Developing Strength, Power and Sprinting Skill
Think of yourself as an athlete like a dragster. To become faster, the engine needs more power. Smart, progressive weight training developed over years can improve the strength available within the limits of the athlete’s genetics.
Strength alone is not enough. The athlete must also learn to deliver that power through the tyres. Sprinting, starting, jumping and bounding teach the nervous system to use improved strength rapidly and efficiently.
The Brain Must Learn to Use New Strength
This is a central purpose of sprint training. Bodybuilders and weightlifters may lift considerably more than most sprinters, but strength without sprint practice does not automatically produce running speed.
Use small doses of the highest-quality sprinting. Short efforts at maximum speed or acceleration allow the athlete to practise a faster movement pattern without accumulating unnecessary fatigue.
- Upgrade the engine: develop strength with intelligently planned weight training.
- Convert the gains: use small amounts of high-quality sprinting at maximum effort.
- Connect the movement: include varied core exercises and suitable bounding work.
Bounding can help connect strength and sprinting mechanics. See the demonstrations in our plyometric training for runners guide.
Balance Quality Across the Training Week
Arrange the week so that lifting, acceleration, maximum-speed running and plyometrics do not spoil the quality of one another. Every element should improve steadily during the athlete’s development.
If progress stops, review the total load before adding more work. Sometimes the correct change is a different exercise or better spacing between sessions. Often it is simply less volume.
The biggest sprint-training mistake is doing too much. A surprisingly small amount can be effective when it is performed perfectly. Coaches need the confidence to stop a session while the quality is still high, even when the athlete feels capable of doing more.
What a High-Quality Sprint Session Looks Like
A quality sprint session is measured by the speed and execution of each effort, not by how exhausted the athlete becomes. Repetitions should be short enough for the athlete to accelerate or reach maximum speed while maintaining posture, coordination and relaxation.
Use timing and observation together. If recorded speed begins to fall, or the athlete can no longer reproduce the intended movement, stop the session or change the activity. Continuing to accumulate slower repetitions teaches a different pattern from the one the session was designed to develop.
In my coaching experience, most injuries during sprinting at 100% effort occur after 30m. Short efforts such as 30m sprints from a standing start or 20m sprints from a rolling start provide genuine maximum-speed exposure while limiting the distance completed once fatigue and injury risk begin to rise.
Recovery between efforts must be long enough to protect performance. The athlete should begin the next repetition ready to run fast, not merely ready to survive another run. For more about managing the combined load from sprinting, weights and plyometrics, read Sprinters’ Nervous System Pre-school.
Sprint Training Approach FAQs
What is the main purpose of sprint training?
It teaches the brain and nervous system to apply the athlete’s available strength rapidly through an effective running action. Strength provides potential; sprint practice converts that potential into speed.
Can weight training alone make an athlete fast?
No. Weight training can improve force and power, but the athlete still needs to practise acceleration and maximum-speed running. Sprinting is a specific skill that must be trained.
How much maximum-quality sprinting is required?
Usually less than athletes expect. The objective is not to accumulate repetitions but to produce brief, excellent efforts. Stop before fatigue changes the intended speed or technique.
Why is core training useful for sprinters?
The trunk links the major power-producing muscles to the running action. A varied program for the back, abdominals and surrounding stabilising muscles helps the athlete maintain posture while applying force.
How should bounding be used?
Bounding should complement sprinting and strength work rather than exhaust the athlete. Choose exercises that support posture, coordination and force application, and use a volume that preserves good movement.
How can a coach tell whether the program is working?
The athlete should improve steadily in measurable performance and movement quality. If progress becomes stale, review recovery, session spacing and total high-intensity volume before making the program harder.
Regards
Steve Bennett