08/26/2026
Ever watched a training session and wondered why the rest periods are so long? Here's your answer.
True speed and acceleration work — ten- to twenty-meter starts, flying sprints, straight-leg bounds, fast leg drills — these are kept under six to seven seconds for a reason.
That's exactly how long the phosphagen system — the energy system that powers explosive first steps and peak velocity — can sustain max output.
Go longer than that without enough rest, and the body stops training speed. It starts training something else entirely.
So those long rest periods between short sprints? That's not downtime.
That's what allows the phosphagen system to recover and refill — so your child can hit true max speed again on the next rep, instead of just practicing sprinting while tired.
The answer to every question about workout structure almost always comes back to one thing: which energy system are we targeting today?
Save this. It'll change how you watch every training session from here.