squat reps for getting faster

[BobisMighty]

would working up to a top set of 5 be more beneficial then working towards a max single in terms of sprinting speed? it seems that in most interviews with sprint coaches, when they talk about the weight room, they talk about the basic 5x5 squat program.

[SuicideGripMe]

Both work towards increasing your maximum strength, just different ways of doing it. Doing max singles on squats however becomes very taxing hence why Westside training rotates thier max effort lifts every 1-3 weeks.

Also, you need to be doing some form of explosive training to add power to the strength you gained.

[mr_traps]

would working up to a top set of 5 be more beneficial then working towards a max single in terms of sprinting speed? it seems that in most interviews with sprint coaches, when they talk about the weight room, they talk about the basic 5x5 squat program.

yes.

[TheHitStick]

Do a 5/3/1 template on your compound lifts

Goes by percentages and my lifts are shooting up.

[dolphinsfan270]

would working up to a top set of 5 be more beneficial then working towards a max single in terms of sprinting speed? it seems that in most interviews with sprint coaches, when they talk about the weight room, they talk about the basic 5x5 squat program.

For speed you want to be doing dynamic effort squats with submaximal weights around 50-60% of your max for high amount of sets of low reps (1-3 reps). I ussually do 6 sets of 2.

[strongisland61]

i'm curious to know the concensus on this as well. i know i'm an old bag...but....i am doing a bill starr 5 x 5, things going very well....very well, that is, until i put in some speed training.

it's thrown everything off, and my squats are down a full 20%. having trouble finding the recipe, so to speak.

interestingly, over at the charlie francis site, it seems the track and field folks DO NOT DO ATG squats. 1/2 squats are what they do. don't know why.

[BobisMighty]

For speed you want to be doing dynamic effort squats with submaximal weights around 50-60% of your max for high amount of sets of low reps (1-3 reps). I ussually do 6 sets of 2.

Do a 5/3/1 template on your compound lifts

Goes by percentages and my lifts are shooting up.

I incorporate both of these ala a westside style breakdown. I do 5/3/1 percentages on ME lower and upperbody days, then base the percentages on my DE days on my training maxes.

i'm curious to know the concensus on this as well. i know i'm an old bag...but....i am doing a bill starr 5 x 5, things going very well....very well, that is, until i put in some speed training.

it's thrown everything off, and my squats are down a full 20%. having trouble finding the recipe, so to speak.

interestingly, over at the charlie francis site, it seems the track and field folks DO NOT DO ATG squats. 1/2 squats are what they do. don't know why.

this happened to me a few years ago when i did bill starr's 5x5. i got a lot stronger, but not faster, and i kept plateuing even when i reset the numbers.

[xxtwistedxx]

I incorporate both of these ala a westside style breakdown. I do 5/3/1 percentages on ME lower and upperbody days, then base the percentages on my DE days on my training maxes.



this happened to me a few years ago when i did bill starr's 5x5. i got a lot stronger, but not faster, and i kept plateuing even when i reset the numbers.

ran into that over the summer on the 5x5. its just too linear and...predictable. i took 2 weeks off and did some high volume work with compound lifts (british circuit if anyones heard of it) then switched to my own workout and so far the gains have been nice.

starrs 5x5 was good for about 2 months but then i plateaud and had to ditch it.

[ChristopherG.EU]

Gym work and especially squats do help develop speed to an extent. You have to have strength as a rugby player, but you need to convert this strength to power. You should do plyometrics.

Try these out for size. A session might contain between 10 and 15 sets of 8 to repetitions in total. For example, you could choose 4 exercises and perform 3 sets of 8 reps for each exercise.

1. Jump Running
This is one of the easiest plyometric exercises. Simply run in 'slow motion' landing on alternate feet. Try to achieve as much height and distance with each stride as possible. For every right and left foot strike, count one repetition.

2. Bounding
a. Mark out a series of small cones or obstacles (in my opinion cones are better) about 3 feet apart in a straight line. The number of cones depends on the number of repetitions you are performing.
b. Start behind the first cone in a semi squat position.
c. Jump as high and far as possible over each cone. It's a good idea to practise first to gauge how far apart you should set the markers. Again try to minimise ground contact time.


