Maximal Loading=Slow
In order for muscles to gain speed and have power, they have to be able to stretch quickly. The central nervous system sends out signals to the muscles in the body and then they recruit motor units to get muscles to fire. Conventional weight training methods dictate that must use maximal loading in order to get your fast twitch B muscles to fire.
This method of training is incorrect because your muscles respond to the way they are trained. If you train the muscles slowly then they will fire slowly. They will not fire quickly once the weight has been removed. If your goal is to be fast then your training must be at or exceed the sport of which you play. When you train your fast twitch muscles quickly then they will fire quickly.
Here at SSL we use our Ballistic Ball Workout, our High-Intensity AquaKinetic Training and plyometric training to safely and effectively build strength and speed. These methods are the most effective ways to train your central nervous system and your fast twitch muscles to fire quickly at critical times.
Comments
Jamaal,
I agree with you and have posed questions to SSL regarding this issue in the past. In my sports which include trail running, kayaking, rock climbing, etc. very little is done at high speed. On the contrary, many of the movements are downright slow. Additionally, I am often lifting moderately heavy things (loaded kayak, backpack, etc). While SSL really emphasizes speed of contraction, that is not what I find most valuable to me. Muscle balance, coordination, joint mobility, foot/ankle strength, balance and kinesthetic awareness are all addressed by SSL training methods. Perhaps most important to me is the fact that SSL training doesn't break my body down. Quite the opposite, actually and that is key for my long-term enjoyment, performance and health.
Oh, and second I believe that Type IIx, fast glycolytic, has replaced Type IIb.
A couple things regarding this post. First, while it is true that maximal loading requires a slower and more deliberate eccentric/concentric lift, it has been demonstrated that athletes, especially power athletes can benefit from "explosive" movements. For instance, athletes can increase muscle force during lifts by timing the recoil from muscle stretch when muscle contraction begins. Obviously at SSL we believe, and rightly so, that it is of greater importance to train at or above the the sport speed but I wonder whether or not we pay appropriate attention to the variable speeds at which many sports are played. If we were to graph the overall speeds at which say a rugby player clocked over the course of competition I think we would probably see a wide range of numbers. For instance, the rate of muscular force applied during a scrum would be different than the rate at an all out sprint. Also, do we take into the consideration the varying composition of fibers in muscle tissue. Most muscles contain a mixture of slow-twitch and fast-twitch fibers and which ones are engaged depends on the work required.
However, I certainly agree that conventional training methods slow or inhibit the athletes potential and most programs could certainly use some serious overhaul.