Sprint to success: 5 exercises to increase your speed
What's the story
Enhancing your sprint start is key for athletes seeking to improve their speed and performance.
This article highlights five leg explosiveness exercises specifically aimed at increasing the power and speed of your sprint starts.
These exercises focus on the major muscle groups utilized in sprinting, offering a well-rounded approach to enhancing your overall sprinting capability.
Squat jumps
Squat jumps for power
Squat jumps are a foundational exercise for developing leg power and explosiveness, crucial for a powerful sprint start.
By doing squat jumps, you target the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes, which are essential for producing force off the blocks.
Add three sets of 10 reps to your training routine twice a week, and you'll see notable gains in your starting power.
Plyo lunges
Plyometric lunges boost agility
Plyometric lunges (aka jumping lunges) are a killer exercise for boosting agility and leg strength.
This move works each leg individually, ensuring balanced development and reducing the risk of injury.
Aim for three sets of eight reps on each leg during your workout.
Jumping lunges are not only great for increasing explosiveness, but they also improve coordination and balance. This makes them a must-do exercise for athletes.
Hill sprints
Hill sprints increase speed
Hill sprints are excellent for developing explosive strength and speed because the incline adds resistance.
They push your muscles beyond what flat ground sprints can do, resulting in increased power and improved acceleration.
Begin with four to six hill sprints of 30 meters each session, and add distance as you get stronger.
Deadlifts
Deadlifts strengthen core muscles
Deadlifts are key for building that core strength and stability you need for an explosive start.
By strengthening your lower back, glutes, hamstrings, and core muscles, deadlifts lay the groundwork for those powerful sprint starts.
Add deadlifts to your routine once or twice a week. Aim for three sets of eight reps with a weight that's challenging but doable.
Box jumps
Box jumps enhance reaction time
Box jumps are a plyometric exercise that can dramatically increase your reaction time off the blocks by improving neuromuscular efficiency.
The rapid movements involved in box jumps condition your muscles and nervous system for faster response times, leading to quicker starts in your sprints.
Perform three sets of 10 box jumps, ensuring to land softly and explode upward as quickly as possible after each jump.