Speed Training Exercise - Simple Workout

Here are some useful speed training exercise drills.

Endurance and speed are needed for all sports. While most athletes spend a lot of time in building endurance, speed training is also a good way to boost up your performance. Having a good speed training routine becomes even more important when you are preparing for track and field events.

So, when it the best time to introduce speed training to your workouts?

Well normally speed and sprint training can be done after a period of general fitness has been completed. And depending on your training regime this could be a period of anywhere between four and eight weeks. Once you have been in this general training mode for a while, you will have developed your strength, endurance and flexibility capabilities. You are now good to start some real speed training.

Due to the high intensity training demands needed for speed training, you should keep in mind that this type of training should not be done more than two or at most three times per week – the wear and tear on the body is immense. This necessitate that there should be at least two resting days between each individual workouts.

Here is one drill for speed training:

Warm Up

This speed training exercise would begin with a simple warm-up. Jog at slow pace for about 10 minutes. Do some active stretches for hips, front and back of thighs, shoulders, trunk, head, neck, and ankles.

Improve Form

When you begin speed training you will need to focus both on your speed and your posture. Good sprinting form will improve your efficiency and therefore make it more possible that you will achieve greater speed. Good form will also save you energy thereby ensuring that you will not be exhausted by doing speed drills. To begin with, when you are doing speed drills, they should be done in training shoes and not sprinting spikes. Training shoes absorb some of the shock in running and so tend to make the activity less demanding on the athlete’s body.

Here are some tips to keep a good form:

• Keep your upper body upright, don’t bend forward from your waist
• Use the balls of your feet (and not the toes) to push from the ground
• Keep your eyes focused ahead of you
• Your arm swings should be forward and backward, and not across your body
• Your elbows should be bent at around 90o
• You should keep your head still
• Your momentum or application of force should be front to back and not side to side

Perform these speed training exercise drills about 2-3 times per session:

• Arm Action (elbows held at 90°and swing from the shoulder for about 20-30 seconds)
• Skipping
• High step walking (lift knees to the level of hips)
• High step jogging (lift knees to the level of hips)
• High step jogging with clawing action (extend at the knee while pulling the foot back underneath the hip)
• Heel kicks (kick your buttocks with heels while jogging)
• Crossovers (jog sideways by crossing left leg over right leg, and then right leg over left leg)

Cool Down

After the drills, jog steadily for about 10 minutes, and then proceed to light stretching exercises.

Sign Up For The Latest Track And Field News And Improve Your Athletic Performance!

From "Speed Training Exercise - Simple Workout" Back To "Faster, Stronger, Better – Your Shortcut To Improved Athletic Performance"

Learn more about speed training

---

© 2011-2021 Elite-Athletic-Performance.com – All Rights Reserved
Click here for Disclaimer and Privacy Policy