Grease Lightning

I often get asked about speed. How can I run faster, how can I be quicker, I used to be quick at school. I have heard them all. Well the answer is both simple and complex. To be fast(er) you have to train fast. As you grow older you do less running at maximum pace. As a youth I spent a lot of my teenage years getting chased, from one area of the city to another! Although not recommended, this is one reason I was so fast as a teen.

When training someone to improve their speed, there are 3 areas I concentrate on the most.

Strength. You have to have strong legs to run fast. Look at your average sprinter, they tend to have huge, muscle-bound legs, and sprinters know a thing or two about speed. Leg strength is is straight forward to develop. I use regular weight training techniques like squats, lunges, calf raises and leg presses. I also use body-weight plyometric training, such as bounding, static jumps and one legged hops. This type of exercise is very specific to sprinting, good form throughout will see huge improvements in your running speed.

Power. Power I have touched on with the plyometric drills. To increase power you need strength AND speed. Plyometrics are great for increasing power as they are explosive, fast movements which contract a lot of muscle fibres to perform. Resisted running, using parachutes, partner holds, tyres tied around the waist or bungee cord is an effective way to build powerful running, as it places demands on your strength reserves but also allows you to perform at 100% effort. A method which is seldom used in this country but one I favour enormously is over-speed. Forcing yourself to run faster than you can actually run will force the body to catch up. This is achieved by running downhill, or setting the treadmill to fast or having a partner pull you along on a bicycle. You may feel slightly self-conscious performing this one, but it certainly works.

Flexibility. This is a tough one to drum into the athletes I work with. They don't see the benefit of sitting or lying down and stretching. But good stretches will, in time, lengthen the muscle fibres and enable improved stride length and greater running efficiency. Another method for improving flexibility and co-ordination is ladder drill. Using a speed ladder and fast feet dance in and out of the squares of the ladder trying to keep looking up at all times and not tangle up your feet!

I hope that has helped you in your quest to catch Usain Bolt!

If you have any questions or would like me to develop you a specific training program email me at info@bootcampacademy.com