Speed training has developed it’s fair share of training myths that a lot of athletes not only believe but live. It is time to blow these speed training myths up to make sure that you are getting the most out of your speed training to succeed.
Every athlete wants to get faster, but if you are doing things right now that are counterproductive to you improving yours. These myths can put you at risk of getting injured, wasting time, or only chasing after the wrong metrics.
Speed Training Myths
You Can’t Train Speed
You may have never been told you are a fast athlete but the truth of the matter is that everyone can get faster. I am not saying that you will be the next Usain Bolt because you train but it means you will improve from where you currently are.
You hear this from so many football commentators “Bob, you just can’t train that type of speed!” If that is the case what in the world is the sprinting, to begin with? Why would Olympic sprinters even train?
Some people are blessed with a little more talent in the speed department. There is no arguing that but speed is a skill and skill can be developed. If you paint and want to be better at it what you do?
You paint more! You find a painting coach, and you just keep working on it day in and day out. I don’t care who you are. If you work at ANYTHING consistently, you will get better at it.
You can train speed if you are fast, and you can train speed if you are slow. Every single athlete should be training their speed. If someone says’s that “you can’t teach speed” or that “you either have it, or you don’t” tell them that “you can train speed and that you will train speed!” Now that we know that not being able to train speed is a speed training myth, it is time to dig into how to do this.
Good Drills = Speed
During warm-ups, many athletes will do speed drills like butt kicks, A- Runs, A March, etc… You can look on any team, and you will always see someone who looks sweet doing their drills.
Their arms are perfect, their core is still, their feet strike the ground just right. From years of sprinting myself, I can tell you that you can intimidate your opponents with good drills and the reason is that of this speed training myth.
I am not saying that you should never do drills or that they do not help. Drills are great for reminding your body the positions you need to be in while you are sprinting. They provide context for the work you are about to do. What drills do not do is make you faster. There is nothing that will improve speed like sprinting.
Do your drills to the best of your ability and work to do them correctly but know that they are not the most important things in the world. Some people treat drills like they directly translate to how fast you run but they just don’t.
Speed Training Must Be 100% Effort
You will notice when you watch anyone participate in speed training for the first time; they believe that more effort will always produce better results. Sprinting is weird because often to run your fastest you don’t need to run at 100%. By running at 95% effort, you end up having a better chance of hitting record times when you do try your hardest.
The reason for this is because a fast muscle is a long relaxed muscle. Tense muscles do not produce as much force. In the weight room, this is the opposite, and it is the tricky thing that makes running fast so hard. You don’t need to try harder you need to be as relaxed as possible while going hard. It is quite the oxymoron.
When you are approaching your speed sessions, do so with a relaxed mind. You want to be explosive, but you want to be patient and let each step come to you. As soon as you start forcing it, things will fall apart.
It is no different than how you can watch a QB play or a point guard run the court, and it looks like to them, everyone else is playing in slow motion. They are not thinking or trying to force it they are just doing it.
When you are trying to react fast you don’t work to respond quickly you just do! When you want to run fast, you don’t think about sprinting you just do it. That is the mindset you need to step on the field, track and the court. Don’t think at all, fast is just what you are.
You Can Always Train Alone
I was a sprinter from age 7 through to age 24. That included high school, college, and the Olympics and I can tell you for sure that you need another set of eyes for you. You can have the odd speed session by yourself, but you will never improve this way.
If you want to be your best you need to have a coach or at least have a teammate you train with where you bost help each other out. Sprinting is technical, there is a lot of things you need to do right in a short time. You need eyes you can trust to let you know some of the things you are doing wrong on each rep.
If you want to get faster, you need thick skin because you are going to hear a lot of critiques if you have a coach who knows what they are looking at it. If you do not have that, you can always send me your video. Just tag @AthleticCourage on Instagram and ask for a review of one of your runs.
The speed training myth is that sprinting can be improved all alone. The reality is the opposite though, being alone is the challenge so during training you want to feel like you have people on your team. It helps to boost your confidence and make sure you don’t miss anything.
You also don’t want to become too dependant on video and tech. The problem with watching every run in super slow-mo is that you start nitpicking. You need to go for the changes that will have the most significant impact. There is no perfect way to run; there is only an ideal way for you and a good coach will help you with that.
Stronger = Faster
Here is a speed training myth that a lot of male athletes fall into, I know I did myself. Weight training can have a huge impact on your speed, but each year after beginning weight training it has less impact. Your body adapts to things, and the stimulus has less of an effect.
The problem with this is that it plays with you mentally. If you start lifting and see massive improvements, it is understandable to think that if you just keep lifting like that you will continue to get faster. The conclusion many athletes come to is that stronger always equals faster.
It is a myth that stronger always equals faster, and it is simple to prove. If that were the case, the strongest athletes in the world would also be the fastest. If that were the case, the most muscular sprinters would always be the fastest.
Speed training is the most important thing you can do to run faster. Lifting weights are secondary to the running work you do. The weight room is meant to assist your sprinting by helping you to stay healthy and generate more power. The second you go into the weight room with the mindset that it is more important than the track, you’re in trouble.
Strength tends to be more of a male athlete issue. Ladies still need to watch out though because it can happen to you as well.
Racing In Practice is Always Good
It is a myth that to get faster; you need to do every run with someone right beside you. Competition can hurt you in practice. Though it is good to have training partners, you should do a good portion of your speed runs alone.
It gives your coach a better chance to watch you and help you improve. If you are always running in a group, it is harder for the coach to see everyone.
The second reason is that it gives you a chance to focus on what you are doing. When you race, it harms your learning process for new skills. What that means is that it is hard to work on a unique ability when you are also racing someone. You need time to work it on your own and let your body get used to the movement.
Once you become used to a movement, then it is time to give your new wheels a test a drive. You want the car to be ready before you take it for the spin though. It is a speed training myth that you need always to be racing.
So What
Make the most out of your speed workouts by staying away from these myths. Speed training is something that you can train, but it is not just about drills or the weight room. It is not about racing, giving max effort or training alone either. Speed training is an art as much as it is a science.
The art is knowing how to work with a group for one common goal. Then focusing on what you need to do to improve your technique and relax as you run.
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KHO Health was acquired by was acquire by 9INE POINT in the summer of 2019 and is now referred to as 9INE POINT Health.
