Speed

[zlightning]

Anyone know of some good exercise or drills to help increase running speed? I am going to a higher level of football competetion and want to be ready when I get there. I am a linemen but I want to be faster. I want no I need to be faster and quicker.

[cuvermodel]

Of course you want to be faster, it's very important!

I would attack it with a variety of:

Strength training:

Squats, deadlifts, power snatches, snatches, cleans, power cleans, front squats, glute ham raises, overhead squats, drop snatches. a good periodized combo of some of these classics.

Sled Pulling:

Heavy short sprint work and some lighter for conditioning (use good form!)

Plyometrics:

All your usual speed plyos and some jumping ones for explosion.

Reaction training:

Work on coming out of your stance, pulling, playside steps, all the things you do as a lineman, dropping back into pass protection etc.

Good luck!

[zlightning]

what about ankle weights while like running up hill or should I just run up hill first then add the weights?

[cuvermodel]

I don't know about ankle weights, I don't see how they would help you much, if you're running up hills that's hard enough. Don't run down hills though, I don't believe in overspeed training, that's controversial I know, but I don't think it helps.

[zlightning]

Ya I played a pickup game today and well I need to be much faster. i was by far the heaviest there, next closest maybe 215lbs., I wasn't too much slower then everyone else though. I need to get things together first. Maybe my coach will help me setup a 40 yard dash time or have a friend help me. Set goals, what would be a good goal to work for? if I do speed training on tues and thurs should I look for like a .05 reduction in two weeks or what? I have never done any sort of speed training so it should help quick or that is what I have seen when people start a new program.

[rynorm]

i would mainly focus on your foot and hand speed. that is what coaches look for. you don't need to be able to backpedal, move around, etc. your first move is your most important. with that in mind, i would suggest plyo's and stance starts, hand starts, etc... like cuver said.
if you want to be a linebacker, then i would look into plyo's mixed with burst speed exercises. i like to use sleds, parachutes, and rubber band drills.
what are your stats and positions? do you have a college picked out? if you do, then the coaches there should give you a workout to do until yuou are there for summer ball.
i am interested because i am a former college athlete and now coach football at the HS level.
hope this helps

[zlightning]

I can play anywhere on the o-line and d-line except for end. I have very little in the way of stats b/c I my coaches didn't keep track of o-line stats and I was not put in on defense much so they could save me for offense. I was in maybe 20plays and had about 5 tackles and a sack. Oh oops um I am 6'0 and 314lbs. My max bench was 290lbs a couple a months ago. I was never pushed around by anyone this year during a game so my legs are solid. I had knee problems so I haven't tried my max squat. I can get 315lbs for 4 reps on my 3rd set.

[cuvermodel]

By stats he meant your size, weight, etc. I bet. As a football player especially a lineman you want to maximize your speed and quickness, while either gaining "good" size or losing "bad" size (i.e. fat), so as a lineman exercises that are dominante in the lower body trunk area that deal with explosiveness and pure strength would be beneficial. I also like the idea of some sledgehammer work which will develop lateral and rotational strength, and develop a rock solid core.

[zlightning]

Besides squats and calve raises would help me be more explosive out of my stance?

[dmac90]

have you tried squat jumps? That would help with the explosiveness, but be careful adding weight..especially if you have knee problems, they do put stress on the knees.

[zlightning]

I know anymovement is good but I don't understand how jump squats can be so effective. I mean your legs carry you throughout the day everyday.

[cuvermodel]

I wouldn't see how they place a stress on the knees that would be bad, just don't go with high weight and focus on getting your depth and maximum height.

Zlighting: "I mean your legs carry you throughout the day everyday."

This doesn't help you though, jump squats are a great exercise to increase vertical jump and are a great move to add to your training repetoire.

[Jean-Paul]

I can absolutely promise you Z, that if I got you for a leg day and included jump squats to your routine, you would not soon forget that workout. I also do jump lunges for explosive speed development and vert increase. THEY WORK!

[zlightning]

Well since we live so far apart care to share you leg routine?

[Master Trainer]

All of this talk about speed gets me to re-living the glory days! When training for speed you are maining training both you fast twitch muscles fibers and just as importantly your central nervous system (CNS) to respond with maximal speed with maximum force. All of the techinques our knowledgable board members have been sharing are great examples of how to train for maximum power (the combination of speed and strength).

The best results I have seen for your goals have been seen with a routine split that involves lifting heavy weight with explosive form and lifting light weight (roughly 60-65% of your one rep max at high speeds) or otherwise known as a dynamic lifting day.

