Have you ever heard of fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle fibers? If you’re a sports fan then you must have heard the commentator talking about an athlete having explosive or powerful muscles. These are the two types of muscles that are responsible for all your gains in the gym. Generally, Slow–twitch muscles help in promoting distance running, while fast–twitch muscles fatigue faster but are used in powerful explosions like sprinting.
Normally, in most of the muscles used for movement, people have about 50 percent slow-twitch and 50 percent fast-twitch fibers.
Let’s start with the basics. People with well-developed fast-twitch muscles can run faster and leap higher but just because some people don’t have exceptional genetics to start with, it doesn’t mean that they cannot develop the ones others do have into a great vertical jump.
In this article, I will be highlighting the difference between the three principal fiber types so you can focus on more useful training. Although there are additional variations in muscle fiber types, the two common fibers are, Slow Twitch and Fast Twitch Fibers.
Here’s a short quiz you can take to find out your muscle type.
Fast Twitch
- Better at sprinting (Short and powerful burst of sprints)
- Explosive power
- Vertical jumps higher than 23 inches.
- Less than 7 reps on 80% of your 1 rep max.
- Longer rest periods between sets.
Slow Twitch
- Better at marathons or long-distance running.
- Vertical jump under 17 inches.
- More than 7-9 reps on 80% of your 1 rep max.
- Shorter rest periods between sets.
After knowing your dominant muscle fiber type, you can begin to train in a way that will benefit you for better results.
What is HITT?
HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) is a very effective method of exercise that demands the athlete to perform a strong and powerful exercise. Beginners should always be extra careful about choosing their HITT. If you’re a beginner then start with Push-ups, Jumping Jacks and Burpees. Once you’re on track, follow with Squats Jumps, Kettlebell Swings, and High Knee Jogs. Choose any one of the exercises and get going intense.
Most bodybuilders don’t like the way cardio burns muscle tissue. But is there any way to use HIIT practice to improve your fitness? The answer is, yes!
“The HIIT workout was better at providing that necessary stimulus to the muscles to have a more favorable training adaptation,”
lead researcher Lance Dalleck, Ph.D.
Four Workouts for Fast Twitch Muscle Fibers
Fast movements such as box jumps, jump squats, and kettlebell swings are used to train fast-twitch muscles for explosiveness. Give your muscles a boost with these four training techniques.
Sprinting
If you’re looking to improve your fast-twitch fibers including your strength and speed then doing sprints can be effective. It generates maximum training and builds the particular muscles needed to be more active while also making better use of your fast-twitch fibers. As we all know, sprinting requires the greatest effort, the exercise is similar to maximum-effort strength training.
Olympic Lifts
We all know that the Olympic lifts are fantastic exercises for developing power. Athletes spend most of their time in practicing power cleans and snatches for developing more power on the court. This makes it clear that there are many positive impacts of these lifts on the growth of an athletic. It enables an athlete to develop explosive power and speed while training.
Depth Jumps
The heavier you lift the greater the recruitment of fast-twitch muscle fibers. Whether it is lifting a weight, skipping, jumping, bounding, sprinting, or throwing, try and do it flat out. For targeting the fast-twitch muscle fibers there are various proven methods and one of them is depth jumps. By incorporating these techniques into your workouts, you will guarantee that your muscles are presented with the right type of training stimulus. To do a depth jump, find a box that is roughly twelve inches tall and stand on the box. From here, step and do not jump off the box.
Box Jumps
If you want to increase vertical jump, improve flexibility or warm your legs for a workout than start with box jumps. It is also known as one of the best HIIT exercises for fast-twitch muscle workout. Find yourself a box and jump on and off of the ground with both feet.
Final Words
To get the most out of your fast-twitch workout, you should try to follow these principles. It is the most important and practical way to train. Make sure you fully develop those fiber types. Anything else is just wasted time and energy.
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