Highlighting the newest reads that I believe athletes should take the time to look over.
A. Underground Secrets to Faster Running
Simple and effective. This easy read is worth reading twice if you are an athlete who is interested in speed development. Barry Ross is a highly sought after coach who has worked with some top performers in track & field and other disciplines. Most notably Barry Ross’s deadlift concepts have been debated in the fitness industry but his success working with Allyson Felix gives him the platform to make such statements. He began working with her in high school and should be given some respect in the success she had in her career.
This book will go over all things speed training. Breaking down muscle fibers, strength training, plyometrics, and more. Overall, Ross makes a point to consider an athlete’s mass to strength ratio ("MSF)". Everything you do when it comes to speed training should be to develop as much strength as you can without increasing body mass.
He offers some specific programs he implemented with athletes. These work outs are very time efficient and designed to be effective specifically to making athletes faster.
B. Overtime Athletes: Bodyweight Work outs to increase Speed
Overtime is always pushing out content and I think this article is worth reading. I still have a number of clients who are not willing to join the local big box gym and would prefer to work out from home in addition to our work outs. Offering bodyweight exercises that are still challenging to the body is important. No weight needed or being able to use what you have around the house to still develop outside of your sport specific training.
I am a big fan of RFESS, as many of you know, and all progressions of the Nordic Hamstring exercises.
Take a few minutes to consider the points made by Overtime Athletes. Don't forget about how important changing tempos within exercises can be.
C. Sled Push & Sled Pull for Acceleration
Want to better understand why we do some many prowler variations? Here is a great video to better understand some of the exercises (specific to the sled). As many of you know I am a big fan of marches and bounds using the sled. These are exceptional force development exercises and help us create more downward force to propel the body forward. Sled weights vary depending on the adaptation we look to develop. I prefer not to load sprinting heavy as I believe it begins to slow down your rhythm/muscle firing. I learned this point from Lance Walker of Michael Johnson Performance. My preference is, if we sprint with a sled (sled drag exercise) or with the RUN ROCKET we would keep the load relatively light. Heavy marches and heavy bounds would be when we load up the sled.
Perks for our facility at Victus Athletic is having the Run Rocket where we can make adjustments to the load we put on the body depending on what we are working on. Marches, bounds, skips, sprints, pogos, etc. are all used on the Run Rocket as we progress training.
Don't forget, the best way to sprint faster... is to sprint more often (and allow for appropriate rest between sprints).
I need to post more then just Speed development articles….
This article is from the meathead paradise of Westside Barbell (Louie Simmons- meathead legend). Tailored specifically to fighters but does apply to other disciplines. Jump training, as mentioned in the article, can increase explosiveness and athletic capacity. Developing more power and speed can train an athlete to be more agile and meet the demands of unpredictability in sport.
Most importantly, in my opinion, is making sure that athletes understand how to jump AND land appropriately. I have seen professional football players screw this up despite years of experience in the weight room. When we train jumps (horizontal and vertical) we need to make each repetition is as explosive as possible and with this in mind we must make sure the correct positioning is understood and consistently delivered. If not, there is chance of injury and we will lose out on efficient movement patterns.
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“There may be people that have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.” – Derek Jeter