Getting Faster. Is More Strength Always the Answer?
Sprinting is a fundamental component of most sports. If you’re faster than your opponent, you typically have a competitive edge. Sprint performance is a representation of strength and power; however, it also involves a range of other variables including rate of force development and the technical components of sprint mechanics.
A recent study by Nicolas, et al. titled “Strength and Power Thresholds to Identify High and Low Linear Sprint Speed Performers in Collegiate American Football Players” (2024) was published in the latest issue of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.(1) The authors explore a variety of tests of power and strength to predict sprint performance. The study is unique in its grouping of the athletes by body mass. In football, a lineman is going to have vastly different position-specific requirements with very different body type characteristics compared to a wide receiver.
In the higher mass individuals (lineman, linebackers, tight ends), the vertical jump, hang clean, and broad jump all demonstrated a good ability to predict sprint performance. In the lower mass athletes (wide receivers, running backs), the vertical jump, broad jump, and relative squat strength had the highest predictive ability of sprint performance. Authors of this study suggest that other traits beyond strength and power may be more significant in sprint performance in lighter athletes compared to heavier athletes.(1)
The vertical jump alone demonstrated the greatest accuracy in predicting sprint performance.
It’s important to remember that both strength and power are necessary to include in a sports performance training program. The results for this study are helpful when testing athletes to determine training priorities and developing a needs assessment for the athlete.
Athletes in the high body mass group demonstrated better sprint performance when able to hang clean 1.28x body mass. Training to increase max strength in the hang clean above 1.28x body mass was NOT shown to contribute further improvement in sprint performance. It is at this point that a coach should focus the training on other variables including power development, sprint technique, and rate of force development.(1) This is a great representation of “more is NOT always better”. It’s important to test, train, and re-test to guide a sports performance program.
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References
Philipp, Nicolas M.1; Crawford, Derek A.2; Cabarkapa, Dimitrije1; Fry, Andrew C.1. Strength and Power Thresholds to Identify High and Low Linear Sprint Speed Performers in Collegiate American Football Players. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 38(1):p 74-79, January 2024.
Disclaimer: This SciSport blog post is a summary of an article printed in an academic research journal. The purpose of this blog post is to provide readers with academic and educational content in an easy-to-understand format. We take no credit for the material and knowledge presented, and we encourage readers to take a look at the original source provided in the References section.
