How to become a faster athlete for any sport

When considering the physical attributes that make up athletic performance, such as strength, speed, explosiveness, and endurance, speed trumps them all. If I had to choose one among all the others, the smart choice is speed. In wrestling, for example, no matter how strong, fit, or technical they are, the faster athlete has the upper hand. He will be able to beat his opponent in takedowns every time and escape from the bottom position much more easily. These are the two main ways to score in wrestling and the fastest athlete will be in control of them. In football, the benefits of speed are obvious, from running faster to the goal line, to better protecting your quarterback, and even taking downs. A punch delivered by a lighter bodyweight athlete who is extremely fast hurts just as much as being hit by a heavyweight. Improving his speed will help him excel in almost every physical sport, so any athlete who wants to win and be the best must train for it. The question is how do you do it?

The best way to improve athletic speed is to take a methodical approach by incorporating various drills and exercises into numerous aspects of your training throughout the year. However, if you’re looking for a shorter, easier program, you can also improve speed simply by adding a few basics to the training you’re already doing. When planning your program, keep in mind that speed has a genetic component; Some athletes are naturally much faster than others and this is embedded in their DNA. These athletes will still want to train for speed to try and improve what they have or at least live up to their potential. If you are an average athlete like most of us, there is still hope. Every athlete can greatly improve their speed by training. Even if you’re not born with superhuman speed genes, you still have a certain amount of genetic potential at your current level of muscle mass. In most athletes, chances are high, the speed component of their genes remains largely untapped and underdeveloped simply due to lack of training, if not lack of training knowledge.

Improving your speed is a complicated game that engages both your nervous system and your muscles at the same time. The goal is to get the muscles of the body to contract more explosively through certain movements, however, all aspects of speed must be taken into account when developing a training program. In addition to a single explosive contraction, an athlete may also need speed over an extended period of time, such as a 40-yard dash. Most sports require numerous repetitions of explosive contractions, rather than just one. All of these need to be trained, however it is more important to use sport specific exercises and training methods. There are several well-known basic training methods for improving speed in all athletes, regardless of sport. However, for best transfer, speed drills and drills that incorporate sport-specific movements and scenarios are a must.

One way to improve your speed is to try to get faster and more explosive by moving only your own body weight. This includes fast-moving bodyweight exercises like plyos, box jumps, knee jumps, sprints, long jumps, explosive starts, etc. Exercises that are specific to the sport are also great to practice and necessary for real best performance. For example, fighters practice ghost shots for thousands of reps to develop a faster, more explosive takedown. Soccer players practice exploding off the line for thousands of repetitions to get the upper hand on their opponent and hone their technique. There are several ways to incorporate speed bodyweight exercises into your program. One way is to give this type of training a full session once a week, for 8 to 10 weeks. Another way is to only include some exercises/bodyweight exercises at the beginning of other types of workouts. For example, your warm-up for leg day is numerous sets of box jumps.

To achieve the best speed transfer, it’s best to maintain fast-twitch bodyweight movements at the beginning of a workout. This is when your nervous system is freshest and least tired. Some argue that performing bodyweight speed work at the end of a workout can possibly lead to a reduction in speed. This is because at the end of a tough training session, you will most likely have peaked physically much sooner and your cortisol levels will be higher. Explosive contractions are very demanding on an already exhausted nervous system and this can easily and quickly lead to overtraining. This is why performing explosive bodyweight movements at the beginning of your workout makes the most sense. Before doing this, it is also important to stretch and warm up very well using dynamic methods. In general, doing bodyweight speed work before training is a great warm-up and also improves conditioning. It should also be noted that in many sports, athletes must continue to be explosive for long periods of time, while exhausted. With this in mind, a percentage of your speed training should also include exercises at the end of hard workouts or just after specific body parts have been exhausted. When doing bodyweight speed work when you’re already fatigued, choose less complex movements. For example, at the end of a hard leg day, don’t choose box jumps, as they are too taxing on the nervous system and also dangerous to perform. A better option is the long jumps.

In addition to explosive bodyweight exercises, you can also get much faster by adding resistance to your speed work. An example of this is holding light weights while doing box jumps. For wrestlers, a good example is taking ghost shots against the resistance of a training band. For sprinters, this is running while wearing a parachute or while attached to a resistance band. To improve your vertical jump, this is practicing your jump using a harness with resistance bands attached to the ground. While these exercises are very helpful, they shouldn’t completely replace bodyweight exercises, but simply be added to the program. Bodyweight exercises should be done first and can be used as a warm-up for bodyweight exercises with resistance. After a good dynamic warm-up, simply doing multiple sets of both types of speed work several times a week before your regular workout will produce noticeable gains in speed in just 6-8 weeks, depending on the level of intensity during each session.

For the most complete development, speed training should also be incorporated into weightlifting. This is done by lifting submaximal weights as fast as you can while maintaining control of the movement. A good example is using the box squat for speed work. The best way to do this is by using 40-50% of your max for 6-9 sets of 2. Sets are performed as explosively as possible, stopping completely on the box during each rep. Contrast media such as bands and chains are also helpful for developing speed, but are better for advanced athletes. A good method for producing known results is to perform speed work for box squats during a three-week wave of progressive resistance. For example, week 1 do 8/2 at 45% of your max, week 2 do 8/2 at 50%, and week 3 do 55%. Speed ​​work can also be done for other exercises such as the bench press, deadlift, hang, and/or power clean. If you use pulling movements (like deadlifts or cleans), do 5-6 sets of explosive singles instead of 8/2. These exercises should be performed as the first lift during a session with supporting props below. You can also continue to develop speed by performing rep work during accessory lifts. To do this, perform each rep as explosively as possible for each rep/set you do.