Do you ever feel like you’ve plateaued when it comes to your movement speed, or that your body just doesn’t react as quickly as you’d like?
Many people never reach their top speed potential because they don’t do any specific training that focuses on improving their acceleration, max velocity, or reaction time.
If you’re looking to move faster, run faster, and be faster overall, then you need to start incorporating speed training into your workout routine.
Never heard of speed training? That’s okay! We’re here to fill you in on what it is, what it isn’t, and most importantly—how speed training can help you become faster.
What is Speed Training, Exactly?
Speed training is a type of training that helps you improve your acceleration and maximum speed.
It does this by helping you build not just speed, but power and strength as well. Why? Because speed is a product of both.
Speed training helps you develop these qualities so you can move faster in your favorite sports—not just running faster with your legs, but moving every part of your body more quickly, and reacting more quickly to outside stimuli.
By increasing your power and strength, you’ll be able to move your arms and legs more quickly, jump higher, throw further, hit harder—you name it!
And if your sport requires split-second decisions, speed training can help you improve your body’s reaction time.
So if you want to be the best at your sport—or even just move faster in general—then speed training is for you. Athletes of all levels can benefit from incorporating speed training into their workout routine.
For young athletes, youth speed training can help them develop the power and strength they need to improve their performance.
For adult athletes, a speed training program can help them maintain their level of performance, or even improve it.
Regardless of your age or level of experience, if you want to be faster, you simply need speed training.
What Speed Training Isn’t
Now that we know what speed training is, let’s dispel some myths about what it isn’t.
First of all, speed training is not just running as fast as you can for short distances. This type of training, known as interval training, is a great way to improve your cardiovascular endurance, but it won’t do much for your top speed.
Interval training can be important, don’t get us wrong. But if you’re only doing interval training and not incorporating any other types of speed training, then you’re not going to see the results you want in terms of top speed.
Second, speed training is not just lifting weights. While lifting weights can help you build the power and strength you need to move faster, it’s not the only type of training you should be doing.
You also need plyometric exercises, which involve explosive movements that help you build power, and sprints, which help you develop max velocity.
Plyometric exercises can be things like jump squats, box jumps, and medicine ball throws.
Sprinting is running at your top speed for a short distance, and then resting for a period of time before sprinting again.
Speed training is an essential part of any athlete’s training regimen. If you’re looking to improve your top speed, then you need to start incorporating speed training into your workouts.
But don’t forget, speed training is not just about running as fast as you can. It’s also about developing the power and strength to move your whole body more quickly. If being faster is something you’re interested in, click here to contact Speed Mechanics.