Sprinting Speed Workouts

Running and speed are vital aspects in sports ranging from football, soccer, baseball, basketball and track. But while practicing many sports, you generally work more on the technique of that sport while neglecting to work on your speed. A good sprint workout routine can help increase your speed and also your stamina.

  1. Warming Up

    • Warming up before any exercise is important, and sprinting is no different. Stretch your legs, back, shoulders and sides for a good five minutes before you begin. All of these will be busy while you continue to warm up.

      Start by jogging two times 100 meters. This will warm up your legs, your body and your mind, and the blood pumping will start getting you excited and ready to run. Now run a few 100s at about 70 percent of capacity. This will really get you ready for the sprinting that is coming up.

    Work on Technique

    • After the warmup and before you start sprinting all out, take a few minutes to think about technique. Sprinting requires quick reflexes and leg movements and a focused intensity. You should work on your technique for about a half-hour. Practice taking off from the starting blocks. Practice keeping swinging arms close to the body and your legs moving quickly. As a sprinter, you want to keep yourself small and compact and your movements efficient. Practice at about 80 percent capacity so that when you begin hard sprinting, your technique will be perfect.

    Sprinting

    • Now that you're warmed up, you should begin full sprints. Do as many as you feel comfortable with but at least 10 and not more than 20. A good sprint should last about 30 seconds. This will really test your focus, technique and stamina. Between sprints, break for at least 90 seconds but no more than two minutes. This will give your body time to relax but keep your heart pumping at a good rate. Keep working on technique as you sprint, but focus more on your speed--that's what you're trying to increase.

    Super 8 Sprinting

    • Though the above sprinting workout is a great way to improve your speed, it can get boring after a while. One variation is the Super 8 sprint. The Super 8 is a workout where you gradually increase the length and difficulty of your sprinting. For the first sprint, run 30 yards at about 70-percent speed. For the second, go 35 yards at about 75-percent speed. Increase the increments of your distance and speed by five with each new sprint. By the eighth sprint, you will be going 65 yards at 105 percent speed. After each sprint, take a short rest. Increase the length of your breaks as you go further. Use your own discretion when it comes to how fast you are running. There's no scientific way to measure if you are going 70 or 80 percent. Simply go a little bit harder with each sprint. With your last sprint, try to go faster than you think you can sprint. This workout will take around 20 minutes.

    Cooling Down

    • Cooling down after a good exercise is just as important as warming up--it will help keep your muscles limber and drop your body into a more relaxed physical state. Do three or four jogs to bring your heart rate down. Stretch out the muscles you worked for a least three or four minutes. Take several deep breaths. Once you've jogged and stretched, walk around the track once or twice. This will get your heart rate close to normal. Take another three or four minutes for more stretching. Then hit the showers.