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Principle · Body

Diagnose sprint issues with both numbers and video

A practitioner needs both a quantitative approach (numbers) and a qualitative approach (how the athlete moves) to diagnose sprint issues. When you have both the numbers and the video of the form, you can start thinking about what should be fixed; without slow-motion video you cannot decide where the weak point is.

Garage Strength · Why Most Athletes Train Speed Wrong w/ Sprint Scientist Dr. Jean-Benoit Morin

Claim from Dr. Jean-Benoit Morin

Principle · Body

Overload the movement to build strength, then transfer to speed

Dr. Morin disagrees with the training philosophy that you should never overload a movement because overloading slows it down. Overloading does slow the movement down — that part is true — but if you never slow down the movement, you have no way to physiologically improve strength and force, because force can only be improved by moving slower under overload. You will never improve your squat 1RM by doing squat jumps. The objective of strength training is to transfer the increased strength to speed, but first you need to slow down (overload).

Garage Strength · Why Most Athletes Train Speed Wrong w/ Sprint Scientist Dr. Jean-Benoit Morin

Claim from Dr. Jean-Benoit Morin

Method · Body

Shoulder-safe bench dip setup

A locally coherent method for bench dips: (1) externally rotate the shoulders by pointing the fingers out to the sides or even behind you; (2) open up the chest; (3) press up and back from the bottom to get a good triceps contraction without the shoulder negatives. With externally rotated hands, the shoulder avoids forward positioning at the bottom, creating a friendlier position for the shoulder joint.

ATHLEAN-X™ · 7 Exercises That Are Making Your Shoulder WORSE

Method described by Jeff Cavaliere (Athlean-X)

Method preserved for inspection; not a verified protocol.

Method · Body

Dr. Morin's video analysis sequence for sprint contacts

Dr. Morin describes his ordered video analysis method for sprint contacts: first look at the overall position of the segments just before contact and during the first millisecond of contact, then examine the overall contact phase and the maximum angles — maximum collapse and maximum trunk lean — the athlete has to support.

Garage Strength · Why Most Athletes Train Speed Wrong w/ Sprint Scientist Dr. Jean-Benoit Morin

Method described by Dr. Jean-Benoit Morin

Method preserved for inspection; not a verified protocol.

Recommendation · Body

Treat speed work as 'speed stimulus' spread across the week

A common beginner mistake is thinking a speed session is something that lasts two hours and can only be done once per week; speed work should be called 'speed stimulus' rather than 'speed sessions'. If you have only one session per phase, do one oriented around acceleration and one around high-speed. Add a second weekly high-speed session whose objective is not high-speed itself but hamstring prevention. For 100 meters a week of high-speed running, do one set of three times 20 meters flying 20 in one session, and another set in a second session during the week. The same volume metrics apply to acceleration training (roughly 100-150 meters of exposure); these volume targets are principles, not recipes.

Garage Strength · Why Most Athletes Train Speed Wrong w/ Sprint Scientist Dr. Jean-Benoit Morin

Recommendation from Dr. Jean-Benoit Morin

volume figures are presented as principles, not recipes

Recommendation · Body

In high-speed sessions, count only the flying portion and use 20-meter flying sprints

In a high-speed session, do not count the build-in distance as part of the 90%+ volume — only the flying portion counts. Use 20-meter flying sprints rather than 10-meter to get more work. Do not ask for maximum acceleration, because players will push all the buttons every rep and every session, which is not what you want. Focus only on high-quality high speed; you don't care how they accelerate.

Garage Strength · Why Most Athletes Train Speed Wrong w/ Sprint Scientist Dr. Jean-Benoit Morin

Recommendation from Dr. Jean-Benoit Morin

Recommendation · Body

Use intense trunk and hip flexion exercises, favoring unilateral work

Use very intense trunk flexion exercises; everything involving trunk flexion and huge hip flexion can strengthen the hamstring and hip in bent positions, including starting positions and many lunge-type exercises. As much as possible, go with unilateral exercises to replicate the lunge and sprint movement. The drop and catch RDL is an example of a very intense trunk and hip flexion exercise he loves.

Garage Strength · Why Most Athletes Train Speed Wrong w/ Sprint Scientist Dr. Jean-Benoit Morin

Recommendation from Dr. Jean-Benoit Morin

Recommendation · Body

Hand-Release Push-Up (Superman Push-Up) for Posture

Jeff Cavaliere recommends the hand-release push-up, also called the Superman push-up, to correct rounded shoulder posture. The exercise forces a full range of motion, engages the serratus anterior by extending fully at the top, and includes a Superman portion where you squeeze the glutes and lift the thighs off the ground. Beginners can perform it from their knees.

ATHLEAN-X™ · 5 Bodyweight Exercises That Fix 95% Of Your Problems

Recommendation from Jeff Cavaliere

Recommendation · Body

Bridge with Reach-Over for Core and Glutes

Jeff Cavaliere recommends performing a bridge with a reach-over to address weak core and weak glutes. The movement involves driving the hips up, reaching one arm across and pointing to the floor behind the opposite shoulder to create thoracic rotation, then lowering and lifting the legs into 'heels to the heavens'. He advises swiping hands on the floor to check if you are lifting high enough, moving the pelvis (not just the legs) to target the core, and doing as many reps as possible, aiming to fatigue the core before the glutes. If the glutes fatigue first, it indicates weak glutes that need attention.

