Speed and power

What works

Power is a distinct, essential quality that declines before strength and must be trained on purpose, at every age. Power is the ability to generate force quickly and is a better predictor of quality of life with age than maximal strength or work capacity (Dr. Kelly and Juliet Starrett); power is the first physical quality lost with age, before strength and endurance, and most people never train it (Dr. Alyssa Olenick); power loss begins around age 40 and outpaces muscle loss, so include split squat jumps, clap push-ups and box jumps (Dr. Bill Campbell); explosive movement maintains type II fiber function with aging (Jeff Cavaliere); power is strength expressed through movement and protects against falls in midlife (Dr. Vonda Wright).

Speed and power adaptations demand maximal intent and low fatigue: train them fast, fresh and early. Power exercises only work with maximal intent, above roughly 90% of peak power output; slow execution yields almost nothing (Dr. Mike Israetel). High-velocity, open-system work (jumps, throws, sprints) belongs early in the session when neurologically fresh, never after heavy fatiguing work (Judd Lienhard, Bill Hartman). Sprint sessions go before leg day or earlier the same day, never after lifting, with roughly 2 to 6 sprints depending on level (Judd Lienhard). Sprinting is not just fast running and needs lower frequency and volume because recovery demands are higher (Dr. Jordan Shallow).

Specificity rules: the most direct way to get better at sprinting or a sport is to do the thing itself. The only way to get better at sprinting is sprinting; other exercises correlate poorly (Dr. Pat Davidson); improvement in any sport comes predominantly from playing and drilling it (Dr. Mike Israetel); the most direct transfer comes from the sport itself, though squatting still overloads the nervous system and builds the foundation (Judd Lienhard); the gym supports athletic expression but should not replace sport and movement practice (Dr. Kelly and Juliet Starrett).

Low-intensity "extensive" plyometrics (pogos, skips, bounds, hops) can be done frequently, and are the entry point for nearly everyone. Pogo hops start low, focusing on quick ground contact rather than height: 2 to 4 sets of 10 to 20 contacts a couple of times per week, two-footed with soft landings, building volume before height and progressing eventually to single-leg (Dr. Alyssa Olenick). Fast jump rope, pogos and quick low box bounces improve tendon stiffness, coordination and rate of force development without meaningful fatigue, so they tolerate high frequency (Judd Lienhard, PnZU_Ai4Sxw). Skipping variations are underrated low-level plyometrics for general population clients (Dr. Michelle Boland); bounding, galloping and skipping are scalable for most people (Judd Lienhard); beginners can start with lateral shuffles, bunny hops and rope-free skipping (Michelle MacDonald); even gentle bouncing or supported rebounder work counts for those with pain or limitations (Dr. Kelly and Juliet Starrett).

a small amount sprint-type work weekly preserves high-threshold motor units and power. Some sprinting or sprint-type activity every week, with long rests for true high intensity (Judd Lienhard); include sprints twice a week to build muscle power (Dr. Vonda Wright); once-weekly sprint intervals at 80 to 90% effort, 1 to 2 minutes with equal or double rest, about 10 rounds (Louisa Nicola). For runners, striders are the gentle on-ramp: 20 to 30 seconds at 80 to 95% effort, 3 to 5 reps for beginners up to 10 for advanced, 1 to 3 days per week after easy runs or in warm-ups, with 60 to 90 seconds rest (Dr. Alyssa Olenick).

Progress power in phases: control first, then force, then velocity. Athletes must control force production before producing high force, then add time constraints, then endurance of those efforts (Bill Hartman, CzertKPvM_R); returning to sport needs 2 to 3 months of progression from low-level hops, jump rope and light jogs to explosive high-intensity work (Joel Jamieson); high-velocity training carries real injury risk and needs a carefully constructed plan managing volume and feedback (Dr. Pat Davidson); center of mass control comes before agility drills and plyometrics (Dr. Pat Davidson).

