Why your training plan isn't making you faster

You know you need a periodized plan. You've read about GPP, SPP, competition phases. You understand the theory.

But when it's time to actually structure training for your athletes (or yourself), things fall apart.

You end up with training sessions that don't connect. Volume that doesn't progress logically. Sessions that feel random instead of building toward something.

Here's why this happens.

Most coaches make the same three mistakes when programming sprint training:

Example…You only have track access on Tuesdays and Thursdays. You train both days. So you program high-intensity sprint work both sessions because "we have the track, might as well use it for speed work."

But now you're training only 2 days per week with zero low-intensity work. No tempo runs. No active recovery. You're missing half of what makes high-low training effective.

Or worse: you DO train other days, but you cram all your sprint volume into those two track sessions because that's when you have access. Now your weekly structure is a mess and your athletes are undercooked on volume.

The schedule dictates the training instead of the training principles dictating how you use your schedule.

What actually works:

High-low structure. CNS-intensive work (speed, acceleration, heavy lifting) on high days. Active recovery (tempo, mobility) on low days. You want to avoid medium-intensity work that just accumulates fatigue without producing clear adaptation.

If you only have limited track access, build your training week around what the athlete needs first. Tempo runs work fine on grass, parking lots, or anywhere with decent footing. High-intensity sprint work gets the track time. Low-intensity work goes wherever you can fit it.

Don't let facility constraints force you into incomplete training. Work around them strategically.

GPP builds the foundation. SPP increases specificity. Competition phase sharpens performance.

You know this in theory.

But when do you actually transition from GPP to SPP? When do you reduce volume and increase intensity? When do you stop doing general strength work and shift to explosive power development?

Many coaches guess (and most athletes have no idea). Or they copy what worked last year without considering whether the athletes are in the same place developmentally.

What actually works:

Clear phase markers based on volume tolerance, technical proficiency, and proximity to competition.

GPP typically runs 8-12 weeks, depending on several factors such as training age. SPP starts when athletes can handle higher intensity work without breaking down technically. Competition phase begins 6-8 weeks before your first meaningful meet.

These are guidelines, not rigid rules. They'll vary based on your athletes' development, competition schedule, and individual response to training. But they're based on how long adaptations actually take and how much training stress athletes can handle without breaking down.

You plan Monday's workout. Then Tuesday's. Then Wednesday's.

Each session looks fine individually. But when you step back and look at the full week, the volume is too high. Or the intensity distribution is all wrong. Or you've got speed endurance work before the athlete has built max velocity capacity.

Programming session by session creates incoherent training plans.

What actually works:

Weekly structure first, individual sessions second.

You decide how many high days and low days the athlete needs. You map out which session types go where based on recovery requirements. You calculate total sprint volume and tempo volume for the week.

Then you fill in the specific workouts.

This ensures every session fits into a logical progression instead of just being a random collection of drills.

Periodization isn't complicated in theory. It's complicated in execution.

You need to know:

And you need all of this in one place instead of piecing it together from YouTube videos and Instagram posts.

That's exactly why I built The Sprint Manual.

I've spent the last several months putting together a complete year-round sprint training system for coaches and athletes.

Not just programming theory.

A complete system that shows you exactly how to structure training from the off-season through championship season.

Here's what's included:

This is for coaches who want to program training correctly and athletes who want a structured plan they can actually follow.

No more guessing. No more piecing together random workouts. A complete system that works.