The gym is great for developing strength, there's a whole array of Olympic lifts, machines, weights etc. that can be used to build a stronger body. But there are other ways to build specific Strength for SprintingMy favourites are Hill Sprints and Sled or tyre pulling.
Hills are great as they help develop power as you drive up the hill, helping to develop a strong knee drive.
Sled pulls are great as the help develop the drive phase and the added resistance makes you work harder and when you follow up the sprint without the sled, you feel like you are flying!
Top Tips
Concentrate on a strong arm drive
For tyre / sled pulling, you don't need a track, any flat piece of grass is great as there less impact. They can be done indoors too if you have a large sports hall area.
I just built my own sled,
what you need- sledge, rope, weights belt
I bought a snow sledge that had a handle and tied my rope to the handle, make sure its secure. I connected the other end of the rope to a weight lifting belt (a harness is more comfortable- but this does the job for me!)
I use some old weight plates to add weight to the sled, but when I use a tyre I have filled it with rocks, or shotputs at the track.
Who would benefit from this type of training? Any sports person who does short fast bursts of sprinting. Track Sprinters, jumpers, footballers, rugby players, hockey, basketball to name a few. Resisted sprinting really fires up the glutes and hamstrings, so its fantastic for anyone who is trying to develop strong legs. Its great cross training, can be incorporated into bootcamps & circuit training, they can be used for high intensity cardio sessions (high intensity interval training HIIT) to get you out of that comfort zone to improve your fitness level, adding variety to your workouts make it more fun too!
Thank you! Glad you found it useful!
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