For the last year we’ve been struggling through the quarantine. We’ve had to deal with the mental strain of not being able to get into the gym to sling kilos, press dumbbells and lift barbells up off the ground. We’ve seen gyms closed, businesses shut down and a hoopla of other spectacles transpire. 2020 was quite the year. 

And not lifting weights at all causes a panic to sink in. That voice inside the head starts yammering, “If I’m not lifting weights, if I’m not doing hurdle hops and box jumps, can I get faster?!? Is it possible to just use bodyweight exercises to increase speed on the field?” Soccer players, LAX players and football players all have these thoughts going through their head, trying to figure out how to drop that time measured on the stopwatch.

Thankfully we have an answer.

But first, let’s take a deep dive to gaining a stronger understanding of speed.

Understand that, from the simplest perspective, speed is rapid cyclical force development. Doing a movement over and over rapidly in a cyclical motion. Thankfully we know one of the key elements to speed is being fast right off the start, especially in shorter distances. The start is important because typically who has the faster start is going to get the upper hand.

The next element of speed we want to look at is acceleration, or the drive phase. This is that part of speed which follows the start. The start definitely gets things rolling, but acceleration is what takes things into overdrive. The period of acceleration gets the athlete up to stop speed.

At top speed, fast athletes demonstrate maximal mechanics as they run. The start gets things going, the period of acceleration opens things up, but the elements of maximal mechanics creates separation to complete the break away and not get caught. It is important to understand all three elements when dealing with speed and formulating bodyweight exercises. 

To begin, we are going to start with a focus on maximal mechanics. Maximal mechanics requires upholding technical proficiency at the highest speeds. It is demanding but highly obtainable.

One thing we need to understand with maximal mechanics is where we want the foot to ground running at top end. When running at top end, we don’t want the foot to be all up on the toes or being grounded all on the heel. We also don’t want to be leaning forward if at top end speed. We do want maximal ground reaction forces.

To achieve maximal ground reaction forces, we want the foot landing below the torso with a midfoot strike or front third of the foot strike. We want the foot to be active, pulling with the toes a bit. We want a high knee and dorsiflex foot while going through the cycling position.

This is where A-skips come into play. Getting outside two to three times a week for five or six sets of ten to twenty yards, the body can start to feel what the hip needs to do in conjunction with the trunk. Good dynamic trunk control while executing A Skips, the top end mechanics of running start to naturalize to the body.

Not only do A-skips create a rhythm, but they also transfer well to top end speed. What transfers well from the exercise? Trunk. Arm swings. Way the foot grounds. Way the knee and hip flex. All of it is going to carry over to running faster. 

This is another movement that carries over well to the top speed mechanics execution. When doing this movement, think about holding a super upright posture, relaxed in the face, with nice, strong arm swings, but focusing on the midfoot grounding with a dorsiflex foot as the leg is put out to try to ground underneath the torso.

We can’t state strong enough how important it is to ground with the foot underneath the torso when optimizing top speed mechanics. Watch any elite sprinter and see how normal this is to being fast. They are dorsiflexed and grounding from the midfoot position to create a tremendous ground reaction force.

We recommend getting outside twice a week and hitting five sets of twenty to twenty-five yards utilizing Deons to feel the cycling that transpires at top end speed. Coupled with proper trunk control this will transfer really, really well.

Let’s start to look at some acceleration work. One of the great qualities behind single leg bounds is, when starting off, getting that shin angle forward quite a bit. We want to use our upper body to help propel us forward. However, when executing single leg bounds at the beginning of the distance to be covered, it is imperative to think about grounding on the front part of the foot, and not entirely on the toes. 

We want to be more on the front part of the foot as we start. Then as we gain speed, we enter a transition period. We are going from the drive phase/acceleration to top end speed. We’re going from acceleration to maximal mechanics. This means that we can use single leg bounds to learn that transition from the acceleration phase to the drive phase. So as we start with that steeper shin angle, during the execution of the set we will start to have a more upright posture and begin to ground in a much more dorsiflexed position.

Now single leg bounds can be really challenging. We recommend getting really good at jump lunges with a focus on feeling that position in the split first. It is also important to be able to control the rapidity of the movement. Once the jump lunges are mastered, move into working with single leg bounds.

Single leg bounds can be utilized one day a week for speed training for five to seven sets of twenty yards. This can be done in a few manners as well. We will cycle back and forth from leg to leg or we have done entire sets on a single side. Just keep in mind that single leg bounds need to be used to improve acceleration and to also be used to feel and learn the transition from acceleration to maximal mechanics.

Let’s take a look at the start.

Tuck jumps are one of the best exercises that can be done to improve a start. Think about a tuck jump being completed by beginning with a full range of motion squat into a jump, bringing the knees to the chest, ground and get right back into that full squat to decelerate to then again apply force and go airborne.

This movement can be utilized as a warm up for two or three sets of three to five reps, followed by a two to three minute rest. From there, we want to then do tuck jumps from a quarter squat with a rapid reaction upon grounding. In this manner, tuck jumps can be done in the range of four to eight sets.

This movement can be taxing. The movement will be felt in the abs. Thankfully, that is where much of the transfer to speed is generated. When we get good at tuck jumps, that crouch position is going to conjure the head space of running a 40 yard dash or on the blocks for a 100 m sprint, feeling that deep shin angle, feeling that deep knee flexion but now we will feel what our abs actually need to do when coming off the line. Things like controlling our breath and transferring power through the trunk to optimize that start. Tuck jumps help create this neuro connection between the abs and start.

Sure, anyone can run. Everyone also plays drums and sings. But we all know some people sing and keep a beat better than others. It is the same with running. Some people execute the technical movement pattern of running more eloquently than others.

If we can, run hills. If we can’t, flat ground will suffice. Ideally we want to run hills that are 20 to 30 yards/meters long. And again, if we can’t run hills, we go out and run 15 meter sprints. Whatever it is, both are super good for speed based training.

What we love about sprints of this distance is that we can get ten to fifteen of these done in a very short time frame. Not only does it not eat up our valuable time, it also gets us winded and the heart rate thumping. In addition, we can feel different positions and feel different starts, playing around with how to optimize the start position.

We also learn how to PUSH. When in a start position, we are going to land more on the forefoot than we will at top end speed with maximal mechanics. We need to push quite a bit more when in acceleration, using huge arm swings coming out of the start. Running 15 meter sprints is going to help us project forward and keep the shin angle forward to feel how to accelerate effectively. It is a great way to teach the technique of the start into acceleration.

Using hills is a really great tool to use to develop and improve achieving top end speed faster. The hill spring almost forces the forward lean with a steeper shin ankle, demanding an aggressive push and arm swing. 

There is no need to fear lack of access to a weight room when it comes to speed. Sitting at home with no weights isn’t a death sentence for sub 4.5 forty times. Not at all. Bodyweight exercises such as A-Skips, Deons, Tuck Jumps, Single Leg Bounds and Hill Sprints can be used to develop speed.

Remember, speed demands a powerful start, the ability to accelerate into overdrive and, once top end speed is achieved, maintaining maximal mechanics. Utilize the exercises we laid out and don’t be surprised when the only thing catching up is the dust of the tail wind.