How to Train for Speed Without Wasting Time

Speed training does not need to involve complicated drills, expensive timing equipment, or hours of extra work. It needs repeated opportunities to run fast while you are fresh enough to produce high-quality movement.

The problem is that many workouts labeled “speed training” are actually conditioning sessions. Rest periods are too short, sprint distances are poorly matched to the goal, and so many drills are added that athletes become tired before they perform the work that matters most.

Efficient speed training starts by deciding whether you need better acceleration, higher maximum velocity, or the ability to repeat fast efforts. From there, use a small number of focused sprints, recover sufficiently between repetitions, and support them with appropriate strength and power work. These principles fit within the broader approach described in the Athletic Training Guide: Build Speed, Power, Agility, and Conditioning.

What Speed Training Actually Means

Speed training is practice performed with the intention of improving how quickly you accelerate, how fast you can run, or how effectively you maintain and repeat high-speed efforts.

Those goals overlap, but they are not identical. Sprint performance is commonly divided into three broad components:

• Acceleration: Increasing velocity from a stationary or slower starting position.
• Maximum velocity: Reaching and briefly maintaining your highest running speed.
• Speed endurance: Limiting the loss of velocity during a longer sprint.
• Repeated-sprint ability: Reproducing demanding efforts with incomplete recovery.

Acceleration, maximum velocity, and the ability to resist fatigue all contribute to overall sprint performance. The balance between them depends on the athlete and the demands of the activity.

A field-sport athlete may rarely reach the same maximum velocity as a competitive sprinter because plays are shorter and frequently interrupted. However, that athlete still benefits from improving the first few steps, creating separation, and reaching a useful speed sooner.

A recreational athlete may simply want to become faster over 10 to 30 meters. That goal does not require a track-and-field program. It requires enough high-quality sprint exposure to improve the specific distance being trained.

The Biggest Time-Waster: Turning Speed Work Into Conditioning

The fastest way to reduce the value of a speed session is to shorten recovery until each sprint becomes slower than the one before it.

Speed and conditioning are not opposites, but they require different session structures.

During speed training, the priority is the quality of each effort. During conditioning, the priority may be sustaining work, tolerating fatigue, or recovering between repeated efforts. Both can be useful, but they should not be confused.

Signs that a speed session has become conditioning include:

• Sprint times steadily becoming slower
• Posture and coordination deteriorating
• Athletes gasping before each repetition
• Rest periods being chosen to make the workout feel harder
• Sprints becoming longer or more numerous simply to create exhaustion
• Maximum-effort running being placed after a demanding circuit

Research comparing repeated sprints with different recovery structures found that inserting longer recovery periods better preserved maximal power than relying only on short recovery periods.

You do not need to feel completely recovered before every sprint, but you should be recovered enough to approach the next repetition with speed, intent, and control.

Choose the Type of Speed You Need

Efficient programming begins with a specific question:

Where do you need to become faster?

Acceleration Training

Acceleration is the ability to build speed rapidly. It is especially important during starts, short chases, defensive reactions, and movements performed in limited space.

Acceleration work usually uses shorter distances because the athlete is still gaining velocity.

Common acceleration distances include:

• 5 meters
• 10 meters
• 15 meters
• 20 meters
• Occasionally 30 meters for more experienced athletes

The exact distance matters less than whether it matches the task. A five-meter sprint emphasizes the initial push. A 20-meter sprint allows the athlete to continue building speed through several more steps.

Useful starting positions include:

• Standing
• Split stance
• Three-point start
• Push-up position
• Lateral stance
• Sport-specific ready position

Changing the start can add variety, but the program should still include enough consistent repetitions to track progress.

Maximum-Velocity Training

Maximum-velocity training develops upright sprinting at or near the athlete’s highest speed.

Because athletes need distance to accelerate before reaching maximum velocity, these sessions often use a gradual run-in followed by a shorter fast section. This is commonly called a flying sprint.

