One of the most significant adaptations to speed work is an increased fascicle length of muscle fibers. There are some specific adaptations to sprinting vs. Getting a huge squat and deadlift will most definitely help an athlete run a killer 20-30m time, but it is at the 20-30m point where their massive strength may start to work against them in a longer race or sprint.

Many strength coaches will throw out the “more force into the ground is better” analogy when looking at getting kids faster, but that mentality (getting a stronger squat/deadlift etc.) will only work up to a certain point in the acceleration to top speed spectrum of things. There are several unique physiological adaptations to speed work vs. Maximal sprinting speed represents the far end of the speed/power continuum in the athletic spectrum. The above picture also happens to be the best “in-race” picture I could find not featuring a recent doping violator. Top-end sprint speed is a very specific quality that will fade fast if you fail to train it. Although I have done a reasonable job of maintaining my vertical over the years, if there is one thing that crash-bombs when I stop working on it directly, it is breakaway sprint speed. Even without a lot of specific practice, by maintaining strength, I have also noticed a nice maintenance in many of my explosive qualities, such as vertical jump. Heck, I work in a weight room, so it is also the most available way to train.

As I approach 30 years old, I find it easy to maintain or improve my maximal strength levels in the weight room.

Breakaway speed