World Speed Summit - 2016

Strength Training for Speed: What works and what doesn’t - Derek Hansen
Introduction: Strength and Conditioning protocols to develop speed are often misunderstood by coaches.
Understanding the need for sprint/speed specific Strength Training is very essential in all sports at the
professional level. A review of the key points in the presentation can be found below.

Strength and Conditioning for Speed

 Strength Training is prioritized at the professional level without understanding the importance of
high velocity training for better performance in sports
 Increased force production capabilities need not have a carryover to accelerative abilities of an
athlete
 Sprinting and the corresponding drills can cause an adaptive change in the strength level of an
athlete
 Novice athletes whose base strength levels are low will become faster after inclusion of Strength
Training in their regimen
 For further progress the training has to be highly specific to the velocity demands of the sport

Need and Role of Strength Training for Speed

 Strength Training is essential to optimise the recruitment potential of a muscle; peak recruitment
potential is essential as opposed to peak force output
 Introduction to Strength Training for speed development at an early age is not necessary; sprinting
by itself will improve the speed
 Force-velocity profiles will be different for 100 m, 200 m and 400 m
 Movement quality also has to be prioritized along with the velocity component
 Various gadgets and tools can be used for the purpose of analytics
 The end goal in the mind of a coach should be to use these tools efficiently to optimise
performance

Role of CNS and EMS

 CNS being the control unit of the muscle has a major role in the contraction velocity and recovery
process
 Focusing on too many elements and high volume of training will lead to CNS fatigue which will lead
to injuries in the soft tissues
 EMS techniques will help in faster recovery of the athlete by promoting increased blood flow to the
tissues; it can be used to maximise the recruitment of the muscle without taxing CNS
 Elite coaches who are skilled in active rehabilitation of the athletes can greatly contribute to the
rehab community

Conclusion
Strength and Conditioning coaches have to prioritize and address the development of speed at the
professional level by devoting time for velocity specific training than trying to strengthen the athletes
in the weight room. Proper understanding of the specificity of velocity based training and integrating
various elements without exhausting the CNS will ensure better performance of the athletes.