The 7 best speed exercises to improve your performance

Speed exercises help to develop the body’s explosive response capacity, i.e., to favor promptness in motion. Speed is therefore defined as a physical capacity to make a motor action within the shortest possible time. Factors affecting speed include reaction speed, acceleration faculty, speed of action, and endurance. Factors that can be worked on and optimized with training and speed exercises that improve overall performance.

Speed is a common goal for many athletes, especially among professional runners. A purpose to which interest in the development of agility, coordination, and muscle power is also added. Features that require an exercise routine accompanied by a brief pre-warning to avoid injury.

Jump rope

This exercise allows you to gain stability, strength, and speed in the legs, in addition to enhancing the cardiorespiratory apparatus. A very complete exercise that we can start with soft jumps and short periods to increase speed, and longer periods. With practice, we will gain in strength and speed, advising to do about 5 or 10 minutes of rope to start the series of exercises.

Quickly climb the stairs

This is a typical exercise to gain in resistance and speed, as climbing stairs with speed means using one’s own weight as a resistance to enhance the strength, speed, and resistance of the legs. After ascending, a rapid descent will help us gain agility, taking special care to avoid straining our knees on the way down.

Changes of pace in a race

This exercise consists of what’s called “speed up and hold.” That is, starting by running slowly for a few minutes to warm up, then increasing your speed and holding that speed for 15 or 20 strides, then reducing the pace to a minimum until you finish walking as a rest. It’s recommended to do this routine two or three times, gradually increasing the number of strides.

Abdominals

Strengthening the abdominals is ideal for developing speed and endurance in a race or any other sport. Among the ideal exercises to work this area, in addition to those of the pelvis and those of the back, include:

Hand Planks

Specialists have identified the planks as one of the best exercises to strengthen the core. There is a wide variety of abdominal planks, from the most classic ones to those that require more resistance and capacity.

The hand plank is the simplest, as it uses several support points. Lie face down, resting on your hands and the toes of your shoes. Your back should be straight, keeping your abdomen and glutes firm to maintain the posture. From there, lower yourself to the floor by bending your elbows, hold for about 20 seconds, and then return to your feet. It is recommended to do 3 sets of 30 repetitions.

Burpee

This is also a very complete exercise. You start standing and lower yourself into a squat until your hands are on the floor. Once you touch the floor, jump back on both feet to get into a horizontal position and do a push-up. As you rise and return to the initial horizontal position, you jump forward and stand up, finishing with a high jump.

Burpee exercise is ideal because it works all the muscles of the body, increasing anaerobic capacity, pulmonary and cardiovascular resistance, and exercise coordination. Benefits that also favor the development of speed and power.

Squats

This is another very effective exercise for gaining speed and power. To do squats, start standing, keep your back straight, and extend your arms to lower your torso, bend your knees to a sitting position, hold for a moment, and then return to standing. This movement should be repeated as many times as you can, stopping when you feel fatigued.

Zigzag Race

There are different types of races, from relay to this zig-zag race, which will help us develop agility, reflexes, and speed. This exercise requires placing a series of obstacles and creating a tour. The goal is to race along this track without knocking down any of the obstacles and increasing your speed with each attempt.