You can build muscle, strength and speed simultaneously, but to do so, according to "Scrawny to Brawny," cardio needs to be kept to a minimum. The key to your training will be to build speed through short-distance sprints, technique drills and weight training to target specific muscles in your regimen. Your sprint times will improve and your muscles will develop and strengthen quickly.
Sprint Interval Drill
Step 1
Mark off distances of 40 to 70 yards. Place an orange cone or other marker at the end, so you can easily see your target distance for each sprint. Choose distance based on your goals and decide ahead of time how many sprint reps you will attempt. The shorter the distance, the more sprint reps you will plan, and vice versa.
Step 2
Begin your sprint at the first cone and end at the second. From the first stride, push yourself as hard and fast as you can. You will not get considerably faster by going slowly. You improve speed by sprinting.
Step 3
Sprint the full distance of each interval all the way through the finishing marker cone. After each sprint, walk back to the beginning cone for recovery between sprints.
Hill Sprints
Step 1
Sprint up short hills with 10 percent to 20 percent incline resistance, which builds muscle and speed. As your body works against gravity to push up the hill, all your running muscles are activated to fire and respond with explosive strength. This type of training increases muscle and speed, while also improving your sprint technique.
Step 2
Measure 20 to 30 yards up the hill. Place one orange cone at the starting point at the base and the second at the finish line. As you mark off your sprint path, stay clear of dips or holes in the ground that could cause injury.
Step 3
Begin your sprint from the first cone and continue pushing as hard and fast as you can all the way through the second, keeping in mind that you will not be able to sprint as fast uphill as you can on flat ground. Walk back downhill to recover after each hill sprint. Begin with five hill sprints and increase your repetitions as your strength and endurance improve.
Sport-Specific Weight Training
Step 1
According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association, weight training strengthens your "key running specific muscles." Weight training to hypertrophy builds muscle size and strength as well. One of the most efficient muscle-specific weight training exercises for sprint speed is the squat.
Step 2
Begin with your feet a little wider than shoulder-width apart. Place the barbell across your shoulders, behind your neck, and steady the bar with your hands. Bend at the knees, lowering your body and the weight down until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Then, in smooth motion, push through your heels, raising your body and the weight back to your starting position.
Step 3
Concentrate on keeping your knees stacked over your ankles rather than pointed out beyond your toes to prevent knee strain. Also, keep your eyes forward and head up throughout the lowering and raising motion. Your back should be slightly arched and shoulders pulled back and down.
Tips and Warnings
- According to Lee Brown and Vance Ferrigno, in their book "Training for Speed, Agility and Quickness," speed training is best performed on fresh legs when the body is "fully recovered from previous workouts," so the most effective placement of flat or uphill sprint training is at the beginning of your workout.
Things You'll Need
- Running shoes
- Access to a track, football field or other flat surface
- 10 to 20 percent grade hill
- 2 orange cones
- Access to a squat rack or Smith machine
References
- NSCA Performance Training Journal: Technique and Speed Development for Running
- NSCA Performance Training Journal: Running Economy
- "Functional Training for Sports"; Michael Boyle; 2004
- "Scrawny to Brawny"; Michael Mejia and John Berardi; 2005
- "Training for Speed, Agility and Quickness"; Lee Brown and Vance Ferrigno; 2005
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