Written by Margot Wells.
It saddened me to hear that a GB athlete thought that speed was overrated when infact the greatest asset in any athletic event is speed. Mo Farah lost the 10,000m because the gold medallist ran faster at the end of the race. Speed is every sports performers greatest wish but it has to be underpinned by the right training background.
If the performer has not done the right weights to have speed running strength not just bulk strength then the foundations for speed are weak. If the correct running strength is not in place then power will be restricted as power is strength x speed. Similarly if the correct speed endurance has not been trained then speed on its own is not enough.
Speed endurance has to be turned into short sprint endurance before speed training can take place. If any of these components are weak or have not been done correctly then speed training on its own is not enough.
Speed is often thought of as just a few sprints on a running track when in fact it is the final piece of a complicated but simple jigsaw puzzle, but you cannot put the final pieces of the jigsaw in first!
As nothing takes more out the body that running as fast as you can, then the speed sessions tend to be very short. Consequently fitness coaches either don’t do it at all, avoid it because they don’t understand all the other components that go with it or do it wrong! So Speed is not the problem, it is the coaches lack of understanding that does not give performers what they want.
Take a look at our Online Packages to achieve the correct speed training and speed endurance.
