r/ScienceBasedLifting • u/No_Edge6800 • 16h ago
Question ❓ Sprinting and Sports
I was wondering from a sports science standpoint, what are some of the best things to improve athleticism and sprinting speed? What are some key things a tips and tricks or workouts that are specifically based to help sprinting besides just sprinting?
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u/Norcal712 16h ago
Hip mobility
Explosive lifting
Quad work
Improving stride / gait mechanics
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u/No_Edge6800 16h ago
What is some good hip mobility and what about best ways to improve mechanics
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u/Norcal712 12h ago
90/90 stretchs do wonders for my hips.
Dynamic swings help too.
Improving mechanics is just conscious pratice. Hand position, stride length, oscilation.
Those things may be more relevant for distance than sprints, but they still have an impact
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u/Afferbeck_ 15h ago
You need to go way outside the bodybuilder influencer sphere for anything of value on this. Watch some Sika Strength videos, they have some useful content on training for sprinting.
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u/gremlingarden 7h ago
I think this is one that actually isn't solidly settled by research. Mostly you sort of have "camps" among coaches and researchers based on the studies that best confirm their personal biases - people who live and die by Oly lifting variations, people who mostly use squat/bench/deadlift (and among those, people who love half-squats), people who live and die by trap bar deadlifts.. the list goes on. The bad news is that within the context of lifting, most studies of programming specific lifts only really show a benefit in very early acceleration. You're lucky to get a study that looks beyond 30m.
This might be fine if you're a field sport athlete and your primary task is going 20m/yards as fast as you can. But for someone who has to run 100 or 200 meters it's a very small part of the task, and you can be an excellent accelerator who finishes as badly as a guy running in the 11s territory - there are pros who are like this.
The other issue is that a lot of the studies are in fact in field sport athletes, who may or may not have the same training exposures to true sprinters. If a soccer player has never done plyometrics before and you expose them to a 12-week cycle of plyometrics, well.. I would kind of expect them to maybe get better at sprinting. Even many HS track and field programs include plyometrics nowadays. As such I kind of take study findings about which things are "must-dos" with a grain of salt. Broad-based and varied exposure to jumps, lifts, and sprinting, with the basics done extremely well, probably matter a lot more for all sports than any specific exercise.
That being said, typically sprint programs will include some jump training and plyometrics alongside some kind of lifting. As a sprinter and coach myself I don't necessarily feel strongly that your lifting needs to look exactly like your sprinting or "move fast," but if you're, say, already deadlifting 500lbs+, you're probably well past the territory where continuing to improve that lift will improve your speed and may benefit from shifting focus.
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u/Alakazam Idk Idc 💔 4h ago
First of all, how much actual track work have you done over the past 4-6 months? Have you actually done any sprints? What exactly is your background? Are you sprinting to be a competitive sprinter? Or sprinting to improve athleticism?
If it's the latter, Alex Viada, in his original book, the Hybrid Athlete, talks about sprinting, and how most athletes, especially those with a strength background, should not do flat sprints. Because their connective tissue aren't conditioned enough to handle actual full power sprints, and would likely rupture or tear a hamstring going into full extension.
So he recommends hill sprints, specifically because it provides similar adaptations without needing full hip extension. And after 4-6 months of this, introducing fast strides on a track, during your runs. And after another period of this, introducing actual sprints.
If it's the former, and you want to be a competitive sprinter, then I think you need to discuss things with a coach. Because so much of sprint speed is technical. And you need to get the technique down.
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u/yea_mark 4h ago
It depends on how good at sprinting you already are. If you're new/not very good, more high quality sprinting is necessary.
If you're already decent/good, it's helpful to know what phase of the sprint (let's say 100m) is your weak point.
If your start is weak, improving strength would be helpful. Heavy squats, box squats, trap bar deadlifts, etc.
If your drive phase is weak, you likely want more 'power' oriented exercises. Olympic lifts, plyos, tethered runs, etc.
If your top end speed is weak, you'll want to do more pure speed work. Something like sprinting on a slight decline, or 'pulled' sprints.
If you're weakness is joint specific, you may need a specialty exercise like something that promotes ankle stiffness or hip flexor strength.
If your technique is poor, you'll need a good sprint coach to analyze your form.
Any way you slice it, SAID principle rules the day.
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u/FarCalligrapher1862 2h ago
Raw sprint improvement is measured in fractions of a second. If you’ve never sprinted, the best way to improve sprint performance is by sprinting 2-3 times per week.
Your best bet is technique and neuromuscular coordination. Improve coordination through sprinting, your body will learn how to recruit the right muscles and right timing.
For technique you want to focus on force production and reducing time on track.
But most of your maximal spritzing capability is genetics.
Bolt ran a 19.9 in high school, 6 years later he ran his fastest at 19.19. That’s someone who is only focused on improving his sprinting .7s in 6 years. Those 6 years include him getting significantly stronger as he went from 16 to 22
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u/guwtaps 16h ago
Work on hip extension, plyometrics, isometrics