The Complete Guide to Lactic System Training for 100m Sprinters
- John
- 2 days ago
- 8 min read
Did you know that for elite sprinters running sub-10 seconds, 95% of their energy comes from the alactic system—and only 5% from the lactic system?
But if you're running 10.5, 11, or slower?
Your lactic contribution is MUCH higher. The longer you're on the track, the more your body relies on anaerobic glycolysis to keep moving.
In other words:
If you want to get faster, you NEED at least some lactic system to help you out.
If you’ve ever:
Died out in the last 20m of a 100m sprint…
Felt your legs lock up before the finish line…
Struggled to hold speed through multiple rounds in a meet...
Then this guide is for you.
You’ll learn:
How the lactic system works (specifically for 100m sprinters)
Why even sub-10 runners use it (and why YOU need it more)
Pro-level workouts to train it the right way
By the end, you’ll have a complete system to build lactic power, finish stronger, and get closer to your sub-10 dreams.
Let’s get into it.
What Is the Lactic System in Sprinting?
The lactic system (also called the anaerobic glycolytic system) is a chemical reaction that provides fast ATP for 3 to 60 seconds by breaking down stored carbohydrates (glycogen) without oxygen. This process produces pyruvate and lactic acid, which quickly leads to muscle fatigue if not trained properly.
Key Facts About the Lactic System:
Energy Duration: 3 to 60 seconds
Peak Power Output: Occurs around 10-20 seconds
Fatigue Factor: Lactic acid buildup lowers muscle pH, causing "the burn"
Recovery Time: Takes 30 minutes to 2 hours to fully clear lactic acid (Cori cycle)
Usage in 100m Sprints: ~5% for sub-10 sprinters, but 10%+ for slower times
How Does the Lactic System Work in Sprinting?
Starts After Stored ATP-PC (alactic system) starts running low.
Breaks Down Glycogen for Energy – Produces 2 ATP per glucose molecule, fueling continued sprinting (inefficient but fast)
Lactic Acid Accumulates – More sprinting = more lactic acid buildup, which slows muscle contraction.
Your Body Buffers or Fails – If trained, you resist the slowdown to some degree. If untrained, your legs die fast.
Anaerobic Glycolysis Simplified for Sprinters
1. Glucose Enters the Muscle Cell
First, glucose (sugar) comes from two places:
Directly from the blood (if you ate carbs recently)
Broken down from stored glycogen
Once it’s inside the muscle cell, an enzyme called hexokinase locks it in by converting it to glucose-6-phosphate. Now it’s trapped—and ready to be burned.
2. Glycolysis Begins: Splitting Sugar to Make Energy
Anaerobic glycolysis is actually a 10-step pathway where one molecule of glucose (6 carbons) is split into two molecules of pyruvate (3 carbons each). Along the way, it generates:
2 ATP (energy you will use instantly for sprinting)
2 NADH (electron carriers for later)
Small heat and acid buildup (you’ll feel that)
Key enzymes like phosphofructokinase (PFK) and pyruvate kinase control the speed of this whole chain. They’re like volume knobs for power production.
3. Where Does Pyruvate Go? Two Roads:
If Oxygen is Available (aerobic—not our business):
Pyruvate enters the mitochondria and is converted by pyruvate dehydrogenase into acetyl-CoA, which fuels the Krebs cycle and oxidative phosphorylation. This creates more than 30 ATP per glucose, but it’s for the distance guys.
If Oxygen is Limited (anaerobic):
Pyruvate gets converted to lactate by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). This lets glycolysis keep going fast, even without oxygen.
It regenerates NAD+, so the glycolysis engine doesn’t stall.
Lactate builds up, then gets shuttled out of the cell or is reused later by slow-twitch fibers for fuel (it’s not a waste product—it's part of the Cori cycle and more).
Produces H+ which lowers the pH causing the burn and slowing this reaction. (It’s not the lactate burning!)
When It Stops:
The glycolytic engine slows down when:
ATP builds up (muscle doesn't need more)
pH drops (too acidic = enzymes can’t work)
You run out of glucose/glycogen (almost impossible)
Or you switch to aerobic metabolism during longer, lower-intensity work
Why Do 100m Sprinters Need Lactic Training?
You already know that for sub-10 sprinters, 95% of energy comes from the alactic system, and the lactic system plays only a partial but important role in the final meters.
Since you are probably not in that category...
Benefits of Lactic System Training for 100m Sprinters:
Holds top speed longer – Crucial for the last 20-30 meters
Delays fatigue – Trains your body to buffer and clear lactic acid faster
Prepares you for rounds – Speeds up recovery between races
Builds sprint endurance – Allows you to handle more sprint volume in training
Next, let’s break down the three types of lactic training and how to train them like a pro.
The Three Key Lactic Training Zones for Sprinters
Understanding how each lactic zone contributes to your sprint performance is critical for designing effective training. Here are the three main lactic training zones and how they work for sprinters:
1. Lactic Power Short (3-10 Seconds)
What It Is: This zone is all about maximal power output over 3-10 seconds, where the body transitions from the alactic system into the early stages of lactic acid production. It’s the perfect sweet spot between speed and… well, speed.
Why It Matters for Sprinters: For 100m sprinters, this zone plays a crucial role, even though the event is primarily alactic. For athletes aiming for sub-11 second times, this phase is often the point where speed starts to dip. That’s where lactic power short training steps in. It teaches your body to maintain high velocity just as lactic acid starts to build, preventing a loss in pace during the middle of the race.