For example:

• 20-meter gradual build-up
• 10- to 20-meter fast zone
• Controlled deceleration after the finish

The run-in should allow the athlete to increase speed progressively without becoming tense or rushing the transition.

Maximum-velocity work is more demanding than it may appear. The number of repetitions should remain modest, particularly for athletes who are new to high-speed running or returning after a break.

Speed-Endurance Training

Speed endurance involves maintaining a high velocity over a longer sprint or limiting how much speed declines late in the effort.

This quality is important for athletes who must run hard beyond the initial acceleration phase. However, speed-endurance sessions produce more fatigue than short acceleration or flying-sprint sessions.

They are generally better introduced after the athlete has developed:

• Basic sprint technique
• Tolerance for shorter high-speed efforts
• Adequate recovery between sessions
• A foundation of strength and general conditioning

Longer sprint work should not replace true speed training. It has a different purpose and creates a different fatigue cost.

Repeated-Sprint Training

Repeated-sprint sessions prepare athletes to reproduce intense efforts with limited rest. This can be useful in field, court, and combat sports.

However, repeated-sprint ability and maximum sprint speed are not the same thing. An athlete may become better at maintaining performance across several efforts without substantially raising the speed of the fastest effort.

Use repeated sprints when the activity requires them, but retain separate high-quality speed work if improving maximum acceleration or velocity remains a goal.

Match Sprint Distance to the Goal

The following ranges provide a practical starting point rather than universal rules.

Primary Goal	Typical Sprint Format	What the Athlete Practices	Main Coaching Priority
Initial acceleration	5–10 meters from a stationary start	First steps and forceful projection	Push decisively without standing upright too early
Extended acceleration	10–30 meters	Continuing to build speed	Rise gradually while maintaining rhythm
Maximum velocity	Build-up followed by a 10–30-meter fast zone	Fast upright sprinting	Run tall, relaxed, and rhythmically
Speed endurance	Longer sprints performed near maximum effort	Maintaining velocity as fatigue develops	Preserve mechanics without forcing additional repetitions
Repeated-sprint ability	Short or moderate sprints with incomplete recovery	Reproducing intense efforts	Match work and recovery to the activity

Do not select a distance because it looks impressive. Select it because it trains the portion of the sprint you want to improve.

A Time-Efficient Speed Session

A useful speed workout can often be completed without a large number of exercises.

The essential structure is:

1. Warm up
2. Perform a few progressive accelerations
3. Complete the main sprint work
4. Add a small amount of supporting power or strength training
5. Stop before quality falls substantially

Step 1: Use a Focused Warm-Up

A speed warm-up should increase body temperature, prepare the relevant ranges of motion, and gradually expose the athlete to faster running.

A practical progression may include:

• Three to five minutes of easy movement
• Dynamic ankle, hip, and leg movements
• Marching, skipping, or low-intensity running drills
• Two to four progressive runs
• One or two practice starts

You do not need 20 different drills. Select a few movements that prepare the athlete for the session and move steadily toward actual sprinting.

Drills should support running rather than delay it. If the warm-up is so long or demanding that the athlete feels tired before the first sprint, it has missed its purpose.

Step 2: Perform the Priority Sprints First

After the warm-up, complete the most important sprint work while the athlete is fresh.

For an acceleration session, that might be four to eight short sprints. For a maximum-velocity session, it might be three to six flying efforts.

Those numbers are starting ranges, not quotas. A beginner may need fewer. An experienced sprinter may perform more total work through carefully organized sets.

The session should end or change direction when:

• Times decline noticeably
• The athlete can no longer reproduce the intended mechanics
• Stride rhythm becomes forced
• Tightness or pain appears
• Motivation and concentration drop sharply

More repetitions are not automatically better. Once speed falls, the session begins training a different quality.

Step 3: Recover Long Enough

Recovery should reflect the length and intensity of the sprint.

