How to get Faster and Avoid Slipping in the Snake Oil
This article is written for athletes, parents, and sport coaches.
You’re probably already inundated with information on TV, Instagram, and other media outlets showing snippets of “speed training” techniques. Trying to decipher the most effective methodologies from a context-less glimpse at a 30s video can be very difficult. Here’s my perspective on what works and what doesn’t, and who you need to reach out to if you want individualized training.
What works:
Sprinting. Period. If you want to get faster, you have to sprint. Let’s separate speed development from conditioning for sake of clarity. In order to get faster, you need to be sprinting at 95%+ of your maximum speed. You cannot do this when you are fatigued. So, two to three times per week, separated by 48-72 hours of recovery, you should be sprinting. Keep your recovery periods long - about 3-5 minutes between efforts and keep your total volume relatively low (600m on the top end).
Plyometrics are the lynch-pin between your strength work and your transfer to on-field performance. Improving jumping and landing mechanics will improve your acceleration, deceleration, and mitigate injury risk. Think about having a thin rubber band and a thick rubber band, both with the same circumference. The thicker rubber band will be able to store more elastic energy and snap harder. Your muscles and tendons work in a similar fashion when sprinting. The more elastic energy you can store and project, the less time you will spend in contact with the ground, and the faster you will be. Plyometrics improve the elastic properties of your muscles and tendons.
This one is a bit of a conundrum. Many people think resistance training will make them slower and they are wrong, but sometimes right. Many practitioners will tell you resistance training will make you faster and they are right, but sometimes wrong. Firstly, lifting weights will not automatically cause you to gain a bunch of weight. The weight gain associated with resistance training is a result of genetics, nutrition, and several other factors. You absolutely can get stronger without getting bigger. The younger or less-trained you are, the more likely resistance training will have a positive impact on your speed. Power = Force x Velocity. Resistance training will increase force output, thus contributing to a positive improvement in speed. However as with any form of training, there comes a point of diminishing returns. You don’t need to chase a double body weight squat in order to maximize your speed. If you have been lifting for several years and you are pretty strong, you may need to focus more time on the velocity part of the equation (see #1 and #2). Additionally, once adequate strength has been developed, performing isotonic exercise (like a regular back squat) as the bulk of your program can be counterproductive. Lifting light loads at very fast speeds is a well-researched methodology that can produce transferable adaptations to sprint speed.
Pushing and pulling sleds is another commonly used tool for speed development. Similarly to the paragraph about sprinting, these should be used with brevity in order to keep your power output high. Pushing heavy sleds for <10m can improve acceleration. Pushing heavy sleds much more than 10m can slow you down. Pulling very light sleds during a max sprint may have a positive impact on top-end speed. Trying to hit a max-effort sprint with moderate to heavy sleds will slow you down. Technique matters a lot when pushing and pulling sleds. Your posture and leg drive should look a lot like proper sprint mechanics.
What to avoid:
Ladder Drills. Speed by definition is distance/time. In other words, how fast you can get from point A to point B. Watch someone do a 10y ladder drill and notice how slowly they get from the start of the ladder to the end of the ladder. Instead of going somewhere fast, ladder drills make you go fast, nowhere. Speed development is about how quickly you can apply the most force into the ground in the most optimal direction. Ladder drills are low force movements with force being applied in less-than-optimal directions, and typically with postures and biomechanics not suited for anything specific to sport, let alone sprinting.
Miniband speed exercises. There are lots of commercials now for minibands being sold as a tool to improve speed. There are plenty of uses for minibands, but putting a miniband around your ankles and doing “quick feet” drills will not help you get faster.
Weighted garments. There is some efficacy to using weighted vests to improve vertical force production (important for top-end speed). However, my recommendation is to save the weighted vests for advanced plyometrics as sprinting with them on can change sprint mechanics, induce tremendous fatigue, and ultimately make you sprint at substantially slower speeds. As for the other garments on the market that put weights on your legs or arms, stay away. As with sprinting in water, adding weights to your limbs will completely change the actions of your musculoskeletal system involved in proper sprinting. Your technique and speed will suffer, and you will be setting yourself up for faulty movement patterns.
There are plenty of good and bad modalities for speed training that I have not mentioned in this article. Ultimately, getting faster is not a glamorous process. It takes hard work and the right kind of work (specificity matters), and gets more difficult as you become more well-trained. If you are looking to work with a professional, my recommendation is to find a training venue that specializes in working with athletes. Ask about the coach’s experience with speed development. Make sure that if you’re training to improve your speed, sprinting will be part of that program, not just weight lifting.
-Nick Shedd, MS, CSCS
