscles
It’s easy to injure your calf muscles (and hamstrings) so go easy, warm up – especially if you are doing any fast and explosive calf raises.
Single leg calf raises don’t require any equipment and are great for developing strong calf muscles.
Plyometric hops are also excellent for developing powerful calf muscles for acceleration.
Calf muscles can get very tight, so remember to foam roll and stretch them out every day if possible.
Powerful Hip Extension
A key ‘part’ or element of sprinting is hip extension. Basically, any exercise that takes you from a squatting position, to stand up straight, will develop hip-extension-strength. Done at speed, you should develop a powerful hip extension too.
Standing exercises include resistance band thrusters, resistance band squats, free weight squats and Olympic Lifts such as cleans and high pulls.
Plyometrics are also excellent for developing explosive hips.
Repeated vertical jumps for example, are great for developing powerful hips.
Bounding is another great exercise.
Approach plyometrics and Olympic lifts with care and with a structured training program – it’s easy to get injured if your technique is poor and you’re not warmed up properly. You can also overtrain easily, as plyometrics and Olympic lifts put a high demand and strain on the body.
You can also develop hip strength with lying exercises such as hip thrusts and weighted hip/glute extensions from a kneeling position.
Powerful Hip Flexion
Hip flexion is just as important as hip extension for sprinting, but often neglected or not given as much emphasis.
Hanging leg raises and stability ball knee tucks and pikes are also excellent.
You can also use a cable or resistance band with an ankle attachment.
OverSpeed Training
Arguably the quickest way to increase footspeed is overspeed training.
Running downhill (at your own risk!) is the easiest way to perform overspeed training. You are forced to run quicker thanks to gravity, this in turn forces you to move your feet quicker!
You can also use bungee devices and resistance bands for overspeed training – just don’t run into whatever the bands are anchored to!
Most overspeed research uses hills that are not very steep – around a 3% decline
Cadence and Fast Feet Drills
You don’t need fancy equipment to complete fast feet and foot speed drills. You can use a couple of cones, or just some rolled up socks as markers.
Plyometrics
Plyometrics work by developing a rapid and forceful stretch in the muscles. Plyometric exercises teach the muscles/condition the muscles to produce fast and powerful movement and contractions.
Put in sciencey terms – plyometrics engage the myotatic reflex, when muscles are stretched under force. In turn the myotatic reflex stimulates special nerve cells called “stretch sensory receptors”. This helps the muscles produce powerful contractions in a short amount of time.
A favorite drill of mine at home, is bounding up the stairs, fast feet down the stairs.
You can also do plyo jumps up the stairs. At your own risk like.
Olympic Lifts
Olympic lifts are still regarded by many as the key component for developing a foundation of power to build on. Basically, the more powerful/better you are at Olympic lifts, the more potential you have to develop speed. This isn’t always true however, although some of the best (and biggest) natural athletes I know all use Olympic Lifts – but there are many world class sprinters who don’t Olympic lift at all (but do use lots of plyometrics).
If you do add Olympic lifts, be aware that technique is crucial and Olympic lifts produce peak power at loads of 70-80%
Warm Up Properly
Warm muscles are crap for endurance, but great for power training:
“After warming the legs in a 44‡ C water bath there was an increase of ∼11% in maximal peak force and power “
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00424812
If you find you performance detoireating because you get too hot, cooling the palms, soles of the feet or face is most effective – these areas of the body are called the “Glabrous Skin” and contain an array of blood vessels that allow heat to be lost rapidly. So to keep warm, cover these areas up, to cool down, apply ice or hold something cool!
100m Sprinter Training Program
Warm up – 5 minutes steady state cardio + dynamic stretches
- 3 sets of 3x20m Sprints
1 minute rest between sprints.
5 minutes rest between sets. – keep warm between sets with extra layers of clothes and walk about etc.
- 3 sets of 3x30m Sprints
1 minute rest between sprints.
5 minutes rest between sets. – keep warm between sets with extra layers of clothes and walk about etc.
- 2 sets of 8 vertical jumps with knee tuck
- 4 sets of bounds for 30m
60 seconds rest between bounds
- Resistance band thrusters 2 sets of 8 reps
- Jumping lunes 2 sets of 10 reps
- Band resisted hip flexors – 3 sets of 10 reps on each leg
Do these as fast as possible in terms of the upward motion
Attach a band to an anchor point and your ankle and “throw knees” and simulate the sprint arm action too
Day 3
Warmup
- 3 x 100m sprints
2 minutes rest between sprints.