Short accelerations may require less recovery than long, near-maximum efforts. Maximum-velocity work generally needs generous rest because the goal is to reproduce very fast running rather than accumulate fatigue.

A practical approach is to begin the next sprint when:

• Breathing is controlled
• The legs no longer feel heavily fatigued
• The athlete can focus on the next task
• The previous repetition’s speed appears reproducible

For short sprints, this may mean resting for a few minutes rather than a few seconds. Longer or more demanding efforts may require more.

Do not rush recovery to make the session feel productive. Rest is part of speed training because it protects the quality of the next repetition.

How Hard Should You Sprint?

Speed training should be fast, but not every repetition must be an uncontrolled all-out effort.

Beginners and returning athletes may start with progressive efforts such as:

• Approximately 70% perceived intensity
• Then 80%
• Then 85%–90%
• Gradually progressing toward faster exposures

Percentages based only on perception are imperfect, but the progression helps the athlete avoid jumping immediately from easy jogging to maximal sprinting.

Experienced athletes may perform much of their main speed work near maximum intent. Even then, the effort should remain technically controlled. Tension in the face, shoulders, and hands often reflects unnecessary effort rather than useful speed.

The goal is not to look aggressive. It is to apply force effectively while preserving coordination.

Keep Coaching Cues Simple

Too many instructions can make sprinting feel mechanical and hesitant.

Use one or two cues that match the phase of the sprint.

Acceleration Cues

Useful acceleration cues may include:

• Push the ground behind you
• Drive out rather than popping upright
• Keep the first steps powerful and purposeful
• Allow the body to rise gradually
• Use the arms forcefully without crossing the body

Maximum-Velocity Cues

Useful upright-running cues may include:

• Run tall
• Keep the face and shoulders relaxed
• Strike beneath the body rather than reaching far ahead
• Let the arms move quickly and naturally
• Maintain rhythm instead of forcing longer strides

Not every cue works for every athlete. A phrase that improves one runner may make another more tense.

Observe the result. Keep cues that improve the movement and remove cues that create confusion.

Do Sprint Drills Make You Faster?

Sprint drills can help athletes rehearse posture, rhythm, foot placement, and coordination at lower speeds. They are especially useful during warm-ups or when introducing a movement concept.

However, drills are supporting exercises. They do not replace sprinting.

An athlete can become skilled at marching, skipping, or moving over mini-hurdles without substantially improving sprint speed if high-speed running is absent.

Use drills when they solve a specific problem:

• Preparing the ankles and lower legs
• Practicing an upright posture
• Reinforcing arm and leg rhythm
• Introducing forceful ground contact
• Progressing toward faster running after a break

Remove drills that consume time without improving readiness or sprint execution.

Strength Training for Speed

Strength training can improve the ability to produce force, and increases in lower-body strength have shown positive transfer to sprint performance. The amount of transfer varies according to the athlete, exercise selection, training status, and sprint distance.

Useful strength patterns include:

• Squats
• Deadlift and hip-hinge variations
• Split squats
• Step-ups
• Hip extensions
• Hamstring curls
• Calf raises
• Loaded carries
• Trunk-stability exercises

Strength training supports speed most effectively when it improves force-producing capacity without creating so much fatigue that the athlete cannot sprint well.

A common weekly mistake is placing a high-volume lower-body session immediately before the most important sprint workout. The athlete then attempts to train speed with residual soreness and reduced force production.

When speed is the priority, consider:

• Sprinting before lifting in the same session
• Scheduling the most demanding lower-body lifting away from key speed days
• Reducing unnecessary accessory volume
• Maintaining strength with fewer high-quality sets
• Adjusting loads during competition-heavy periods

Strength is a foundation for sprinting, not a substitute for sprint practice.

Can Plyometrics Improve Speed?

