Best Exercises for Speed: 14 Drills and a 6-Week Plan
Almost every article about speed training gives you the same list of drills: ladder drills, cone drills, some jumps, a few sprints. What none of them explain is why any of it works, which leaves you copying exercises without knowing what you are actually trying to change.
Here is the thing that reframes the whole topic. Sprinting faster is not primarily about moving your legs quicker. It is about how much force you put into the ground and how little time you take to do it. Elite sprinters do not have a dramatically higher leg turnover than recreational runners. What they have is the ability to hit the ground harder in a shorter contact time.
That single fact changes what you should train. Strength and jumping matter more than most people assume. Agility ladders matter less. This guide covers what genuinely builds speed, in a form a recreational athlete can use, without pretending you need a sled and a coach.
At a glance
- Speed comes from force into the ground, not from faster leg turnover
- Strength training and plyometrics build speed more than footwork drills do
- Agility ladders improve coordination and footwork, not top speed
- Four self-tests below to measure your starting point and track progress
- Train speed when fresh, never at the end of a tiring session
- A complete 6-week plan for beginners is included
How sprinting speed actually works
Your running speed is the product of two things: how far you travel with each step, and how many steps you take per second.
| Component | What it means | How trainable is it? |
|---|---|---|
| Stride length | Distance covered per step | Highly trainable through force production |
| Stride frequency | Steps per second | Much less trainable, relatively similar across runners |
| Ground contact time | How long each foot stays down | Trainable, shorter is faster |
| Ground reaction force | How hard you push into the ground | The main driver, highly trainable |
The research that changed how coaches think about this found that faster runners do not reposition their legs meaningfully quicker than slower runners. What separates them is the force they apply to the ground during each contact. Push harder into the ground in less time and you travel further per step, which shows up as speed.
The practical consequence: if you want to get faster, the highest-value work is building the ability to produce force quickly. That means strength training, jumping and actual sprinting. It does not primarily mean moving your feet faster through a ladder.
Speed and agility are different qualities
These get bundled together constantly, but they are separate abilities that need separate training.
| Quality | Definition | Trained by |
|---|---|---|
| Linear speed | How fast you move in a straight line | Sprints, strength work, plyometrics |
| Acceleration | How quickly you reach top speed from a standstill | Short sprints, hill sprints, resisted starts |
| Agility | Changing direction in response to something | Reactive drills, cutting drills, deceleration work |
| Change of direction | Changing direction on a planned route | Cone drills, shuttle runs |
| Footwork and coordination | Foot placement and rhythm | Ladder drills, skipping |
Note the distinction between agility and change of direction. Real agility involves reacting to something unpredictable, like an opponent. Running a pre-planned cone pattern is change of direction, which is a useful but simpler skill. Most articles call everything agility.
The most overlooked quality here is deceleration. Changing direction quickly requires stopping quickly, and stopping requires eccentric strength in the quads and glutes. People who cannot decelerate well are both slower at cutting and more likely to get hurt doing it.
The warm-up is not optional here
Speed work is the one type of training where a poor warm-up genuinely risks injury. Sprinting places very high loads on the hamstrings, and cold hamstrings at near-maximum effort is how strains happen.
- Easy jog: 3 to 5 minutes
- Leg swings: 10 forwards and back, 10 side to side, each leg
- Walking lunge with a reach: 6 each leg
- A-skips: 20 metres, driving the knee up and the foot down
- High knees: 20 metres
- Butt kicks: 20 metres
- Build-up runs: 3 runs of 40 metres, at roughly 60, 75 and 90 percent effort
The build-up runs are the part people skip and the part that matters most. Going from standing to a maximum sprint without three progressively faster runs first is the single most common cause of a pulled hamstring.
Never do speed work when you are already tired. Sprinting at 80 percent because you are fatigued does not train speed, it trains conditioning, and it carries more injury risk. Speed work goes at the start of a session, after the warm-up and before anything else.
14 exercises that build speed
Grouped by what they develop, in rough order of how much they matter.
Strength: the foundation
You cannot push hard into the ground if you are not strong. This is the least glamorous category and the most important.
