How To Train fast twitch muscle fibers

You want to focus your workouts on strengthening your fast twitch muscle fibers since these have the most power and will give you the explosive force you need to get off the ground. If you follow these simple guidelines you can make sure that you are training the right types of muscles in the correct fashion to help improve your vertical jump.

When you’re doing resistance training in the gym try to do all of your lifts with more than 60% of your one rep max. Essentially the heavier weight you lift the more muscle fibers you will have to recruit to accomplish the lift. The more muscle fibers you are recruiting the more they will grow and the more explosive force you will develop. develop more explosive force and that is how you jump higher.

Do all of your lifts and movements with maximum speed. No matter what exercise you are doing make sure it is done all out. Jumping, lifting weights, skipping, or throwing all need to be done as fast as you possibly can. If you strive for speed it means that you are applying all the strength you have as fast as you can. Which is exactly what you will want to do when you are jumping

Train Eccentrically. Basically this means you have to emphasize the reactive part of the lift. Or basically the opposite of the explosion. If you are doing a squat and you explode up. Then slowly let the weight back down. Say for a count of 5 or more. This will build your fast twitch fibers faster since it keeps them under stress for longer time.

Plyometrics train your muscles reaction time in essence. Landing and jumping again without letting the muscles relax such as in a depth jump or a altitude landing forces the muscle to go from extended to contracted or likewise very quickly. This training will stimulate those fast twitch muscles to get that quick response. quick response is important because you only have an instant to apply all the force you can so you can jump higher

Contrast Load Training is one of the best training techniques to improve your vertical leap. It is done by doing a set of exercises with a very heavy weight. Usually within 25% of your one rep max. After you have done this you get to rest for a short period usually just a minute or two. You then transition to a lighter exercise like lunges or un-weighted squats. This first heavy lift gets the fast twitch fibers all fired up and they will be ready on the second lift.

Over speed training is basically trying to run faster than your body is used to. This can be done very simply by running down hill and allowing your body to carry. This is great training since the fast twitch fibers are the quick contractors they will be recruited to move your legs since slow twitch would fall behind.

Preparing for your exertion mentally is very important as well. You have to fire up your brain and get it ready to send the message to your muscles. If the brain is sleeping when you try to fire off all your muscles you won’t get nearly the same results. Try preparing for your jump for 10 seconds before you jump and I think you will notice a bit of an improvement in your vertical. You will see better and better results the more you practice.

Technorati Tags: bodyweight training, jump higher, learn to dunk, muscle fibers, vertical training, vertical workout

Information on how to jump higher in basketball is a very sought after topic in today sporting world. Whichever sport you are in, basketball, volleyball, football, baseball, track or whatever your fancy, being able to jump higher just puts you at an advantage over everyone else. Anyone who wants to play around the rim like the big boys needs to learn how to jump higher. The goal is not merely to jump higher though, the ultimate goal is to be able to slam dunk. Whatever reason you have for wanting to jump higher, you can find it inside one of many vertical training programs.

First off, what is your current vertical jump and how much can it bein improved. That really is the biggest question everyone asks. Well the answer is easy, however high you can jump right now, you can most likely double it. many of these vertical training programs can increase your vertical anywhere from 10-15 inches or more in a few months or even shorter. With an average NBA player that jumps somewhere in the ballpark of 28in, that means they could jump 40% higher. Considering most of us who don’t play basketball professionally can only jump about 10 – 20 inches that means for the average Joe you could add over 100% to your vertical!

Exercises are great for learning how to jump higher. But that’s not everything you need. You need knowledge to go along with the right exercises. It is important to know what you are doing and why. Its true that people have trained themselves and can learn how to jump higher on their own. But what they don’t know is that they are still missing out on several inches that they could gain if they had all the information. You have to learn your potential from other people who know what your potential could be in the first place.

The crucial point to all of this is the proper training

There are programs out there that contain excellent information and knowledge on how to jump higher than you ever thought were possible. And best of all it can happen in a very short amount of time if you work hard at it. However you also must be carful as there are a fair few of scams and time wasters that offer large promises and yet deliver very little in return. I know from first had experience as I fell into of these programs before. So please research your program, you can reference my other articles for a good guide on how to pick the best vertical training program. Good Luck and Happy slam dunking.

Technorati Tags: basketball training, jump in basketball, learn to dunk, sports training