In trying to improve speed there are a couple of timeless exercises that you can do at the gym that will help you more than others. We want to go through the top five that we find to work the best for our athletes. These are just the exercises, programming the exercises to maximize your speed is a whole different deal. The exercises are in no particular order so do not think that one is more important than the other.
The first exercise is the squat. This exercise will help improve leg strength. In order to run faster you need to generate more power. A male Olympic sprinter can squat on average three times his body weight. Now you see why they are able to fly on the track. Let’s not get too crazy about the squat. It helps you run faster because you will have more power but it does not mean just because you can squat heavy that you are fast. The main thing is that you are running consistently and the squat is part of your training program not the only thing.
The second exercise is box jump. This exercise helps improve explosiveness. When performing a jump you are working the triple extension in the hips which is vital when you are sprinting. The key to this exercise as any other is that you perform it correctly.
Another jump exercise that is extremely beneficial is the depth jump. This exercise has been shown to improve explosiveness more than any other exercise out there. There are many studies done comparing this to other types of jumps where you use resistance in the form of bands or weights and this has been proven to get better results.
Power cleans (or any other Olympic lift) is great for improving speed as well. Again you are practicing the triple extension in the hips which is vital to any speed development. It has been proven that on average Olympic weight lifters are faster than Olympic sprinter in the first 25 meters. This is because the explosiveness gained by lifting heavy weights in Olympic lifts will help your start dramatically.
Lunges are great to work each leg by itself. There are countless number of single leg exercises that you can use to substitute for this because they all are great. When you are running you are using one leg at a time so it is helpful to train that when you are in the weight room.
All of these exercises when done properly in the right program will help improve your speed. Please do not get stuck on thinking that all you need to do is squat heavy or do any of these exercises really well to be an elite sprinter. You still need to have a great running program. There are a lot of people that can squat a lot but have no speed. The reason is because they do not run or do anything else that is athletic. These exercises are to help you get faster not to be the main focus. The exercises are great but putting it together to make it work for you is where experts come in. Book a free consultation with us so we can help you take your speed to the next level.
Sincerely,
Donny Mateaki
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