If you run the 100m for the first time, you will do everything that you can to make yourself run faster. There are people that are born with the natural ability to run fast. While others need to develop it.
If you are a beginner in the 100m and you want to improve your speed, you can follow the tips provided in this post.
Something that you should keep in mind if you want to develop speed is the following.
- Increasing your power will increase your speed.
- Improving your stride length will improve your overall speed.
- Improving your leg turnover will improve your overall speed.
- Improving your speed endurance will improve your overall speed.
The tips that are provided below offer fairly quick solutions so you can run faster over the 100m.
Improve the strength of your core/abdominals.
This is the first thing that you need to do as every exercise and drill that you do will rely on your core strength. The best way to start is by doing squats, leg raises and knee raises. You can do squats with light weights and then gradually increase the weight over time.
Improve the strength of your hip flexors with leg extensions.
This is critical since your hip flexors tire easily when you are running. Use the leg extension machine to improve the strength in your quadriceps. You only need to do a moderate weight for 15 reps. This will give you the strength to conduct the other hip flexor exercises.
Single leg raise.
You can do this hanging or lying on the floor. Raise your leg in a straight motion to 90 degrees and then bring it back to the ground. Do this for 15-30 repetitions.
Double leg raise
You can do this lying down or hanging. (Hanging preferably). Raise your legs to 90 degrees and then take them down whilst keeping the tension on the muscle. Repeat for 15 repetitions for 3 sets.
Improve your speed endurance.
One of the key things in the 100m is that the body automatically starts to slow down and decelerate during the race. The key is to hold your top speed for as long as possible. Usain Bolt is very good with holding and maintaining his top speed.
For the 100m, you need to train your body to hold the top speed for as long as possible. This means you will need to do speed-endurance repetitions at 120m, 150m and 200m. You can even extend some sessions to 300m or 400m.
Let’s say that you run the 100m in 14s. You can do a session of 200m sprints in 32s intervals. Your goal is to hold the speed during that distance.
You can do it with a walk-back recovery, however it would be in your best interest to do so with a 30-60s interval split. Then start the next repetition.
You can do 3-5 repetitions for 3 sets.
When you do future competitions, you should notice that your ability to hold your form for longer, which will result in you running a faster time.
Improve your explosiveness.
You can improve this by doing plyometric exercises. This will improve the elasticity and power execution in your muscles. The more elastic you are, the quicker the reaction time you will have off the ground. The more power you can execute, the faster you will run.
You can start by doing some of the following explosive exercises.
Skipping
This is a simple one. Simply purchase a speed skipping rope and do at least 100 skips at least twice a week. You can buy a speed skipping rope on Amazon.
Single leg bounds
This is like a power run, where you power (bound) off one leg. Do this for at 8 repetitions for 3 sets.
You can also watch the video below.
Single leg hops
Hop for power and distance on one leg. Do this for at 8 repetitions for 3 sets.
You can see an example in the video below.
Double leg jumps
Also known as frog jumps, they help to develop the explosive power in your quadriceps and glutes. It does take a big toll on the body, so don’t do these exercises before a competition.
You can also see an example in the video below.
Double leg hurdle jumps
Have at least 4 hurdles in front of you and jump over them with two feet. When you jump over the next one, the goal is to react quickly off the ground. Start with a small height and then increase the height over time as you start to develop your explosiveness.
You can see a demonstration in the video below.
You can also buy some plyometrics books to learn more advanced explosive drills.
Keep your toes up.
Another error beginners make when they start running is they run with their toes pointing down. This makes it difficult to run. Keep them up. This will help your knee drive, stride length and leg speed turnover.
Give these a try. Share your current 100m time in the comments and then come back and share an update with your improved 100m time. Tell us what you did to improve your time.
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