Speed is a matter of explosive quick firing muscles and fast reflexes. Speed can be developed through a program of muscle building, training and rest combined with overall fitness. It requires dedication to an exercise program over time. You will not get faster over night. It is a slow process measured by months and fractions of seconds.
Instructions
1. Consider your speed goal. How do you want to be faster? Do you want sprinter speed for short distances or kicking speed at the end of a distance race? Do you want faster hands for martial arts or baseball? Focus your speed development program on your chosen area.
2. Warm up and stretch before every workout. Speed workouts involve development of fast-twitch speed muscles. That requires explosive motions that can pull and tear cold muscles. Always stretch and warm up then begin slowly. Work your way up to heavier weights and more explosive motions when you are warm.
3. Develop the fast-twitch muscles needed for speed. The simplest exercise is wind sprints. From a dead stop, run all out for a short distance such as 40 yards. Jog back to the starting line and do it again. After the first few you will be sucking wind pretty hard. This will develop your cardiovascular system as well as your speed. Resist the temptation to slow down. Go all out every sprint. The same concept can be applied to weight workouts. Do sets of squats with heavy weights. Explode upward as fast as you can safely, then lower the weight slowly. The same concept works with arm speed. Throwing punches in a flurry or explosively lifting on a bench press will achieve the same results.
4. Switch up your workouts to keep your muscles guessing. Your body will quickly adapt to whatever exercise you are doing, so avoid repetition. If you do 10 40-yard sprints in one workout, try five 100-yard sprints the next. If you do power squats one day in the gym, do presses the next time. Better yet, switch back and forth between road and gym workouts.
5. Rest and recover. Your muscles will be pretty sore after those workouts. It is vital that they be allowed to heal. When they do, they will be stronger and faster than before. Always rest the day after a hard workout. You can do some light jogging and stretching, but avoid heavy lifting. Restrict hard workouts to 3 or 4 days per week.
6. Eat right. Proper nutrition is essential to speed muscle development. Consume plenty of low-fat protein, especially immediately following a workout. Load up on lean meats, milk products and nuts. Avoid fried food, sweets and alcohol. If your diet is poor, you are working against all the hard exercise you just did.
7. Focus on overall fitness. If you want to run fast, you need more than strong legs. Your arms pump along with your legs, so they must be strong as well. The same goes for your abdominal muscles and just about every other part of your body. Take a look at professional athletes. No matter what their sport they are muscular and strong all over. A full-body workout regiment is necessary for speed. Be sure to have a balanced physique, or you may hurt yourself when disproportionately strong muscles push the weak ones too hard.
Tags: your speed, explosive motions, overall fitness, same concept, want faster