Concrete power dosing when lifting for power: roughly 68 to 70% of one rep max moved with explosive concentric intent, for example tempo squats with slow descent and fast drive, optionally paired with box jumps (Dr. Vonda Wright); or 3 to 5 sets per week of 3 to 5 reps under 60% 1RM with variable resistance or plyometrics (Judd Lienhard); power work in an 8 to 10 rep range with fast concentric and controlled eccentric beats slow lifting for function in older adults (Louisa Nicola); pairing a heavy lift with a fast light movement (heavy squat then box jump, heavy deadlift then bounding) combines strength and speed (Dr. Michelle Boland, Mike Boyle).

For specific situations

• Older adults and midlife: a safe adult power circuit: medicine ball side tosses 3x5 per side, chest passes 3x8, and ladder drills 3x2 forward and backward, used successfully even at 84 (Mike Boyle). Women over 50 build power by lifting with speed (slow lower, fast lift) or plyometrics like box jumps (Dr. Vonda Wright). Kettlebell swings and cleans give about 3.5x body weight eccentric load with low joint impact, ideal for seniors (Gray Cook).
• Bone health: roughly 20 jumps daily stimulates bone (Dr. Vonda Wright); high-impact plyometrics plus resistance training, about 10 to 20 jumps per session, 2 to 3 times per week with rest days, sustained at least 6 months, maintains spine and hip density in postmenopausal women (Dr. Alyssa Olenick); jump and power training is one of the most powerful bone tools for women (Dr. Alyssa Olenick).
• Runners: all runners, including endurance athletes, need sprinting and plyometrics for running economy (Dr. Michelle Boland); one quality speed session per week (intervals from 200m to a mile, or 5 to 20 minute tempo efforts), scaled to level (Dr. Alyssa Olenick); hill repeats of 15 to 30 seconds x 5 to 7, or 1 to 4 minute climbs, build power (Dr. Alyssa Olenick); hill sprints on soft grass are a low-impact sprint introduction for beginners (Judd Lienhard).
• Return to play and rehab: speed ladders are pattern-practice and low-leg reconditioning tools used slow first, not speed tools (Judd Lienhard); fake medicine ball throws create protected deceleration demand before full agility work (Bill Hartman); a single-leg jump test compares the injured to uninjured side after lower-limb injuries (Dr. Kelly and Juliet Starrett).
• Agility and change of direction: agility splits into stop, start and change of direction; the plant foot sits slightly ahead of the center of mass, internally rotated, hips low (Judd Lienhard); shin angle defines intent, and stopping mechanics (knee behind toe) should be dosed at low intensity before progressing (Dr. Jordan Shallow); to stop quickly, orient the center of mass back and find the heel (Dr. Pat Davidson); agility has cognitive components (scanning, anticipation, decisions), which technical trail running trains naturally (Dr. Michelle Boland).
• Sport athletes: most sport movements are one-legged and non-linear, so power training should be unilateral and multi-planar, not only static barbell lifts (Mike Boyle, Joel Jamieson); power is plane specific, train it how you want to express it (Mike Boyle); occasionally train skill under fatigue since competition demands it (Dr. Kelly and Juliet Starrett).
• No Olympic lifts required: landmine snatches and cleans, ballistic slam ball work (4 to 6 shoulder tosses with 5 to 10 seconds rest), kettlebell swings and banded swings (3 sets of 10 to 12) all train power for people who cannot or will not Olympic lift (Judd Lienhard, fD7EzS7eDUU, 7itqCVipges).

