U20 & U16 Sprint Training Programs
Welcome to the sprint training programs for the U20 and U16 age groups. To learn more about the specific programs and what they can offer you, simply click/tap on one of the programs below
U20 100m Sprint Training Program
The U20 years are where sprint careers are built.
At this stage, talent still matters - but training starts to matter more. Athletes are stronger, faster, and more physically developed than they were as U16s, but they are still years away from reaching their true potential. The biggest mistake many young sprinters make is training like elite athletes before they have earned the right to do so.
This program bridges that gap.
The HansenSprint U20 100m Program is a fully periodized 20-week training system designed specifically for developing sprinters aged approximately 16-20. Built around the same sprint principles that have helped Simon Hansen become Denmark's fastest man, this program develops the qualities that actually matter for long-term sprint success.
The program follows a structured progression through:
General Preparation → Special Preparation 1 → Special Preparation 2 → Competition Preparation → Competition Phase
Each phase builds upon the previous one, ensuring speed is developed progressively rather than forced.
What You'll Develop
Acceleration mechanics
Maximum velocity
Speed endurance
Sprint-specific strength
Elastic stiffness and reactivity
Technical consistency under fatigue
Competition readiness
Unlike many junior sprint programs, this is not built around endless conditioning, random workouts, or exhaustion for the sake of exhaustion.
Instead, the program is built on one central principle:
Speed is the priority.
Every session has a purpose. High-intensity work is carefully managed. Recovery is respected. Volume is controlled. The objective is not to make you tired - it is to make you faster.
Who Is This Program For?
This program is ideal for:
Competitive U20 sprinters
High school athletes
Club athletes
Athletes preparing for junior championships
Developing 100m specialists
Athletes moving from youth to senior sprint training
Program Structure
Duration: 20 Weeks
Weekly Structure:
Monday: Maximum Velocity
Tuesday: Strength Training
Wednesday: Recovery
Thursday: Acceleration + Sprint-Specific Endurance
Friday: Strength Training
Saturday: Technical Development + Competition Preparation
Sunday: Recovery
The training progresses from building capacity and technical consistency to expressing speed in race-specific situations.
The HansenSprint Pathway
This program forms the second stage of the HansenSprint development system:
U16 → U20 → Advanced → Elite
The goal is not to peak at 18 years old.
The goal is to build the speed, technical ability, and physical qualities that allow you to continue improving throughout your twenties.
If you are serious about sprinting, this is where that journey begins.
U20 200m Sprint Training Program
The 200m is one of the most misunderstood events in track and field.
Many athletes treat it like a longer 100m. Others train for it like a shorter 400m. The reality is that the best 200m runners possess qualities from both worlds. They must accelerate efficiently, reach a high maximum velocity, navigate the bend effectively, and maintain their speed when fatigue begins to build.
This program is designed to develop exactly those qualities.
The HansenSprint U20 200m Program is a fully periodized 20-week training system designed specifically for developing sprinters aged approximately 16-20. It follows the same sprint principles that underpin the HansenSprint Method and guides athletes through a structured progression from general preparation to competition readiness.
The program follows:
General Preparation → Special Preparation 1 → Special Preparation 2 → Competition Preparation → Competition Phase
Each phase builds upon the previous one, gradually increasing speed, specificity, and race preparation.
What You'll Develop
Acceleration mechanics
Maximum velocity
Curve running mechanics
Speed endurance
Glycolytic capacity
Sprint-specific strength
Technical consistency under fatigue
Competition readiness
The central philosophy of this program is simple:
Speed comes first. The engine is built around it.
Too many athletes chase fatigue before they have developed speed. This program does the opposite. Maximum velocity remains a priority throughout the entire training cycle, while speed endurance and glycolytic development are layered progressively around it.
The result is a faster athlete who can maintain speed longer.
Who Is This Program For?
This program is ideal for:
Competitive U20 sprinters
High school athletes
Club athletes
Athletes preparing for junior championships
Developing 200m specialists
100m athletes looking to move up in distance
Program Structure
Duration: 20 Weeks
Weekly Structure:
Monday: Maximum Velocity
Tuesday: Strength Training
Wednesday: Recovery
Thursday: Acceleration + Speed Endurance
Friday: Strength Training
Saturday: Technical Development + Competition Preparation
Sunday: Recovery
The program progresses from developing general sprint qualities and work capacity to refining race-specific execution and competition performance.
The HansenSprint Pathway
This program forms the second stage of the HansenSprint development system:
U16 → U20 → Advanced → Elite
The objective is not simply to run faster this season.
The objective is to build the technical, physical, and metabolic qualities that continue producing faster performances for years to come.
The fastest 200m athletes are not the ones who can suffer the most.
They are the ones who can maintain speed the longest.
U20 400m Sprint Training Program
The 400m is one of the most demanding events in track and field.
It requires speed, endurance, rhythm, patience, and toughness. Because of this, many athletes and coaches make the mistake of treating it as a suffering contest. Training becomes endless repetitions, brutal workouts, and accumulating fatigue for the sake of fatigue.
