Speed Training Leaha, Stephan & Dayne

Speed is an essential component of fitness in most sports, and good acceleration is vital. There is two different types of speed training. They are; interval training and sport-specific speed training. Interval training can improve anaerobic endurance. For an athlete to improve there speed and anaerobic endurance they need to train at a high intensity. For certain sports you need to do sport specific training e.g. footballers will work more on cardiovascular endurance rather than weightlifters who will work on strength and power. A general guideline for maximal speed training is that there should be a work to rest ratio of 1:5, so if you were to have a 10 second maximal sprint, this would be followed by a 50 second rest period. Depending on the time, distance and repetitions, you will use between 1-5 sets during a speed training session. EXAMPLESEvent 100 metres 800 metres 1.5 km 5 km Speed Session a) 10 30 metres at race pace from blocks with full recovery b) 3 to 4 80 metres at race pace with full recovery a) 5 200 metres at goal race pace with 10 seconds recovery b) 4 400 metres at 2 to 3 seconds faster than current race pace with 2 minutes recovery a) 4 400 metres at goal race pace with 15 to 10 sec recovery b) 4 to 5 800 metres at 5 to 6 seconds per 800 metres faster than goal race pace with 6 minutes recovery a) 4 to 5 800 metres at 4 seconds per 800 metres faster than goal race pace with 60 seconds recovery b) 3 1 mile at 6 seconds per mile faster than goal race pace with 2 minutes recovery a) 3 2000 metres at 3 seconds per 200 metres faster than goal race pace with 2 minutes recovery b) 5 x 5 min intervals at current 5km race pace with 3 minutes recovery a) 6 x 1 mile repeats at 15 seconds per mile faster that goal race pace with 1 minute recovery b) 3 3000 metres at 10km race pace with 6 minutes recovery

10 km

Marathon

The Speed Principle Developing power is all about increasing speed with very light weight before moving to heavier resistance. When doing speed work, the weight being used should be less then 30% of your 1Rep Max. By dropping the load way down, the lifter must focus mainly on moving the weight as fast as possible on each rep. The goal is to focus on getting the neurological system (the tissues, cells and organs that regulate the bodys response to internal and external stimuli or events) to fire faster then it ever has before. This will be a sign to power training in that it forces you to move fast with minimal resistance before adding weight.