TRAINING FOR SPEED - POTENTIATION FOR PERSONAL BEST TIMES

I'm long over my calf and lower back niggles from a month ago and have such been able to string a few weeks of full training together which always a positive.

I've taken to trying train lower body 3 times a week with a schedule of:

MON - Lower Body Gym (Max Effort Trap Bar Deadlift + 2 x Isometric Assistance Exercises)

TUE - Upper Body Gym (Max Effort Military Press + 2 Assistance Exercises)

WED - Max Velocity Speed (10, 20 and 50m sprints with Full Rest)

THU - Lower Body Gym (Max Effort Landmine Press/Medicine Ball Throw + 1 Assistance Exercise)

FRI - Acceleration Speed (10 + 20m Sprints with Full Rest)

Last week I discovered the Instagram account of a Chicago based Spots Performance Specialist Michael Drach and the many different speed and power exercises he posts.

As a PT ad Strength and Conditioning Coach I'm not one to see an exercise on youtube and throw it into my or clients programs without knowing exactly where it will sit in my or the clients development, it has to be worked up to then worked off from to deliver sustained results.

As you can see above I have acceleration speed schedules in for a Friday to potentiate my nervous system for Saturday game day and there were a few exercises I could slide into that workout from MD's Instagram that I have done before but with different variations.

After my warm up I started with Block Chain Resisted Max Isometric Pull x 3secs paired with a Block Start 20m Sprint

It's hard to see but I have a chain wrapped around a pole and attached to a belt around my waist. I connect them both together, assume a crouched/sprinter start and pull against it as hard as I can through my front leg fr about 3secs.

As you can see I rest about 10secs then performed a block 20m sprint where I clocked a personal best of 2.93secs.

After that I moved to a Standing Max Isometric Pull x 3secs and paired it with a Standing 20m sprint.

I'm now holding each end of the belt and again, pulling against it as hard as I can through my front foot for 3secs, again resting about 10secs and going straight into a standing 20m sprint where I clocked 2.97secs

I'm hoping to improve on this one next time as I didn't really get a good enough acceleration position in the iso hold portion, but still another personal best in the standing 20 anyway and my first UNDER 3secs, something I've been aiming to do from last September.

The last variation I did was the Standing Max Isometric Pull x 3secs and Release into 20m Sprint.

So a 3sec max pull against the belt and chain, letting go and immediately going into the 20m sprint that clocked in at 2.89secs.

What the max isometric holds do is fire up more motor units then you can normally and then you're sprinting with a bigger engine afterwards.

It is essential that you literally pull as hard as you can or you won't recruit those extra MU's and you'll be trying to run faster with the same engine.

I'll be giving this a few more looks over the next 2 weeks as we have the week off this weekend and see if I can build on my personal bests from last week.

Feel free to give it a go!