REF-804 · Rumpf et al., 2016 · Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, Vol. · Paper · PubMed

Effect of Different Sprint Training Methods on Sprint Performance Over Various Distances: A Brief Review

B+moderate evidenceMeasured on recreational to highly trained athletesWritten before October 2026, being re-checked

A brief review of how specific sprint training (free sprinting; resisted sprinting with sleds, bands or incline running; assisted sprinting with towing or a downhill slope), nonspecific training (resistance and plyometric training) and combined training affect sprint times over 0-10, 0-20, 0-30 and 31+ m.

Forty-eight studies with 1,485 subjects from a range of athletic backgrounds met the inclusion criteria. Specific sprint training had a moderate effect (ES = -1.00; -3.23%), which tended to fall with distance although the largest effects were at 31+ m. Nonspecific training had its greatest effect at 31+ m (ES = -0.43; -1.65%), combined training at 0-10 m (ES = -0.59; -2.81%).

The authors conclude that specific sprint methods seem most beneficial, with strength and power training as a useful addition.

Participants

48 studies, 1,485 subjects from a range of athletic backgrounds. Sex, age and training level are not broken down in the abstract.

Protocol

Review of training studies grouped as specific (free, resisted, assisted sprinting), nonspecific (resistance, plyometric) and combined methods.
Outcomes grouped by sprint distance: 0-10, 0-20, 0-30 and 31+ m.
Effects expressed as effect size and % change in sprint time (negative = faster). Search method and quality assessment are not described in the abstract.

Key Results

Specific sprint training: moderate effect, ES = -1.00, %change = -3.23. The effect tended to decrease with distance, although the largest effects were observed at 31+ m.
Nonspecific training (resistance, plyometric): greatest effect at 31+ m, ES = -0.43, %change = -1.65.
Combined training: greatest effect at 0-10 m, ES = -0.59, %change = -2.81.
Authors' conclusion: specific sprint training methods seem the most beneficial over the investigated distances; nonspecific methods (strength and power training) could also benefit speed and athletic performance.

Practical Application

"What actually makes me faster over a sprint?" — across 48 training studies (1,485 subjects, mostly non-sprinters), sprinting itself (free, resisted or assisted) gave the largest gain (moderate, ES = -1.00, about 3.23% faster); gym and plyometric work alone helped most over longer sprints (31+ m, ES = -0.43), and combining both helped most over the first 10 m (ES = -0.59).
Keep sprinting as the core of speed training; strength and plyometric work is an addition, not a substitute.
For acceleration-limited athletes, pair sprint work with strength/power work: the combined method had its largest effect over 0-10 m.
Inference, not tested here: effect sizes from mixed athletic populations probably overstate what a trained track sprinter will gain; the review does not break effects down by training level.
Not from this paper; the base's own practice: choose between resisted accelerations and maximal-velocity sprinting from a force-velocity profile (REF-553); sled-load detail is in REF-765.

Limitations

Called a brief review: search strategy, study quality and heterogeneity are not described in the abstract, so the averaged effects carry more uncertainty than a meta-analysis.
Subjects came from a range of athletic backgrounds, mostly not elite sprinters.
Effects by method sub-type (sled vs band vs incline; towing vs downhill) are not given in the abstract.
Written from the abstract and record metadata only (full text not read).
How this entry was checked and changed
Why this level

review of 48 training studies (1,485 subjects) with averaged effect sizes; not a formal systematic review or meta-analysis