speed training

Top 15 Resistance Exercises for Optimal Strength, Speed and Endurance

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Want to know how to run faster? These articles detail tips on speed training, helping you to better your fast twitch muscles and aerobic capacity to improve your overall running techniques... To browse our library of free sports training articles, browse using the categories on the left or use the search box.

Ladder Drill Hopping Two Forward One Back

This drill is great for developing uni-lateral (one foot) coordination as it challenges the movement skills of athletes. Hopping drills are also great for developing lower leg strength and power.

Speed training tips to ensure maximum speed performance

How to improve your speed in three simple steps

Speed Training: how to introduce the chaos theory to develop your sports speed

In the world of sport, the ability to effectively accelerate, decelerate and change direction is crucial – chaos training can help develop these vital attributes

Back Injury expert Mark Alexander shares his Back Pain secrets

Mark Alexander, the author of our new self-management book on back pain, reveals all

Speed training workout: how to improve your sprinting

Maximum speed sprint workouts

Speed training: warm up exercises for sports involving speed and multi-directional agility

A warm-up focused on speed and multi-directional agility

Speed training: acceleration workouts

How to develop acceleration from a stationary position

Speed training: how sprinters can increase their speed endurance

An 8-week speed endurance programme for sprinters

Speed training for veterans: how to combat the decline of speed and power

Speed development for master athletes

Speed and power training: understanding your fast twitch muscles will boost performance

Muscles and muscle fibre

Speed training for sprinters: sprinting exercises should be performed throughout the entire training year

The short to long approach involves speed training through the year with athletes performing sprint training right from the start of the season

Circuit training: developing speed, skill and endurance

Sprint-specific speed circuits

Circuit training: speed test

Circuits are not traditionally associated with the development of speed or skill. They tend to be viewed as ways to develop strength endurance and foundation fitness, upon which more specific sports fitness can be built as the playing/competition season approaches.

Speed Training: improving deceleration will benefit sports performance!

Improving your ability to slow down and stop rapidly might seem totally at odds with the goal of improving sports performance. But as John Shepherd explains, specific deceleration training drills will not only improve speed around the field or court, but can also reduce the risk of injury

Short and sweet – why all sportsmen and women should consider 40m sprinting!

Road cycling: Interval training for speed

Interval training to improve anaerobic power and sprinting ability in road cycling

Aerobic and Anaerobic Energy Systems

Understanding your Energy Systems for Endurance and Speed Training

Tabata Interval Training for Strength and Endurance

Time-efficient strength and endurance workout

Circuit Training: how to increase speed

Speed is the capacity to perform successive movements at a fast rate. As well as thinking about speed as ‘running speed’ it is really the development of the ability to move the limbs quickly, which is needed in a variety of sports and events, e.g. javelin, discus, tennis, squash etc. Therefore, there is more to think about than just performing flat out sprints.

Vibration Training to Enhance Speed, Power and Flexibility

Increasing Speed with Vibration Training

Zone Training: Planning Your Cycling Training Program

Zone Training for Cycling to help you get the Yellow Jersey

Zig Zag Sprints

A useful agility drill to develop acceleration, deceleration and rapid changes in direction whilst sprinting. Coaches can use this drill to teach correct sprinting mechanics and body position for acceleration.

Ladder Drill Ins and Outs

An excellent drill for developing co-ordination and timing. Have your athletes perform the movements correctly and with good technique before asking them to increase speed.

Ladder Drill Jumps

Possibly the easiest of the Ladder Drills. Can be used as an introductory exercise to those new to ladder drills.

Ladder Drill Jumps Two Forward One Back

A simple yet effective drill for developing coordination and speed. Make sure athletes are able to perform the drill correctly before progressing.

Ladder Drill Scissors

Supplement your core speed and agility drills with this one that challenges accuracy and precision whilst moving the whole body quickly. Be sure to have good technique before advancing the speed of this drill.

Ladder Drill: One Foot in Each Rung

The most simple of ladder drills can be used for beginners and young athletes to teach them about moving quickly. The ladder drill can also be used to teach running mechanics. This ladder drill is easily mastered and improvements can be made in a short period of time.