Plyometric exercises develop rapid force production through jumps, hops, bounds, and related movements. A meta-analysis found that plyometric training can improve sprint performance, although outcomes depend on factors such as program design, athlete characteristics, and the sprint distance tested.

Useful options include:

• Pogo jumps
• Broad jumps
• Hops
• Bounds
• Low hurdle jumps
• Repeated jumps
• Skips for distance
• Skips for height

The efficient approach is not to add every possible jump. Select one or two that complement the day’s sprint goal.

For example:

• Broad jumps may fit an acceleration-focused session.
• Pogo jumps or low bounds may fit a maximum-velocity session.
• Medicine-ball throws can add total-body power with relatively little running volume.

Keep the number of contacts manageable. Stop when height, distance, stiffness, or landing control declines.

Should You Use Resisted Sprints?

Resisted sprints use a sled, incline, resistance band, or another method to make acceleration more demanding.

They can be useful because they allow the athlete to practice pushing forcefully while moving horizontally. Recent systematic reviews indicate that resisted sprint training can improve acceleration, although its advantage over well-matched unresisted sprint training is not consistent in every comparison.

Resisted sprints are most useful when:

• Acceleration is the priority
• The athlete maintains recognizable sprint mechanics
• The load does not create excessive reaching or shuffling
• Unresisted sprinting remains in the program
• The resistance can be progressed consistently

A heavier sled is not automatically better. Excessive resistance may change the task so much that it becomes a different exercise.

A simple approach is to perform a small number of resisted accelerations followed by unresisted sprints. This lets the athlete train forceful projection while still practicing normal sprinting.

Hills as a Simple Alternative

A moderate incline can provide resistance without requiring a sled.

Hill sprints may be useful for:

• Short acceleration work
• Athletes with limited equipment
• Creating a clear pushing emphasis
• Limiting the absolute speed reached by beginners
• Adding variety without complicated setup

Choose a hill that allows running rather than climbing. If the slope forces extremely short steps or causes the athlete to fold excessively at the hips, it is probably too steep for the intended speed session.

Hill work still requires progression. The athlete should not begin with a large number of maximal uphill sprints simply because the running speed appears lower.

A Minimal Weekly Speed Plan

Most recreational and field-sport athletes do not need daily sprint sessions. One or two focused exposures may be enough to begin making progress, depending on sports practice and other training.

The following structure separates acceleration from maximum-velocity work.

Session	Training Element	Example
Day 1	Warm-up	Easy movement, dynamic mobility, skips, and progressive runs
Day 1	Acceleration	Four to six sprints over 10–20 meters with generous recovery
Day 1	Power	Two or three sets of broad jumps or medicine-ball throws
Day 1	Strength	One primary lower-body lift plus two supporting exercises
Day 2	Warm-up	Easy movement, mobility, running drills, and progressive accelerations
Day 2	Maximum velocity	Three to five flying sprints with a gradual run-in and full recovery
Day 2	Power	Low-volume pogo jumps, bounds, or light explosive lifts
Day 2	Strength maintenance	Brief total-body resistance training if recovery allows

Place at least one easier day between demanding speed sessions when possible. Sports practices that include hard sprinting should also count toward the weekly high-speed workload.

A One-Day Speed Plan

When only one weekly session is available, do not try to cram every speed quality into a marathon workout.

Alternate the main emphasis.

Week A: Acceleration Emphasis

• Progressive warm-up
• Four to six short starts
• Two to four longer accelerations
• One jump or throw exercise
• Brief strength training

Week B: Maximum-Velocity Emphasis

• Progressive warm-up
• Two to three build-up runs
• Three to five flying sprints
• One low-volume plyometric exercise
• Brief strength training

This rotating structure gives both qualities attention while keeping each session focused.

How to Progress Without Adding Junk Volume

The easiest form of progression is not always adding more repetitions.

