There are multiple ways to increase your speed, but even more ways to train incorrectly. Many myths related to speed training have evolved in lockstep with proper training. Avoiding these pitfalls may be the first and most important step on the way to improving your sprint times. If you want to improve the rate at which you cover ground, there are some mistakes you shouldn't make.
Strength Training Will Slow You Down
Strength training will increase your speed, assuming you do it correctly. The only way strength training will slow you down is if you hurt yourself and cannot run. Good strength training technique not only makes your muscles stronger, but strengthens your bones and connective tissue, which reduces your risk of injury. The bulk you add depends exclusively on your diet, and it is hard to accidentally gain so much weight from resistance training that you wake up one day and find yourself slower.
Genetics, Heel Strike, Slow Training
If someone tells you that you do not have the genetics to get faster, ignore them. With improvements in technique, strength, posture and accelerative endurance, anyone can get faster. And good technique begins with proper foot strike. Do not strike with the heel, strike with the front of the foot. When you strike with the ball of the foot first, this allows you to get more out of the stretch reflex of the calf muscle and reduces the impact force on your ankle. And no amount of slow training will make you faster, so if you are logging mile after mile of slow distance work, you are putting forth a lot of effort for very little in the way of results.
Static Stretching, Dynamic Stretching, Plyometrics
Static stretching, or stretching where you move to an extreme position, will not help you get faster, nor is it the best way to improve your flexibility. Dynamic stretching is not dangerous, performed correctly -- which means after you are warmed up. Even stretching can take advantage of the stretch reflex, which is critical in burst speed. So dynamic stretching of the hamstrings and hip flexors can do more than increase your range of motion; it can help train your reflexes. Plyometrics are not magic, and are often performed incorrectly. It does not matter how high the box you can jump on is; it is how quick you change directions when you land. It is called rebound training for a reason, so avoid anyone who has you jump up onto a box. Your goal is to jump off and rebound as quickly as possible.
Training, Programming, Conditioning
Every workout does not need to be maximal intensity; you need to recover. If you are trying to set records every day, you will burn out. It is perfectly acceptable to have lighter training days where you work on technique. Technique will suffer when you are trying for maximal speed, so easier days are the ideal time to improve your form. Special exercises for conditioning need to be used sparingly to avoid overtraining. Running against a resistance chute is a great way to build power, but the increase in intensity necessitates an increase in recovery time. So lighter days, conditioning days and power days all need to be properly scheduled to allow you enough time to recover.
References
- "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research": Foot Strike Patterns of Runners At the 15-KM Point During an Elite-Level Half Marathon
- "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research"; Changes in Bone Mineral Density in Response to 24 Weeks of Resistance Training in College-Age Men and Women; H.C. Almstedt, J.A. Canepa, D.A. Ramirez, T.C. Shoepe; 2010
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