Lean how you can Sprint Faster
Everyone wants to be fast like Usain Bolt (world’s fastest man), stronger than Arnold Schwarzenegger (in his prime not now), bigger than Hafthór Júlíus Björnsson (Game of Thrones dude). Guys like these are freak of natures and their feats are quite amazing. The one thing they have in common is they all lift weights, though Usain Bolt’s weight training program is vastly different than Arnold’s and Hafthór’s programs. Usain trains for speed and explosiveness while the other two train for aesthetics and sheer power. Every one is built differently, but everyone has the same type of muscle fibers in their body. Genetics plays a role in the amount so some have more than others. Regardless of the amount you have there are ways to train those fibers to be faster. So how can I sprint faster? Let’s take a look at the different muscle fibers in the body.
Muscle Fiber Types
There are two different types of muscle fibers in the human body.
- Type I
- Type II (IIA and IIB)
Type I fibers are known as the slow twitch muscles, these fibers are more efficiently using oxygen that helps create more fuel (ATP). These muscles fire a lot slower than type II and last longer before muscles fatigue. Endurance athletes such as marathoners and cyclists rely heavily on these fibers.
Type II fibers are known as the fast twitch muscles, the fibers use an anaerobic metabolism to create the fuel necessary to generate short bursts of speed/strength. Fast twitch muscles fatigue much quicker and fire at a faster rate than slow twitch muscles. Any type of sport that relies on quick bursts of speed and shifty movements uses fast twitch fibers.
Sprinting Faster
Learning how to sprint faster takes time and repetition like most skills.
Most people think the key to running faster is to lift a lot of weights and run repeat 100 meters as hard as you can. There is some truth to that claim, but the type of weights and the amount of running is going to be different for everyone. There are many things that need to be worked on in order to sprint faster, here are a few tips that will help out.
- Get in shape (circuit training is a good place to start)
- Ab workout (solid core will do wonders)
- Weight training (Olympic weight lifting, learn the form first before throwing on weight to prevent injuries)
- Running hills
- Resistance training
There is not one thing that will improve your speed, but a variety of things that need to be worked on. Running may look and sound easy, but it is a very complex process. Every one is built differently and every athlete has different needs. Some athletes may be naturally stronger than others, but they may lack coordination to do drills. The old saying goes “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