Speed training can progress through:

• Faster recorded times
• More consistent times across repetitions
• Slightly longer acceleration distances
• A longer maximum-velocity zone
• A more demanding starting position
• Small increases in resisted-sprint load
• Improved technique at the same speed
• One additional high-quality repetition
• A second weekly exposure
• Reduced dependence on coaching cues

Change one main variable at a time. If you simultaneously increase distance, repetitions, intensity, resistance, and weekly frequency, it becomes difficult to determine what the athlete can tolerate.

Progress High-Speed Exposure Gradually

Sudden increases in high-speed running can be difficult to tolerate. Research in elite Australian football found that large and rapid increases above an athlete’s normal high-speed-running exposure were associated with greater odds of hamstring strain. That finding should not be treated as a universal threshold, but it supports the broader principle of progressing sprint workloads rather than adding them abruptly.

This is especially important after:

• An off-season
• Illness
• Injury
• Several weeks without sprinting
• A major change in playing position
• Moving from indoor to outdoor training
• Entering a competition phase with more games

Begin with controlled exposure and build over several sessions.

How to Tell Whether Speed Training Is Working

You do not need an advanced laboratory, but you do need consistent testing conditions.

Record Short Sprint Times

Choose a distance relevant to the goal, such as:

• 10 meters for initial acceleration
• 20 meters for extended acceleration
• A flying 10- or 20-meter segment for maximum velocity

Use the same surface, footwear, starting procedure, and timing method whenever possible.

Hand timing is less precise than electronic timing, but it can still provide useful trends when the same method and timer are used consistently.

Track the Best Repetition

The fastest effort indicates peak performance for the session.

Also track whether the athlete can reproduce that performance. One very fast sprint followed by several large declines may suggest that the session volume, recovery, or preparation needs adjustment.

Record Video

A side-view video can reveal:

• Whether the athlete rises too quickly during acceleration
• Excessive reaching in front of the body
• Poor arm action
• Visible tension
• Loss of posture late in the sprint
• Differences between repetitions

Video should guide one or two useful changes, not produce a list of every possible imperfection.

Watch Training Quality

Progress may first appear as:

• More confidence at high speed
• Smoother transitions from acceleration to upright running
• Less visible tension
• Better consistency
• Improved control during deceleration
• Faster times without greater perceived effort

Not every improvement appears immediately on a stopwatch.

Supporting Hamstring Capacity

Sprinting places substantial demands on the hamstrings, particularly during high-speed running. A speed program should therefore include progressive sprint exposure and appropriate posterior-chain strength work.

The Nordic hamstring exercise has strong evidence as one component of hamstring-injury-prevention programs, with a systematic review finding that programs including the exercise approximately halved hamstring injury rates across multiple sports.

Other useful exercises may include:

• Romanian deadlifts
• Sliding leg curls
• Hip extensions
• Single-leg hinges
• Machine leg curls
• Isometric hamstring bridges

No single exercise makes sprinting risk-free. Hamstring preparation should combine strength, sensible workload progression, technical practice, recovery, and regular exposure to the speeds the athlete must tolerate.

Sprint training itself can improve sprint performance and eccentric hamstring strength, but it should be introduced progressively because it can also create soreness in athletes who are not accustomed to maximum-speed work.

Common Speed-Training Mistakes

Doing Too Many Drills

Drills can be helpful, but athletes ultimately become faster by sprinting.

A session containing 30 minutes of ladder work, marching patterns, mini-hurdles, and resistance-band exercises may leave little time or energy for meaningful high-speed running.

Use the minimum preparation needed to improve the main work.

Resting Too Little

Short recovery may make the workout feel intense, but it often reduces sprint quality.

When the goal is maximum speed, protect speed. Save deliberately incomplete recovery for repeated-sprint or conditioning sessions.

Sprinting After Fatiguing Strength Work

Heavy lifting, high-volume leg work, or difficult circuits can reduce the quality of sprinting performed afterward.

When speed is the main goal, sprint first.

