Sprinters doing the hurdles on a track

The Biomechanics of Breathing During Sprinting

Sprinting is one of the most physically demanding tasks that the human body can perform. It requires an incredible amount of explosive power, tissue resilience, and motor coordination, in conjunction with a vast body of speed and endurance. But what many people fail to consider is the importance of breathing. Yep, believe it or not,

Male masters athlete sprinting

The Biomechanics of the Sprint Start

A perfect sprint performance is dictated by several factors, including muscle strength, explosive muscle power, a high degree of neural coordination, and most importantly – optimal sprinting technique. However, while most sprinters tend to take an in-depth look at their sprinting technique when they are at maximal speed, they overlook what I would consider to

Swimming

How Do Sports Injury Rates Change As You Age?

As you get older, exercise becomes the most beneficial thing you can do for your body. It staves off disease and illness, all whilst helping you maintain (and often improve) joint, bone, and muscle health. Moreover, it even has the capacity to improve your quality of life across the lifespan. Now, one of the most

Group of women sprinting

Does Sprint Performance Decline With Age?

Exercising regularly across your lifespan is the perfect way to maintain health and function well into your golden years – and one of the best modes of exercise on the planet is unquestionably sprinting. Sprinting provides a unique combination of strength, power, balance, and coordination into one single exercise, making it incredibly effective. But did

man running with a parachute

Resisted Sprinting For Speed & Acceleration Development

Hunter Bennett Over the last decade, we have seen the world of athlete development come along in leaps and bounds (both literally and figuratively). We have seen the widespread uptake of strength training, plyometrics, and movement specific exercise. They are prevalent in practically every sport on the planet. All have been used with great success

Two men on a track

Start Positions for Sprinters

Hunter Bennett Sprinting is one of the most incredible acts of human performance on the planet. While at first glance it may seem like quite a simple task (just run as fast as you can, right?), upon further analysis it quickly becomes apparent that it is so much more than that. It requires every single

man lifting barbell

5 Best Gym Exercises to Improve Acceleration

Hunter Bennett As many of you would already know, a sprint event can be broken down into four distinct phases – the start phase, the acceleration phase, the maximal velocity phase, and a phase of deceleration. Although each of these key phases holds specific importance within the realm of sprinting success, coaches and athletes alike

men racing

Top 5 Drills to Improve Your Acceleration

Hunter Bennett If you took a close look at any track-based sprint event, you can begin to break it down into four key phases – the start phase, the acceleration phase, the maximal velocity phase, and a phase of deceleration. Now, while each of these phases holds specific importance within the realm of successful track

sprinting form

How to Achieve a Near Perfect Sprinting Technique

Alyssa Bialowas The proper sprinting technique requires the combination of understanding the biomechanical variables of sprinting as well as external factors such as your running equipment (proper footwear, adequate running stopwatch for training), and environmental factors such as the temperature, air resistance, and the conditions of the ground you’re running on. With so many different

woman sprinting on a track

The Biomechanics of Sprinting

Alyssa Biawolas Understanding the biomechanics of sprint running form is essential to successful sprint performance. Biomechanical variables influencing sprinting include reaction time, technique, force production, neural factors, and muscle structure. The electrical activity produced by skeletal muscles also influences sprinting. Thomas (2017) found that maximal running speeds in sprint events are achieved by creating a

women in starting running position

Boost Your Metabolism with Sprint Intervals

Alyssa Bialowas Whether training for races or team sports, sprint interval training is used by athletes to reach peak personal fitness. Similar to high intensity interval training (HIIT) more broadly, sprint interval training boosts your metabolism for several hours after you’ve competed your workout. This contributes to weight loss and fat loss efforts in your

female sprinter

Training Factors to Improve Sprint Performance & Speed

Ryan Cross, Physiotherapist One of the most exciting events in the Summer Olympics has to be the 100 m sprint.  The winner of this race is considered the fastest on earth.  To get to this level of speed, proper training is required.  In fact, speed is an important aspect for most sports. Coaches and trainers