Fitness Planning Consultants, Inc.

Presents

RUN FASTER METHODS

Quick Speed Improvement Workout

By Adam E. Kessler, CSCS, USAW Sport Performance Coach
Fitness Planning Consultants, Inc.
P.O. Box 20323
Columbus, OH 43220
(614) 460-5348
http://howtorunfasternow.com
Copyright 20011 Fitness Planning Consultants, Inc.

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Copyright 2011 by Fitness Planning Consultants, Inc.

Published under Copyright Laws of the Library of

Congress, and the U.S.A., by:
Fitness Planning Consultants, Inc.
P.O. Box 20323
Columbus, OH 43220
(614) 460-5348
http://fitnessplanning.com

Speed is an essential component to an athletes success in competition. If

you can go faster than your opponent and train your body to go faster when
he or she cant, you gain the advantage. Many facets lie in the realm of
speed training alone, and with the latest research, findings, and training
methods, todays athlete has to train for each of them. They include
strength training, sprint training, form & technique work, plyometrics, and
system endurance training. All of these help contribute to creating todays
faster athlete. Lets discuss how each component is crucial to the overall
development of speed.
Strength Training has often been the #1
foundation builder for speed. There are many
aspects just for strength training alone that would
take pages to cover. Overall, when it comes to
speed, there needs to be a good balance of
strength throughout the whole body, from your
lower legs, to your core or midsection, and even
your upper body. Leg strength, especially with
hamstring & quadriceps strength, has been found
to be a factor in how an athlete develops their speed. Research has
suggested that the hamstrings be at a strength level of 75-80% or more to
the quadriceps. For example, if your quads can lift 100 pounds, your
hamstrings should be able to lift 75-80 pounds. This is an optimum ratio for
speed development. A strong midsection also helps you apply force and
keep a stable body, assisting you with your form & technique. Arms are an
often overlooked component for specific strength for speed, as they help

balance out the movements of the lower body, and need the strength and
high intensity work as well.

Sprint Training has been a staple of speed training since the dawn of
competition. If you want to go faster, you simply have to move fast to get to
that level. Sprints, typically in the 40-100m distances, work on training
energy systems that are needed for high burst, high power activities. They
also train the fast-twitch muscle fibers, which need this high intensity work
to function properly. Sprinting can be a total waste though, unless you
work on proper form.

Running Form & Technique can fix quite a few of an

athletes speed problems. Things such as the arms
not swinging properly at the shoulder can waste
precious energy, the energy you need to run faster
with. Other factors such as proper foot plant can
make the difference between keeping your speed high, or creating a
constant stop & go braking effect on your body. Hip flexibility and proper
range of motion also help out with increasing stride length in your form.

Plyometrics, or jump training, assists you in many ways. It once again

works on the fast twitch fibers, for faster reactions and increases in stride
rates. Power & speed endurance is also enhanced with this type of training.
Common methods used for Plyometric training include things such as jump
ropes, hurdles, boxes, and floor patterns.

Since plyometrics can assist you in developing speed endurance, its a

contributing factor to your bodys system endurance, or the primary energy
systems your body uses. The body uses 3 energy systems: the ATP-PC
system, the Lactic Acid system, and the
Aerobic system. The ATP-PC system lasts
for about 1-10 seconds for most athletes,
depending on how much force and energy
is applied to the task. The Lactic Acid
system works from the 10 second mark to
the 2 or 3 minute mark in athletes.
Anything past 3 continuous minutes of
activity is the primary job of the Aerobic
system. Most sports use the first 2 to
perform high intensity athletic demands,
and use the 3rd one to assist in recovery. All 3 can be used at once, which
is why its essential to know what your sports demands are. Your basic
sports of baseball, football, basketball, hockey, tennis, and volleyball use a
combination of the ATP-PC, and Lactic Acid systems primarily. Long
distance events like cross-country and cycling put more of a demand on the
Aerobic system.

With all these components in place, though, they wont help if you do not do
them consistently. Just like strength training, speed training must be done
consistently so that your body can adapt to it. The genetics still have to be
in place to have world class speed, but anybody can improve there speed
by tenths of a second if the system is implemented consistently. If you
dont train for speed consistently, or not often enough, your body cant

adapt and make the neural changes and strength changes possible to
move faster.

So what we would like to provide you here is a Quick Fix Speed Workout
that will get your legs stronger and more explosive. Ideally, you would
need to do everything we just mentioned above to get true speed. This is
covered in our Run Faster Method (RFM). You can purchase this program
today at http://howtorunfasternow.com.
But, this workout Im about to show you will
definitely help you out. I originally saw this
program in a Mens Health magazine and really
liked it. So I tweaked it and encorporated it in
my program with my athletes. Initially, it will get
you sore for a few days. Once you start doing it
consistently, you will definitely feel stronger and
faster.
This workout does not need any exercises. It is all bodyweight. You just
need space. Also, it is designed for a 6 week cycle. But, if necessary you
can expand it to 12 weeks by just doubling each week i.e. do week 1 twice,
then start with week 2. This workout is good enough and the frequency
isnt that bad, that you could do it off-season, pre-season, or in-season.

The exercises you will be doing are the following with the reps per set in ( ):
Speed Squats (24) The speed will prepare your legs for more
explosive footwork.

 Alternating Lunge (24 12 per leg) This will strengthen the legs
mimicing a proper running position.
Split Squat Jump (24 12 per leg) This type of explosion is similar
to the explosion you do when you run. So it easily transfers to
improved speed.
Squat Jump (12) A finisher movement to train those fast twitch
fibers to explode.
You can watch a video demonstration of this workout at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aspR81r5kR8.
You will perform the workout 2 times a week for Weeks 1 and 2. Then
from weeks 3 to 6, you will do it once a week. Perform the workout in the
order of exercises shown, going from top to bottom. That is one circuit. Do
the number of circuits specified with the according rest interval between
each exercise and each circuit.

Week

Number of Circuits

1
2
3
4
5
6

2
3
4
5
5
6

Rest Between
Exercises
60 seconds
45 seconds
45 seconds
30 seconds
30 seconds
No rest

Rest Between
Circuits
3 minutes
2 minutes
90 seconds
60 seconds
No rest
No rest

I will caution that if you havent done anything exercise-wise in awhile or

you are under the age of 14, you might just want to start off cutting the
circuits in half for the first week or two because you will be extremely sore.

But stick with it. You do this program, you will be more explosive and faster
plus your vertical jump will probably increase as well.

At the Fitness Planning Consultants, we feel that the best way to improve
speed, and have it transferred to competition, is to do land based training.
Land based training is simply put training where all your running drills and
exercises are performed to mimic your playing conditions as best as
possible. No one runs on a treadmill when they are playing sports, thus we
dont use such techniques.

Consequently, if this program helps you out, then I strongly urge you to
take a look at our Run Faster Method. This talks about everything form,
acceleration, plyometrics, nutrition, strength training it really is the whole
enchilada. Take a look at it at http://howtorunfasternow.com and get it
while you can. Then see how you can make a difference on your sports
team by the speed you will develop.
Move Fast to Be Fast!

Adam Kessler, CSCS, USAW Sports Performance Coach

http://howtorunfasternow.com
http://fitnessplanning.com