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Sprinting is one of the most important techniques in sports, and it takes a lot of practice and exercises to perfect it.
While you can improve your sprint time by doing specific drills and exercises, it's important to include cardio exercises in your routine. The following moves can help you build speed and strength so that you can reach for gold.
Best Exercises to Boost Sprint Speed
Here's a look at six such workouts:
1) Shock Sprinting
Shock sprinting is one of the best exercises for improving speed, stride length, and acceleration. It also helps with top speed but only if you keep your technique in check.
You have to learn to sprint with the proper mechanics and without excess movement, without which you will slow you down. Shock sprinting can improve your lung capacity, and the best part? You don't need any equipment for it, and it hardly takes any time. Simply run in short bursts of 10-20 seconds, and take an equal amount of rest.
2) Jump Rope
Jump rope is a great way to improve sprint speed, agility, and cardiovascular fitness. It's also an excellent way to improve coordination.
Jumping rope can be done anywhere, and there's no need for fancy equipment at all. Just grab a jump rope; step on the middle of it with your left foot, and pull back on both sides of the rope so that it makes contact with your thighs again as you swing it around.
Jump over the moving center part of the cord by bringing up both feet together before landing back on top of it again. Continue doing that till you've reached ten reps (or more if you're feeling motivated).
3) Box Jump
Box jumps are a great way to improve explosive power. If you’re just starting out, start with a low box that's challenging but not impossible.
Aim for a height that is challenging but achievable in each rep. Land on both feet while keeping your knees bent and flexed at 90 degrees. After landing, step off the box before repeating the jump in the next rep.
4) Jumping Jack
Here's how to do jumping jacks:
- From a standing position, jump your feet apart, and raise your arms to the right side.
- Simultaneously, bring your right foot in line with your left foot, and raise both arms overhead.
- Jumping jacks are best done in sets of 20 or more each time you perform the exercise.
5) Ankle Bounce
To start an ankle bounce, stand on your right foot, with the left knee slightly bent, and raise your left leg straight in front of you. Pressing down through your right heel, bounce on the ball of your right foot, keeping it off the floor.
The goal is to make sure you keep bouncing without putting more than a few inches between each time you land on your toes. Repeat this motion for 10 to 15 seconds before switching feet and repeating for another 10-15 seconds.
Rest for approximately one minute between each set (we recommend doing three sets). You can also do a more well-known version wherein you would be required to jump up and down and land on your heels as gently as possible. Do not try this exercise if you have low bone density or prior ankle injuries, though.
6) Calf Raise
Calf raises are important for sprinting, as they help build power in the calves, which is necessary to push off from.
To do a calf raise with proper form:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent. Place a weight on your shoulders or hold dumbbells at arm’s length in front of you.
- Slowly rise up on the balls of your feet as high as possible without raising up on your heels—you should feel the tension in the back of your calves where it meets the Achilles' tendon. Hold for two seconds at full height, and slowly lower back down till the calves are stretched out again; repeat this motion for 10-15 repetitions (per leg).
- To make the workout more challenging, try adding ankle weights or holding a heavier weight while doing them. If they feel too easy, just increase how much weight is being held.
Takeaway
There you have it: six exercises, each with their own benefits and drawbacks but all designed to help improve your sprinting speed.
We hope this article has been helpful, and you're able to use these exercises in your practice as well as in competition. Remember that it takes time for these drills to work, so don't get discouraged if you don't see immediate results.
