To begin with, most athletes, coaches and trainers do not recognize there are two types of fast twitch muscle fibers, 2X and 2A. 2X fast twitch muscle fibers contract five times faster than 2A. 2X Fast twitch muscle fibers must be recruited to optimally increase speed and power.
All forms of traditional weight training, including power lifts, primarily do not recruit 2X fast twitch muscle fibers. Power lifts, thought to have an impact on power and speed, increase strength, size and muscle endurance but perhaps never recruit 2X fast twitch muscle fibers. Therefore optimum increases in speed and power, sometimes referred to as explosive strength cannot be obtained.
To recruit 2X fast twitch muscle fibers, rapid, repeated, significant applied force is required. While plyometrics are not considered weight training, they are a training action that does recruit 2X fast twitch muscle fibers. The primary weight training methods for recruiting 2X fast twitch muscle fibers for increasing speed and power are Bar Drops and Shock reps, with appropriate weight loads for each athlete.
It must be recognized that 2X fast twitch muscle fibers have only short term energy, fuel in the form of ATP [adenosine triphosphate] and CP [creatine phosphate] which is stored in the muscles and liver. That ATP is available for 5-7 seconds and CP 10-15 seconds. So there is a 5 to 15 second supply of fuel for recruiting, contracting and training of 2X fast twitch muscles.
After approximately 15 seconds, intermediate term anaerobic energy in the form of non-dependent oxygen glycolysis, is fuel [ATP] stored in the muscles and liver and is available for 30 to 40 seconds. After that time, muscle contraction depends on oxygen dependent glycolisis, [aerobic] often referred to as the Krebs cycle, the enzymatic breakdown of carbohydrates and fatty acids in the presence of oxygen. Also called oxidative phosphorylation, it produces 95% of our fuel [ATP] for daily use.
Weight training using rapid, repeated, significant applied force using Bar Drops and Shock repetitions is how to optimally increase an athletes speed and power!
Athletes, coaches and trainers must know this information in order to create weight training methods and techniques that focus on increasing speed and power. If you don’t see weight training with rapid, repeated significantly applied force in the training rooms, then how to optimally increase an athletes speed and power is not understood.
Speed and Power win!
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