Posted on October 11, 2017 by Jenny Cromack

How Speed and Agility Applies To You

plyometric training

I am sure everyone will have gathered that I attended a UK Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA) Workshop this weekend down in London. It was about Plyometrics, Agility and Speed, some of you may not know what that means, some of you may like to know what it means and probably some of you won’t care!

But it can and will be applicable for you sometime in your life. Plyometrics, Agility and Speed all are related with how quickly you can move, whether can is in a straight line (linear), whilst changing direction or jumping and landing. Primarily it is to do with sports performance and athletic development, but also useful to us every day mere mortals. Our ability to stay injury free and healthy is very correlated with how powerfully and quickly we can move. We have all nearly rolled an ankle or tripped over before, the quicker and more mobile populations will be able to control this fall, move quickly enough to save minor or major injury.

This workout comes with a precursor – if you are not strong enough to cope with moving quickly and potentially changing direction then this workout is not for you, YET! A base level of strength needs to be ‘earned’ first. All body weight movement need to be mastered: squats, lunges, press-ups and pull-ups.

(The key with all of the below workouts, is to be performing with 100% effort, as soon as fatigue occurs you are no longer training that stimulus – it becomes more of a conditioning session – not speed or agility)

A ‘Top Speed’ Workout.

– Work time is less than 6s per rep (ATP)

– Distance of run 10m-50m

– Reps per set = 3-4

– Sets = 2-4 (around 16 in total)

– Rest between reps 60s per 10m e.g. 30m sprint is 3 minutes rest (Intra-set)

– Rest between sets 1.5 times of above (inter-set)

An Agility Workout

– Work time is less than 6s per rep

– Reps per set = 3-6

– Sets = 3-5 (around 30 in total)

– Intra-set rest = 1(work):6(rest)

– Inter-set rest = 1(work):20(rest)
The rest periods will seem long, you can adjust, but just remember this is speed work NOT endurance training. Get moving quickly!!!