Sprinting.?

Question

no one realises how much i really want to become a good sprinter. I am really untalented at this sport but i love it and i have never felt to competitive in anything else even tho i always lose in this sport.

Has anyone got any exercises hopefully that i can do in my house to build my speed & stamina up!?

Answer 1

hill workouts are good for sprinters...sprint up some hills, it works the same muscles normal sprinting does, but at a faster rate

Answer 2

Most sprint training will be done at a track,but  you can help yourself by building up your "Core" muscles..

Strong hamstrings,and calf's are very important.

Note the hamstrings and calf's on sprinters.

Lifting weights,,leg lifts,squats,calf raises,and don't forget your stomach.

You are going for explosive power,not bulk.

Don't go heavy on the weight,aim for more reps.

Answer 3

I THINK IF YOU LOVE RUNNING AND YOU CANT SEEM TO WIN IS BECAUSE YOU DON'T TRAIN HARD ENOUGH TRY DOING15 OR MORE  REPETITIONS ALL OUT AT RACE PASS BE SURE TO REST AND GOOD LUCK

Answer 4

First, you are going to hear a lot of advice. Run faster, hit the weight room, etc. will gain a training effect from almost any program. For example, you show up at the beginning of the season having done nothing. It is pretty difficult for a coach to make you slower over the course of a season. You go through a program and you will improve by the end of the season. Most of the time you will improve -- it is called "training effect".

For serious athletes, there are 2 ways to get faster. One is to make your movements more efficient (think of a distance runner who tend to "bounce" when they run and arms sometimes are out of sync). The other is to put more power into the ground (Coach Isaac Newton said for every action there is an equal but opposite reaction).

Efficiency of movement. You are going to explode out of your stance at approximately 45 degrees. In order to do this you are going to have to ensure that you are strong enough. Some exercises that you can do is to lean against a wall at a 45 degree angle. Bring up one of your knees and that ensure that your legs are parallel. This is the position that you will be in out of the blocks. I went through a 90 minute training session on just how to get in the blocks and the first step so I am simplifying it a lot. Over the next few steps you will go from 45 degrees to a slight lean forward as you move from accelleration to a max velocity run. Your striking foot in front of you should land approximately 6 inches in front of your body. Many people strike in front of this because they point their toes. You want your feet to be dorsiflexed (i.e. picture an ankle with a good taping). This will ensure that you are "pushing" yourself forward using your glutes, rather than pulling yourself forward using your quads. Remember what Coach Newton said!

Power: explosive power. Full body movements are key. Think of cleans or snatches. If you look at the movement from a sprinter in their blocks to the explosive first step, they are using the same muscles and movement as the first part of a clean or snatch. Hips are explosively moving forward so that the body is straight even though it is at a 45 degree angle. Even plyometric jumps are goods. You want to focus on higher weight and lower repetition. You are not going to be doing 10 reps, but rather more like 4-6. Focus on getting your hips and glutes involved (the explosiveness of your hips moving forward is what brings the weight up). This will help with getting your hamstrings involved too. Think about the pelvic tilt of a world class sprinter. They look like the strut everywhere they walk. It is actually because they have strengthened those muscles so much it has tilted their hips.

Efficiency is the best methodology. If you are efficient in your movements, you will run less tired. If you are running 2-3 miles at a time, you are working your slow twitch muscles. You want to be a fast twitch machine! Instead look to be in shape. In the off season, do cross training. When you get to the mid-late winter time, then you need to focus more on your event. Get some endurance work but shorter sprint type workouts with rest. Run some multiple sprints at about 60-75% of your best time. As you get closer to the season, you will run less (closer to your desired distance) but at a higher speed. This will be closer to 80-90% of your best time.

Hit the weight room. Focus on developing your glutes, hamstrings, and obliques. This will ensure that you don't have muscle imbalances. Runners tend to have strong legs but weaker upper bodies. You can do secondary exercises for arms, calves, shoulders, etc, but focus on primary!

Newton's Law never changes. Remember - efficient movements and dorsiflex for power.

Home Exercise:

I would buy the following equipment:

Physio/Yoga ball $10 ish - 55 cm for following:

sit on it with good posture - simple and effective; if you slouch the power you put in the ground will only push your body weight up to the point that you are weak.  So if you slouch, power will disappate as heat.  

Pillars/Planks:  start without the ball and then add the ball every once in a while.  It will lend instability.

Leg curls - Double leg working up to single leg.  Very important to keep your hips up with a straight line from your knees to your shoulders.  If you allow your hips to dip then you are practicing bad form.

There are some cool ab exercises too.  Some of them come with a video, watch it.

Wooden dowel 4 ft long - $5 - Learn how to do clean shrugs and snatch shrug.  Basically it is the first part of a clean but it teaches you the hip movement on starts and for strengthening hips for the rest of the race.  You may want a heavier bar later on and you may need access to a gym.  Wooden dowel can be surprising difficult.  Wooden dowel/Olympic bar with weights can be used for squats too.  Squats are good for strength, but do power during the season.  Strength is better in the off season or preseason.

Sand Med ball - good for throwing down - hold in both hands and either standing or with a jump fully extend body and throw it down as hard as you can.  Power, power, power!  Make sure you have good form.  Shoulders back, abs activated, etc.  You can also use it for crunches, Russian twists (really good exercise!!!) use under one hand during pushups, etc.

There is a lot that you can do in your home.  Basic sprint and running mechanics can be done in a space of less than 5-10 yds.  This is the best thing that you can do though.  They exercises I suggested are both inexpensive and can also be done in a small area.  I suggest baselining your times and do some research.  Look up Active Dynamic Warmups (waaaay better than static stretching for before a race), running mechanics, and power exercises.  There are surprising few mechanics to learn, but they can take up thousands of hours of training.  Avoid long distance running because this will train your slow twitch muscles.  Do cross training that focus on fast twitch (basketball, ultimate frisbee, tennis, soccer).  This will help strengthen your lateral movement.  Anything over 100m has some lateral movement too on the curves.  You will need to train this too.

Good luck!