Pure Speed Training

You may think that speed is an inherent "gift" determined by one's genetic makeup. While this can be the case, like any other athletic ability, it can be improved through focused speed training. This is because muscle consists of different fibers that perform certain activities, and by dedicating your efforts to training these specific fibers, you can ultimately improve their performance.

Significance

To improve your speed, it's necessary to be identify the different fibers that make up your muscles, as well as their responsibilities. By choosing training methods that are conducive to building these fibers, you will in turn enhance your speed.

Identification

Your muscles consist of two types of fibers: slow-twitch and fast-twitch. Slow-twitch fibers use oxygen economically for extended muscle contraction, and are therefore utilized during aerobic endurance activities such as marathon running and long-distance cycling. Fast-twitch fibers, by contrast, fire more rapidly than slow-twitch fibers and are responsible for muscle contraction speed, the crucial factor in running sprints or cycling through quick ascents, San Francisco's Exploratorium museum explains on its website.

The Facts

Research has shown that sprint training and plyometric exercises are the most effective means of improving speed. In a study led by Dr. Eva Jansson of Sweden's Karolinska Hospital, male athletes performed repeated 30-second sprints exclusively, two to three days a week, over a period of six weeks. Thigh muscle biopsies were taken before and after the training period, with the disparity in results indicating a decrease in slow-twitch muscle fibers and a considerable increase in fast-twitch muscle fiber formation, Jansson and colleagues reported in the journal "Acta Physiologica Scandinavica" in 1990.

In addition to speed training drills, plyometric exercises --- which are performed through repetitive jumping sequences --- were also seen to contribute to improving explosive power and speed. During plyometric training, a muscle is quickly contracted and lengthened, and then immediately contracted and shortened. In another study, conducted by the University of Leon in Spain, female soccer players engaged in plyometric exercise drills --- involving hurdle jumps, drop jumps and horizontal jumps --- three days a week over a period of 12 weeks; at the end of this time, researchers reported in the "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research" in 2009, the players showed a significant increase in both jumping ability and kicking speeds.

Warning

Due to the high intensity of pure speed training, as well as the obvious dangers posed by jumping and moving at high speeds, common sense dictates that one should practice both sprint training and plyometric exercise with caution and moderation. It is important to remember that because speed training is an anaerobic activity, it cannot be sustained for long periods of time, the "Canadian Journal of Applied Sport Sciences" reminds. Therefore, it's vital that you include rest periods between sets to avoid fatigue.

Considerations

Speed training is not limited to improving speed in sports associated with lower-limb movement. The aforementioned principles may be applied to whole-body training --- by training with power cleans, for example --- or upper-body training --- try medicine ball push-ups --- for benefits to athletes engaged in sports like boxing, David Potach and Donald Chu write in "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning."