3 Ways to Increase Speed
I know there are a million and one ways on the internet that tells you how to increase your speed. While some of these methods may work, some of them may not. How do you distinguish between them? Well, first things first not every method is going to work for everyone since body types differ. However, in order to know exactly what works, you have to be willing to try some new exercises. Here are three exercises I recommend when trying to improve your speed.
The first one is a vertical resisted knee drive. Standing in a vertical position reminds the body to stand tall, which allows your legs to cycle one over another while running. The resistance helps to increase the hip flexor and hamstring strength. When you strengthen these muscles and teach them to work together this helps increase the speed; because the more powerful the knee drive, the more force that can be put into the ground helping you move down the runway quicker. The knee drive also strengthens the core and teaches the body to remain stable when performing an explosive leg movement.
The second movement is a ladder movement called scissors. The ladder movements help increase your body control and coordination. By working through advanced foot patterns and increasing the tempo over time, you will strengthen the neurological connections between the brain and your feet. Ladder movements improve your competitive speed and quickness by becoming smoother and more economical in your movements. The scissor movement helps the runner focus on staying on the ballpoints of your feet, standing tall and working your arms with your legs which helps you “cut the wind” as my coach would say. If you can control exactly where your feet will land, with how much force, for how long, in which direction they will move next, you improved your potential for the economy of movement and maximizing your speed.
The third and final movement is high knees over little hurdles. High knees are a cardio-intensive exercise performed at a fast pace. High knees engage the core while strengthening the muscles in the legs and glute area. The high tempo gets the heart rate up and improves momentum, coordination, and flexibility. When performing this exercise you have to emphasize the knee drive so you can get over the hurdles, dorsiflex the toes so you don’t drag the hurdles down, stand tall, get your rhythm and pump the arms. High knees emphasize the first two movements, plus more. The faster the movement the more effective it is but remember, performing the exercise with proper form is always the primary focus. The better you get at this movement the faster your turnover will be. Remember on this movement don’t sink the hips or haunch over! Bring the knees to the chest.
The good news about these 3 exercises is that they can be performed just about anywhere. So there is no excuse! The next time you’re thinking about going for a run and you want to increase your speed, add these three exercises to your warmup routine and watch your turnover and overall speed improve as you perfect the vertical resisted knee drive, scissors, and high knees.
