How to Get Faster: The Missing Link in Max Sprint Speed
Most athletes never truly train max velocity. Learn how to get faster by improving top-end sprint speed with science-backed methods.
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If a sprint race lasts less than a minute, why do so many programs dedicate months to “building work capacity”?
For decades, coaches have leaned heavily on the general preparation period (GPP) — long runs, circuits, and heavy conditioning — to build the athlete’s “engine” before ever touching maximal speed work. The idea is simple: more work capacity equals better resilience, fewer injuries, and readiness for the demands of sprinting.
But here’s the paradox: every hour spent building generic fitness is an hour not spent developing the speed qualities that actually win races. In some cases, the very “capacity” work prescribed may be teaching sprinters to move slower.
How much capacity do sprinters really need — and when does it start costing speed?
In sprint training, this maps onto GPP vs SPP:
The issue isn’t whether work capacity is good or bad — it’s whether more is always better.
The Goal of Sprint Training: Is More Always Better?
At its core, sprinting is about maximal velocity and speed endurance. The stopwatch, not the work log, decides success.
A 100m sprinter races for ~10 seconds. A 400m sprinter is done in under a minute. Contrast that with marathon training — where capacity rules.
If the race demands are so short, should sprinters devote months to work capacity? Or should they double down on the qualities that win races — explosive force, technical efficiency, and neuromuscular speed?
This is where the debate begins.
Why do so many programs still front-load capacity?
In truth, work capacity does serve a role, particularly for novices and athletes lacking a training base. But for well-trained or multi-sport athletes, the payoff is far smaller.
Here’s the problem: capacity comes at a cost.
As Verkhoshansky’s principle of dynamic correspondence reminds us: training should match the direction, speed, and force demands of the sport [Verkhoshansky & Siff, 2009].
If it doesn’t — you may be moving away from performance, not toward it.
Let’s examine by race distance:
100m Sprinters (10–11 seconds)
200m Sprinters (20–23 seconds)
400m Sprinters (45–50 seconds)
Practical Coaching Guidelines: Striking the Right Balance
How can coaches avoid overbuilding capacity?
So, what’s the goal of training? To make athletes faster — not just fitter.
For sprint coaches, the challenge is resisting the urge to “do more” when sometimes, doing less but better wins the race.
Most athletes never truly train max velocity. Learn how to get faster by improving top-end sprint speed with science-backed methods.
Learn how to get faster with proven acceleration training methods. Improve first-step quickness, horizontal force, and sprint mechanics.
The Speed Plateau Series: How to Break Through and Get Faster
You can get stronger for months and still stay the same speed. Squat up, deadlift up, vertical up, but the 40 does not move. That plateau is common in sprint based sports because sprinting is not a test of how much force you can produce. Sprinting is a test of how much force you can apply in extremely short ground contact times, in the right direction, without leaking it through mechanics or fatigue.
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