Running as fast as possible is very elemental – we’ve all tried it at some stage. But what puts someone in the really fast lane?

Usain Bolt reached nearly 29mph (12-12.34 metres a second) when he was flat out during his world record runs. He covered the 100m distance in around 41 steps with a stride frequency of about 4.5 per second. At maximum velocity his feet will only have been in contact with the track surface for milliseconds, yet in that time he still had to overcome and impart maximal force.

Then there’s the small matter of getting a great start. Sprinters need to get away from the blocks with a lightning quick reaction and then get up to top speed at the right time.

Speed and genetics

It’s often said that sprinters are born not made. That’s only a half-truth but those blessed with a high percentage of fast-twitch muscle fibres at birth will definitely have greater speed potential than those possessing more of the enduring slow-twitch fibres.

However, with the right training it’s always possible to get faster.

Sprinters’ muscle mass is certainly greater when compared to middle and longer distance runners, however the fastest men and women don’t need to be bulky – rather muscle needs to exhibit high contractile properties.

Sprint training, especially weight training, can induce hypertrophy (an increase in muscular size through exercise), however gains in being able to express more power must be mitigated against the potential weight increase created by more muscle. All this will affect the sprinter’s power to weight ratio.

Sprint distance and physiology

The 100m, 200m and 400m are all classified as sprints, however, ask a 100m athlete to “sprint” a 400m and they’ll probably show an impressive turn of speed as they run away!

Each distance relies on a different spread of energy system use.

All the sprints are fundamentally anaerobic (without oxygen), meaning that the sprinter could not continue to generate a powerful sprint action for more than – at the very elite level – 49 seconds for women and 43 seconds for men.

To get its sprint energy the body has to use stored chemicals and phosphates, such as creatine phosphate and adenosine triphosphate. There will be very little reliance on oxygen. It is the way the energy systems are trained which largely differentiates the sprinting that short and long sprinters do.

In brief the immediate anaerobic system will provide energy for five to six seconds and relies on the body’s stores of chemicals and phosphates, whilst the longer-term anaerobic system can supply energy for up to around 90 seconds. With the latter oxygen does enter the equation – however, no amount of sucking in of air will stay the execution of the longer-term anaerobic energy.

What is sprint speed?

Sprint speed is the product of technique, stride length and stride rate (frequency) and power (the force which is put through and returned by the track).

An idea of stride frequency was provided earlier with Bolt and I will add that there’s actually not that much variation of this between elite males and females. In fact, it’s only the superior muscle mass of males and their ability to therefore produce greater power that makes them faster.

Technique

Sprint technique needs to be well-honed, resilient and constantly replicable. Look at Dina Asher-Smith in full flow – her speed seems effortless, yet it is obviously not.

The sprinter needs to “run relaxed”. Tension creates friction and friction will slow the “gliding and firing” of muscles. The working (agonist) and non-working muscles (antagonists) have to work like a fine Swiss watch to produce a winning sprint mechanism. Tension can also lead to lost races and pulled muscles.

We’ve all seen the sprinter who ties up when pressed for the lead – learning how to sprint relaxed with great technique is crucial.

Sprint power

Being able to produce immense amounts of power in millisecond ground contacts is a fundamental of sprint training. However, each part of the sprint race needs to be trained slightly differently. The key “parts” being the start and acceleration, maximum velocity and sprint endurance/maintenance.

Weights

Weight training is usually a must for sprinters – although there are some of the greats, such as Kim Collins, who did not place such a great emphasis on it.

Weight training can improve acceleration in particular. Heavy load squats will create the slightly lower gears required to get up to maximum velocity very quickly.

However, as I pointed out in the February issue of AW when looking at the long jump, strength for the sake of strength can be a blind alley. Specific, transferable strength is what’s required.

Crucially it’s all about being able to recruit maximum numbers of fast-twitch motor units through lifting very heavy weights so they can then be used when sprinting.

If the sprinter’s training programme does not allow for integration and transition of weight gains into actual sprinting, then the sprinter will become a weightlifter and no sprint time improvements will result.

Plyometrics

Hopping, bounding and drop jump exercises are also crucial for sprinters. These drills are more suited to improving maximum velocity compared to weights. Together with weight training they develop what’s known as leg stiffness, which means greater energy return and therefore speed.

Sprint endurance

The length, duration, volume and intensity of various runs in training will differentiate the 100m and 200m sprinter from the 400m sprinter. The latter will obviously do more runs over 200m and between 500m compared to the 100m sprinter. They need to significantly increase their lactate tolerance.

Who should you be looking at?

100m Usain Bolt – Although now retired the world’s fastest human ultimately had little flaws when it came to sprinting.

200m Dina Asher-Smith – The Doha 200m world champion has silky smooth technique and holds this to the end.

400m Wayde van Niekerk – The 400m world record holder is the ultimate sustained speed one-lap glider.

Technique jargon buster

Heel recovery – You’ll often hear coaches and sprinters talk about heel recovery. It refers to rear side mechanics – that’s to say what happens behind the athlete’s hips. During acceleration a low heel recovery is seen to be beneficial as it kills unnecessary airtime and allows the foot to be pulled through more quickly and powerfully into each accelerative step.

Coach tip

Developing a good start and acceleration phase

Acceleration needs to be precise, powerful and fast. The best accelerating sprinters are able to impart the maximum amount of force on the track with maximum frequency in the shortest of ground contacts and with the optimum angles.

Conditioning is key to being able to do this – but so too is working out an optimal acceleration phase for each individual sprinter. This can vary, for example, between 60m and 100m sprint races and even the time in the training phase. Spend time working on optimal acceleration. The sprinter needs to learn it and do it time after time and without distraction.