Sprint training and agility work are often overlooked in CrossFit — but they shouldn’t be! In this video, Eric O’Connor (CF-L4) and Adrian Conway (CF-L3) break down why sprinting matters, how to introduce it safely, and ways to incorporate change-of-direction training to improve athleticism, power, and injury prevention.
To become “functional across broad time and modal domains,” we often over-index on Olympic lifts, mastering gymnastic skills, and building metabolic capacity. This means that a fundamental aspect of athletic development sometimes gets overlooked: sprint and agility training.
This is because performing maximum-effort sprints followed by long rest periods can seem like a waste of time.
This mindset, however, makes many of us stuck in what Adrian Conway, three-time CrossFit Games team champion, calls “running flat” – having only one gear, typically our 400-meter workout pace. The problem? When life demands that explosive burst of speed – whether chasing your child, playing recreational sports, or reacting to an unexpected situation – you lack the gear you need.
The Benefits of Sprint and Agility Training
Sprint training offers benefits for your athletes that extend far beyond the typical CrossFit workout:
- Preserves fast-twitch muscle fibers: We lose Type II (fast-twitch) muscle fibers faster than Type I (slow-twitch) as we age. Sprint training helps maintain this crucial component of athletic capacity.
- Enhances neurological development: The coordination, balance, and proprioception required for proper sprinting create neurological adaptations that benefit all movement patterns.
- Reduces injury risk: Proper deceleration and change-of-direction training prepares your body for the unpredictable movements of everyday life and recreational sports.
- Improves longevity: The ability to generate power quickly keeps us functional and capable as we age, improving our quality of life through the decades.
How to Implement Sprint Training
The key to successful sprint integration is progressive exposure:
- Start with movement drills in your warmup: Incorporate high knees, butt kicks, A-skips, and lateral movements into regular warmups to help your athletes develop proper mechanics.
- Use rolling starts: Have athletes begin with a slow trot, then gradually build speed rather than exploding from a dead stop.
- Control intensity: Guide athletes to aim for 60-70% of their maximum speed, focusing on proper mechanics before pushing the limits.
- Respect recovery: For true sprint work, rest 12-20 times longer than the work period (5-second sprint = 1-2 minutes rest).
- Consider hill sprints or sleds: These naturally limit top speed while reducing impact forces on the body.
The CrossFit methodology has always emphasized learning and playing new sports as part of a well-rounded fitness approach. Sprinting and agility work are skills that deserve the same progressive, thoughtful approach we give to Olympic lifting or gymnastics.
By incorporating these elements into your classes – whether as standalone sessions, warmups, or cooldowns – your athletes will develop capacities that translate directly to improved performance both in the gym and out.
about the author
Eric O’Connor is a Content Developer and Seminar Staff Flowmaster for CrossFit’s Education Department and the co-creator of the former CrossFit Competitor’s Course. He has led over 400 seminars and has more than a decade of experience coaching at a CrossFit affiliate. He is a Certified CrossFit Coach (CF-L4), a former Division 1 collegiate wrestler, and a former CrossFit Games athlete.
Sprint and Agility Training for CrossFit