ATHLEAN-X™ · 5 Bodyweight Exercises That Fix 95% Of Your Problems

Recommendation from Jeff Cavaliere

Creator perspective · Body

Forward tilt in sprints precedes hamstring injuries

When soccer clubs contact him about high-speed injuries, he observes players who are tilted forward the entire sprint, or whose sprint is fine until fatigue causes them to tilt forward; soon after, they grab their hip or thigh and are out with injury.

Garage Strength · Why Most Athletes Train Speed Wrong w/ Sprint Scientist Dr. Jean-Benoit Morin

Claim from Dr. Jean-Benoit Morin

anecdotal observation from his consulting experience

Recommendation · Body

Replace the upright row with a dumbbell high pull

The upright row is easily replaced with a pair of dumbbells and an exercise called the high pull, keeping the wrist higher than the elbow so the shoulder is externally rotated instead of internally rotated.

ATHLEAN-X™ · 7 Exercises That Are Making Your Shoulder WORSE

Recommendation from Jeff Cavaliere (Athlean-X)

Recommendation · Body

Train hip extensors via hill sprints, acceleration drills, and resistance — no gym required

Dr. Morin recommends training the hip extensors specifically rather than targeting the glutes in isolation, and notes you can significantly stimulate the hip extensors without going to the gym by using hill sprints, acceleration-only drills, and resistance.

Garage Strength · Why Most Athletes Train Speed Wrong w/ Sprint Scientist Dr. Jean-Benoit Morin

Recommendation from Dr. Jean-Benoit Morin

Recommendation · Body

Combine gym and field work for hip extension, adjusted to athlete level

For some athletes, hip extension power can be developed in the gym in a non-specific way, but do both gym work and field development rather than only one — doing only one is suboptimal. For developing athletes, definitely do both. For elite athletes ('big babies, monsters') who have almost no margin of improvement at the gym anymore, you might just try to maintain gym strength. Develop both the 'hardware' (muscle groups) and the 'software' (the muscle groups within the movement you want to optimize).

Garage Strength · Why Most Athletes Train Speed Wrong w/ Sprint Scientist Dr. Jean-Benoit Morin

Recommendation from Dr. Jean-Benoit Morin

Recommendation · Body

Pair resisted sprinting with complementary high-speed training to cover the contact-time side

If you use resisted sprinting to work on strength and force output, Dr. Morin says you need to add complementary high-speed training or high-speed plyometrics to work on the contact-time part of the equation; doing only resisted sprinting may not be the best solution.

Garage Strength · Why Most Athletes Train Speed Wrong w/ Sprint Scientist Dr. Jean-Benoit Morin

Recommendation from Dr. Jean-Benoit Morin

Method · Body

Day 4: Absolute Strength and Anchors

Focus on back squats (min 0.5 m/s) and bench press, using anchor lifts to determine load.

Garage Strength · I Had 10 Athletes STOP Lifting Heavy. They Got STRONGER.

Method described by Garage Strength

Method preserved for inspection; not a verified protocol.

Method · Body

Day 3: Max Velocity Training

Use flying 10s as the anchor, preceded by warmups and technical drills like running wickets.

Garage Strength · I Had 10 Athletes STOP Lifting Heavy. They Got STRONGER.

Method described by Garage Strength

Method preserved for inspection; not a verified protocol.

Method · Body

Day 1: Acceleration and Speed Work

Focus on low-fatigue speed work using resisted sprints (sled/hills) and 1-box cleans at 2 m/s.

Garage Strength · I Had 10 Athletes STOP Lifting Heavy. They Got STRONGER.

Method described by Garage Strength

Method preserved for inspection; not a verified protocol.

Method · Body

Day 2: Plyometrics and Upper Body Strength

Start with 2-4 plyometric jumps to activate the nervous system, then bench press at 0.55-0.7 m/s.

Garage Strength · I Had 10 Athletes STOP Lifting Heavy. They Got STRONGER.

Method described by Garage Strength

Method preserved for inspection; not a verified protocol.

Recommendation · Body

Single Leg Squat as Foundational Athletic Lift

The single leg squat is recommended as a foundational lift for athletic development, particularly for building posterior chain strength, explosiveness, and transferring strength to speed.

Garage Strength · The "Single" Best Lift Every Athlete Should Do!

Recommendation from Garage Strength

Recommendation · Body

Eccentric Overload: Principle and Scheduling

Jeff Cavaliere states that eccentric overload is one of the main drivers of hypertrophy if done correctly. He recommends using eccentric overload training for the final pairing of biceps and triceps each week, leading up to the rest day. He advises providing more recovery time before eccentric overload training because it can leave muscles sore.

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Recommendation from Jeff Cavaliere