Assuming I run regularly intervals and long runs and sprints every now and then etc however no lifting at all, and then I start lifting about two times a week- squats deadlifts and all sorts of legs drills with weights. How long would you say it would take to see an improvement of speed?
Hffgg wrote:
Assuming I run regularly intervals and long runs and sprints every now and then etc however no lifting at all, and then I start lifting about two times a week- squats deadlifts and all sorts of legs drills with weights. How long would you say it would take to see an improvement of speed?
I would expect to see an improvement in speed in concert with your improvement in lower-body strength, although not to the same degree.
If you improve your 10 rep maxes in the leg press, stiff-legged deadlift, leg curl and standing calf raise by 50%, your 200 PR should also be faster than it is now, but when your 10 rep maxes are 200% of your current 10RMs, you should be even faster. The usual caveats obviously apply; if you gain fat, for example, you will not benefit to the same degree from the additional strength.
Strength is the quickest to gain and fastest to lose.
Endurance takes longer to gain but slower to lose.
If you are on a good weight training program, you can expect to see strength gains within a month. To increase speed, you need to increase the amount of vertical force you apply to the ground on each stride, while maintaining an efficient (relatively compact) range of motion. There is more to increasing vertical force against the ground than just increasing leg strength, so you really cannot predict speed gains solely as a result of doing squats and deadlifts.
If you take a more comprehensive approach to improving your top speed, you will see results in 1 - 2 months.