Resisted sprints can build speed.
Getting strong, fitter and leaner is all well and good, but if you're an athlete you also need to work on increasing your speed. Just sprinting during games or going on long steady jogs won't cut it -- you need speed-specific exercises in your training plan. Power equals your strength multiplied by your speed, according to coach Kelly Baggett of Higher-Faster-Sports.com, so if your sport involves powerful movements such as running, jumping or leaping, more speed can increase your overall performance.
Strength Exercises
To get faster you must get stronger. The old notion that heavy weight training makes you big, bulky and slower is untrue. By putting more force into the ground when you run, you exert a greater amount of power which makes you quicker, according to strength coach Charles Poliquin. Stick to basic strength movements with your feet in contact with the ground, such as squats, deadlifts, stepups and split squats and work in the one to six repetitions range to build strength.
Plyometrics
Jumping and leaping exercises are known as plyometrics and are a highly effective tool for increasing speed, writes trainer Chad Wesley Smith in "The Juggernaut Method." You can train your vertical jump by performing squat jumps, jumps onto a box or standard vertical jumps or train your forward jump by bounding. Both types can also be performed on one leg or both. Plyometrics can be very taxing on your joints, so focus on quality movements and landings rather than aiming for a high number of reps. Even experienced athletes should perform no more than 200 jumps in a session, advises athletics coach Brian Mackenzie.
Resisted Sprints
Resisted sprints involve running against an external resistance. The most common types of resisted sprints include pulling or pushing a weighted sled, sprinting hills or wearing a weighted vest while sprinting. Your focus should again be on maximum speed and power, advises trainer Mike Boyle in "Functional Training for Sports." You can add as much resistance as you like, but your speed shouldn't drop below 90 percent of your normal un-resisted sprint speed.
Programming
Add one speed session focusing on jumping and sprinting into your routine every week. If you're already performing normal strength-training sessions, add the strength exercises to these. Pick two jumping exercises and one resisted sprint exercise to do in your speed session. Split the sets and reps up for the jumps however feels most comfortable, but stick within the 150 to 200 total contacts range and perform eight to 12 sprints lasting 15 to 20 seconds each.
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