In the first part of this series I spoke about the 3 main problems that I athletes have that prevent them from being fast and explosive.
Now we know the problems its time to figure out some ways to fix them right! So let’s have a look at some solutions to the 3 common problems we spoke about before
How to Improve the Foot Strike
One simple thing you can do to improve this is to simply take your shoes off. Yes, spend more time barefoot. Why? If you have been running, walking and training in very well supported and cushioned shoes then you may have developed a rear foot dominant posture. Taking your shoes off will force you to improve your strike. Don’t believe me… then try it for yourself! Take your shoes off and try going for a short run or jogging. You’ll probably find the ONLY way you can do it is to land more on your mid to fore foot
While I do not recommend running barefoot on concrete regularly I do see the value in doing more without your shoes on. I like to strength train without shoes on and if I am doing any kettlebell swings I have to be barefoot as you really need to feel the ground to effectively swing a kettlebell. For more on barefoot training why you should be doing it please check this - Barefoot Training
If you want the feel and benefits of training barefoot in the gym but you are not allowed to train barefoot, then you want to get yourself a pair of minimalist shoes. My favourite minimalist shoe is the New Balance Minimus but I also like the Nike Free.
How to Improve Mobility and Activation
Improve Hip and Ankle Mobility:
Mobilizing and stretching the quads, hip flexors and ankles is our goal with the following exercises, as we want to be able to get a better hip drive and more efficient at executing triple extension.
Improve Glute Activation:
As part of my warm up I always include some glute activation with drills like the Cook Hip Lift, mini band lateral walks and linear in and outs with the mini band. Try these exercises before your next workout or run and you will notice that you will be in a much stronger position because your glutes want to fire more to fully extend your hips.
Improve Psoas Activation:
This will help you get a better knee lift
How to get Stronger and More Powerful:
The simple answer is resistance training. That means including of squatting, dead lifting and lunging patterns into your program. These cover both hip and knee dominant movements. You also need to incorporate some plyometrics into your program. Once you have developed this extra power you then need to apply it into progressive sport-specific movements.
Knowing what to do is often the easy part. It’s programming this stuff and knowing how and when to do it which will make the biggest difference to your gains in speed and agility.
Fortunately, all the intricacies in terms of exercise selection, progressions and program design are taken care of in The Truth About Quickness Program.
Remember not everyone is fast, agile and powerful. There is a reason for this. It takes a COMMITTMENT. It’s hard work! It really is. The question now is how badly do you want it?
