I am not a runner, I have never been able to actually run effectively. 30F 145lbs.
I am trying for something at work where I need to run 400m in 90 seconds but I only have 3 weeks to prepare.
Please help 😭
Many people say it’s in a sprinter early 30’s they start to decline but I seen several sprinters have the best PR in their early 30’s. Is that a rare feat having have high speed mph in early their 30’s ?
Hey everyone,
I’m 24 years old, 190 cm tall, and currently around 78–79 kg.
My number-one priority is becoming as fast as possible in the 100m and 200m. At the same time, I want to build a powerful, muscular, athletic physique, similar to elite sprinters or NFL skill-position players. Sprint performance always comes first.
I’ve been sprinting and lifting independently for years, but I’m starting to question whether my strength training volume is interfering with my sprint development.
My current weekly program:
Monday – Acceleration + Lower Body 1
Hill sprints (30m) → flat accelerations (40–60m), 4–6 reps each, paired as a sprint contrast
Back squat 4×3–5 → box/hurdle jumps 3×3
Romanian deadlift 3×5–6 → broad jumps 3×3
Explosive hip thrust 3×5
Isometrics + core
Tuesday – Upper Body 1
Bench press 4×4–6
Weighted pull-ups 4×6–8
Barbell rows 4×5–8
Overhead press 3×5–6
Weighted dips 3×8–10
Arm/shoulder accessories
Wednesday – Maximum Velocity + Lower Body 2
Flying 20–30m sprints + 60m runs at ~95%
Hang power clean 4–5×3 → explosive jumps
Bulgarian split squat 3×5 → single-leg hops
Single-leg hip thrust
Isometrics + core
Thursday – Rest
Friday – Upper Body 2
Explosive pull-ups
Push press 5×3
Incline bench 4×8–10
Rows, dips, arms and shoulders
Saturday – Speed Endurance + Lower Body 3
80–120m sprint repetitions
Front squat 3–4×5–6
Trap bar deadlift 3–4×3–5 → broad jumps
Single-leg squat
Core/accessories
Sunday – Rest
The arrows (→) indicate paired contrast exercises, with rest between movements rather than performing everything continuously.
My biggest problem is recovery.
Although my program is designed around three sprint sessions per week, I often only manage one, or two if I’m lucky, because my legs take so long to recover from the combined sprinting and strength sessions.
I enjoy contrast training and feel that I respond well to it, but my lower-body sessions can become extremely demanding. Sometimes I’m still dealing with fatigue or soreness when my next sprint session comes around.
In 2024, I was around 81 kg and felt faster and more explosive than I do now, despite being stronger in the gym today. Back then, I sprinted three times per week, often performing 7–10 × 80–100m at high effort after lifting. Looking back, I realize that probably wasn’t the most effective way to manage sprint intensity and fatigue.
I’ve also experienced hamstring injuries, which makes recovery management particularly important.
I don’t have an official electronically timed 100m result yet, but I’m planning to start training with an athletics club.
I’d really appreciate feedback on:
Is three lower-body gym sessions excessive alongside three sprint sessions?
Which exercises and contrast pairs would you keep, remove, or reduce?
How would you structure acceleration, maximum velocity, and speed endurance throughout the week?
How would you adjust my program so I can consistently sprint three times per week?
Can I continue gaining muscle and strength without compromising sprint performance?
I’m willing to train hard, but I want my effort to translate into faster sprint times, not just better gym numbers.
Sprinting is my absolute priority. I want my strength training to support my sprint development, not prevent me from doing what I enjoy most.
Thanks in advance for any honest feedback!
Im thinking I’m not getting enough knee height esp at top speed. Top speed is awful too i know
I play a team sport twice a week and I can usually add one hill or acceleration session on a free day. The hills feel useful for early acceleration, but I am not sure whether that alone keeps real top speed from disappearing over a long season.
If you have kept sprinting sharp while also doing football, rugby, or similar: was one quality speed day enough, or did you still need a short flat top speed session somehow? How short can that top speed piece be and still count, and what do you drop first when the legs are tired from matches?
I gained 10-12lb in a week it has def slowed me down
Wearing the adizero ambitions
Hi, I want to know if there is anything to improve about my form and technique and how to increase my distance in general. I don't sprint, I mainly care about the jump, but I saw posts regarding broad jump so I decided to ask here. I usually go to the gym to do pull-ups and dips, although I want to practice the jump as sort of a side quest, because we recently had tests in PE at school and I jumped around 2.50–2.60 m. I am 1.78 m tall for context.
I bought a pair of Maxfly 2s from an authorized retailer and used them for the first time three days ago, but they ended up like this after just one session. I asked the store for an exchange, but they told me it was just a variation between individual units and not a problem at all; apparently, two staff members tried them on and found nothing wrong. Is this normal for the Maxfly 2? It was my first time using them, so I really don't know. I did check them before use, and they didn't make that kind of noise or get dented like that back then. I compared them to the other shoe, and the other one didn't end up like this. I even asked a friend, and they said it’s definitely punctured—could I be mistaken?
I do two times football in the week, tuesday and friday, I usually run the hills on saturday. The hill work is early acceleration. Is that enough? OR should I add one more training like top speed
16m, just decided to share my offseason block starts. Please critique my start if possible. Thanks
The work out I did today was 4x150 at 90% then to finish it off I ran a 120 at race pace. I ran the first 3 in my trainers then I ran the last 2 reps in my spikes.
Pay attention to the position of the legs (focus on the knees) during the first and fourth step.
You can see how reaching in the first 3 steps causes a disastrous fourth step, causing me to slow down 0.07 seconds in just the first 10 meters.
I see everybody talking about not spiking up in the summer, but what about for someone relatively new and why can’t they just use sprinting flats for 30m flys or other max velocity sessions to still get faster? While I know they don’t let you hit your true top speed, you still have the max Intent to get faster and shoes built for it allow you to get close to your max times.