Actionable Tip: To develop Lactic Power Short, perform 5-8 reps of 8-12 second accelerations at 100% effort. Rest 8-15+ minutes (full rest) between sets to ensure full recovery. This mimics the intensity and duration of a 100m sprint and helps you sustain top speed as lactate begins to accumulate.
2. Lactic Power Long (10-20 Seconds)
What It Is: The Lactic Power Long zone is where the body is fully using the lactic system for its output during the 10-20 seconds. This is the period when increased acidity significantly impacts your ability to maintain top speed. Your muscles are still producing high power, but H+ begins to slow your performance.
Why It Matters for Sprinters: For sprinters looking to break sub-11 seconds, this zone is still useful as it helps you power through the last meters. Training here improves your ability to delay fatigue, allowing you to keep the speed up when others start to fade.
Actionable Tip:Perform 4-6 acceleration lasting 12-25 seconds at 97% effort with 8-15+ minutes (full rest) in between. This will enhance your capacity to sustain a high-speed output in the final phase of your race.
3. Lactic Reserve (20-60 Seconds)
What It Is: The Lactic Reserve phase focuses on building the body’s ability to handle and clear lactate efficiently. During this phase, you’ll be working just above your anaerobic threshold, pushing the body to operate under lactate stress without fatiguing too quickly. This is where you start to train your lactate tolerance, enabling you to sustain efforts at high intensities longer and recover faster between those efforts.
Key Focus: This is not about running long distances at a moderate pace. The whole point is to train your body to work under lactate buildup by keeping your rest periods short to maintain a high level during each successive effort.
How to Train It:
Perform 10-20 second accelerations at 80-90% intensity, feel the burn, but end just before the point where lactate accumulation starts to slow you down significantly.
IMPORTANT: Rest only 2-4 minutes between efforts, keeping the rest periods short so that you can continue to push your body into the lactate zone again and again.
You’ll feel your legs burn and muscles start to fatigue, but by shortening your recovery time, you improve your ability to clear lactate and tolerate higher lactate levels over time.
Why It Matters for 100m Sprinters:While 100m sprinters don’t spend as much time in the lactic reserve system as 200m or 400m runners, lactic reserve and clearance training is also important.
This type of training is suitable for prep phases before a season, allowing sprinters to condition their bodies to handle lactate stress and recover faster for multiple rounds during a meet or training.
Pro Tips for Mastering Lactic Reserve Training
1. Focus on Sprint Form Under Fatigue
As you work through the Lactic Reserve phase, your legs will begin to burn, and fatigue will set in quickly.
This is a critical point where many sprinters make the mistake of letting their form slip. Keep your posture tall, arms driving at 90 degrees, and maintain that powerful stride frequency.
This ensures that even under lactate buildup, you’re running efficiently, saving energy, and reducing the risk of injury.
2. Prioritize Quality Over Quantity
While it might be tempting to squeeze in as many sets as possible, remember that quality trumps quantity in sprint. Aim for 4-6 sets of sprints per session, maintaining intent behind the training with each one.
If you push yourself too hard and lose quality, the benefits of lactate tolerance won’t be as pronounced. Focus on maintaining that % intensity with perfect technique during each sprint.
3. Stay Focused With Recovery Time
When it comes to rest intervals, don’t mix the workouts.
A key principle here is that shorter rest periods force your body to build tolerance to lactate. Longer periods allow you to use it for max power.
If you shorten the recovery too much on high intensity (lactate power) workouts - you’ll throw up and can go home. Completely missing the point.
8-15+ minutes of recovery for the lactate power.
2-4 minutes of recovery for the lactate tolerance.
4. Incorporate Active Recovery
Instead of laying on the ground during your rest, incorporate active recovery techniques like walking.
This helps keep your blood flowing, reduces stiffness, and speeds up lactate clearance.
Don’t when you want the buildup.
5. Prepare & Recover Well
This is a killer workout. Always will be. So it’s critical to hydrate and eat properly before, during, and after your session.
Eat carbs before the session. Then after training, eat when your stomach cools down.
6. Use Mental Cues to Power Through the Burn
The lactic acid buildup will challenge your mental toughness.
When the burn kicks in, it’s easy to feel like you can’t push through and decrease your intensity.
A pro sprinter’s mental game is what makes the difference.
Use mental cues like “Spin them legs” to stay focused on frequency and technique, even when your body wants to quit.
Small mental cues will also help you power through the final meters of the competition.
THE LAST 20 METERS OF THIS ARTICLE!!!
Congratulations! You have made it!
Now you know that training your Lactic System isn’t just about enduring the burn—it’s about teaching your body to use more glycolysis as a power source. By conditioning your muscles to extract energy from it, you’ll not only finish your 100m sprints stronger, but you'll also recover faster between rounds during competitions.
The 2 keys are:
Short sprints + full rest for lactic power
Short sprints + short rests for the lactic threshold.
These types of training teach your body to maximize lactate’s potential, boosting your power output and helping you sustain top performance across multiple heats.
Stick to these principles, focus on quality over quantity, and you’ll see significant improvements in both your extended sprinting power and your recovery times.
Want more personalized guidance to optimize your energy systems and take your sprinting to the next level?
Head over to my Energy System Training page to discover more about our tailored approach that will help you unlock your full potential and crush your 100m goals.
Waaau.. amazing article