1. Squat
Back squats, goblet squats or split squats. Building general leg strength raises the ceiling on how much force you can produce.
- Sets and reps: 3 to 4 sets of 5 to 8
- Why it matters: stronger legs apply more force per contact
2. Romanian deadlift
The hamstrings do an enormous amount of work in sprinting, particularly in the swing phase just before the foot lands.
- Sets and reps: 3 sets of 8 to 10
- This is also the best hamstring injury prevention exercise available alongside Nordic curls
3. Bulgarian split squat
Sprinting is a single-leg activity. Training one leg at a time addresses side-to-side differences and builds the stability each landing needs.
- Sets and reps: 3 sets of 8 to 10 each leg
4. Calf raise
The calf and Achilles store and return elastic energy with every stride, and a stiff, strong lower leg returns more of it.
- Sets and reps: 3 sets of 12 to 20, with the heels dropped below a step
- Our calf workout at home guide covers the range of motion detail that makes this work
Plyometrics: producing force quickly
Strength is how much force you can produce. Plyometrics is how fast you can produce it.
5. Pogo hops
Small, fast, springy hops on the balls of your feet with nearly straight knees. Minimise ground contact time and bounce.
- Sets and reps: 3 sets of 20
- Start here. This is the entry point to all jump training and teaches stiff, fast contacts
6. Broad jump
A standing jump forward for maximum distance. Horizontal jumping transfers to sprinting better than vertical jumping does, because the force direction matches.
- Sets and reps: 4 sets of 3, resting fully between
- Quality over quantity. Every rep should be a maximum effort
7. Bounding
Exaggerated running with long, powerful strides, driving off each leg and hanging in the air.
- Distance: 4 runs of 20 to 30 metres
8. Skater jumps
Jump laterally from one foot to the other, landing softly and holding balance for a moment.
- Sets and reps: 3 sets of 8 each side
- Why it matters: this trains the sideways force production that cutting and change of direction need
9. Box jump
Jump onto a sturdy box or step, landing softly in a quarter squat. Step down, do not jump down.
- Sets and reps: 4 sets of 3 to 5
Sprinting itself
Sprinting is a skill. You have to practise the thing you are trying to improve.
10. Short acceleration sprints
Sprints of 10 to 20 metres from a standing start, focusing on a strong drive with the body leaning forward.
- Sets: 6 to 8 sprints, with 60 to 90 seconds rest
- The most specific exercise on this list
11. Flying sprints
Build up over 20 metres, then sprint at full speed for 20 metres, then decelerate gradually. This trains top speed rather than acceleration.
- Sets: 4 to 6 runs with 2 to 3 minutes rest
- Full recovery between runs is essential. A tired sprint is not a fast sprint
12. Hill sprints
Sprints of 20 to 40 metres up a moderate incline. Hills force a strong drive position, build power, and are considerably gentler on the hamstrings than flat sprinting.
- Sets: 6 to 10 sprints, walking back down as recovery
- The best starting point for beginners, because the injury risk is lower
Our sprint workouts for beginners guide covers how to introduce sprinting safely if you are new to it.
Change of direction and footwork
13. Cone drills: the 5-10-5 and the L-drill
For the 5-10-5, place three cones five yards apart. Start at the middle, sprint five yards to one side, touch the line, sprint ten yards the other way, touch, then sprint back through the middle.
- Sets: 4 to 6 runs with full recovery
- Focus on the turn, because the deceleration and re-acceleration is where the time is won or lost
14. Agility ladder drills
Forward runs, lateral shuffles and in-and-out patterns through a ladder.
- Time: 5 minutes, usually in the warm-up
- An honest note: ladder drills are popular and enjoyable, and they improve coordination and foot placement. They do not meaningfully increase top speed, because they involve short, light ground contacts rather than high force. Use them as a warm-up rather than the main session
Why agility ladders will not make you faster
This deserves to be said plainly, because ladder drills dominate speed training content and social media.
