Speed-Dominant Sprinter Transitioning to Bobsleigh

How Shak Cut 0.5 Seconds Off His Bobsleigh Push Start with Velocity-Based Training

Athlete: Shak, 25, Trinidad & Tobago bobsleigh (2-man)

Key results

• Duration: 8 weeks
• Push start: 5.5s to 5.0s
• Squat jump: 42cm to 51cm
• Back squat 1RM: 170kg to 195kg
• Hex-bar deadlift 1RM: 220kg to 255kg

The Athlete

Shak is a former national-level sprinter who moved into bobsleigh. Years of sprinting gave him excellent rate of force development (RFD) and elastic efficiency: he could produce force quickly and use the stretch-shortening cycle well. Bobsleigh asks for something different.

The Problem

A push start means accelerating a heavy sled from a standstill. Absolute force matters more than speed. Shak was fast but lacked maximal strength. He had a velocity-dominant profile: he could apply force quickly, but not enough of it against heavy resistance.

Testing with PeakLines

Vertical jump battery

• Squat jump (SJ): 42cm. Low compared with elite bobsled athletes (50+cm).
• Countermovement jump (CMJ): 55cm. The 13cm gap from his SJ showed heavy reliance on elastic energy rather than raw force.
• CMJ with arm swing (ACMJ): 61cm. The moderate 6cm gap showed good arm coordination.

Velocity-based training (VBT) assessment

• Back squat: estimated 1RM: 170kg.
• Hex-bar deadlift: estimated 1RM: 220kg.
• Power clean: estimated 1RM: 90kg.
• His load-velocity profile showed high velocities at light loads but low force at heavy loads. It was a velocity-skewed curve, confirming he didn't have enough of a strength base.

Diagnosis

• Strengths: high RFD and elastic qualities.
• Limitation: insufficient maximal force production.

For bobsleigh this is the key bottleneck. The push start rewards force against resistance, not speed alone.

The Training Plan

Goal: build maximal strength and high-force power while keeping his speed.

• Back squat at 0.3–0.6 m/s (mean velocity) to develop maximal force.
• Hex-bar deadlift at 0.5–0.8 m/s (mean velocity) for high-force power in a push-specific pattern.
• Power clean at 1.2–1.6 m/s (mean/peak velocity) to maintain explosive qualities.
• PeakLines gave live velocity feedback on every rep, keeping each set in the right zone whatever his daily readiness.

Jump monitoring

• SJ height: the main indicator of improved force production.
• SJ-CMJ gap: to check that elastic qualities were kept as strength increased.

Results

After 8 weeks:

• Push start: 5.5s to 5.0s
• Squat jump: 42cm to 51cm
• Back squat 1RM: 170kg to 195kg
• Hex-bar deadlift 1RM: 220kg to 255kg
• CMJ: relatively constant, remaining at 56cm.

Shak now has a more balanced force-velocity profile. He produces much more force in the first steps of the push and has kept the sprint speed that brought him to the sport.

Shak's testimonial

“Competing in bobsleigh for Team TTO and serving with the Navy means my body is under constant stress. Bobsleigh puts huge physical demands on you, and it's easy to overtrain in the gym without realising it.

PeakLines let us target the specific adaptations I needed, from maximal strength to explosive power off the start, so every session is built towards a clear outcome. The real-time feedback on lift velocities kept me pushing hard without getting into fatigue.

Whether I was training in the UK, back home in Trinidad or travelling through the competition season, I had the insights as if Coach was right there with me. That consistency helped the whole team develop the strength and power that got us to the Winter Olympics.”