To run a faster 40 yard dash, sprinters and athletes need to improve three fundamentals that directly drive speed: stride length, stride frequency, and ankle strength. Training matters here because the 40 is a test of speed and power, and better mechanics not only improve performance but can also lower injury risk when you sprint at top speed.
In this article, I will discuss stride length, stride frequency, and ankle strength in detail so you can better understand how they work together and how they combine to affect your performance running a 40 yard dash. I’ll also cover the impact of the hips, common sprinting mistakes, and key exercises that help improve running mechanics for a faster 40.
Stride Length
Stride length measures how far an athlete can reach forward with their front foot from their back foot within their first movement when running. You can measure your stride length by measuring the distance between your heel and toes while running. To do well on a 40 yard dash, you need to increase your stride length. Why? Because the longer your stride, the more time you spend in the air and not on the ground. This means that:
- You can apply a maximal force to one foot at a time (which is why sprinting requires longer strides)
- You can generate more vertical significant amount force per step (which is why jumping and sprinting require longer strides)
Exercises to improve stride length for a 40 yard dash
PNF stretching
PNF stretching is a method of stretching that uses muscle contractions to increase flexibility. It has been shown to be more effective than static stretching, providing greater results in less time.
PNF stretching can also be done at home without any equipment. You’ll need a wall for balance and to keep yourself from falling forward or over if you are not yet used to this type of movement. You can do it on your own or with a partner holding your arm, but make sure they know where they’re supposed to hold you so they don’t get injured during the exercise!
Hip flexibility exercises
Improving your hip flexibility can improve both your stride length and your running gait. A proper stride is crucial for maintaining top speed over a long distance, so it’s important to stretch these muscles as much as possible. General strength training can also help develop mobility and conditioning that support sprint form.
Stretch the hamstrings and calves using PNF stretching techniques, which involve contracting the muscle while stretched. For example, typically when doing seated leg curls (a great exercise for improving hamstring flexibility), contract the hamstrings while lowering yourself down toward your toes on each set rep. Do it repeatedly by returning to the starting line and trying again till failure.
Seated leg curl
The seated leg curl is an effective exercise for improving hamstring flexibility. To do the seated leg curl, sit on the end of a bench or chair that can be adjusted to the proper height. Place your feet flat on the floor and place one arm in front of you for support as you lean forward from your hips until you are in a prone position with your body resting on your forearms. Then slowly raise the front leg off the ground until it is straight behind you.
Do not rotate at any point in time during this movement; keep both knees facing straight ahead throughout the execution of this exercise. Return slowly to starting position while keeping control over both heels; do not allow them to touch down hard when returning slowly to the start position.
Repeat until failure occurs in either strength or endurance capacity, switch legs and continue exercising until failure occurs again with each limb before resting between sets.
Stride Frequency
If you want to improve sprint times, it helps to break the 40-yard dash into phases like the start, acceleration, and finish. Stride frequency is the number of strides an athlete takes in one minute, which is one very crucial key when approaching a 40 yard dash or a sprint. If you want to increase your stride frequency and sprint times, you need to take more steps per second. To do this, simply count the number of times your feet touch the ground in one minute and multiply it by two. However, a good average range is between 80-120 strides per minute while running at top speed; however, this can vary depending on fitness level and experience.
Stride frequency refers to how many times your legs move in one second while running. The 40-yard dash is 36.5 meters long. The higher your stride frequency, the more efficient you’ll be in a 40 yard dash till the finish line. This can be measured by counting your steps throughout an entire run until the finish line and dividing that number by the time elapsed.
A lower stride frequency (or longer gait) means that when an athlete runs, your feet cover less distance over each step from the first step, which makes it harder to push off and increases braking forces on each footstrike on a 40 yard dash. In this event, acceleration and technique matter more than top speed, especially in the first 10 yards from a standstill. The first 10 yards significantly affects the final time. This also puts additional strain on muscles because they have to work harder with each step than someone with a faster gait would have to do.
How to improve your stride frequency?
How to improve athletes’ stride frequency to get faster for a 40 yard dash:
- Practice running with a metronome. The goal is to be able to maintain a high stride frequency while running from an upright position at a speed that you are used to. You should practice this indoors and out on the track, but not during races or other competitions, as it can cause you to overheat and reduce your performance in those events.
- Run at a high cadence and then try to maintain it for longer periods of time. If you are currently able to do so for about 10 seconds, work on being able to do so for 15 seconds without slowing down your pace too much (or stopping).
As you gain more endurance in this area, try lengthening the time until 20 seconds becomes easy enough that maintaining it in a 40 yard dash comes naturally without any conscious effort put into doing so.
Ankle Strength
Ankle strength is one of the most important factors for athletes especially sprinters. Strong ankles will help you work on your posture, stride length and ensure that you have a more efficient turnover technique and can run faster overall.
