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Speed Strength Training: Build More Muscle in Half the Time

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Speed strength training is important for both fitness training and professional athletes. Boxing, football and power lifting are examples of sports where speed strength is essential. Speed strength is how much power you are able to apply at fast speeds. It is comprised of two aspects which are starting strength and explosive strength. Starting strength is your potential to stimulate muscle fibers at high speeds, while explosive strength is your ability to keep the muscle fibers active for extended periods of time. Training requirements differ between individuals and this should be taken into account to maximize results. Change strength training programs to suit your body type, gender, ability and goals. Speed strength training requires dedication and you need to train consistently. Increase your motivation by making a list of your goals and reasons for training. Keep a log of the training that you've done and make a record of your progress.

Interval Training

Cardiovascular exercise increases the rate at which your heart pumps blood around your body, providing oxygen to muscles and tissue. Interval training can be incorporated into your fitness training program so that your heart gets used to supplying your muscles with oxygen at accelerated speeds. During interval training, practice sprinting with rest periods in between sprints. Another technique that can be used to incorporate interval training into fitness programs is to alternate between walking, running and sprinting during training. To add variety, plan a running route that includes hills, because this will help strengthen your muscles and will change your running pace. An alternative is to incorporate running up stairs into your training program.

Weight Training

Weight Training uses resistance to muscle contractions in order to increase strength and muscle size. Increased muscle mass increases the body's metabolism, which helps with weight loss. Progressively overloading the muscles is a technique during strength training. Overloads can be increased by increasing resistance, number of repetitions, number of sets or the intensity of training. Work out big muscles first and then small muscles, as this helps warm up smaller muscles and increases the amount of weight you will be able to lift.

Building Muscle Fast

A variety of methods can be used to build up muscle faster. Increase the level of resistance that the muscle is experiencing, increase the number of repetitions or increase the number of sets. You can also decrease the rest period between sets and exercises. Static holds are a useful technique, where the position is held at the point where the muscle experiences the most resistance. To build muscle faster, perform strip sets: after warming up, use the heaviest weight possible to perform a succession of sets with no rest. As the muscles become too tired to perform repetitions, decrease the weights and perform another set. Partial repetitions of exercises that focus on muscles that are weak helps to build them up. During weight training, it's important to perform exercises correctly to ensure that the resistance is being applied to the muscles that you are trying to build. If you make sure that other muscles don't help with the work, it will increase the benefits of your workout and build muscles faster. Having the correct form also decreases the risk of injury. Although you're trying to build muscle quickly, it's important not to train excessively. Rest periods allow muscles time to repair themselves and give your body a chance to replenish.

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