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2h • 📚 Book Club
Charlie Francis — Training for Speed (Chapter 2 Summary)
Theme: The CNS controls everything
Chapter 2 = speed is neurological
Francis explains that sprinting performance is limited more by the central nervous system (CNS) than muscles, lungs, or conditioning.
You don’t get faster by just working harder — you get faster by protecting the nervous system and timing high-intensity work correctly.
1️⃣ The Nervous System Is The Governor
The brain regulates force output to protect the body.
When fatigue rises → the brain reduces recruitment → speed drops.
So:
• Muscles don’t fail first
• The nervous system throttles power first
Translation for athletes
You don’t lose speed because you’re tired
You lose speed because your brain limits output
That’s why a “grindy” session makes you slower.
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2️⃣ Speed Training Is NOT Conditioning
Francis separates training into two categories:
High Intensity (CNS)
• Sprints (95–100%)
• Max velocity work
• Heavy lifts
• Explosive jumps
• Olympic lifts
Low Intensity (Recovery / Circulation)
• Tempo runs
• Med ball
• Mobility
• Circuits
• Light technical work
The mistake coaches make
Mixing both in the same session → destroys speed development
You cannot train speed tired.
3️⃣ Why Rest Periods Are Long
ATP and nervous system recovery take time.
If rest is short → you trained conditioning, not speed.
(Check image table below)
4️⃣ High / Low Organization (Core Francis System)
Instead of “upper/lower splits”
Francis organizes by nervous system stress.
High Days
Speed + weights + plyos
Low Days
Tempo + mobility + circuits
This prevents CNS overlap and allows adapt action
5️⃣ Fatigue Masks Speed
If performance drops during session:
➡️ Stop the workout
More reps ≠ more improvement
More quality reps = improvement
Speed is trained fresh, not exhausted.
Coaching Takeaway (for S&C)
• Never do conditioning before speed
• Pair heavy lifts with sprint days
• Use tempo for recovery, not punishment
• Track velocity — not effort
• End sessions before fatigue changes mechanics
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Simple Rule to Live By
Speed is a nervous system event, not a conditioning event.
You train speed by protecting it.
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Charlie Francis — Training for Speed (Chapter 2 Summary)
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