Recommended 100 Meter Sprint Workouts

If you want to develop a well-rounded sprinting workout regimen, it isn't as simple as lacing up your sneakers and going all-out at the track. Sprinting is an intense exercise that requires physical strength, stamina and technique. To get the most out of your sprint training, you should develop a routine, with each workout geared toward a specific aspect of your sprints.

  1. Dynamic Warm-Up

    • Warming up properly can minimize your risk of injury by supplying blood to your muscles, increasing your heart rate and preparing you for the rigors of a sprint. You should consider your dynamic warm-up a workout in itself. Sprinting is intense, so it requires an intense warm-up. After a light jog for up to 5 minutes, perform a series of drills to go through the motions. Fitness model Obi Obadike recommends performing three sets each of drills, such as high knees, quick feet, butt kicks and bounding, over a distance of 40 yards.

    Straight and Curve Intervals

    • When you're ready to hit the track and pull out all the stops, alternating between sprinting the straightaways and jogging the curves on a 400-meter track is a great way to challenge your anaerobic threshold. You can scale your workout depending on your fitness level. The more you train, the more laps you'll be capable of doing. To conserve energy, don't exceed 70 percent of your maximum speed during the straightaways.

    Technique Workouts

    • Sprinting with proper technique will allow you to cut down your running time and increase the physical benefits you get out of the exercise. Separating your sprints into three phases, including the start phase, acceleration phase and maximum speed phase will allow you to break down your technique section-by-section and design your workouts accordingly. To measure your progress in the start phase, cut down the distance to 20 meters and try to cut down on your time. For the acceleration phase, cut the distance to 50 meters, and for the maximum speed phase, sprint full 100-meter straightaways and record your times. Minute changes in positioning, balance and body mechanics can improve your speed and power during your sprints.

    Supplemental Training

    • Physical strength is much more important in sprinting than in distance running. Sprinting is an anaerobic exercise, requiring an intense blend of muscular conditioning and power to improve speed. Physical trainer Tom Green recommends a supplemental strength-training program for sprinters. Green recommends splitting your weight-room workouts between upper-body and lower-body exercises. Upper-body exercises include bench presses, military presses, pulldowns and triceps extensions, while lower-body workouts feature snatches, squats and dead lifts, among others.