05/10/2026
Want faster athletes? Build stronger ones. 🏃♂️💨
Sprinting is a force problem. Faster sprinters don’t move their legs faster. They put more force into the ground in less time. Here’s the science S&C coaches need to know 👇
🔴 WHY STRENGTH DRIVES SPEED
Top speed comes from greater vertical force, and acceleration comes from directing that force horizontally. Gains in lower-body strength carry over to sprint performance.
🔴 THE FORCE–VELOCITY CURVE
Every zone, from absolute strength (1.3 m/s), is a trainable quality. Develop the entire curve to shift it up and to the right.
🔴 RATE OF FORCE DEVELOPMENT
Reaching peak force takes more than 300 ms, but a top-speed ground contact lasts about 0.1 s. The force you can produce early decides impulse (J = F·t = m·Δv).
🔴 SPECIFICITY & FORCE VECTORS
Use dynamic correspondence to choose exercises. Train horizontal force (sled, hip thrust) for acceleration and vertical force (squats, jumps) for max velocity.
🔴 5 TRAINING TOOLS
1️⃣ Maximal strength: 80–95% 1RM
2️⃣ Ballistic lifts: 0–30% 1RM, with max intent
3️⃣ Weightlifting derivatives
4️⃣ Plyometrics: fast SSC,
