Too Fast Too Furious: A guide to speed training

Consistency is key in speed training

Since the dawn of time, speed is a trait that man has aspired to. In prehistoric eras, it was a hunter’s speed and agility that determined whether or not he would hunt his prey. More recently, you see athletes competing on the field to be the fastest – because their next goal or their next touchdown depends on it.

Whatever your take on it, there is no denying that speed is physical characteristic that excites us. Testament to that fact is that speed training is all the rage today. So if you want to be making the rounds like Usain Bolt, read on.

Back To The Basics – What Is Speed?

Anyone who’s learnt even elementary physics will tell you that speed is distance travelled over time. Technically, they’re not wrong. Speed essentially consists of two things – your stride rate (the rate at which you take steps when you run) and your stride length (the amount of ground you cover with each stride). Any improvement to your speed is generally brought about by an improvement in either or both of these factors. However, those who are committed to speed training recognizefour distinct types of speed, all of which must be honed:

1. Acceleration Speed: From stop to go.
2. Deceleration Speed: From go to stop.
3. Lateral Speed: From side to side.
4. Linear Speed: Running in a straight line.

With Great Power Comes Great Speed

For some reason, there exists a popular misconception that it’s always the thin, lanky people who are the fastest runners. However, that’s nowhere close to the truth. In fact, one study actually showed that Olympic weightlifters were almost as fast as professional sprinters out to 30 metres! The simple reason behind this phenomenon is that building strength is absolutely essential to building speed. For mature athletes, the speed at which their legs move is not as important as the force per stride. This is because sprinting is, in a sense, a form of resistance training using your own bodyweight. So, the more force you put in relative to your mass, the more ground you are bound to cover.

Optimize. Get Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.

For people getting into speed training, the problem you have to concern yourself with is how to maximize your weight to strength ratio, or your “relative strength”. To reiterate what was mentioned earlier, you don’t need to try out some crazy diets or worry about the smallest increases in bodyweight. In fact, a muscle can only become so strong, until the only way to make it stronger is to increase its size. In fact, research indicates that for every 10 percent increase in muscle mass, there is a corresponding increase in strength by up to 30 percent.

Get Right To It. Work Your Ass Off.

At the end, of the day, speed training like any fitness regime requires you to give it your all. Like power lifting or crossfit you need to put in the time and effort. And it is of utmost importance to remember that quality should take precedence over quantity. So whether you’re running on the treadmill or making laps around the park, make sure you keep these general guidelines in mind:

• Choose a reasonable goal for your event, and then work on actually surpassing your goal over short work intervals.
• Train at goal pace in order to enhance your neuromuscular coordination, confidence, and stamina at your desired speed.
• While it is okay to use long recoveries in the beginning, as you get fitter and faster, cut down on the time you allot yourself between workouts for recovery. Also aim at lengthening the work intervals themselves.
• Work on your aerobic capacity and lactate threshold by doing some easy pace sessions which will let you burn calories, as well as recover from the tougher runs.
• Work on your flexibility and mobility, in order to develop a range of movements that will reduce your chance of injury.

There is no real lack of speed conditioning workouts that people will recommend, but try to tailor the workouts to meet your particular needs. Some people will find that the training is more important, while others will find that getting the right nutrition is more beneficial. With a little trial and error, you will quickly find the perfect speed training routine for you.

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