Train Your Body to Run Faster
Exercises to Support Your Fast-Twitch Muscle Fibers
Most runners are enchanted with the idea of doing one of two things: running faster or running longer. Sometimes, both.
The former requires attention to your body’s fast-twitch muscle fibers, which we’re going to focus on below; the latter requires training for the body’s slow-twitch muscle fibers, which you can read more about here.
Fast-twitch fibers are recruited when a muscle needs additional force that the slow-twitch fiber is simply not able to provide. These fibers are denser and longer than the slow-twitch fibers. They require little to no oxygen in order to function, which means that they are the primary support for anaerobic activities (think short, explosive movements).
If you want to get really fancy, there are actually subsets of fast-twitch muscle fibers that you can learn more about through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (i.e. sprinting 100m accesses a different subset of fast-twitch fibers than doing a power lift max rep).
Regardless, the overall moral of the story for any fast-twitch fiber is that it produces power quickly and fatigues easily (in opposition to its slow-twitch counterpart).
It’s important to note that every muscle possesses some of each type of fiber. We could not look at your exposed quad with definitive certainty about a ratio of fast- to slow-twitch fibers. The ratio is impacted by genes and your choice of activities.
The really interesting part?
You are never actually gaining or losing muscle fibers.
While scientists believe that fibers are split about 50/50 between fast- and slow-twitch muscles for the general population, they also know that some of the fibers are actually hybrid fibers.
What does that mean?
You can train these hybrid fibers into functioning as you need them to function in order to support your lifestyle (gawd, the body is so cool). And this is exactly why I focus as much on mobility as I do strength in the TL Method.
So, you want to run faster? Great. Your protocol should be to train for your specific fitness goal and trust that your muscle fibers will adapt.
Aside from a definitive sprint-related program, here are four exercises that you can easily do at home to support your fast-twitch fibers:
Glute Bridges
Starting on your back with your heels close to your butt and your knees drawn together, push through your heels to draw your hips high. Your knees should be just over your heels at the top of this movement. Squeeze your glutes at the top.
Clam Shell
(This is written to use a band, but could easily be modified without)
Start with the band tight above your knees and lying on your side with your hand behind your head. Open up your knee until the band is super tight and then close it back in as you thrust your hips forward and squeeze your bum.
Single Leg Squat
From a standing position, drop one knee behind you and slightly hinge forward. Come all the way down to your knee as slow as you can. Use a taller dumbbell for support.
Ankle Mobility
There are a lot of exercises to increase ankle mobility. In fact, I created an entire video on testing your range of motion and how to increase it (great for runners trying to increase both speed and endurance). You can check it out here. My friends over on Stack.com provide a great definition: “[Ankle mobility] helps the foot strike the track in an optimal position to put force into the ground and launch forward. A poor foot strike minimizes the amount of force generated between the foot and the ground, thus reducing speed.”
Whether or not you want to run faster for fun or you’re trying to kick some serious butt in your next race, the strength and mobility portions have equal importance to the physical running. If the sprint workouts comes easier to you and you’re struggling to create a consistent all-around routine, I get it. I created the TL Method to provide full-circle support.
If you’re interested in a free week of workouts, fill out the form below, and don’t forget to check out my tips for increasing endurance here.