Speed comes from applying large forces into the ground. A ladder drill involves fast, light foot contacts with minimal force. The two are almost opposite qualities. Practising rapid, low-force foot placement makes you better at rapid, low-force foot placement, which is a real skill for coordination and rhythm but not a driver of sprinting speed.
That does not make ladders worthless. They warm you up well, they develop foot coordination, they are useful for beginners learning to move their feet with control, and they are fun, which matters for consistency.
Just do not substitute them for the things that actually build speed: getting stronger, jumping hard, and sprinting.
Four tests to measure your speed
None of the competing guides give you a way to measure progress. These four take 20 minutes and need a tape measure, a phone and a flat stretch of ground.
| Test | How to do it | Beginner | Decent | Strong |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standing broad jump | Jump forward from standing, measure heel to start line | Under 1.8 m | 2.0 to 2.3 m | Over 2.4 m |
| 20-metre sprint | Time a sprint from a standing start | Over 3.6 sec | 3.2 to 3.5 sec | Under 3.1 sec |
| 5-10-5 shuttle | Time the drill described above | Over 5.5 sec | 4.8 to 5.4 sec | Under 4.7 sec |
| Single-leg hop | Hop forward for distance on one leg, compare sides | Under 1.2 m | 1.3 to 1.6 m | Over 1.7 m |
These ranges are rough guides for recreational adults, not athletic standards, and they vary considerably with age, body size and training history. What matters is your own change over time, not the absolute number.
The single-leg hop has a second use. Compare your left and right. A difference of more than roughly 10 percent between sides suggests an imbalance worth addressing with single-leg work, and it is associated with a higher injury risk in sport.
Retest every six weeks, at the start of a session when you are fresh.
A 6-week speed plan for beginners
Two sessions a week, ideally with two or three days between them. Every session starts with the warm-up above.
| Week | Session A | Session B |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Pogo hops 3×20, hill sprints 6×20 m, squats 3×8, RDL 3×10 | Ladder 5 min, broad jumps 4×3, split squats 3×8, calf raises 3×15 |
| Week 2 | Pogo hops 3×25, hill sprints 8×20 m, squats 3×8, RDL 3×10 | Skater jumps 3×8, 5-10-5 x4, split squats 3×10, calf raises 3×20 |
| Week 3 | Broad jumps 4×3, flat sprints 6×15 m, squats 4×6, RDL 3×10 | Bounding 4×20 m, cone L-drill x4, split squats 3×10, calf raises 3×20 |
| Week 4 | Box jumps 4×4, flat sprints 6×20 m, squats 4×6, RDL 3×8 heavier | Skater jumps 3×10, 5-10-5 x6, single-leg RDL 3×8, calf raises 4×15 |
| Week 5 | Broad jumps 4×3, flying sprints 4×20 m, squats 4×5, RDL 3×8 | Bounding 4×30 m, cone drills x6, split squats 3×8 weighted |
| Week 6 | Test week: retest all four tests, then a light session | Flying sprints 4×20 m, box jumps 3×4, squats 3×5 |
Three rules that make this work:
- Sprint and jump when fresh, always before the strength work, never after
- Take full rest between sprints and jumps. If you are still breathing hard, you are not recovered. Two to three minutes for maximal sprints
- Stop the session if your speed drops noticeably. Slow reps train the wrong quality
Seven mistakes that hold back speed
- Treating speed work as conditioning. Sprints with 30 seconds rest train your energy systems, not your speed. Rest fully
- Spending all your time on ladders while never getting stronger or sprinting
- Skipping the build-up runs in the warm-up, which is the leading cause of hamstring strains
- Doing speed work at the end of a session when you are already tired
- Neglecting deceleration. Stopping quickly is half of changing direction and almost nobody trains it
- Too much volume. Speed work is high quality and low quantity. Six good sprints beats twenty mediocre ones
- Ignoring hamstring strength. The hamstrings are the most commonly injured muscle in sprinting, and Romanian deadlifts and Nordic curls are the best protection
Staying injury free
Sprinting has a genuine injury risk, higher than most training in this site’s usual range, and being upfront about that is more useful than pretending otherwise.
