How many sprints should you do, or how much total volume is best?...
Fred Duncan@Fred__Duncan
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Apr 14, 2025
1
How many sprints should you do, or how much total volume is best?
How do we balance both of these ideas?
1.) Respect intensity – quality > quantity
2.) Sprinting is a skill
Coaching is about compromise.
How do we balance both of these ideas?
1.) Respect intensity – quality > quantity
2.) Sprinting is a skill
Coaching is about compromise.
2
This is where smart programming comes into play. We need repetition to improve the skill. We need to be careful with maximal velocity work as it’s extremely taxing. You’re only as good as your ability to recover and adapt to your sessions.
3
- can you help develop mechanics in Submaximal efforts?
- Are you giving enough recovery between reps and high CNS sessions?
- Is your gym work interfering?
- Is your fitness work supporting the speed work?
- Are you sprinting enough to maximize the development?
- Are you giving enough recovery between reps and high CNS sessions?
- Is your gym work interfering?
- Is your fitness work supporting the speed work?
- Are you sprinting enough to maximize the development?
4
Giving generic numbers doesn’t help because you’re focusing on the wrong thing. The athlete, their output, and their mechanics are what matters, not what you have in your notes as the “optimal volume for speed work.”
5
For example, I was at the track with my athlete last week and he was set to do some speed work (70m sprints). This starts with a warm up and some accelerations (10s, 20s, 30s). I went in thinking we might do anywhere from 3-5. We did 3.
6
Talk to them. Watch during and between reps. Ask what they think. Let them have skin in the game.
I chose to live to sprint another day.
If the speed drops too much, are you training speed?
If form is breaking down, are you ingraining bad motor patterns?
I chose to live to sprint another day.
If the speed drops too much, are you training speed?
If form is breaking down, are you ingraining bad motor patterns?