Open questions

• Does weight-room strength make you a better athlete? Boyle holds that athletes fundamentally need to get stronger, faster and jump higher (Mike Boyle), while Boland argues getting stronger in the weight room is not always the path, since high-rep heavy goblet squats do not correlate with elite running (Dr. Michelle Boland); Hartman warns strength gains can even decrease sport performance if the force is not usable within sport timing (Bill Hartman), and Mark Bell notes heavy lifting can reduce athleticism if movement and rotation are neglected (Mark Bell). The synthesis most experts land on: build strength as the base, then spend time expressing it fast (Mike Boyle, Judd Lienhard).
• Contrast pairing (heavy lift then explosive move): endorsed for nervous-system priming by Boyle (reel) and Boland (reel), but Lienhard cautions pairing heavy closed-system lifts with jumps may not measurably enhance the explosive movement, suggesting yielding isometrics as an alternative (Judd Lienhard).
• Kettlebell swings for fighters: Israetel sees no clear superiority over weightlifting movements or stiff-leg deadlifts, calling swings mostly cardio or fun (Dr. Mike Israetel), while Cook and Lienhard value kettlebell ballistics for power with low joint stress (Gray Cook, Judd Lienhard).
• Foot position dogma: the Starretts favor a straighter foot for force access (reel), while Boland argues optimal sprint foot placement depends on individual hip anatomy, not a universal rule (Dr. Michelle Boland), and Hartman holds there is no single ideal performance foot (Bill Hartman).

Cautions

• High-velocity training has a high injury ceiling; volume must be managed with a well-constructed plan and feedback monitoring (Dr. Pat Davidson).
• Never place sprint work after heavy lifting; fatigue degrades movement quality and raises injury risk (Judd Lienhard). Warm up before plyometrics and start with a few reps after a layoff (Michelle MacDonald).
• Lifting weights alone, in static planes, under-prepares people for dynamic rotational sport demands and raises injury risk when used as sole preparation (Joel Jamieson).
• Slow, half-hearted "power" work is wasted; below roughly 90% of peak power output the adaptation largely disappears (Dr. Mike Israetel).
• If someone does not enjoy or feel comfortable with jump training, it can be skipped (Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple); ease into lifting first, then layer in power (Dr. Alyssa Olenick).

Putting it into practice

• Include at least one dedicated power or plyometric element in every training week for every adult population; treat power as a first-class training goal alongside strength, especially from age 40 onward.
• Sequence sessions: movement prep, then open-system explosive work (jumps, throws, sprints) while fresh, then heavy strength, then hypertrophy or isolation work; never schedule sprints after heavy lifting.
• Dose lifted power work at roughly 60 to 70% 1RM for 3 to 5 explosive reps per set (3 to 5 sets weekly), cueing maximal concentric speed; alternatively use 8 to 10 rep fast-concentric sets for older adults.
• Use extensive plyometrics (pogos, skips, low bounces) at 2 to 4 sets of 10 to 20 contacts, 2 to 3 days per week, as the universal entry point; progress volume before height, two legs before one, and only then intensive plyometrics like depth jumps.
• Add weekly sprint-type exposure for most users: striders of 20 to 30 seconds at 80 to 95% effort (3 to 10 reps, 60 to 90 seconds rest) for runners and beginners; 2 to 6 true sprints with long rests for advanced users.
• For return-to-sport or post-layoff users, enforce a 2 to 3 month ramp: control and low-level hops first, then force, then velocity; progress by symptom and quality, not calendar alone.
• Prefer unilateral, multi-planar and rotational power options (medicine ball throws, landmine ballistics, kettlebell swings, lateral bounds) over exclusively bilateral barbell patterns for sport and life transfer; offer non-Olympic-lift power paths by default.
• For postmenopausal women and bone goals, program 10 to 20 quality jumps per session, 2 to 3 sessions weekly with rest days between, maintained 6 months or more, alongside resistance training.

Experts in this guide: 7itqCVipges, Bill Hartman, CzertKPvM_R, Dr. Alyssa Olenick, Dr. Bill Campbell, Dr. Jordan Shallow, Dr. Kelly and Juliet Starrett, Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple, Dr. Michelle Boland, Dr. Mike Israetel, Dr. Pat Davidson, Dr. Vonda Wright, Gray Cook, Jeff Cavaliere, Joel Jamieson, Judd Lienhard, Louisa Nicola, Mark Bell, Michelle MacDonald, Mike Boyle, PnZU_Ai4Sxw, TikTok, fD7EzS7eDUU, reel, video.

Before you act. Entrain is a free knowledge resource. It brings together what named doctors, scientists and coaches teach publicly, with sources, so you can explore and discuss it with your own clinician. It does not diagnose, treat or prescribe, and it is not a substitute for medical care.