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I read a study about speed and strength: basically, this is how it went.

1600 high school football players and other athletes were timed in the 40-yd dash.
They were then measured on their 1-rep max on leg extensions (quads) and hamstring curls.

They then took the top 20% fastest athletes and looked at their quad and hamstring strengths.

They noticed that all of the top 20% athletes had a hamstring strength that equaled or was greater than 70% of their leg extension 1-rep max.

This would mean that if your leg extension was a 100lb 1-rep max, then your hamstring curl 1-rep max would have to be at least 70lbs or greater.

CONCLUSION:

This study seems to confirm that your hamstring strength is very important when it comes to sprinting speed. Your quads absorb the running shock on each step, and the hamstrings have to pull you along.

The closer you get your quads and hamstrings at an equal strength, the better.

My explosive weight training program will get you there faster than any program anywhere!

Some extra info:

I spoke to a 2x Olympic Sprinter one day. He ran the 100m and 200m in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics.

I asked him this question:
If there were identical twins; they were the same strength, same body weight and same speed. Each could benchpress 200lbs 1RM. If one got his benchpress up to a 300lb 1RM, who would have the advantage? He said the one with a 300lb max. I then asked if they both could benchpress 1RM 300lbs and one got his benchpress up to 400lb 1RM, who would have the advantage? He said the twin that could benchpress 400lbs. I then asked if they could both benchpress 400lbs 1RM and one got his benchpress up to a 500lb 1RM, who would have the advantage? He said “neither”. Hmmm.

Apparently the Olympic coaches have figured out that the fastest sprinters need to have at least a 400lb benchpress 1RM and a 400lb 1RM on the squat in order to generate the forces needed to propel you along and to be able to absorb the impact forces that you are creating at WR speeds. But, a 500lb benchpress and a 500lb squat are not an advantage.

Sprinters are explosive athletes, so they must lift weights explosively!

EX:

A high school senior from TEXAS did my program. He began with a benchpress of 250lbs 1-RM, and a 1-RM squat of 315lbs. He ran the 100m in 11sec, the 40yd in 4.6, and had a 30” vertical leap.

He did my entire 8-week program that is outlined in my book. I told him he had to do the jumping exercises before practice and the weight training after practice.

After 8-weeks he told me about his dramatic improvements:
He ran the 100m in 10.2sec
His 40yd dash is now 4.35sec.

His vertical leap was 45”.
His benchpress was 350lbs.
His squat was 405lbs.

CONCLUSION:

In a nut shell:
In order to become faster and more explosive, you need to perform exercises that train you to generate extreme forces very quickly and repeatedly. Sort of like high torque, high power, and high RPM’s (revolutions per minute). Would you like to be a 500hp bulldozer or a 500hp sports car? Exercise slow and you’ll be slow. Exercise fast and you’ll be fast.