So far throughout the past few posts you have learned that improving and increasing your body’s flexibility can affect and improve your speed through an increased range of motion. Lifting heavy is key to raising your body’s ability to put force into the ground and that plyometrics allows your body to use your strength and put it into power. Now we move on to part 4 in ways to improve your speed.
4.Train Slow to Be Fast
Don’t be mad at me for saying this, it’s not what it sounds! This concept was shown to me during my internship at The Edge Sports Performance Academy in Twinsburg Ohio back in college. Joe Defranco is also a big believer in it also. What this breaks down to is this; To put as much stress on the body as possible by lifting an extremely heavy amount of weight, requires a 100% effort by the body. The person just so happens to move the weight very slowly because it is such a large amount. This ties in with the “Lift Heavy” topic of improving speed. You want to improve the fast-twitch fibers more than the slow-twitch fibers which do not help sprinting. You do this by incorporating these “slow” lifts using a heavy weight. You are actually producing a high amount of force, it just doesn’t show because you are moving slowly by the average person. This concept will increase the amount of force a person puts into the ground lifting the weight, transferring into an increased amount of force put into the ground while running, equaling a faster speed.
To begin incorporating these type’s of movements into your program, start with either a squat, deadlift or single leg squat as your prime exercise using a heavy weight for less than 6 reps. This targets and trains your body for power. Always take weight off if your form breaks down. The key is to push yourself to the limit while limiting your risk of injury. If you feel unsure on the specifics of this technique, feel free to contact us at the Sculpt Fitness personal training gym located in Bath and Hudson Ohio. Find out more at our site https://www.sculptfitnesstraining.com
Sculpt Trainer,
Chad Maleski
