What are good speed training workouts?

Could gaining 20 pounds, have affected my sprint speed?

• I started track March of last year and finished in May. When i started it i was on the chubby side, after two months i became VERY skinny. I did horrible that season, my weight loss could have been due to lack of calories.. because if you think about sprinting, it is essentially body building with the legs and i wasn't getting enough food to maintain my weight and build muscle to do better, or fuel my workouts. After i stopped, during summer i ate a lot of pasta, gained 10 pounds gradually, to 1 year later i weight 140 pounds, last year i was 120. I can now leg press 345 pounds for 4 reps, not sure if i could do that last year. I haven't done sprint training type workouts since summer, just hitting the gym and doing plyometrics, i have a friend on the other hand that i always raced, he was jogging for some months now and he got very skinny, he weights about 120. We always raced and i would pull away from him after we both start at the same speed, but when i raced him he was much closer to me this time, i thought doing the plyometrics would help me at least, could it be my weight gain? Or that i just haven't done sprint workouts in 6 months, while he's been jogging frequently. I thought the plyometrics would help much more, they've increased my vertical significantly though.

• Answer:

  Yes, gaining 20 pounds could have affected your speed. Even though it takes power and strength to run fast, the extra weight you are carrying may have hurt your top end. There is a balance between how much muscle you have and having too much muscle. Plyometrics can and will help your speed and power, as will weight lifting, but it must be done correctly. To run fast you must run fast, just improving your power does not convert to speed. You should be doing some speed work all year long, not just in the season. When you do speed work you should regain your speed.