The Cross Training Advantage: Building Elite Speed in the Off-Season

[George Payan]

The off-season is not a break from progress; it’s the most critical time for gradual physiological conditioning. Our major goal is to use cross-training to achieve muscular strength, prevent injury, and train on the edge. That "edge" is where true development happens—and it's vital that sprinters learn to embrace the volume and intensity their bodies can handle.

Core Off-Season Objectives:
Our blueprint for off-season training is built on these foundational goals:

Improve Force Production: Generate greater power into the ground.

Lower Body Power: Build strength and explosiveness in the glutes, quads, and hamstrings.

Bodyweight Mastery: Enhance skeletal muscle strength through functional movements.

Multi-Race Conditioning: Combine training speeds relevant to the 100m through 400m races.

Skill Work: Focus intensely on plyometrics, core strength, and refining sprinting technique.

Mental Edge: Develop resilience and mental toughness.

Injury Prevention: Minimize the amount of all-out, maximal-effort sprinting in practice (Coach Clyde Hart).

The Necessity of Detraining and Rebuilding:
You've just wrapped up a long season. Hopefully, you're proud of your performance! Now, it's essential to take time off. All athletes require a period of detraining—a complete break for the body and mind to recover from intense racing and training.

If you experienced burnout or injury during the season, seriously consider an additional recovery window. I learned this lesson firsthand with my own college cross-country and track injuries. Returning from a rested state allows you to come back stronger and make significant improvements over your previous condition.

The Return to Speed:
To restore speed fitness, you must adopt a progressive overload strategy. This means starting at a challenging yet comfortable level, gradually decreasing rest periods, and slowly increasing your workout times, repetitions, and sets. When fully rested and ready, you must set challenging, realistic new goals and plan a new schedule.

As President and General Dwight D. Eisenhower famously said, "In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is absolutely necessary."

The Sprint Model: Understanding the 100m Race

Before launching into the physical workouts, you must understand the nature of speed. Speed is often modeled after the 100m dash. This requires a grasp of the five key phases of the race (Vern Gambetta & Gary Winckler):

Reaction: The interval from the gun firing to the first movement.

Drive Phase: Early acceleration, including block clearance and the first few strides. This can last anywhere from 2 to 8 steps.

Transition: The period when the athlete rises from the drive position, working toward a tall posture for maximum speed.

Maximum Speed (Velocity): The highest running speed achieved, typically occurring 4–6 seconds into the race and maintained for 25–30 meters for most athletes.

Speed Maintenance: The goal here is great relaxation and patience to maintain top speed for as long as possible. The aim is to minimize the inevitable deceleration that occurs in this segment.

The key muscles that make you fast are neurological powerhouses (Ralph V. Mann, Ph.D.): the Calves, Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Feet, and Core.

Cross-Training: The Force Production Toolkit:

To produce maximal force, we incorporate a variety of training methods. When combined, these activities improve neurological function and build overall performance:

Agility & Quickness Training

Bodyweight Strength Exercises

Core Training & Medicine Ball Work

Functional & Power Training

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

Technique & Mechanics Work

Mobility and Stretching

Plyometrics & Jumping

Sample Off-Season Workout Structure
The following is a blueprint for two distinct workout days, focusing on building strength and eliminating weaknesses. Remember the mantra: "To finish first, you must first finish" (Rick Mears).

1. Warm-up & Agility (15 min)

Breathing Exercises: 3–6 minutes of belly breathing, inhaling and exhaling through the nose.

Agility/5 Dot Drill (Dr. Greg Shepard): A quick-feet drill composed of five separate drill exercises: Rt and Lt foot touches dots
Progression: On Day 1, vary drill reps: 2–4 drills every three weeks. On Day 2, maintain the continuous format; only change the routine if times are consistently improving.
Workout Day Reps/Sets Rest Goal
Day 1 (Introduction) 3 times each drill 10 seconds rest between drills. Focus on feet touching dots form and rhythm.
Day 2 (Test Day) 6 times each drill Non-stop continuous movement Complete all five drills in sub 51 seconds.

Drill 1: Up and Back both feet

Drill 2: Right Foot Only

Drill 3: Left Foot Only

Drill 4: Both Feet Together

Drill 5: Turn Around

2. Speed and Mechanics on the Track (15 min):

Use track spikes on a dirt track, or training flats on an all-weather surface.

