How Do You Train for Power Speed? Best Methods That Actually Work

What Is Power Speed—and Why Should You Care?

Power speed isn't just about sprinting fast or lifting heavy—it's that explosive combo of strength and velocity. Think of athletes like sprinters, basketball players, boxers... even surfers. They all need to generate force quickly. That’s power speed.

If you're just hitting the gym for aesthetics, fine. But if you're trying to improve performance, whether in sports or just daily movement, training power speed can seriously up your game.

I used to think it was all about doing more reps or just running faster. Nope. Once I started focusing on the right kind of power drills, I saw real gains—like, actual speed off the line and quicker reflexes in sports.

Key Principles of Power Speed Training

Train fast to be fast

Sounds obvious, right? But you'd be surprised how many people lift slow and expect to move fast. You need to move explosively. That means short sets, full effort, and long rest periods. Yes, long rest. Power doesn't come from fatigue—it comes from recovery and intensity.

Prioritize quality over volume

You’re not doing endurance work here. You want crisp, powerful reps—then stop before your form breaks down. Think 3–5 reps per set, max effort.

Use progressive overload (but smartly)

Yes, you still need progression. But don’t just add weight blindly. Add speed, range of motion, or even complexity instead of just stacking on kilos.

Exercises That Build Explosive Power Speed

Lower body power

These are your go-to if you wanna sprint faster, jump higher, or just move with more snap:

• Box jumps – great for developing reactive strength

• Depth jumps – train that stretch-shortening cycle

• Power cleans – Olympic-style movement that teaches full-body explosion

• Heavy sled pushes – underrated and absolutely brutal (in a good way)

• Broad jumps – build horizontal power and body awareness

Upper body speed-power

Yep, power isn’t just legs. You wanna punch harder or throw farther?

• Medicine ball throws (rotational, chest pass, overhead)

• Plyo push-ups – great if you don’t have gear

• Push press – combines strength + speed from the ground up

Honestly, I started doing med ball slams just to “feel cool”—turns out, they really help with explosiveness. And they're fun when you're having a rough day.

Sprinting and agility drills

Speed is nothing without direction control:

• Acceleration sprints (10–20 meters)

• Resisted sprints (sled or band)

• Ladder drills – but only if done at full speed

• Change-of-direction cone drills

How Often Should You Train for Power Speed?

Frequency matters—but so does recovery

2–3 sessions per week is solid for most people. If you're doing high-intensity explosive work, you need rest days in between. Your nervous system takes a beating, even if your muscles feel fine.

Think of it like this: You can’t sprint at 100% five days in a row and expect gains. You’ll just burn out (been there, done that... didn't end well).

Combine with strength and mobility work

Power speed training shouldn’t exist in a vacuum. You need a solid strength base to produce force—and mobility to move efficiently. Add at least one heavy lifting session per week and keep stretching or foam rolling part of your routine.

Common Mistakes When Training for Power Speed

Going too heavy too soon

More weight doesn’t equal more power. If your bar speed drops or your jumps feel sluggish, scale it back.

Skipping warm-ups

Dynamic warm-ups are non-negotiable here. You need your nervous system fired up. Think high knees, A-skips, pogo jumps... anything that wakes up the whole body.

Overtraining the CNS

Power work taxes your central nervous system. If you're not sleeping enough or your nutrition sucks, your performance will drop fast. Respect your recovery.

Final Thoughts: Training Power Speed Takes Patience and Intention

So, how do you train for power speed? By moving fast, staying sharp, and recovering smart. It's not about grinding yourself into the ground—it's about training like an athlete.

Start with a few core drills, be consistent, and focus on execution over ego. In a few weeks, you’ll feel lighter, faster, and way more explosive.

And trust me—nothing feels cooler than catching a jump mid-air and landing like a ninja.

Is 165 cm normal for a 15 year old?

The predicted height for a female, based on your parents heights, is 155 to 165cm. Most 15 year old girls are nearly done growing. I was too. It's a very normal height for a girl.

Is 160 cm too tall for a 12 year old?

How Tall Should a 12 Year Old Be? We can only speak to national average heights here in North America, whereby, a 12 year old girl would be between 137 cm to 162 cm tall (4-1/2 to 5-1/3 feet). A 12 year old boy should be between 137 cm to 160 cm tall (4-1/2 to 5-1/4 feet).

How tall is a average 15 year old?

Average Height to Weight for Teenage Boys - 13 to 20 Years

How to get taller at 18?

Staying physically active is even more essential from childhood to grow and improve overall health. But taking it up even in adulthood can help you add a few inches to your height. Strength-building exercises, yoga, jumping rope, and biking all can help to increase your flexibility and grow a few inches taller.

Is 5.7 a good height for a 15 year old boy?

Generally speaking, the average height for 15 year olds girls is 62.9 inches (or 159.7 cm). On the other hand, teen boys at the age of 15 have a much higher average height, which is 67.0 inches (or 170.1 cm).

Can you grow between 16 and 18?

Most girls stop growing taller by age 14 or 15. However, after their early teenage growth spurt, boys continue gaining height at a gradual pace until around 18. Note that some kids will stop growing earlier and others may keep growing a year or two more.

Can you grow 1 cm after 17?

Even with a healthy diet, most people's height won't increase after age 18 to 20. The graph below shows the rate of growth from birth to age 20. As you can see, the growth lines fall to zero between ages 18 and 20 ( 7 , 8 ). The reason why your height stops increasing is your bones, specifically your growth plates.