Exercises to improve ankle strength
Below are some exercises that can help athletes improve ankle strength to get faster for a 40 yard dash:
Ankle Circles
Take a step forward with the front foot and make a circle with your ankle by rotating both feet clockwise 6 times, then do the rest of it again in reverse 6 times (12 reps total). Repeat this exercise on the other side. This is an easy way to strengthen both ankles at once! You can also try doing this exercise while stationary if it’s easier for you.
Single Leg Balance
Stand on one leg while holding onto something stable (such as a chair or wall) for balance if needed; hold this pose for 1 minute without letting go of anything! Do 8 reps per leg before switching sides again, so no matter which direction they’re facing when standing vertically up straight without any support available except their own body weight – only then did they begin working out their legs individually rather than relying solely upon each other for stability during movement activities such as running around outside.”
Hip Impact
The hip is the primary mover in sprinting. A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that the gluteus maximus, the largest and most powerful muscle of your hips, produced the greatest amount of torque during maximal sprint running (example: a 40 yard dash). In addition to being a primary mover, the athletes’ hips also support while running by providing stability and power to transfer energy from the front leg to another. The hip joint itself contains many muscles, ligaments, tendons and other connective tissues which help stabilize it during repetitive movements like running or even just walking down stairs.
Exercises to improve the hip to prepare for a 40 yard dash
Hip mobility
The hip is the first rotational joint in your body and it’s important for athletes to have good mobility here. Thats because it is the hips that produces speed!
As an athlete, you can improve this range of motion by performing exercises that focus on the gluteals (the butt muscles) and adductors (the inner thigh muscles). For example: side lunges, walking lunges and squats with the back leg raised on a step or bench. Athletes might also want to try out some hip openers training like pigeon pose or frog pose. A broad jump can help assess lower-body explosiveness tied to acceleration, but sprint mechanics still determine how well that power carries into the 40.
Bending at the hips
Hip flexion and extension are the movements at the hip joint that allow you to bend forward and backward, respectively. Hip abduction is the movement of raising one leg out to the side. Hip adduction is bringing your legs together. Hip internal rotation is rotating your hip inward so that it faces more towards your midsection, while external rotation turns it outward so it faces more away from you.
Most Common Mistakes that make sprinters slower
There are many things that can slow you down in a 40 yard dash or sprint, and many of them have to do with your legs. If you want to become faster, you need to start paying attention to how your leg cycle works because that’s where most of the motion comes from. Proper stance can significantly improve 40-yard dash times. For many athletes, a dominant three point stance is the preferred start because it can maximize power output. Set the front foot 55 to 60 percent of leg length from the line. Place the back foot 3 to 4 inches behind the front foot. At the start, keep weight distribution 75 percent forward and 25 percent back. Your shin angle should be parallel to the ground at the start. Keep both shin angles aligned with that setup. Place your hands just behind the starting line. Here are some common mistakes athletes make:
- Not enough hip extension
- Hip flexion (bending forward)
- Lack of hip rotation or side-to-side movement
- Poor posture or alignment during the stance phase (when the rear foot is on the ground)
- Poor foot placement when running at top end speed
- Not enough knee flexion Poor foot placement when running at top end speed
- Not enough knee flexion Poor hip extension (lifting the leg up) Bad posture or alignment during the stride phase (when running)
Keys to Improve Leg Cycle
There are certain areas of the body that need to be focused on if an athlete wants to increase your leg cycle and produce a faster 40 yard dash, so figure out which start setup lets you create the best first movement. These include:
- Focus on hip extension. This will help improve your running speed and power, which is a great way to ensure you as an athlete get the best out of your lower body training.
- Work on hip mobility. If you don’t have the proper range of motion in your hips, this can lead to injury and pain when running, so it’s important that you work on improving those areas as much as possible!
- Improve hip flexion strength by doing exercises like squats or lunges with dumbbells (or even barbells) at home so that they’re more effective than going to the gym every day just because everybody else does it too.
- In the drive phase, accelerate out of the start and stay low with a forward lean instead of popping upright too early.
- Use violent arm action forward and backward, keep each elbow near 90 degrees, let the shoulders stay in rhythm, keep the head down early, and time the back arm with the first step.
- Work with a coach to clean up start mechanics and improve your chances of success.
- Improve foot speed through sprinting drills such as box jumps to improve their speed. As an athlete, you can also incorporate this into your training by sprinting or running short distances at full speed to get the most out of your lower body workouts.
Conclusion
For football prospects, sprinters are a special breed of athlete because the 40-yard dash is especially important in testing and evaluation. The ability to produce power from the body is something that most sprinters can only dream of doing. However, this power comes at a price, as athletes must be able to maintain a high level of performance throughout their careers while also dealing with the aches and pains associated with running long distances at high speeds over time. By increasing your leg cycle through proper training methods, it will not only help improve your acceleration mechanics but also reduce the risk of injury during races or workouts. Top NFL players can reach about 23 miles per hour.
