VFVarsity Forever
Get my free plan

4-week block · 3-4 days a week

Training program for former track and field athletes

Speed is a skill you can keep — but only if you train it on purpose and stop treating every sprint as a max-effort test.

Build my version of this plan

What track & field left you with

Sprinters, jumpers and throwers age differently from endurance athletes. The power stays available longer than most people expect, but the tissue tolerance for it drops fast when the weekly exposure disappears. The classic failure mode is a former sprinter who runs one 100m flat out at a company picnic and tears a hamstring.

This block reintroduces speed the way it should be: short distances, submaximal to build, full recovery between reps, and a heavy dose of eccentric hamstring and hip work underneath it. The strength side is low-rep and high-quality — the volume that made you sore in college is not what makes you fast now.

What still carries over

  • Mechanics

    Sprint posture and arm action are still coded. You don't need drills, you need graded exposure.

  • Rate of force development

    Jumps recover fast. Three weeks of pogo and box jump work restores most of what's missing.

  • Discipline with rest

    You already understand why full recovery between reps matters, unlike most gym-goers.

What the plan has to rebuild

  • Hamstring tissue tolerance

    RDLs, single-leg RDLs and slow-lowering work are non-negotiable before top-end speed.

  • General strength

    Squat and press numbers usually slid. Low reps at high quality rebuild them without wrecking the legs.

  • Aerobic base

    A small amount of easy aerobic work makes speed sessions repeatable week to week.

The training week for former track & field athletes

Three sessions is the working minimum; the fourth is optional and can be replaced by a game, a skate or a pickup run. Every set is logged with load and RPE so the next week has a number to beat.

Day 1

Speed and lower strength

Accelerations plus a heavy hinge

  • Hip mobility flow + pogo hops — 3 x 10
  • Acceleration runs, 20 yd — 6 x at ~85%, full recovery
  • Trap-bar deadlift — 4 x 4
  • Single-leg RDL — 3 x 8 each side
  • Dead bug — 3 x 8 each side

Day 2

Upper strength

Press, pull, trunk

  • Bench or dumbbell press — 4 x 5
  • Pull-up or lat pulldown — 4 x 6
  • Overhead press — 3 x 8
  • Barbell or dumbbell row — 3 x 10
  • Pallof press — 3 x 10 each side

Day 3

Jumps and single leg

Elastic strength and unilateral base

  • Box jump — 5 x 3, step down
  • Broad jump — 4 x 3
  • Rear-foot elevated split squat — 4 x 8 each side
  • Hip thrust — 3 x 8
  • Front plank — 3 x 30s

Day 4 (optional)

Easy aerobic

Recovery, not intervals

  • Bike or rower — 20-30 min easy
  • Band row — 3 x 15
  • Hip mobility flow — 2 rounds

How the four weeks progress

  1. Week 1

    Sub-max exposure

    Sprints at roughly 85%. Six reps, no more. Hinge at RPE 7.

  2. Week 2

    Extend slightly

    Sprints to eight reps at the same intensity. Hinge load up.

  3. Week 3

    Sharpen

    Sprints at ~90-95% for four to six reps. Strength at RPE 8.

  4. Week 4

    Deload

    Four sprints at 85%, one fewer set per lift. Legs should feel fresh, not flat.

Track & field background: common questions

Other sport backgrounds

Get this block built around your schedule.

Six questions covering goal, experience, equipment, days per week, session length and anything you're working around. Your first week is scheduled in about two minutes.

Take the Athlete Assessment