Being fast is a useful skill in sports and life. To build an effective workout program for speed training, you must train with exercises that build your strength and explosive power to apply that strength. This can be done with expensive resistance equipment or with simple body-weight exercises that build the proper muscle groups in your body.
Bodyweight Exercises
Plyometrics are the best bodyweight exercises you can perform if you want to increase the size and strength of your fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are largely responsible for your speed, according to Bodybuilding.com. A plyometric exercise like a box jump requires you to quickly stretch your leg muscles by falling into a squat position and then contract them by jumping as high as possible. This type of exercise trains your muscles to apply force rapidly, which leads to speed gains.
Resistance Exercises
If you have resistance training equipment available, you can take your speed training to an advanced level very rapidly. NFL running back Chris Johnson trains with resistance bands that hook to his waist. You should use short distances of 15 to 40 yards with a high amount of resistance when using resistance bands so the exercise focus is on explosive power. Perform exercises such as skipping and knee pumps by lifting your legs as high as possible with each movement. Standard strength-training exercises such as squats can also help you build speed if you perform each repetition with explosive power and good form.
Designing the Workout
The key to a workout for speed is to keep it short and as intense as possible. Sports physiologist Phil Davies recommends only selecting a maximum of four exercises per training session. Alternate between upper and lower body exercises in a single workout so your muscles have time to recover between sets. Perform five or six sets of each exercise for as many repetitions as you can while still maintaining explosiveness and correct form. For weight training exercises, this may only be eight repetitions, but for light plyometric exercises this can be 15 to 20 repetitions.
Training Frequency
Speed training workouts do not need to be undertaken often to be effective. Two or three times a week is typically sufficient. If you train with an intense, full-body exercise such as sprinting, only perform one of your weekly training sessions at the maximum of your capabilities while limiting your other session to around 70 percent of your maximum capacity. Do not engage in a speed-training workout on the same day that you do heavy strength-training.
References
- Sport-Fitness-Advisor: Plyometric Training for Sport; Phil Davies
- Bodybuilding.com: The Best Exercises for Developing Speed and Vertical Jump; Kelly Baggett
- Bodybuilding.com: How Do Fast-Twitch and Slow-Twitch Muscle Fibers Influence Athletic Performance?; David Robson
- Stack.com: Chris Johnson's Nine Speed-Building Exercises; Josh Staph; September 2010
Member Comments