Ladder Drill: Two Feet in Each Rung

A progression from the One Foot in Each Rung drill, challenges the speed of co-ordination of the athlete. Have the athlete perform the drill correctly by asking them to start off slowly to get a feel of the movement.

Ladder Drill: Two Forward One Back

One of the more complex ladder drills, it helps develop co-ordinated quickness in two directions: forwards and back. Have the athlete progress at their own rate through this drill by asking them to complete the drill correctly before performing the drill at maximum speed.

Lateral Ladder Drill

Challenges co-ordination by teaching quick lateral movements. This drill can also be used as an aid for teaching correct lateral movement mechanics.

Lateral Zig Zags

One of the most common movements in sport is running side-ways on an angle. This drill helps develop lateral speed and changes in lateral direction. It can also be used as an effective tool to develop lateral running mechanics.

Speed Training: Compression Clothing

Compression clothing – can it help you squeeze out a PB?

Body Fat and Running Performance

Optimum Running Performance and Body Fat Levels

Acceleration Training for Peak Performance

learn how to increase speed to make a quick getaway

Building Speed and Endurance

Building Speed Before Endurance: is it time to turn convention on its head?

Speed training workouts: does the over-speed training technique work?

How effective is over-speed training and how best can you implement it for maximum benefit?

whole body vibration

Whole body vibration: no use for trained sprinters

fast-twitch muscles

Fast-twitch muscles: Twitch and you're gone - all you need to know about developing fast-twitch muscle fibre for speed, power and strength

endurance muscles

Endurance muscles: Why endurance athletes cannot afford to ignore the vital contribution of fast-twitch muscle fibres

rotational power

Building rotational power: all you need to know about getting in shape to perform zippy turns on the hoof

speed | age | sprint training

Speed and age - The bad news is that speed declines with age; the good news is that you can arrest, even reverse, this degenerative process

speed agility quickness training | SAQ training

Speed agility quickness - SAQ training

frappier acceleration program

Frappier acceleration program

uphill sprinting

Uphill sprinting

overspeed training

Overspeed training: Downhill sprinting, elastic cord sprinting and the concept of 'overspeed' training

powerbag training

The Powerbag

Speedballs | speedball training | speed ball

Speedballs

foot-flexor devices | dorsiflexed sprinting

Foot-flexor devices

Speed training: testing to find out if your speed is increasing

If you need to know if you’re getting faster over time, these are the tests for you

Speed training: bounding to improve performance!

Bounding to increase your running speed

Speed training: how a treadmill can help athletes run faster

The Frappier super treadmill

Speed training: how hill running will make an athlete faster

Speed hill training improves performance in football, rugby, basketball, cricket - and even running

The legs of female dancers

female dancers legs

Speed parachutes

Speed Parachutes: Displaying their bold maize and blue colors, the chutes billow out behind runners during workouts, attached by cords to the athletes' chests.

Speed training: strengthening muscle fibres will improve an athlete's sprinting

Why tapering after intense training boosts sprinting speed

Training dietary regimes

Training Dietary Regimes: You can lead a footballer to a proper diet, but can you make him eat it?

Overspeed training

Overspeed Training: Does making your legs work faster than normal actually make you a quicker athlete?

Lactate threshold running speed

Lactate Threshold Running Speed: This New Zealand research shows why it makes sense to boost your lactate threshold running speed.

Wheelchair athletes training

Wheelchair Athletes Training: A strength and sprint training programme for pre-elite wheelchair athletes

Sports Injury prevention

Sports Injury Prevention: Eliminate these training errors and reduce your chances of getting hurt.

speed training | 1 mile

Speed Training: If you want to improve your one-mile times, follow these speed-building workouts.

Veteran runners, foot speed

Veteran Runners: improve your foot speed

Speed training for endurance athletes

Speed training is important for distance runners

Performance tests

How to monitor your maximal running speed, your power and your endurance - in training.

Age and exercise 2

Age And Exercise: Just a few years ago, exercise experts were certain about one thing: once endurance athletes reached the age of 35, there was no turning back. At 35, aerobic capacity began a steady decline, slow at first, but picking up momentum once athletes reached their mid-forties and then plunging out of control at about the age of 60. It was believed that very little could be done to alter this unremitting loss of fitness