Using Distances That Are Too Long

Athletes often choose 50- or 100-meter repetitions when their actual goal is improving the first 10 meters.

Longer runs add fatigue and may train speed endurance more than acceleration. Match the distance to the problem.

Performing Every Sprint at Maximum Effort Too Soon

An athlete returning after several weeks without sprinting may not be prepared for repeated maximal efforts.

Use progressive runs and increase speed over multiple sessions.

Adding Resistance Without a Reason

Sleds, bands, hills, and parachutes are tools, not requirements.

Use resistance when it develops a specific acceleration quality. Remove it when mechanics deteriorate or setup time exceeds its practical value.

Ignoring Deceleration

Every sprint must end.

Provide enough space to slow down gradually rather than stopping abruptly at the finish line. Athletes in multidirectional sports should also practice controlled braking and stopping in separate drills.

Changing the Session Every Week

Constant novelty makes it difficult to track improvement.

Retain the same main sprint format for several weeks, then adjust it based on performance.

Who Should Modify Speed Training?

People with a recent muscle strain, tendon problem, joint injury, unexplained pain, or prolonged break from running should not begin with repeated maximum-effort sprints.

A qualified healthcare or rehabilitation professional may be needed when:

• Pain changes normal running mechanics
• Symptoms worsen as speed increases
• A previous injury has not been fully rehabilitated
• Weakness or instability remains
• Sprinting produces sharp or persistent pain
• Return-to-sport decisions are involved

Beginners should start with shorter sessions, lower perceived intensities, and fewer repetitions. Young athletes should use age-appropriate instruction, suitable surfaces, and appropriate supervision.

The Most Efficient Speed-Training Rules

A productive speed program can be reduced to several principles:

1. Decide whether the priority is acceleration, maximum velocity, speed endurance, or repeated-sprint ability.
2. Sprint early in the workout while the athlete is fresh.
3. Match the distance to the quality being trained.
4. Rest long enough to preserve speed and movement quality.
5. Use only the drills needed to prepare for the main work.
6. Keep total sprint volume manageable.
7. Add strength, plyometrics, or resistance to support—not replace—sprinting.
8. Progress high-speed exposure gradually.
9. Track a repeatable sprint distance.
10. Stop when the session no longer resembles speed training.

The Bottom Line

You do not need a complicated program to get faster. You need consistent exposure to the type of speed you want to improve.

Use short sprints for acceleration. Use progressive run-ins and flying sprints for maximum velocity. Rest enough to reproduce fast efforts, and stop before fatigue turns the session into conditioning.

Strength training, plyometrics, hills, and resisted sprints can all support the process. The central activity, however, remains sprinting itself. A few focused, well-recovered efforts performed consistently will usually contribute more than a long workout filled with drills, fatigue, and unnecessary volume.

References

• Haugen, T., Seiler, S., Sandbakk, Ø., and Tønnessen, E. “The Training and Development of Elite Sprint Performance: An Integration of Scientific and Best Practice Literature.” Sports Medicine, 2019.
• Seitz, L. B., Reyes, A., Tran, T. T., de Villarreal, E. S., and Haff, G. G. “Increases in Lower-Body Strength Transfer Positively to Sprint Performance: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.” Sports Medicine, 2014.
• Aldrich, E. K., and colleagues. “The Effect of Resisted Sprint Training on Acceleration: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” 2024.
• de Villarreal, E. S., Requena, B., and Cronin, J. B. “The Effects of Plyometric Training on Sprint Performance: A Meta-Analysis.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2012.
• van Dyk, N., Behan, F. P., and Whiteley, R. “Including the Nordic Hamstring Exercise in Injury Prevention Programmes Halves the Rate of Hamstring Injuries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2019.
• Freeman, B. W., and colleagues. “The Effects of Sprint Training and the Nordic Hamstring Exercise on Eccentric Hamstring Strength and Sprint Performance.” 2019.