You can find examples of such at the Westside Barbell site under the direction of one of the "Gods" of strength- Louie Simmons

[Jean-Paul]

Bump...

Just reading some of the old threads... thought this one warranted a bump. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Bill Hartman]

I don’t know how I missed this one the first time through…it set off some light bulbs.

When you’re talking about improving speed, the keys are to optimize structural AND motor qualities based on the demands of the sport and the qualities you bring to the table.

Principle #1: Maximal strength is not directly correlated with acquiring a great deal of speed.

Examples…

Who’s stronger, powerlifters or sprinters? Powerlifters. Who’s faster? Sprinters.
How fast does Randy Johnson throw a baseball? Consistently in the 90’s.
Does the world record holder in the bench press throw in the 90’s? Doubtful.
Carl Lewis was known to not do any weight training and very little jump training, yet was at one time the fastest man on the planet.

However, heavy strength training may improve speed (thinking running here) by increasing the stiffness of the patellar tendon. When the range of motion is short, such as when the foot strikes the ground during top speed sprinting, stiffer tendons create bigger forces more rapidly. Therefore, to increase running speed we want to create stiffer patellar tendons and Achilles tendons (stiffness in this case refers to a function of the tendon, not reduced range of motion). This is also a reason for distance runners to perform maximal effort squatting…it reduces the amount of energy required during each stride as more of it comes from elastic qualities of the tendon.
[Note: In newbies, strength training may increase speed by increasing motor qualities such as recruitment, rate coding, and intra/intermuscular coordination]

Principle #2: Tendon stiffness/compliance advantages depend on the range of motion and force required.

At the other end of the structural spectrum, increased tendon compliance (the opposite of stiffness) is beneficial to increase speed in larger ranges of motion and lighters loads.

For the sprinter example, while patellar and Achilles tendon stiffness is beneficial, hip flexor compliance (easier to stretch and recoil) is a must because of the large range of motion performed in such a short time while running.

The same is true for baseball pitchers, racquet sports, and golfers (you knew I’d throw that one in). Here we want compliant shoulders and trunk musculature.

Therefore, it is not always a good idea to have athletes in need of tendon compliance to perform maximal effort lifting as it will increase the stiffness of the tendon (the old “baseball pitchers shouldn’t bench press”). In this case, plyometric activities are more appropriate as they don’t reduce tendon compliance.

The benefits of plyometrics also include a lowering of hysteresis (dynamic flexibility also contributes to lowering hysteresis!!).

Hysteresis is refers to the amount of energy lost between the stretch of the tendon and the recoil and has no effect on stiffness or compliance of the tendon.

So if you’re a baseball pitcher with very compliant shoulder tendons and very low hysteresis, you could potentially pitch in the majors (all technical issues aside, of course).

One of the reasons the Westside Barbell Club promote the use of dynamic effort, bands, jumps and such is to promote optimal use of the energy storage and release of the tendons in a specific manner to their sport.

Taking it a step further (and more applicable to most sports dominated by speed and power), [former] eastern bloc coaches, USA coaches like Jay Schroeder, and Canadian Chris Thibaudeau (he has a very good article on KEAT –Kinetic Energy Accumulation Training by the way) promote the use of force absorption and rebound variations of strength exercises. This increases the ability to “lock up” the muscle fibers in what approximates an isometric contraction and increases the energy storing and releasing capabilities of the tendons (also see “Muscles and Tendons as Springs” in Science and Practice of Strength Training) as they do during sports.

So…

Maximal strength training, plyometric activities, and dynamic flexibility will all work to improve performance, in this case speed, but the key is to determine where your current dominance lies in regard to the ability to turn on/off muscles and how your tendons function. Then the program should be designed to optimize your structural and motor abilities in relation to the sporting activities of choice.

Sorry for the long post…had a break in the action and I got on a roll.

Bill

[FishrCutB8]

Is there anything Bill Hartman does NOT know??? I, for one, can't wait to meet you at the retreat.

[Bill Hartman]

As they say (whoever "they" are), the more you know, the more you realize that you don't know (or something like that).

I'm looking forward to the retreat as well.

Bill

[zlightning]

Wow an old post of mine brought back to life. I didn't get to try out many of the suggestions due to track practice and then I tore the cartlidge in my knee again. I then went to college and yep tore the cartlidge in my knee again. I think something doesn't want me to play football. Good news though is that I have lost 7lbs since weigh in about 3 weeks ago.