Fred Duncan (@Fred__Duncan)
We know that all movement originates in the brain. Our goal is to ignite that system. To train not just force output, but the rate at which that force is produced. The faster the signal, the faster the movement. This is where rate of force development (RFD) becomes everything ...
This study (Wild et al., 2018) compared elite sprinters and rugby players during their first three steps. Across every group, faster acceleration was linked to one thing…the foot being further behind the center of mass at toe-off. That position gives you a stronger horizontal ...
Most people talk about “transfer” without really understanding what it means. Not everything you do in training is supposed to have a direct transfer to top end sprinting or sport performance and that’s fine. A lot of what we do is develop general outputs/capacities with hopes ...
In an 8-week study (Cahill et al. 2020), resisted sled pulls improved 5–20 m sprint times in every resisted group, while the unresisted group showed no change. The heaviest loads (~75% velocity decrement) produced the largest gains in the first 10 m, along with the biggest ...
3 Sprint Myths That Won’t Die 1️⃣ “You run on your toes.” You don’t. Sprinters strike through the ball of the foot with a dorsiflexed, pre activated ankle that’s ready to handle force. The heel drops slightly to load the Achilles for elastic recoil… it’s a reflexive, ...
The anatomy of speed. Researchers used MRI to look deeper at Asafa Powell, one of the fastest men in history. They found His psoas major was nearly twice the size of another elite sprinter’s. That muscle drives hip flexion and leg recovery, helping reposition the thigh quickly ...
A new study mapped how power shifts as speed increases. At slower velocities, the plantar flexors drive most of the work, but as speed rises, their role drops while the hip extensors and hamstrings take over. Once you move past roughly 22 km/h, sprinting becomes a hip dominant ...
The squat isn’t sprint or sport specific…it’s a general tool. Early in a training cycle, I use it to build broad outputs…force, tissue capacity, and the ability to handle volume. Heavy, full ROM squats fit perfectly here. They give us a base that makes the high intensity ...
People get way too caught up in trying to mimic the sport in the weight room. That’s not the point. One of the major goals of physical preparation is to raise the underlying capacities that support and expand your ability to express skill. Stronger, more powerful, more ...