- Diagonal/multi directional lunges x 2 sets of10 reps
- Down hill or resistance Band assisted sprint x 5 sets of 30m
- Fast arms drill – 1kg dumbbells x 3 sets for 20 seconds (sprinting arm action holding 1kg weights of wrist weights)
- Resisted backward runs x 3 x 30m
Day 5
Warm up
- Resisted backward runs x 3 x 30m
- Nordic hamstring curl or ball hamstring curl x 2 x 10 reps
- Bounds x 30m x 3
- Tibialis strengthening – Tib raises 3 sets of 12 on each foot/leg
- Weight jumps 2 sets of 8 reps
- Barbell Hip Thrusts – 2 sets of 8 reps
100m Sprinter Training Program
100m Sprinter Training Program
Exercise at your own risk – consult a doctor before undertaking a new exercise program
ExerciseSetsReps
Day 1
Warm up – 5 minutes steady state cardio + dynamic stretches
20m Sprints (3 sets of 3x20m Sprints)33
1 minute rest between sprints.
5 minutes rest between sets. – keep warm between sets with extra layers of clothes and walk about etc.
30m Sprints (3 sets of 3x30m Sprints)33
3 sets of 3x30m Sprints
1 minute rest between sprints.
5 minutes rest between sets. – keep warm between sets with extra layers of clothes and walk about etc.
Vertical jumps with knee tuck28
Bounds for 30m330m distance
60 seconds rest between bounds
Resistance band thrusters 2 sets of 8 reps
Jumping lunes 2 sets of 10 reps
Band resisted hip flexors – 3 sets of 10 reps on each leg
Do these as fast as possible in terms of the upward motion
Attach a band to an anchor point and your ankle and “throw knees” and simulate the sprint arm action too
ExerciseSetsReps
Day 3
Warm up – 5 minutes steady state cardio + dynamic stretches
3 x 100m sprints3100m (distance)
2 minutes rest between sprints.
Diagonal/multi directional lunges x 2 sets of10 reps
Down hill or resistance Band assisted sprint x 5 sets of 30m
Fast arms drill – 1kg dumbbells x 3 sets for 20 seconds (sprinting arm action holding 1kg weights of wrist weights)
Resisted backward runs x 3 x 30m
ExerciseSetsReps
Day 5
Warm up – 5 minutes steady state cardio + dynamic stretches
Resisted backward runs330m (distance)
Nordic hamstring curl or ball hamstring curl210
Bounds x 30m x 3330m (distance)
Tibialis strengthening – Tib raises312
Weighted jumps28
Barbell Hip Thrusts28
Football and Rugby sprint Training program
Warm up with 5 mins steady state cardio and dynamic stretches
Day 1
- Box cone sprinting drill x 5 x 4 sets
- Multi directional lunges – 3 sets of 12 reps
- Explosive single leg calf raises- 2 sets each leg x 10 reps
- Plyo hops for calves – 2 sets of 10 reps
- Bounds
*Box cone sprint drill – lay out a box 15m sides
start on the cone in the bottom right. Sprint to cone ahead, turn left and sprint to top left cone, sprint backwards to bottom left cone, turn right and sprint to bottom right cone that your started at.
Rest 2 mins and repeat.
Day 3
Warm up
Cone sprint drill*
4x40m Weighted Straight Leg Bounds
1.5 minutes rest between bounds.
Fast feet drills with ladder or small looped resistance band
Fast arms drill – use 1kg dumbbells to mimic the sprinting arm action – 3 sets of 30 seconds
Resistance band sprints – attach the band to a pole or secure anchor so you can barely move when you sprint forwards – so you are sprinting on the spot – 4 sets of 10 seconds.
Plyometric hops – 3 sets of 10 reps
*Set up cones or poles 10m apart. Jog from the first cone, to the second, then sprint to the third cone, then job, then sprint etc. On the way back, run backwards from the first cone to the second, then sprint to the third cone, then turn and run backwards etc.
Day 5
Warm up
Olympic Barbell high pulls or weighted jumps (avoid if you have bad knees or back etc)
Stability ball hamstring curls or Nordic Curls – 3 sets of 10 reps (or max reps with Nordic Curls)
Backward Prowler/Sledge Pulls – 3 sets of 20m
Bounds – 3 sets of 30m
Standing calf raises – 2 sets of 10 reps
Tib Raises – 3 sets of 10 reps
Cool down, foam roll and stretch after each session.
If you are training at home a lot – see my blog post about sprint training at home using simple exercises
You can download the 100m Sprint Training Program pdf by clicking here
Please leave a comment if you want to soccer/football one as a pdf – I’ve not made the time yet (sorry)
