2 Best Exercises to Improve Speed!

As a strength and conditioning professional I can think of no better pair of exercises to improve your speed than the overhead kettlebell snatch and double arm swing. These are 2 hard hitting strength endurance lifts to add both power and conditioning to your speed and strength exercises. Read carefully and apply the following 2 lifts to your personal strength and conditioning program for total athletic speed!

1. The Double Arm Kettlebell Swing: This is the basic strength endurance lift that you can perform with the ancient kettlebell. This single lift incorporates hundreds of your muscles and demands total body and muscular control in order to pull it off effectively. The lift is performed by you grabbing the bell with both hands and swinging it like a pendulum back and forth from between your legs up to chest level. This back and forth movement is accomplished by you applying a technique in kettlebell training known as the hip snap. The hip snap is done by you forcefully flexing and then extending at both your hips and knees in order to build the momentum to swing the bell. By doing this you train your body to sustain constant tension and effort for an optimal level of fitness which in turn improves your performance. This is the key to building speed.

2. The Single Arm Overhead Kettlebell Snatch: This is a lift that is sure to enhance your speed development. There is no substitute for power my friend and this lift will give you just that. In order to perform the snatch you must vertically pull the kettlebell from either the ground or from between your legs up to a held position above your head. This is done by implementing the hip snap technique as mentioned in the kettlebell swing exercise above. As you do this you will want to fully lock out your body at your hips and knees and cock the arm holding the kettlebell back at the highest position just lateral to your head. The bell should be weightless at this peak position. 

Once you get the kettlebell to this weightless position then you will want to vertically punch your palm towards the sky to lock your elbow and pull your shoulder into the socket in order to complete the lift. This exercise will no doubt improve your sprinting speed and power my friend. Take the time to implement and involve the kettlebell into your personal strength and conditioning program if you are serious about improving your speed and athletic performance. Remember that anyone can train hard, but only champions train smart my friend!