3. Ricochets
a. Mark out a small box shape on the floor (about 2 feet square) with paint or chalk.
b. Keeping your feet together, start at one corner of the box and perform small jumps from corner to corner in a random manner.
c. For this exercise the emphasis should be on speed and rate of leg movement rather than height.
d. Each ground contact is 1 repetition.

4. Lateral Jumps
This is an advanced plyometric exercise. Build up to it over several weeks. Keep the total number of sets for advanced exercise down to 3-6.
a. Stand alongside a bench, box or cone approximately 30cm high.
b. Keeping your feet hip distance apart jump sideways as high over the obstacle as possible.
c. Immediately jump back to the start position minimising ground contact time. This counts as one repetition.
d. You can use anything to jump over, a training top or even just a line on a track. Just make sure you discipline yourself to jump as high as possible.

4. Depth Jumps
This is another advanced exercises.
a. Stand on a box, bench or sturdy chair approximately 30-40cm high.
b. Step off the bench (don't jump off) and as soon as you land explode vertically as high as you can.
c. Try to minimise ground contact time i.e. don't sink down into a deep squat before jumping up.

This will help a rugby player in any position. Flankers can benefit as it improves line-out work too.

Try it out and tell me what you think.

Happy training

[scott_donald]

its funny how some people say do this and do that in the weight room...

sprinting speed = stride length x stride frequency

simple as that... to increase your speed you need to increase either... stride length is far easier to increase....

increase strength, power and most importantly run!!! work on your weaknesses on the run!!!

[jgood]

its funny how some people say do this and do that in the weight room...

sprinting speed = stride length x stride frequency

simple as that... to increase your speed you need to increase either... stride length is far easier to increase....

increase strength, power and most importantly run!!! work on your weaknesses on the run!!!

Thats what I was going to say.

Singles in the weight room really aren't practical for most sports. Yes, there are single efforts like a single play in football .... but the action goes on for at least 5 seconds or so so a longer duration of reps (around 5) is alot more practical.

Really if you can get on a good treadmill so you can control the speed and incline you have a huge advantage. Speed training places will routinely put you doing some incline sprints and then towards the end of a workout, level it out and it translates to a better stride length + frequency.

[scott_donald]

Thats what I was going to say.

Singles in the weight room really aren't practical for most sports. Yes, there are single efforts like a single play in football .... but the action goes on for at least 5 seconds or so so a longer duration of reps (around 5) is alot more practical.

Really if you can get on a good treadmill so you can control the speed and incline you have a huge advantage. Speed training places will routinely put you doing some incline sprints and then towards the end of a workout, level it out and it translates to a better stride length + frequency.

not necessarily... to increase stride length then a great strength in the legs will certainly help... but its applying this to the running...

i am not a fan of the treadmill for running... unless its one of those over speed things... christ run on what you will run on, on the field!!!

[BobisMighty]

ran into that over the summer on the 5x5. its just too linear and...predictable. i took 2 weeks off and did some high volume work with compound lifts (british circuit if anyones heard of it) then switched to my own workout and so far the gains have been nice.

starrs 5x5 was good for about 2 months but then i plateaud and had to ditch it.

yeah i hear ya. i added about 15 pounds on my squat in the 4 months i've been doing 5/3/1 according to the 1rm calculators. this month my training max will actually be the same, maybe a little higher, than what my actual max was starting out so this will be the true test.

[jgood]

not necessarily... to increase stride length then a great strength in the legs will certainly help... but its applying this to the running...

i am not a fan of the treadmill for running... unless its one of those over speed things... christ run on what you will run on, on the field!!!

Well yeah leg strength is important and obviously you will see better strength gains using 3-5 reps than maxing out all the time, or there is the periodized way that ends with a max single in a cycle.

That was my point with the treadmill, you can control the incline and speed .... where just running you can only go as fast as you can and the incline can't really be changed mid-workout in most cases. If you don't have anywhere to run then yeah a treadmill is beneficial for cardio but if you do have somewhere to run ... running flat on a treadmill is pointless ... unless you were to crank the speed up.