Speed and power come from:
- Force into the ground
- The ability to produce that force quickly
If your athlete is weak in basic movements – squats, hinges, lunges – they simply don’t have enough “engine” to convert into speed.
Why more running isn’t fixing your athlete’s speed (and what actually does in 10 weeks)
Neven Antic • February 11, 2026
When an athlete is stuck, the default advice is usually:
- “Do more running. Get fitter.”
For a lot of 15–20 year old athletes in Adelaide, more running is not the answer.
Here’s why more conditioning isn’t fixing their speed, and what actually moves the needle in our athlete strength and conditioning Adelaide parents use for results.
Problem 1: No strength base
Problem 2: Poor mechanics
We often see:
- Over striding
- Slow, heavy ground contacts
- Inefficient arm action
If nobody has ever coached their sprinting or jumping mechanics, more running just reinforces bad habits.
Problem 3: Constant niggles
More running on top of school and club sport is often why athletes:
- Get repeat hamstring or calf niggles
- Have sore knees all season
- Struggle to back up week after week
Robustness comes from proper strength and conditioning, not just extra kilometres.
What we do differently at D8
Inside the 10 Week Athlete Accelerator, our sports performance training in Adelaide, we:
- Test first:
Strength, jumps, speed / change of direction. - Build strength and power:
2x or 3x small group strength and speed training for 15–20 year olds each week with coaching on every lift. - Coach mechanics:
Sprint drills, jump and landing work, change of direction patterns. - Monitor load:
We factor in school and club training so they’re not overloaded.
We then retest in Week 10 so you can see exactly what changed.
Want clarity on what your athlete needs?
If you’ve got a 15–20 year old who wants to get faster, stronger and more robust:
- Book an Athlete Assessment & Testing session HERE
We’ll test where they are now, walk you through their results, and recommend whether the 2x/week or 3x/week Elite 10 Week Athlete Accelerator is the best fit.
More Posts
Selection time is stressful. Your athlete wants: More game time A shot at higher squads To prove themselves to coaches You want to give them every chance without burning them out. Here’s how we help Adelaide athletes use one 10 week pre season to actually move the needle on selection with targeted sports performance training in Adelaide.
Every year in Adelaide, thousands of kids and teens start pre season feeling like they’re back at square one. Fitness gone Strength gone Confidence down Then they crash through another season, pick up a few niggles, and repeat. We built the JuniorGym → Athlete pathway at D8 so your child doesn’t have to keep starting every season from zero.
On the surface, a lot of gyms look similar: Music Groups of people sweating Someone telling you what to do So why do we keep telling people “D8 is not a bootcamp”? Because the difference between random workouts and real strength coaching at a strength training gym Adelaide locals can trust is massive.
One of our favourite things at D8 is hearing someone in their 60s or 70s say: “I’m stronger now than I was in my 50s.” If that sounds impossible, here’s what we’ve learned from coaching over 60s through our ForeverStrength over 60s strength training in Adelaide.
You might have heard: “Weights will stunt their growth.” “They’ll get injured in the gym.” Meanwhile, you see your child: Getting pushed off the ball Struggling with coordination Lacking confidence at sport So what’s actually safe?
Most adults we coach at D8 are not sitting around wondering what to do with all their free time. They’re: Working full time Juggling kids’ sport and homework Trying to have some kind of life on weekends So “train 6 days a week and meal prep for 3 hours” is never going to happen. Here’s how we help Adelaide parents actually fit adult strength training in Adelaide into 2–3 hours a week.
Need Help With Your Fitness or Health?
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