Speed Parachute and Sprinting: How Good Are They
When sprinting, wind is either your best or worst friend. Ideally, you want it pushing your back for an extra kick! But, when you train it’s more rewarding to fight against the wind – and the best way to capture it is by using a speed parachute.
Speed parachutes enable athletes to incorporate resistance training, without any baggage, uncomfortably or risking injury. Comparing them to ankle weights, which have a hard impact on the ankles, can be uncomfortable, or fall off – you can just strap up and sprint!
Sounds fantastic, right? But, how exactly do they work, and what makes them desirable to athletes? Glad you asked…
- The resistance from the wind helps build power in your legs, making you more explosive in each stride.
- Fighting the wind’s drag increases neural activation. Your brain sends messages to your body’s motor units, helping you to push forward when other athletes tire out.
- Greater force is demanded from your arm swing when wearing a parachute. When racing, you’ll notice better drive and balance.
For the majority of athletes, the parachute isn’t their go-to. Most coaches advise against them. But, we believe there is a place and time to use them. To name a few, they help to add variety to an athlete’s workout, build up strength after injury, and act as an ideal warm-up before a game/ race. In fact, one study found they increase stride length, which increases maximum speed.
Depending on their size, they produce between 12.5 and 30 pounds (5.6 kilograms and 13.6 kilograms) of resistance. For as little as $30, they are definitely an attractive investment. But, most athletes aren’t concerned about the money, instead, it’s how efficient they are in increasing speed. We hope to clear this up in this article.
Can A Speed Parachute Increase How Fast You Run
The question that’s most relevant, and more to the point on why you’re here is, will training with a speed parachute make you run faster? Let’s answer this, and then look at what you must consider.
Training with a speed parachute is fundamentally resistance training. The wind creates extra load on your quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, core, and arms which helps build muscle fibers. In turn, this enables you to generate more force when sprinting and run faster.
You may be asking yourself, how does this work? There are two main reasons.
- The sudden burst of energy you need when sprinting uses fast-twitch muscle fibers. By mimicking this with added resistance, you activate the exact same fibers and build them to become more explosive.
- Sprinting with the parachute slowly becomes your new norm. Once you remove the resistance you feel lighter and extra bouncier. This isn’t just psychological, as by removing the load, (and increasing muscle fibers) your relative strength increases too. So, many athletes run with a parachute before competing for this extra boost!
It’s also important to recognize they won’t universally make you faster, only in certain races. Parachutes are ideal for sprinters running 30m-100m. They take a few meters to catch the wind before they deploy, so you won’t feel added resistance from any less distance. And, any longer distance benefits more from activating your slow twitch muscle fibers.
How do the parachutes compare to other equipment? They aren’t too great by themselves. Parachutes are optimal when you incorporate them into other resistance workouts.
They have their place in the sense they’re cheap, portable, and light, but the die-hard sprinters benefit from something more technical. Yes, they make you faster, but if you spend the same amount of time using, for example, a treadmill you’ll achieve better results.
What Are The Benefits Of Parachute Running
The benefits of a parachute stretch further than your running pace. We’ve mentioned a few already; nonetheless, there are more reasons why it may be more suitable to pick a parachute over other equipment.
- Progressively Resistant.
Essentially, the faster you run, the more drag you resist. This is ideal for activating fast-twitch muscle fibers because the sprint remains intense, no matter how fast you are running. Because of this, they’re more vigorous to use than, for example, a sled, which has constant resistance throughout the workout. - Low Impact Exercise
Unlike other equipment, such as a weighted vest, parachutes are far lighter on your body. Heavy equipment can be strenuous on your joints and posture, but the parachute offers a solution to provide resistance with minimal wear and tear. This makes it great for a warm-up, cool-down, or training after an injury. - Lightweight
Light, foldable, thin – parachutes are one of the most portable types of equipment on the market. As a result, you can take them anywhere with you and instantly increase the muscle demands of your workout. Let’s say you’re sprinting up a hill, but it’s not as intense as you’d like. Get a parachute on! - Lone Workout
Equipment, such as resistance bands, need a partner to stabilize the elasticity for it to be effective This isn’t the case with a parachute. You aren’t relying on a partner. You are able to go to a field, strap on the parachute, and start running. No commitments, no dependability. (Though sometimes a partner is useful to untangle the parachute while you run.)
And then you have the benefit of improved athletic ability (added resistance, higher explosiveness, and increased pace), which we explain above.
Disadvantages Of Parachute Running
Despite their benefits, parachutes don’t have the best reputation in athletic sports. Many athletes find them unproductive, and most coaches advise against them. Is this because they’re incapable? No. Is this because there is more effective equipment? Possibly.
- Improper Form
Due to the wind resistance, you must lean forward to keep balance and stay on foot – otherwise, the wind takes you with it! While it’s okay with a parachute, it’s less rewarding without – it’s a poor running form and you’re likely to trip. Therefore, coaches recommend only experienced runners to use parachutes as athletes are less likely to pick up bad habits, though one study suggests its effect is only minor. - Doesn’t Improve Acceleration
When you first sprint, you’ll notice the parachute lag. They don’t deploy as soon as you start running. They require you to take a few strides and pick up pace, until it offers wind resistance. Because of this, you can’t fasten how quick you’re off the line. Nonetheless, there is a solution: have a training partner to hold the parachute open in the early part of your sprint. - Weather Dependencies
You’ll create your own wind as soon as you start running with a parachute. But, what if it’s already a windy day? What if there’s no wind? What if the wind blows the other way? With so many weather variables, you’ll experience a different intensity every day. Because of this, you shouldn’t exclusively rely on parachutes for resistance training, and instead, combine it with other workouts.
The main question is, do the drawbacks outweigh the advantages?
To answer truthfully, no! When used appropriately, the significance of its disadvantages is minuscule compared to the advantages. Just ensure you learn a proper running technique, use other exercises to increase your acceleration, and incorporate other sprint exercises!
The Best Parachute Running Drills
Below we describe some of the best parachute drills to incorporate into your training routine. Of course, you have the traditional sprints with a parachute, but these aim to lean towards the ‘fun’ side. Feel free to add your own twist; be creative and enjoy the sensation of the wind pulling your body! To brief our recommendations:
- Backpedal Flip Sprint
- High Knee Sprint
- Shuttle Jump Sprints
- Backward Sprint
Tip: No alternative will be more efficient than a 20-100m sprint down the track. Use these exercises to add variation to your workout, or decrease the intensity.
Backpedal Flip Sprint
Begin facing the inside of the parachute, and sprint backward. As soon as the parachute inflates spin around and carry your sprint at full intensity. Depending on your running distance, depends on how long you should maintain the sprint for but go at least 5 meters.
High Knee Sprint
Unlike traditional high knee sprints, you must slightly lean forward and take more exaggerated steps to keep the parachute inflated. Maintain this momentum between 5-15 meters (whichever suits your activity).
Shuttle Jump Sprints
Set up cones 5-10 meters apart (we’ve done less for demonstration purposes) and sprint between them both, touching the ground and vertically jumping each time. This exercise can be awkward with the positioning of the parachute, so be mindful not to trip!
Backward Sprint
Once again, face towards the parachute, but this time carry on sprinting backward after the parachute opens. Hold the sprint for at least 10 meters, being conscious to not tumble! As well as increasing explosiveness, this variation helps to learn a lot more about your running technique.
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