Research summary · Training and performance
What review-level evidence says about resisted sprint training
An umbrella review assessed 15 reviews of resisted sprint interventions, separating immediate responses from longer-term training adaptations.
- Publication year
- 2026
- First published online
- Publication type
- Umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses
- Journal
- Sports Medicine
- Population / context
- Sprinting · Predominantly young male team-sport athletes
What the publication reports
Evidence most consistently supported acceleration over distances of 20 metres or less. Findings for maximal speed, jumping and sprint mechanics were inconsistent, and no universally optimal resistance method or load emerged.
Limits and interpretation
Only five reviews had high methodological quality. Overlapping primary studies, heterogeneous protocols and certainty ranging from very low to high limit conclusions, especially beyond young male team-sport athletes.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
Effects of Resisted Sprint Training and Sprint Performance and Related Physical Capacities: An Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 42839220DOI: 10.1007/s40279-026-02538-wReader discussion
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