Well, this is rich. Me writing an article on sprinting when I’m just a meathead lifter might raise a few eyebrows, but my blog, my rules. For the last 4 weeks, I’ve been implementing a weekly sprint training session into my routine. As it’s currently the thing that most excites me about my training, I'm going to talk about it. If you’ve been wanting to do it, but, as I was, are worried about injuring yourself because the last time you sprinted was when you were playing tag in universi…I mean primary school, then hopefully these tips may inspire you.
When you see professional sprinters in the Olympics, you can’t but help be impressed by the sheer display of power and athleticism. There’s just something cool about trying to propel yourself through space as fast as you can. It’s something we’ve all done as kids when playing and maybe during sports, but as we get older tends to be abandoned as a practice. I like to think I’m still an athlete because I played competitive junior tennis over a decade ago, but the truth hurts. Tip number 1 served me well.
1. Accept that this is probably not going to be something you’re amazing at from the get-go
After my first sprint session 4 weeks ago, I thought to myself “Damn, it’s amazing how s**t you can be at something you thought you’d be better at.” Most of us have never been taught how to run properly. Going from jogging at a steady pace to trying to run as fast as you can doesn’t feel like a natural transition. It will feel clunky, and slow, and you’ll be feeling it in your body for a few days afterward. Adopt a mindset that you can only improve if you do this regularly as the starting point is so low. This will allow you to appreciate the improvements that you see each week, which in turn will fuel your motivation to keep going due to the progress you experience. I’m currently in week 4 and I look forward to my Saturday sprint session the most because I know I’m getting better each time.
2. Start with the ABCDs (marches, skips, bounds)
Before you start with full-on sprints, learning the basic mechanics of the movement through marching, skipping, and running drills will serve as a useful entry point. Working through these drills systematically will develop your musculature and elasticity to provide vertical force production and horizontal propulsion. Start with simple ABCD marching drills such as the “A March”, “B Walk”, “C Walk” and “D Walk” to get acquainted with stride lengths and coordination of your arms and legs at slow speeds. Then move into skipping variations of the ABCD drills to increase the speed as well as the elastic response that comes with these exercises. Film yourself doing these drills and if unsure of technique, there are plenty of resources on the internet. Oh look, that's me doing ABCD drills on the internet!
3. Don’t max out. You’re training, not testing.
If you hadn’t trained in the gym for 10 years, you wouldn’t all of a sudden load 200kg on the bar and try to bench it, would ya? Sprinting is no different. To beat the “humans are cars” analogy to death, if the last time you sprinted at your limits you were still getting your packed lunches from mum, you are a Toyota Corolla right now, not a Bugatti Veyron. If you tried to drive the Corolla at the speed of a Veyron, you can bet your bottom dollar that you’ll need to call your mechanic. This isn’t fear-mongering. I don’t believe that human beings are fragile creatures that can’t be pushed hard. I am however a realist and someone who has experienced enough injuries from ignoring their situation to know that prep work has to be done before attempting max efforts of anything. We need to improve our car suspension (elasticity of muscles and joints) and the engine (our ability to produce force). A lot of time and effort goes into making a Bugatti Veyron, and though realistically most of us aren’t going to ever be that fast, we don’t have to settle for being a Toyota Corolla. We just have to take our time with it. (Sorry if you have a Toyota Corolla, I’m sure it’s a fine car).
4. Work on acceleration mechanics
For the last 2 weeks, I’ve been working only on acceleration sprints of 10-15 metres (ok, I’ve thrown in one 80m sprint at the end of my last session) because I want to make sure my technique is good before advancing to the next stage. The most common injuries in running are pulled hamstrings, which many people associate with weakness of the muscle. Physios will tell you “I'm sorry Susan, your glutes aren’t firing” but that’s rarely the issue. Sure, you need a base level of strength to be able to sprint, but many hamstring injuries happen as a result of poor mechanics. Acceleration drills limit your distance for each “rep”, meaning you can course correct poor form sooner that might put you into a more vulnerable position. Video footage here again becomes important. A common mistake is excessive stride length during sprinting, which causes the hamstrings to shorten and lengthen rapidly, and that rapid transition between shortening and lengthening when hitting the ground is often the cause of injuries. Start with shorter distances and work on correct techniques that you can maintain for longer distances.
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