Acceleration Sprint

An acceleration sprint is a short, powerful run from a standstill that teaches your body to pick up speed. It trains the muscles on the back and front of your legs and hips - glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves, hip flexors, and core - to push forcefully into the ground while keeping your torso steady.

Set up on a flat track or open surface. Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart and one foot slightly ahead of the other, as if you are about to take your first running step. Hinge forward at the hips and lean your whole body down toward the ground so your shoulders are in front of your toes. Let your arms hang relaxed, ready to swing hard from the shoulders.

Start by driving your lead knee up while your back leg pushes straight back into the ground like a piston. Keep your shin angles low and your steps short and powerful, as if you are running up a slight hill. Your body should rise gradually from a deep forward lean toward a taller, upright posture as you pick up speed. Pump your arms forward and back, not side to side, for the whole run. Slow down gently into a walk when you finish.

Breathe naturally and brace your core as if someone is about to poke your stomach; stay tight without holding your breath. To make it easier, start from a slow jog and build speed over a short distance instead of starting from a standstill. To make it harder, start from a lower position, such as a falling start or a push-up position on the ground, so you have to fight harder to create that forward lean and drive. Do a thorough dynamic warm-up before maximal sprinting, and only sprint when you are fresh - stop the session if your form breaks down. Rest roughly one minute for every 10 meters sprinted.

Fault: Popping straight up on the first step. Fix: Stay low and keep your shoulders forward over your toes so your body rises gradually as you accelerate.

Fault: Reaching the foot out in front and landing on a high shin. Fix: Keep the shin low and push the ground back behind you; think about driving out, not up.

Fault: Letting the elbows flare out or crossing the arms over the chest. Fix: Swing the arms forward and back from the shoulders with the elbows bent; this keeps the legs moving straight.

Fault: Running another rep before you are ready and letting form fall apart. Fix: Take full rest between sprints - about one minute for every 10 meters sprinted - and end the session the moment your posture, lean, or leg drive changes for the worse.