📖 Part 9 of 18
🧠 Introduction
In the last article, we discovered something important.
Many speed-training methods look very different on the surface.
Squats.
Deadlifts.
Cleans.
Hill sprints.
Sled running.
Parachute running.
Box jumps.
Bounds.
Resisted running.
At first glance, those exercises seem very different.
Different coaches.
Different programs.
Different equipment.
Different training styles.
Yet when we looked more closely, a pattern started to appear.
Again and again, many of them kept returning to:
👉 glutes
👉 hamstrings
👉 quads
👉 calves
💥 Different packaging. Same ingredients.
🤔 Think About Your Own Training
Take a moment and think about the last year.
Maybe you’ve spent time doing:
👉 squats
👉 deadlifts
👉 cleans
👉 lunges
👉 hill sprints
👉 sled running
👉 parachute running
👉 plyometrics
👉 resisted running
See the pattern?
Even though those exercises may look different, many of them still return to the same general area:
👉 glutes
👉 hamstrings
👉 quads
👉 calves
Now ask yourself a different question.
How much of your training was specifically focused on:
👉 hip flexors
👉 arms
👉 torso
?
For many athletes, the answer becomes obvious very quickly.
Glutes, hams, quads and calves received attention.
Lots of it.
The other contributors?
Not nearly as much.
👀 The Difference Is Often Bigger Than Athletes Realize
Most athletes don’t intentionally ignore the rest of the sprint system.
They simply follow the training they are shown.
And much of that training continues returning to:
👉 glutes
👉 hamstrings
👉 quads
👉 calves
Again.
And again.
And again.
So over time, something interesting happens.
Glutes, hams, quads and calves may receive hundreds of hours of development.
Meanwhile:
👉 hip flexors receive very little
👉 arms receive very little
👉 torso receives very little
Not because those contributors don’t matter.
But because they are rarely given the same level of attention.
🤔 Have The Other Contributors Received The Same Attention?
A lot of athletes hear:
👉 hip flexors
👉 arms
👉 torso
and immediately think:
I train those.
Maybe.
But let’s look a little closer.
Think about:
👉 last month
👉 last six months
👉 last year
How much time have you spent specifically trying to improve:
👉 hip flexors
👉 arm contribution
👉 torso contribution
to sprinting?
Not just exercises that happen to involve those areas.
Exercises specifically intended to improve their contribution during sprinting.
Now compare that to the time you’ve spent specifically trying to improve:
👉 glutes
👉 hamstrings
👉 quads
👉 calves
For many athletes, the difference isn’t small.
💥 It’s enormous.
Glutes, hams, quads and calves often receive:
👉 more attention
👉 more exercises
👉 more coaching
👉 more instruction
👉 more training volume
👉 more focus
Meanwhile, many of the other contributors receive very little dedicated attention at all.
🤔 Why Did This Happen?
Most athletes don’t intentionally decide:
I’m going to ignore part of the sprint system.
Instead, they are often taught that some contributors matter more than others.
Over time they hear things like:
👉 power comes from the legs
👉 sprinting is all about pushing harder
👉 the arms just help
👉 the torso stabilizes
👉 the hip flexors simply bring the leg through
Then they hear similar ideas from:
👉 coaches
👉 teammates
👉 articles
👉 videos
👉 social media
👉 experts
👉 training programs
And after hearing the same message enough times, a belief begins to form.
💥 Some contributors create speed.
Other contributors simply support it.
And if that’s what an athlete believes…
where do you think most of their training attention goes?
Back to glutes, hams, quads and calves .
Again.
And again.
And again.
💥 A Different Way To Look At The Sprint System
A few articles ago, many athletes viewed sprinting almost entirely through glutes, hams, quads and calves
Now we know the sprint system includes more than that.
We know:
👉 hip flexors contribute
👉 arms contribute
👉 torso contributes
And we know those contributors participate during every stride.
Which creates a realization many athletes have never considered before.
💥 Some contributors may be receiving far more development than others.
And if that’s true…
that may become important later.
🧭 Continue The Journey
We’ve now identified something many athletes never stop to consider.
Some contributors may be receiving significantly more development than others.
💥 What happens when that occurs?
That’s where we’re headed next.
📖 Next Up: Part 10 of 18
➡️ Can Stronger Glutes, Hams, Quads and Calves Keep Improving Running Speed?
