The weight vest is a versatile and easily transportable piece of fitness equipment that can improve your sprint speed. Weight vests have long been used for developing overall power and strength, but they can also be used to develop speed. Weight vests that can be securely attached to the body and provide a resistance of around 10 percent of your body weight can help improve sprint speed.
Bounding
The weight vest can be used during bounding exercises. Bounding is running with a leaping motion. It is used to improve stride length by exerting more power into the ground with each stride. The addition of a weight vest to this activity will require you to generate more power to achieve the same stride length. When the weight vest is removed, you will demonstrate a greater stride length. The key to using the weight vest in bounding exercises is to strive for stride length without altering form.
Broad Jumps
Adding a weight vest to broad jumps creates a more powerful sprint start. During the start of a sprint, you will use both legs to create the power needed to begin sprinting. Broad jumps teach you this mechanic. The use of a weight vest during broad jumps is to build leg power. Broad jumps can be completed as isolated jumps, or they may be combined with actions such broad jump to sprint, and vertical jump to broad jump.
Explosive Step-ups
This exercise is used to develop two parts of sprint speed form the leg drive to create stride length and the knee punch forward to improve limb recovery time. Explosive step-ups are completed by driving your leg down through the step, which may cause you to hop into the air a bit. As you reach the apexes of your step-up, quickly punch up the opposite until it is parallel with your hip. Explosive step-ups should be completed a few times with each leg leading.
Resisted Sprints
The simplest application of the weight vest to sprint speed exercises is the resisted sprint. Weight vests are used to provide resistance to sprints just as weight sled, parachute and tow ropes are used. The weight vest provides resistance to a sprint because it does not pull on any portion of the body as a waist belt or harness might.
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