Everyone should do 5-10m sprints!

This is kind of obvious for sports, but even if you don’t play why should you do short sprint? 

Have you kids, nieces and nephews, grandkids? They love a race or to play tag or any other game, in which you will need to have bursts of acceleration.

What about the aesthetics of runners legs? They have great shape and muscular tone to the calves and thighs.

Or are you trying to build muscle?  Sprinting is anabolic. Have a look at 60-100m sprinters, they’re well built athletes.

Doing these short sprints alongside your other training can assist in getting these goals.

Alternatively if you play team sports like football, rugby, hockey, netball etc then being faster over the first few metres can be a match winner. Get your nose in front of your opponent and just watch them ease off and give up. (Please don’t stop mid match watch a video replay!)

Acceleration

What we’re talking about here is not necessarily sprinting but the acceleration phase of sprinting. The first 5-10m for the majority of us. 100m sprints can accelerate for 20m plus because the practice an refine their technique so much. But the majority of us ‘normal’ people can just focus on these first few metres and gain so much.

However, it does require practice for the technique, strengthening for not only the legs but whole body for force production and power to absorb force change that into forward momentum. So like you spend time in the gym practicing lifting movements or on the pitch/court practicing drills and techniques this needs to have time spent on it. But not actually that much as I will explain.

The technique

To accelerate you need to be leaning forward and driving the legs into the ground to propel you. If you imagine an aeroplane taking off, it starts on the runway, builds up speed then slowly rises into the air as the forces act on the wings and the engines drive it forward. So we want our body position to start low, lean forward as we build up speed before hitting top speed and being more or less upright sprinting depending on your context.

Compare this to a helicopter that the blades start spinning and it can lift straight up into the air. For man this would be the equivalent of trying to sprint whilst standing bolt upright and not leaning forward at all.

The Wall Drive is an excellent drill to practice leaning forward and pumping the legs into the right position. This also helps with rigidity through the body meaning every time you put force into the ground through your leg it drives you forward and doesn’t lose any force because you are jelly in the middle.

The Session

Luckily an acceleration session can be done in 20mins or less. If you play a sport, warm up for that sport then do the sprints before going into to you sporting practice. Or even spread them out between drills. Or even at a push put them at the start or end of a longer run (not ideal but if needs must).

Personally, when I had facilities and time I would do the following acceleration session then go straight into the gym do a lower body lifting session. Increased strength, muscle size and I improved athletically. But I digress looking back at a time I lacked grey hair.

Warm up

This is crucial. Sprints can/will make you sore!

Mobility for the legs, hips and lower back. For example leg swings, 90:90 mobility and hip drops. This also starts the warming.

Stretch the hip flexors. As a general rule most are tight some weak some strong. This will help the hamstrings work.

Activate the glutes and core. Pilates exercises are great, like clams, glute bridges for the glute, lower level scissors or one leg stretch for the core.

Integrate movements more towards the activity. Walking on the toes with stiff legs, then pogos focusing of the rebound from the ankles to get the calves going.

Wall drives come in at this point to check in on positioning.

Move onto A Skips to be more plus they are the acceleration position just upright.

Do 30-60s of the above static drills or 10-20m of the travelling.

The Sprints. Simply mark out 5-10m crouch down or even into a sprints start position then sprint. Slow down with good mechanics give yourself around 60s and repeat.

The first 2-3 hold back until your body is fully ready.

Repeat anywhere from 6 in a short session up to 12. More than 6 create sets. So 4-6 sprints in one set with 60s between each. Then have 2-3 minutes rest before the next set.

The above can all be done in 20mins after a few sessions.

A couple of extra points.

Make sure your aware of the surface, undulating uneven surface you will have to go slower so find a good piece of tarmac or running track.

Make sure you have run off area i.e. area to slow down after going flat out.

Ease into it! If you are new into sprinting it will make you sore so warm up and think about what you are doing the next day or two.

Conclusion

Whatever you are focusing on as a goal i.e. fitness, size, body fat loss, sporting performance etc. Put a session of this in alongside and it will help towards your goal. That is the beauty of sprints and why everyone should cycle different sprints in and out of their program.