Why are some people faster than others? Here are the secrets of the 100 meter champions

Usain Bolt Since 2009, he has held the undisputed record for the 100 meter dash with a time of 9″58. He is the fastest person in the world: he ran the sprint at a speed of 37.57 kilometers per hour. In the bush it may not seem like much, but few runners they have managed to get close to that speed and no one, yet, has reached it. There are several reasons why some people run very fast while others tend to run more slowly genetics plays an important role, but experiences also count.

How muscles work

An article published on The Conversation signed by two professors of exercise science at the University of Tennessee, Dawn P. Coe and Elizabeth Webster, explains what is at the basis of the running speed of a human being, underlining that, despite not having control over genetics, you can train to improve your speed. One of the main factors that influences the ability to run is the body structure , including how muscles work. The human body has more 600 muscles that work together, allowing movement in different directions and at various speeds. These muscles are made up of two main groups of fibers: those a rapid contraction and those to slow contraction. Each muscle is made up of a mixture of these types of fibers. For example, two muscles that make up the calf: the gastrocnemius it is predominantly fast-twitch and is mainly used for sprinting and jumping; The soleus it is instead more slow-twitch and is used for walking and jogging.

Fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle fibers

The fast-twitch muscle fibers they are larger and help the body move quickly and generate force. THE sprinters they tend to have aabundance of fast-twitch muscle fibers. This type of muscle fiber, however, tires quickly, which limits your ability to run quickly for a long period of time: at maximum speed only relatively short distances can be covered. The slow twitch muscle fibers they are smaller and help you run at slower speeds with greater resistance. THE marathon runners and competitive cyclists tend to have a lot of these fibers. The amount of each type of muscle fiber (fast-twitch or slow-twitch) is determined mainly by genetics and so you have to work with what you have. However, exercise can help train these muscles.

The role of the brain

L’physical ability It’s not just about muscles, either the brain plays an important role. Voluntary muscles are in fact controlled by the brain: first we think about the actions and then we perform the movements. We can control how long the stride is, how the arms move, the position of the foot when it hits the ground and even the breathing techniques. We can too learn the best running techniques, including correct posture and an adequate step, with the right distance between the feet during landing to avoid slowing down. Using different techniques helps your muscles create more force and run faster. Practice leads to improvement.

How to train to become faster: the false myths

• You don’t have to run as fast as you can to get faster; rather, it is recommended to take short breaks to recover from one running activity to another.
• You don’t need to lift heavy weights to get fast: Functional strength training involves performing exercises that help improve specific movements. For this type of activity you need medium weights or even the resistance of your own body weight is enough isometric exercises such as planks, lunges, jump squats
• It is not necessary to train from an early age to become a sprinter: Practicing a variety of physical activities goes a long way toward improving your running. For example, the movements and resistance used in playing football can result in the ability to run faster.