How to Build the Fast Twitch Muscle

How to Build the Fast Twitch Muscle
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Muscles that control the eye must have fine motor control along with endurance, as they are rapidly firing throughout the day and night. Some muscles do not need to be as precise, but need to provide raw power and greater force. These latter muscle fibers are called fast-twitch muscle fibers. According to Peak Performance, fast-twitch fibers contract two to three times faster than their slow-twitch counterparts, producing 30 to 70 twitches per second, compared with 10 to 30 for slow-twitch. There are various ways for building these fast-twitch muscle fibers, and the result is greater strength and speed.

Step 1

Lift weights with speed. Reduce the weight slightly on your strength training exercises one day per week and increase the speed of contraction. Use a powerful, quick movement to press the weight up rapidly, then lower it back to the original position more slowly. Increase your repetitions so as to still fatigue the muscle fully before resting.

Step 2

Jump down from a 12 to 15 inch box, land, and then immediately jump up to the same size box or higher. This process of landing, stretching the muscle fibers and jumping again forcefully is called plyometrics. As you get stronger and more comfortable with the exercise, increase the height of the second box. Spend some time on jumping and bounding exercises each week, contracting the muscles as quickly as you can.

Step 3

Push heavy weight once per week. Instead of doing the usual weight for ten to twelve repetitions, increase your weight so that you can barely lift more than three to five times. Peak Performance states that a weight in excess of 75 percent of your one repetition maximum, or 1RM, is required to recruit the largest fast-twitch units.

Step 4

Sprint the local football field. See how fast you can run 100 yards and make it interesting by imagining that you running with the football towards the goal-line, for the game-winning touchdown. Focus on generating as much speed and power as you can, completing the distance faster each week compared to the week prior.

Step 5

Eat a proper diet and include plenty of protein. In an article from Vanderbilt University, by Lee Knight Caffery, entitled "How Much Protein Do Athletes Need?," Caffery states that ingesting 1.7 to 1.8g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day combined with weight lifting resulted in better outcomes compared to athletes who ingested lower quantities.

References

Article reviewed by Lynda Moultry Belcher Last updated on: Aug 8, 2010

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