- Build up gradually. Start with hill sprints at 80 percent effort for two to three weeks before flat-out flat sprinting
- Warm up thoroughly, including the build-up runs
- Strengthen your hamstrings year round, not just when preparing for something
- Respect the surface. Grass and track are kinder than concrete, and avoid uneven ground
- Stop at the first twinge. A mild hamstring sensation that you run through usually becomes a proper strain
- Do not sprint through fatigue, illness or poor sleep
If you are over 40, returning after a long break, or carrying extra weight, spend four to six weeks on strength work and hill sprints before doing any maximal flat sprinting. The strength base is what makes the fast work safe.
Is this worth training if you are not an athlete?
A fair question, and the answer is yes for reasons that have little to do with sport.
- Power declines faster than strength with age, and explosive work slows that decline
- The ability to accelerate, decelerate and change direction is what stops a stumble becoming a fall
- Jumping and sprinting load bone more than steady cardio does
- It is time efficient. A speed session is 25 to 30 minutes including the warm-up
- It is a genuinely different stimulus from the steady work most people do, and that variety helps
You do not need to be training for anything. Being able to sprint for a bus without pulling something is a reasonable fitness goal on its own.
The bottom line
Speed is built by pushing hard into the ground, not by moving your feet faster. So the training that matters is the training that increases force and how quickly you produce it: get stronger through squats and Romanian deadlifts, jump hard with broad jumps and pogo hops, and sprint properly with full recovery between efforts.
Use ladders and cone drills for coordination, footwork and warm-ups, not as your main session. Train speed at the start of a session when you are fresh, take much longer rests than feel necessary, and warm up with build-up runs every single time.
Then test yourself with the four measures above, retest in six weeks, and let the numbers rather than the drills tell you whether it is working.
To build the explosive power behind speed, see our plyometric workout for beginners.
Speed starts with efficient movement. My guide to running form covers posture, arm swing, cadence and six simple drills.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best exercises for speed?
Squats, Romanian deadlifts, broad jumps, pogo hops, hill sprints and short acceleration sprints. Strength and plyometric work matter most, because sprinting speed comes from the force you apply into the ground rather than from how quickly you move your legs. Actual sprinting practice is essential alongside them.
Do agility ladders make you faster?
Not meaningfully. Ladder drills involve fast, light foot contacts, while sprinting speed depends on producing large forces during each ground contact. Ladders genuinely improve coordination, footwork and rhythm, and they work well in a warm-up, but they should not replace strength work, jumping and sprinting.
How long does it take to get faster?
Beginners often see measurable improvement in four to six weeks, mostly from better technique and improved force production. A clear change in sprint times generally takes eight to twelve weeks of consistent training. Retesting every six weeks gives you an honest picture without measuring noise.
How often should you train speed?
Two sessions a week for most people, with two or three days between them. Speed work is high intensity and low volume, so it needs full recovery to stay effective. A third session adds little and raises injury risk, particularly for hamstrings.
Should I train speed before or after strength training?
Before, always. Sprinting and jumping require maximum force output, which drops sharply once you are fatigued. Perform your warm-up, then your sprints and jumps, then your strength work. Doing speed work at the end of a session trains conditioning rather than speed and carries a higher injury risk.
Does lifting weights make you faster?
Yes, provided you also sprint. Stronger legs apply more force to the ground, which is the main determinant of sprinting speed. Squats, Romanian deadlifts and single-leg work all raise your force ceiling, but strength alone does not transfer fully without sprint practice to apply it.
How do I avoid pulling a hamstring when sprinting?
Warm up thoroughly, including three progressively faster build-up runs before any maximum effort. Strengthen your hamstrings year round with Romanian deadlifts and Nordic curls. Start with hill sprints, which are gentler, for several weeks before flat sprinting, and stop immediately at any twinge rather than running through it.
What is the difference between speed and agility?
Speed is how fast you move in a straight line, built through strength, plyometrics and sprinting. Agility is changing direction in response to something unpredictable, which requires deceleration strength and reaction. Running a pre-planned cone pattern is change of direction rather than true agility, though both are useful to train.
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