Streamlining Warm-Ups for Faster Acceleration

In last week's article I shared how I use the hip extension [or “knees behind butt”] pattern to structure my daily training sessions. The theme of that session was “initial acceleration”—the first 4-6 steps of the run—and the objective was to “project the center of mass as far and as fast as possible in a horizontal direction.”

Throughout the entire session—from the verbal introduction of the theme, objectives, strategies, and details to the very first exercise and onward—we focused on opportunities to work on this pattern.

There’s no fluff—nothing that doesn’t relate directly to the theme and objectives. Every exercise is designed and implemented to work—either directly or indirectly—on the “knee behind butt” pattern.

One of my biggest critiques of speed coaches [whether in team sports or sprints] is the inefficiency in their warm-ups. Too many exercises are included purely out of tradition—“we do this because it’s always been done this way.”

Most warm-ups simply aren’t designed well.

I’ll save a full critique for another day, but today, I’ll share the warm-up for a recent initial acceleration session from our group in AZ.

Here’s the session structure:

1. THEME—The primary task for the day:“initial acceleration”—covering the first 4-6 steps.
2. OBJECTIVE—The session’s goal: projecting the center of mass horizontally as far and fast as possible.
3. PATTERN—The key movement pattern driving the objective: the hip extension or “knee behind butt” position.
4. STRATEGIES—Main methods to execute the pattern: “drive the thighs forward” and “stay on top” [maintain a forward lean].
5. DETAILS—Specific exercises: a complex of 4 x 4-step resisted and unresisted accelerations, repeated for 2-3 sets.
6. TERTIARY—Secondary objectives or tasks: incorporating spinal engine pattern work in the warm-up or cool-down.

Remember—everything we do, from the intro to the cool-down and debrief, should align with the theme, objective, and strategies.

Here’s the warm-up:

• Easy Forward Skip: Focus on pushing the foot back behind the center of mass, feeling the hip extension and gluteal contraction. 60m x 5 reps with walk-back rest.
• Mat Work [10 mins]: Emphasizing spinal mobility, our tertiary theme of the day, closely related to the hip extension pattern.
• Skipping Series: Alternate between a skip, a skip to lunge & reach, and a backward skip [60m in total], with 4 x 4-step bursts [high 2-point start, 4-step acceleration] on the way back. Repeat twice more.
• Patterning Work [10 mins]: Focus on range, using a PVC pipe in ½ kneeling and lunge positions—combining spinal engine and hip extension patterns.
• Complex: To complete the warm-up, repeat the following sequence three times [10m each]:
  • Low Walk: In a ¼ squat position, drive the hips forward, extending the leg behind while keeping the torso leaning forward. Slow and controlled.
  • Long Low Walk: Same as above, but faster, with a longer step.
  • Super-Lunge: Similar to the above, but more dynamic—like a single-leg bound, landing and sticking it on the opposite foot.
  • 6-Step Burst: Low 2-point start position.

Seem like a lot? From start to finish, this takes about 45 minutes. I realize most teams don’t have that kind of time, so here’s how you can trim it down.

Recently, I spent the morning with the Cincinnati Reds, taking a group of athletes through a full initial acceleration session in 30 minutes.

Here’s what we did:

• Easy Forward Skip: Focus on pushing the foot back behind the center of mass, engaging hip extension and glutes. 40m x 3 reps with walk-back rest.
• Skipping Series: Alternate between a skip, a skip to lunge & reach, and a backward skip [40m total], with 2 x 4-step bursts [high 2-point start, 4-step acceleration] on the way back. Repeat twice more.
• Complex [3x, 10m each]:
  • Low Walk: In a ¼ squat, drive the hips forward, extending the leg behind with torso leaning forward. Slow and controlled.
  • Super-Lunge: Similar to above, but dynamic—like a single-leg bound, landing on the opposite foot.
  • 6-Step Burst: Low 2-point start position.
• Acceleration Complex: Resisted 10m acceleration, followed by unresisted 10m acceleration. Repeat 2-3 times.

In 30 minutes, the players completed about 20 accelerations, with additional movements to support the primary acceleration pattern.

No fluff—no wasted time with wall drills or redundant ‘sprint’ drills—just exercises directly supporting the day’s theme and objective.