Sprinters are always looking for ways to move faster. So are most competitive athletes involved in sports like football, soccer and basketball. By training correctly and taking advantage of the opportunities afforded on the track, sprinters can build the muscles that will help them run faster.
Parachute Training
Do this with your coach or your partner. Sprint with a running parachute in order to build your explosiveness and sprint faster. Have your coach hold the chute about 10 feet behind you when you are on the starting line. On the coach’s whistle, take off and sprint for 100 yards. Your training partner will have to run the first few yards with you to get your chute to open fully. This will create resistance, and it will be very hard to run 100 yards. But do this twice during every training session, and you will have an excellent chance of increasing your speed.
Hill Running
In order to build strength in the explosive muscles in your glutes, thighs and calf muscles, sprint 200 feet up a hill at full speed. This will result in the buildup lactic acid, and it will be initially painful, but it will build your strength and ability to sprint. After a 10-second break, either continue to run up the hill or go back down and run it again. This technique has been used by hall of fame football players Jerry Rice and the late Walter Payton, as well as Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis.
High Stepping
Begin your training session on the track by walking 25 yards and raising your knees as high as they can go. This will help remind you to lift your knees as high as possible while sprinting. Concentrate on doing this in rhythm and as quickly as possible. It will create muscle memory during the sprinting process.
