Interview: Bret Contreras on Strength and Speed

If there is one specific physical quality that athletes want, it is speed.  My day job is to strength train track and field athletes, and if there is one person who has influenced me the most in regards to my exercise selection in the weight room, it is Bret Contreras.  I am thrilled to interview Bret with some questions that I have pondered over the years in regards to strength training for speed.  If you are interested in becoming a faster athlete, you will find this interview contains fundamental concepts for your sprinting success.  Also, if you like the interview, I highly recommend you check out Bret’s fantastic new product on sprinting research: The Optimal Athlete, Sprinting.

Glute work for sprinting

Just Fly Sports:  Aside from the hip thrust, are there any specific glute exercises that you would highly recommend to sprint athletes looking to improve maximal speed?  What about acceleration?

Bret Contreras:  I like squats for flexed-range glute strength and hip thrusts for extended-range glute strength. Of course, if you tinker with stance, ROM, # of limbs, etc. then you have dozens of variations between these two exercises. Sure, acceleration involves a greater lean and relies more on concentric power, I don’t think that the strength exercises necessarily differ between the two phases of sprinting.

Hamstring training for sprinters

Just Fly Sports:  The Nordic hamstring has broken though in research as a means to prevent hamstring injury in soccer players, yet it works the hamstring with a knee dominant rather than hip dominant bias.  What do you think of the Nordic hamstring exercise, and what are your thoughts on hamstring strength training for sprinters?

Bret Contreras:  Many coaches don’t know this, but you can change the optimal length of a muscle with resistance training. What this means is that you can shift the torque-angle curve so that a muscle can produce its greatest force at longer or shorter muscle lengths.  In the case of the hammies, they function at long-lengths during sprint running, so it makes sense to get them strongest at long lengths. Eccentrics in general (and Nordic hamstring lowers specifically) have been shown to shift the torque angle curve of the hammies to longer lengths, and this is very important.

Why? Because it’s indicative of sarcomerogenesis.  In other words, the sarcomeres are being added to the hamstrings in series. This increases fascicle length, which allows for faster contractions. Longer fascicle length has been shown to correlate with faster speed, and sprinters have been shown to have longer fascicles compared to controls.  Eccentric hamstring exercises, in addition to long length exercises, both induce sarcomerogenesis and shift the torque-angle curve to longer lengths in the hammies.

A final benefit to the Nordic hamstring lower is that the most challenging part of the movement is at the end, near full knee extension.  Knee flexion torque at this muscle length is very important as this is the length at foot strike, where braking forces are high and the runner is pulling his body over the foot. Knee flexion torque is underestimated by most track & field coaches, and it’s been shown to rise considerably as speed increases.  So you want strong hammies as hip extensors and knee flexors.

For the reasons mentioned, Nordic hamstring lowers and RDLs are imperative for sprinters.

Unilateral vs. Bilateral exercises

Just Fly Sports:  What are your thoughts on unilateral vs. bilateral exercises for sprint training?

Bret Contreras:  I think that you build up the raw materials in the weight room and then coordinate everything during sprinting. In other words, gym strength is more about increasing the force and power potential of the limbs, in addition to inducing neural and structural/architectural changes.  Sprinting takes these new-found qualities and blends them into the motor pattern to reach new levels and stay coordinated.

Therefore, I lean toward bilateral being more important as they also require more spinal stability, leading to greater gains in spinal stability. However, unilateral exercises are more challenging in terms of hip stability, so it’s very important to ensure that a sprinter possesses sufficient single leg stability as any deficits will impair performance. But assuming single leg stability is sufficient, then I believe that bilateral exercises give more bang for the buck.  I realize that sprinting is a unilateral endeavor, but any proper sprint program is centered around sprinting and also includes some unilateral plyos and sled work. Therefore, weight room exercises should comprise of perhaps 80% bilateral and 20% unilateral exercises.

Hip flexors in the weightroom

Just Fly Sports:  The hip flexors are a critical muscle group for sprint success.  What do you think about actively training the hip flexors through resistance training?  Do you think they get enough work out on the track, or should they get extra attention in the weightroom?

Bret Contreras:  Research has shown hip flexor strengthening to transfer positively to sprinting. They indeed require extra attention in the weightroom.  Hip flexor exercises are not challenging and don’t require a ton of effort or equipment, nor do they induce much fatigue.  All you need is two sets here and there to keep them strong.  A coach could add in a couple of sets of hip flexor exercises once or twice per week in between core or upper body exercises and it wouldn’t prolong the workout.  Remember to incorporate two types of hip flexor exercises – ones that strengthen the flexed ROM and ones that strengthen the extended ROM.

Core training

Just Fly Sports:  Being around track for a while, I notice that many track athletes seem to be obsessed with abdominal and core training, and even Charlie Francis recommended quite a large workload in terms of abdominal training.  What are your thoughts on training the core for sprint athletes?

Bret Contreras:  I think lower abdominal strength is more important than upper abdominal strength as the lower abs act more on the pelvis to prevent excessive anterior pelvic tilt during ground contact, which might impair power transfer.  However, I agree with you – many coaches overvalue abdominal training.  A couple sets here and there is all you need, just as is the case with hip flexor work.

Upper body and sprinting

Just Fly Sports:  What are your thoughts on training the upper body for sprinting?

Bret Contreras:  I believe that it’s overrated as well. You definitely want to be performing exercises such as close grip bench press and chin ups, but sprinters don’t all need to be benching like Ben Johnson.  The lats can work synergistically with the glutes, but this has only been shown through hip rotation, not hip extension. Train the upper body, but don’t be obsessed with upper body strength measures.

Bret’s 3 recommendations

Just Fly Sports:   If you had three general recommendations for the strength training of advanced high school/college aged sprinters, what would they be?

Bret Contreras:  Get good at hip thrusts early on to build the glutes, which will pay dividends over time. Strengthen the hammies as hip extensors and knee flexors.  Squat deep to stay flexible in the hips and ankles.

Kettlebell swings and sprinting

Just Fly Sports:   How do you feel about the use of kettlebell swings for training sprint athletes?

Bret Contreras:  I think it’s very wise. If you watch videos of many sprinters, you can clearly see that they’re not natural-born Oly lifters. I love Oly lifts for the right lifters, but the kettlebell swing is such a natural movement that is easy to learn for all body types.  You get a huge load on the hammies down low in the hips-flexed position, and you get a huge load on the glutes throughout the entire ROM, all while producing as much hip power as humanly possible (in my opinion).  Need I say any more?  Okay, I will say more.  Many coaches don’t buy heavier kettlebells, which I believe is a mistake.  A proper swing workout should progress in weight, so that the athlete is using lighter loads and heavier loads.

Concluding remarks

The face of strength training for speed is changing, and helping to make athletes faster than ever.  Remember, the fastest sprinters are the best force producers.  Strength training IS complementary to proper sprint training, but when strength is done right, it can have impressive effects on performance.

When I first saw Bret demonstrating the barbell hip thrust, I was skeptical, but ever since I took the plunge and started using it, I have noticed amazing results from my coaching and training efforts.  The hip thrust is one exercise of many to improve sprint performance, and I hope that the information he has presented in this interview makes you a better coach, along with you and your athletes running at speeds you didn’t think were possible!

About Bret Contreras

Bret Contreras has a master’s degree from ASU and a CSCS certification from the NSCA. He is currently studying to receive his PhD in Sports Science at the Sports Performance Research Institute New Zealand (SPRINZ) at AUT University in Auckland, New Zealand. Visit his blog at BretContreras.com and his research review service at www.StrengthandConditioningResearch.com.

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