At Barbell Coalition, we specialize in building Cedar Park & Leander high school athletes into faster, more explosive versions of themselves. Whether your athlete competes in football, soccer, swimming, or any other sport that requires speed and agility, our strength and conditioning programs are designed to deliver results. Here are the strategies we use to make high school athletes faster:
1. Strength Training for Power Output
Speed isn’t just about running fast—it's about generating more power. To increase an athlete’s speed, we focus on building strength, particularly in the lower body. Exercises like squats, deadlifts, and lunges create a strong foundation, while Olympic lifts like cleans and snatches teach athletes how to move heavy weight quickly. This balance of strength and speed improves an athlete’s explosiveness off the line or out of the blocks.
2. Plyometrics and Jump Training
Plyometric exercises such as box jumps, broad jumps, and depth jumps are essential in developing explosive power. These exercises condition the fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are responsible for quick, powerful movements. By incorporating plyometrics into our training, we train athletes to apply more force in less time, which directly translates to faster sprints and quicker changes in direction.
3. Acceleration and Deceleration Drills
Being fast isn’t just about sprinting straight ahead—it’s also about how quickly you can accelerate and stop. We work with our athletes on short burst acceleration drills like resisted sprints, hill sprints, and sled pushes to improve their initial burst of speed. At the same time, deceleration drills help athletes maintain control when coming to a stop, a crucial component of agility and injury prevention.
4. Core Training for Athlete Speed
A strong core is the engine of an athlete’s body. To run faster, the entire kinetic chain—from the feet to the torso—needs to be stable and strong. We focus on exercises like planks, rotational medicine ball throws, and anti-rotation movements to improve core stability. This enables athletes to generate more power from the hips while maintaining proper running form.
5. Mobility and Flexibility Work
Speed isn’t just about power—it’s about efficiency of movement. We include mobility work in every training session to ensure our athletes move fluidly. Improving hip, ankle, and shoulder mobility allows for a longer stride and better form, both of which contribute to faster times. Dynamic stretching, foam rolling, and targeted mobility exercises are key parts of our program.
6. Consistency and Progressive Overload
No athlete gets faster overnight. At Barbell Coalition, we believe in the power of consistent, progressive training. We design programs that gradually increase in difficulty, ensuring that athletes are continually challenged and improving. Whether it's increasing the weight on their squats or shaving seconds off their sprints, our approach ensures sustainable progress over time.
At Barbell Coalition, located right here in Cedar Park, TX, our speed training strategies are designed to take high school athletes to the next level. We combine strength, power, agility, and technique to create well-rounded athletes who are not just faster but more efficient and explosive on the field or in the pool.
Interested in our training? Click HERE to schedule your free athlete assessment.
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