⚡️SSL #013 The Science of Increasing Top Speed

top speed Oct 30, 2022

In today’s issue of the Saturday Sprint Letter, I’m going to discuss increasing top speed.

It is a grind to improve top speed so hopefully, this can point you in the right direction.

Specifically, I’m going to talk about:

Contact Angular Velocity
Research On Elite Level Top Speed
Sprinters Versus Non-Sprinters
Magnitude + Time

Let’s dive in.

#1 Contact Angular Velocity

According to science, contact angular velocity in relation to sprinting is how fast the leg travels down into the ground during the foot strike.

As I understand it, this is essentially the speed of your hip extension.

For example, the faster Usain Bolt extends his hips to strike the ground, the more vertical force he can put into the ground in a shorter time.

In theory, a faster angular velocity shortens ground contact time and increases stride length, allowing you to run faster.

#2 Research On Elite Level Top Speed

The SMU lab has a lot of research on elite-level speed, let’s take a look at how some athletes compare.

• 5x NCAA champ Porsha Lucas applies about 600lb of force into the ground while running at 10.3 m/s (23.0 mph)

• World Champion Hurdler David Oliver applies 800lb of force into the ground at 23 mph.

• Olympic Marathon Runner Jared Ward at 5.70 m/s (12.8 mph) applies just under 500lb of force.

First, you might notice that two of these athletes, Porsha Lucas and David Oliver apply different amounts of force despite running at the same top speed.

Porsha Lucas is a female athlete while David Oliver is a male athlete with much more muscle mass.

The lesson here is how big of a role your own body weight plays in achieving top speed.

The more an athlete weighs, the more force they need to apply.

Second, you might notice that although Olympic marathon runner Jared Ward runs at nearly half the speed of the sprinters, yet he isn’t applying half as much force.

The following key point explains why.

#3 Magnititude + Time

Weyand’s work has already shown us that to improve max velocity athletes must apply more force into the ground.

But there’s a piece of that research that doesn’t seem to be discussed enough.

It’s not just about the total amount (magnitude) of vertical force but also how fast (time) this vertical force can be applied to the ground.

That's why an Olympic marathon runner can apply lots of force into the ground yet still not run anywhere as fast as an Olympic sprinter.

How fast they apply this force makes a big difference.

That’s why when I design programs for athletes we generally focus on strength (magnitude) during the offseason.

Then as they get closer to competing we focus on transferring that strength into speed (time) through higher-velocity movements.

It’s also why both heavy lifting + high velocity lifting each has their role in developing speed.

For example, a heavy squat can help you develop vertical forces (magnitude).

Then Olympic lifts can help you develop the ability to apply vertical forces quickly (time).

#4 Sprinters Versus Non-Sprinters

Further research from the SMU lab shows that there is little difference in the way competitive sprinters and team sport athletes apply vertical force during the second half of ground contact.

However, in comparison to team sport athletes, competitive sprinters applied higher amounts of force application during the first portion of ground contact.

As a result, competitive sprinters are able to run much faster.

In order to achieve this the sprinter must have a very fast angular velocity in order to apply high amounts of force in a relatively short amount of time.

We can improve our contact angular velocity is through exercises that require repetitive violent hip extension.

Some examples are:

hang snatch pull
sprint bounds
straight leg bounds
single leg hops

TL;DR

Contact angular velocity in relation to sprinting is how fast the leg travels down into the ground during the foot strike.
For example, the faster Usain Bolt extends his hips to strike the ground, the more vertical force he can put into the ground in a shorter amount of time
Bodyweight plays a big of role in achieving top speed
It’s not just about the total amount (magnitude) of vertical force but also how fast (time) this vertical force can be applied to the ground
Heavy lifting + high-velocity lifting each have their role in developing speed
We can improve our contact angular velocity is through exercises that require repetitive violent hip extension
Examples are hang snatch pull, sprint bounds, straight leg bounds, & single leg hops.

Stay Fast,

Cesar

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