If you have customers who emphasize quickness, it is likely that they are runners. Participating in races and attempting to achieve better times than previously are fantastic motivators for staying fit. Individuals eager to do whatever is necessary to get more efficient are entertaining to collaborate with and make your task less stressful.
There are numerous exercises that can help improve velocity, and these drills should not exclusively be reserved for the ambitious, running customers.
People who show an interest in participating in soccer matches in the park, people who need additional energy to stay up to date with their children, and even elderly customers may benefit from practicing speed while engaging in various sports and activities.
For your jogging customers, you can intelligently opt for certain routines and activities that will help them become quicker.
For other customers, add these exercises to their routine in order to create a transformation and build up their power and muscle necessary to move rapidly and productively in their daily life.
Speed Training
Exercises which are designed to aid in achieving an individual’s fastest speed possible are referred to as speed training. Some do this by increasing explosive strength. With strength comes power. Increasing the speed capability of an athlete so that they can maintain faster speeds over a more extended duration is another way of improving performance.
Running quickly for short distances is a common technique employed in the training regimens of athletes. Doing a sprint requires running short distances in the quickest way possible. Due to the inability of the body to take in oxygen at a fast rate, the sprint is a type of exercise that does not rely on oxygen.
Speed Training Benefits
Studies have revealed that Genetics play a major role in how well someone performs in a sprint, yet training can still be beneficial (2). Some of the benefits that speed training provides include:
Being able to take longer steps to cover more ground in a shorter period of time.
Increasing steps taken per minute to walk more quickly.
Running more efficiently, which makes it simpler to keep up with your desired speed.
More reactive strength, improving the performance of plyometric exercises
More rapidly developing power, resulting in quicker access to the muscle’s strength.
Increased stamina, enabling you to complete a more extended competition or training session.
A more extensive scope of movement, resulting in increased suppleness and dexterity.
Strengthening bones and tendons, which lowers the chances of damage to them.
Speed training can benefit clients of all types. People who are emphasizing on preparing for a marathon can utilize speed training to enhance their performance, for example. People who are preparing for a half marathon, 5k, or 10k event will also be benefited.
Speed development is advantageous for any athlete engaged in football, hockey, or soccer. All these athletic activities depend heavily on swiftness for optimal success. The athlete must have the capability to speed up and slow down quickly. Speed training assists with this.
Types of Speed Training
Speed training can be broken down into three distinct areas: normal, aided and countered.
1. Regular Speed Training
In this type of speed training, no outside forces or opposition are used. A regular speed training activity that can be done is sprinting. The client attempts to traverse the shorter path as fast as they can. No obstacles stand in their way to prevent them from utilizing this capability.
Sprint training is a good speed exercise. This method of starting and speeding up consists of running as quickly as possible for a duration of 5 to 10 seconds, and then taking a rest period of between 1 and 1 1/2 minutes.
Speed endurance training is another option. It is similar to running a sprint, but the sections of running are longer. It is possible for them to last anywhere from half a minute to three minutes.
Other regular speed training options include:
Run at a slower pace than you would during a 5k event, with a speed of approximately 30 seconds per mile.
Interval training of great intensity, consisting of alternating periods of extraordinary activity with quick breaks of relaxation.
Performing lateral shuffles can help to boost the rate of side speed and acceleration.
We will explore additional exercises to increase speed for recurrent clients in this article later on.
2. Assisted Speed Training
This type of velocity development is also referred to as accelerated training. Using outside forces to boost the body’s velocity while running at a fast pace. Run as quickly as possible with a gust of air behind you. The power of the air propels you onward, raising the number of your paces.
Working on this type of speed training will enable athletes to achieve their highest possible velocity. It increases the speed and speed up the process, aiding the athlete in their endeavours.
Several exercises fall into the assisted speed training category. Among them are:
downhill running
running with the wind at your back
assisted towing
elastic cord assistance running
increasing speed while running on a treadmill
3. Resisted Speed Training
Speed drills with resistance are employed to improve the force and stamina of leg muscles. It also increases muscle stride length. If you attempt to move very quickly with a sled that has weight added to it, you are doing resisted speed training.
Resisted sprint training exercises can include:
sprinting with a parachute
sprinting against an elastic band
pulling a tire or sled while sprinting
wearing a weighted jacket while sprinting
hill sprints
All of these drills create resistance during speed exercise. Some provide more resistance than others. Decide on the kind of resistance that would match up best with your fitness level and aims.
This kind of exercise is more suitable for a more experienced sportsman. Incorporating resistance too early can increase injury risk. It could also be more challenging for an athlete with less skill to maintain the right technique.
Running Workouts to Build Speed
In order to increase your speed, you need to put in more effort and run at a higher pace. Encourage your running customers to extend themselves at least once per week in order to develop greater physical fitness, perseverance, and swiftness as time goes on. There are several different kinds of speed workouts and drills you can do with them:
1. Hill Sprints
Consider having your exercise regimen take place outdoors and locate some slopes in order to achieve a superb high-intensity workout. Using a treadmill with an adjustable incline is an option, however, it’s much more enjoyable to be outdoors.
Running uphill at maximum speed for between 10 and 20 seconds, followed by a period of time to lower your heart rate.
This can be a demanding exercise, so start your running gradually. You don’t need a very steep hill either. Begin with a manageable amount of repetitions for each workout and gradually increase difficulty with more difficult inclines, a greater number of repetitions, and shorter recovery periods.
2. Interval Runs
Intervals runs are similar to HIIT training: you exert yourself intensely for a little while, take a break, and then repeat the cycle. If you have access to a running track, utilize it for interval training sessions. You can adjust a basic interval workout for each client and their current fitness level:
Go all out for 50 yards, amble or trot for another 50.
