Speed and Conditioning Concepts

Jeff Friday, Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach

Cincinnati Bengals Football Club
Contact: www.coachfriday.com (free bulletin)

SPEED
 High intensity runs are essentially the training component that results in speed improvement.
 High intensity runs are performed at 95% of maximum or over (that's objective performance, not
perceived effort)
What is 95%?
100 yd. best = 12 seconds
95% intensity= (12 x 100)/95=12.6 seconds
 In order to maintain the necessary intensity levels, there must be complete recovery between runs. At
least 3-5 min for 30m sprints. It's not the muscles that need to recover, it's the nervous system, which
takes about 7 times longer to recover
 There is a drastic change in biomechanics between a runner performing at 96% and 91%
 Because the biomechanics are so different depending on velocity, an athlete can only properly train for
competitions by simulating high speed runs in training.
 At a greater velocity for example, a sprinter will feature greater leg extension, hips raised higher, and
much briefer ground contact
 High intensity runs make a significant percentage of a sprinters training, approximately 35% of speed
training.

The Sport of Football

 The ability to endure repeated high power accelerations
“We are now using methodology that the fastest runners in the world use.”

ACCELERATION/SPEED
 Concentrate the acceleration work on distances up to 30m as the most intense acceleration takes place
within this distance
 Start speed over short distances, which reduces stresses by keeping the speed down and limiting the
range of motion required for the strides.
 “You must train power before capacity – you must recruit the proper fibers before you can increase their
capacity”

Contrast Progression Option #2

Week: 1 Week: 1
3 x 3 x 10 yds. Chain Drag x 2, Contrast x 1 (2 x 5) x 10 yds.
Week: 2 Week: 2
3 x 3 x 15 yds. Chain Drag x 2, Contrast x 1 (2 x 5) x 15 yds.
Week: 3 Week: 3
3 x 3 x 20 yds. Chain Drag x 2, Contrast x 1 (2 x 5) x 20 yds.
Week: 4 Week: 4
3 x 3 x 25 yds. Chain Drag x 2, Contrast x 1 (2 x 5) x 25 yds.
Week: 5 Week: 5
3 x 3 x 30 yds. Chain Drag x 2, Contrast x 1 (3 x 5) x 30 yds.
Week: 6 Week: 6
4 x 3 x 30 yds. Chain Drag x 2, Contrast x 1 (3 x 5) x 35 yds.
Week: 7 – (3 x 5) x 40 yds.
SPECIFIC ENDURANCE
 Anaerobic work to develop endurance at intensities specific to the performance intensity of the
event
WORK INTERVAL
NFL - 5.05 SECONDS
COLLEGE - 5.49 SECONDS
HIGH SCHOOL - 5.6 SECONDS
REST INTERVAL
NFL - 38.46 SECONDS
COLLEGE - 32.67 SECONDS
HIGH SCHOOL - 30.8 SECONDS

Combination
– Speed: the ability to apply high speed of movement to a body or body part.
– Endurance: the ability to apply force for long time periods.

LINEAR – 10 Play Drive

RUN 20: GL to 20
RUN 25: 35 to +40
RUN 30: +30 to GL
RUN 40: GL to 40
RUN 20: 50 to 30
RUN 15: 15 to GL
RUN 30: GL to 30
RUN 25: 45 to +30
RUN 15: 15 to GL
RUN 25: GL to 25
RUN 25: 35 to +40
RUN 30: 30 to GL.

TEMPO/RECOVERY
 Tempo days are strictly recovery days
WHY?
 Speed enhancement through the motor neurons taking on characteristics of muscle fibers used
for speed and power.
 Increased capillary density slows blood flow through tissue allowing more time for nutrient
transfer and waste removal.
  Tempo days are runs at 75% of best time or slower
 Degree of effort vs. % of one’s best effort
100 yd. best = 12 seconds
75% intensity= (12 x 100)/75=16 seconds
 Tempo (low intensity) runs often make up approximately 65% of a sprinters speed work in
training.

WORKOUT
8-12 x 100 yds. (easy, this means fast jog); do 10-20 sit ups between each run and use the runs as
the recovery between the sit-ups

GROUND BASED STRENGTH

1. Farmers Carry –
3 x 30 yds. (3 players)
• OL/DL/TE: +105#
• RB/WR: +85#
• Skills: +65#
2. Sled Drag –
3 x 20 yds. (3 players)
• OL/DL/TE: +115#
• RB/LB/QB/SPEC: +90#
• DB/WR: +100#
3. Sled March –
3 x 15 yds. (3 players)
• OL/DL/TE: 4 x 45#
• RB/WR: 3 x 45#
• Skills: 2 x 45#

“MEDIUM INTENSITY”
 Any run performed between 76% and 94% of the athlete's best time is termed, "medium intensity"
 Most coaches "speed" workouts take place in the no man's land intensity zone between 75% and 95%.
 “Medium intensity“ runs may tax the central nervous system, not necessarily to a great degree, but
enough to require more than a 24 hour recovery time
 The muscular composition suffers because the athlete is engaged in a substantial volume of medium-
intensity work, some white (used for speed and power) will be translated into red (used for endurance).
 They will never be specific to a training objective simply because a sprinter will never win a race at 85 or
90% of their best time; nor will a defensive lineman be able to get off the line quickly enough to reach
the quarterback using 80% of his power
 The effect of Medium intensity runs is almost exclusively detrimental and should be eliminated from any
athletes training regimen

SAMPLE WEEKLY MODEL 2 SAMPLE WEEKLY MODEL 3

Monday: Acceleration/Speed
Tuesday: Tempo
Wednesday: Specific Endurance
Thursday: Tempo
Friday: Acceleration/Speed
Monday: Acceleration/Speed
Tuesday: Specific Endurance
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Acceleration/Speed
Friday: Specific Endurance
Saturday: Off
Sunday: Off