Weights for speed

John · May 6, 2009, 4:53am

Not really sure, as far as a sprinter is concerned anyway. For general strength/mass I prefer to work the 5 x 5 closer to the 5RM, so for this athlete maybe in the 335-350 range, occasionally trying to establish a new 5RM. For CNS stimulation, I would work more in the 2-3RM range with less volume. But I honestly have no idea how such a strategy fits into the track and field game, hence my question. There the ultimate goal is obviously speed and acceleration, the weights are simply a means to that end.

Our quandry presently is trying to work a program that will concurrently, and hopefully optimally, build strength, mass, and explosive acceleration. We would like to move all points forward, and certainly speed is king, but at this point in the development of the football underclassmen I’m working with, mass and strength development are critical, even if, unfortunately, acceleration and speed work suffer to some degree.

have you read Coach's Strength Training Playbook: Kenn, Joe: 9781585188697: Amazon.com: Books