Dash aggressively for a hundred meters, amble or trot for fifty meters.
Dash intensely for 150 meters, then either stroll or jog for 50 meters.
Sprint vigorously for 200 meters, then take a break by jogging or walking for 50 meters.
Descend to 50 meters and execute the exercise once or twice for those who are capable of doing so.
Interval exercises can include longer distances as well, but your clients should go at a relatively moderate speed. You should be running at full speed for the distance of 50 to 200 meters. Slow your pace a bit for a distance of 400 meters or greater.
3. Fartleks
This funny-sounding word means speed play in Swedish. The name Fartlek is fitting, since running with this technique has a twofold advantage of improving speed and fitness in an enjoyable manner. The plan is to switch off between sprinting and jogging, but with no particular pattern.
For example, you could sprint intensely for two minutes, then jog for a minute, hasten your pace for five minutes, and then ease back to a jog for three minutes and repeat. You can also opt to choose an object on the horizon, such as a mailbox, and then race to that point while jogging lightly when you reach it.
The objective is to change the pace of running frequently, but in an entertaining and casual manner. Begin having your clients do Fartleks with a structured exercise program and after that let them determine the manner in which they choose to alternately change their speed during these “enjoyable runs”.
Fartlek training is particularly beneficial for long-distance runners who compete in marathons. Incorporate Fartlek techniques into your longer runs to help you become better at drawing on different muscle fibers and managing tiredness during longer events.
4. Strides
Runs of short duration, that are full of vigor, are used to condition your brain and body to run quicker while dealing with minimal stress.
Around the middle or second half of a customary distance run (everyone is different; it could be three miles, or it could be eight), pick up your speed to FAST.
Jog at a high intensity for 20-30 seconds, then slow to your usual speed for one and a half to one and a quarter minutes. Repeat this anywhere from six to 10 times. You should finish feeling springier than when you started.
5. One-Ones
This specific exercise program begins with a warm-up (which can last between five to 20 minutes, depending on your level of fitness) and then continues with a cycle of one minute of FAST paced (or slightly slower) running, followed by one minute of EASY paced (or slightly faster than easy) running for a total of between 20 to 60 minutes.
Individuals who find it difficult to complete a fast-paced run or are inexperienced with sprinting will benefit greatly from the one-one exercise before they have time to process what is going on. It is a certain method to experience increased velocity in just two weeks.
Eventually, you’ll discover that you can do more repetitions in a given time, such as an hour and 30 repetitions versus a 20-minute time frame and 10 repetitions. Additionally, your easy moments may be increasing in speed as well. It’s the ideal precursor to successful tempo running.
6. Gear Shifting Minutes
This exercise is similar to the One-Ones in that it is divided up into individual one-minute segments. Instead of alternating between two speeds, you move from easy, to medium, and then to a quicker rate. Learning to recognize and move smoothly between different speeds can benefit your body. It also stimulates your mental activity, thus avoiding stagnation.
Begin with a heating-up session that lasts from five to 20 minutes (the amount of time may differ based on your background), then jog rapidly for a minute, take a moment to operate at a medium-pace, and then switch to a light jog.
Repeat this pattern a minimum of six times and up to 10 times. Complete your workout routine with a period of time spent cooling off, the same length as your warm-up. This should last between five and 20 minutes.
7. Tempo
Ah, the tempo (or lactate threshold [LT] run). Some declare the training they receive is “painstakingly strenuous”, while others believe it’s unattainable (for those in the latter category, begin with the one-ones).
The secret to this common exercise is to strengthen your metabolic strength by teaching you to go beyond your body’s limits. What in the world does that mean? This implies that you are instructing your physique to become more adept at battling exhaustion, enabling you to run quicker (and more effectively) for an extended period of time.
The best speed to take is somewhere between quick and moderate.
The length of your required tempo will be contingent on the race distance you plan to compete in. If you have recently begun with tempos or it’s early in a season, it is wise to start by doing shorter sessions.
Following a light warm-up (approx. five to 20 minutes), try performing one 10-minute tempo run, or maybe even a couple sets of tempo runs ranging from six to eight minutes each with a three-minute jogging rest between each set.
It is advised that a 5K runner should gradually build up to a maximum of 20 to 25 minutes of tempo running in a single session, while a marathon runner may invest up to 90 minutes.
8. The Fast Finish Long Run
It may not be a swift event, but combining the components of stamina and agility when exhausted is the key factor to completing it. Completing rapid lengthy stints of running, such as ‘tempo’ sessions, can help your body learn how to move quickly even when you are fatigued.
For a proper fast-finish long run, cover the majority of your distance at a CONVENIENT speed. Next, complete the last two to four miles at either a MODERATE or QUICK pace (the latter one being more strenuous).
For starters, just pick it up to MEDIUM. Once you’re confident in your skill level, try to increase your speed for the last mile, picturing yourself sprinting to the finish line.
Repeats on the Track
The track is level, having been pre-determined in length (thus making the distance run uniform), making it simple to conveniently run the same length repeatedly. At various intervals throughout the season, it is beneficial to include regular track workouts for maximum effectiveness.
There are an endless number of track workouts to decide on, and the ones that you ultimately choose largely depend on the event that you are training for.
A great 5K exercise we adore is: twelve repititions of 400 metres at slightly more rapid than your objective 5K pace; Jog for 200 metres of recovery; two repititions of 200 metres at mile race speed (or two seconds more quickly each 200 than you ran your 400 splits) and 200 metres jogging recovery.