That approach may produce short-term results.
It rarely produces long-term athletes.
This program is built differently.
The HansenSprint U20 400m Program is a fully periodized 20-week training system designed specifically for developing 400m athletes aged approximately 16-20. It combines maximum velocity development, specific endurance, race modeling, strength training, and carefully controlled metabolic work into a progression designed to develop complete 400m runners.
The program follows:
General Preparation → Special Preparation 1 → Special Preparation 2 → Competition Preparation → Competition Phase
Each phase builds upon the previous one, gradually increasing specificity while protecting the qualities that matter most.
What You'll Develop
Acceleration mechanics
Maximum velocity
Special Endurance 1 (SE1)
Special Endurance 2 (SE2)
Race distribution and rhythm control
Aerobic and anaerobic support
Sprint-specific strength
Technical consistency under fatigue
Competition readiness
The central philosophy of this program is simple:
Speed reserve is king.
The athlete with greater speed reserve operates at a lower percentage of their maximum ability during the race. The first 200m become more economical. The third 100m becomes more manageable. The final 100m becomes controllable.
For this reason, maximum velocity remains a priority throughout the entire training cycle.
We do not sacrifice speed to build endurance.
We build endurance around speed.
Who Is This Program For?
This program is ideal for:
Competitive U20 sprinters
High school athletes
Club athletes
Athletes preparing for junior championships
Developing 400m specialists
200m athletes looking to move up in distance
Program Structure
Duration: 20 Weeks
Weekly Structure:
Monday: Upright Running + Specific Endurance
Tuesday: Strength Training
Wednesday: Speed Development
Thursday: Tempo / Aerobic Support
Friday: Strength Training
Saturday: Physical Training + Metabolic Development
Sunday: Recovery
The program progresses from general capacity building and foundational speed development to specific race modeling, competition preparation, and peak performance.
The HansenSprint Pathway
This program forms the second stage of the HansenSprint development system:
U16 → U20 → Advanced → Elite
The objective is not simply to run a faster 400m this season.
The objective is to develop the speed, endurance, technical consistency, and race understanding that allow you to continue improving for years to come.
The best 400m athletes are not the ones who learn to suffer.
They are the ones who learn to distribute the race, protect their mechanics, and express their speed when it matters most.
U16 Sprint Development
Most young athletes are introduced to sprint training far too late.
They learn how to compete before they learn how to sprint.
The result is predictable: poor mechanics, inconsistent progression, unnecessary injuries, and years spent trying to fix problems that should never have been created in the first place.
The HansenSprint U16 Program was built to solve that problem.
Designed for athletes between approximately 12 and 16 years of age, this 16-week training manual teaches the fundamental skills that underpin every successful sprinter, regardless of whether they eventually specialize in the 100m, 200m, 400m, team sports, or another athletic discipline entirely.
Rather than chasing exhaustion or short-term performance, the program focuses on long-term development through a structured progression of acceleration training, upright sprint mechanics, plyometrics, rhythm work, coordination training, and controlled speed endurance.
Over the course of four carefully planned phases, athletes learn how to:
• Accelerate efficiently and powerfully
• Transition smoothly into upright sprinting
• Develop rhythm, posture, and relaxation at higher speeds
• Improve elastic stiffness and reactivity through plyometrics
• Handle controlled fatigue without sacrificing technique
• Understand how real sprint training is structured
The program follows the same development principles that underpin the broader HansenSprint pathway:
U16 → U20 → Advanced → Elite
Every session has a purpose. Every phase builds upon the last. Nothing is random, and nothing is included simply to make athletes tired.
This is not a collection of workouts.
It is a complete 16-week sprint development system.
What's Included
✓ Full 16-week periodized training plan
✓ Four distinct training phases:
Learning
Exposure
Refinement
Expression
✓ Detailed weekly calendars and session descriptions
✓ Warm-up protocols for each phase
✓ Plyometric and coordination progressions
✓ Bodyweight strength circuits
✓ Technical coaching guidance throughout
✓ Progress benchmarks after every phase
✓ Philosophy and educational material explaining exactly why the program is structured the way it is
Who Is This For?
Athletes aged approximately 12–16
Parents looking for a safe and intelligent development pathway
Coaches seeking a structured sprint framework
Team sport athletes wanting to improve speed and athleticism
Whether the goal is to run faster, compete in athletics, improve performance in another sport, or simply build an exceptional athletic foundation, this program provides the roadmap.
About Simon Hansen
Simon Hansen is a two-time Olympian, Danish national record holder in the 100m, and founder of HansenSprint. Through HansenSprint, Simon has helped thousands of athletes and coaches around the world better understand sprint training by making elite-level knowledge accessible, practical, and easy to apply.
This program represents the first step of that methodology.
Build the foundation correctly, and everything that follows becomes easier.
U20 & U16 Sprint Training Programs
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