All runs use rolling starts and focus on striding at a good effort, emphasizing technique and smooth arm action.

Use a walk-back recovery after each 6x100m + 150 or 200m distance. Total distance should be approximately 750m-800m or Day 1 or Day 2.

Day 1
2 sets of 120m/60m/90m (total 540m)

Day 2
7×60m plus 1×150m (total 570m


3. Strength and Core (20 min):
Stretching: 12 minutes total—20 seconds per exercise with 10 seconds rest between each. Focus on Hamstrings, Calves, Quads, Hips, and Core.

Core Work (with Partner/Medicine Ball): Start with 5 sets of 10 sit-ups and 5 push-ups. Each week add one set to both exercises each week.

Jump Roping: 4 different jump-roping exercises, 20 seconds work / 10 seconds rest.


4. Functional & Acceleration Work (30 min):
Functional Bodyweight Training (Dr. Izumi Tabata): Select 3 exercises and rotate them weekly. Work intensely:

Volume: 3×12–15–18 seconds, with 10 seconds rest, OR 3 sets of 3–6–9 reps, with 10 seconds rest.

First week starts with 12 reps each exercise, next week 15 reps, 3rd week 18 reps. 4th week back to 12 reps
Exercises: Burpees, Star Jumps, Jumping Jacks, Squat variations, Lunge variations, Standing Ankle Hops.


Acceleration (Incline/Hill): Use an incline (grass, sidewalk, or hill) wearing flats. Focus on drive and arm action.
Set 1: 1×10m,1×15m,1×20m,1×25m. All with a 5m rolling start.
Progression: Every three weeks, increase the distance by 5m until you reach a maximum of seven repetitions (e.g., 10m,15m,20m,25m,30m,35m,40m).

5. Plyometrics and Explosive Power (20 min):

Plyometrics (1–2–3):

1. 10× Vertical Jumps (maximal effort).
2. 3 sets of 3 successive Standing Long Jumps.
3, 3 sets of 3–6–9 reps of Standing Double-Leg Tuck Jumps.

Single-Leg & Movement Drills (10m): Pick two to four total movements for the workout (e.g., Lunges, Hops, Bear Crawl, Crab Walk, Pogo Hops).

Box Jumping: Pick three exercises for each workout (3 sets total, followed by a 10m sprint). Use boxes from 12–16 inches. These drills build explosiveness and ground reaction time.

6. Finish Strong:
First week Start with 3 reps Short Sprints: On the track with spikes, 3-4-5–6×40m with a 3m rolling start and walk-back recovery. Next week 4 Sprints, each week add one rep, fifth week start over again with 3 reps

Weight Training:
Conduct on separate days after track practice, focusing on a total-body routine. Never weight train before speed work, as fatigue compromises mechanics.

Aerobic Recovery Run:
While sprinters prioritize speed, integrating a low-intensity, aerobic run as your third weekly workout is highly beneficial. Start with 12 minutes, next week 15 minutes, each week add 3 minutes until you run for 24 minutes, then Schedule back to 12 minutes and start over the routine, right before your weekend rest.

Why include it? This light effort run aids active recovery and builds a foundational aerobic base. For 400m runners and those considering the 800m event, this workout is especially valuable, as it directly supports the energy systems needed for speed maintenance and tolerance to lactic acid. Progressively increase the duration by a few minutes every three weeks.

Include Aquatic Training:
A Low-Impact Powerhouse
Note: Coaches must hold the necessary certifications (such as those from the Red Cross) to conduct training in the pool.

If a pool is available, Aquatic Training is highly recommended and should be integrated into your off-season plan. It offers exceptional benefits for overall strength, endurance, and low-impact conditioning, significantly reducing the strain on the joints and muscles common in land training.

My own experience with the certification course was challenging; despite being a competitive athlete, I was initially not conditioned or ready for the rigorous demands of the Red Cross training. However, obtaining the certification proved invaluable. As a teacher, it allowed me to lead swimming classes during P.E. and summer school. More importantly, the athletes I trained in the pool overwhelmingly benefited from the unique resistance and recovery environment that water provides. Incorporating pool work can truly be a game-changer for speed development.

Coach George Payan
www.CoachesEducation.com