Fast twitch muscle fibers are what athletes, such as sprinters, use for explosive power. As we age, we tend to lose a lot of our fast twitch muscles since we don’t use them as often. The muscle fibers can be built back up with proper training for intense performance.
A personal trainer or physical instructor can help provide a personalized training plan to help you activate your fast twitch muscle fibers. There are many different exercises that can help target those specific goals. Any plyometric movement can help you train the fast twitch muscle fibers. Plyometric exercises are high-impact and often involve jumping or explosive movements. A good trainer that understands human biomechanics can help make sure you perform the moves correctly and safely. Some examples of plyometric moves are jumping rope, skipping, hopping, and jumping jacks. All of these can help build power and speed in your sports performance.
Other high-power exercises such as box jumps, squat jumps, and jumping scissor lunges can also activate your fast twitch muscle fibers. These high power moves can also build up the flexor muscles in your hips to help prevent sports related injuries. This is especially useful for running coaches who study the biomechanics of running. Short distance runners focus on speed. Their training is very different than the longer distance runners who focus more on endurance training. Speed and bad form often leave athletes injured. Training your fast twitch muscle muscles can help support those athletic endeavors and allows you to push harder in training and competition.
For athletes who require fast twitch muscles in the upper body, such as golfers, kettlebell swings will be your go-to exercise for training the upper body. You can also do power push-ups with a clap to help build and train the upper body to peak performance.
Plyometric exercises are great ways to build and train fast twitch muscle fibers. A variety of athletes will do them differently or modified depending on their individual sport needs. There are powerful moves that can be performed for both the lower and upper body to help enhance your physical output during competition. Working with a sports coach or personal trainer can help show you how to perform each move correctly and safely for maximum benefit.
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