Q: I read with interest your explanation of [researcher] Chris Beardsley’s take on explosive movements. If he’s right and the 2X explosive fast-twitch fibers don’t have hypertrophy potential and explosive actions can cause a transition of other type 2 fibers into 2X, how do we explain the muscular quads and calves of sprinters?
A: That’s a question I’ve been pondering myself. Many sprinters are quite muscular, especially in their lower bodies; while basketball players, who do a lot of explosive jumping, don’t usually have exceptional mass in the quads or calves…
Of course, basketball players also do a lot of low-intensity jogging, which could counter some or most muscle gain, something Beardsley also says happens with lots of low-intensity running…
Another possibility is that sprinters are doing multiple explosive repetitions in rapid succession. It could be that the high-growth 2As and 2Bs get a lot of work at the beginning of the sprint and gradually “hand off” to the 2X, or vice versa…
Perhaps the 2Xs contribute most at the beginning of the sprint when the muscles are freshest and you can explode the hardest, then gradually relinquish to the high-growth 2As and 2Bs for growth stimulation…
And there’s the genetic factor. Most basketball players are long and lean without a lot of mass potential in the first place, while most sprinters tend to be more fast-twitch oriented.
I say “most” sprinters because one of the all-time best, Usain Bolt, is long and lean, although he does have good muscularity.
The real sprinter lower-body mass is on cyclists who hammer and explode against resistance on oval tracks. Check this out…
Keep in mind that cyclists are NOT pounding the ground as sprinters do—it’s a lot less overall stress, which could allow for more muscle mass accummulatation.
So maybe Beardsley is only partially correct. While the 2Xs may have little hypertrophy potential, the fast-twitch that do may also get enough stimulation via continuous explosive action to grow.
His negative hypertrophic take on explosive movements and the 2Xs hasn’t curbed my use of sprints as part of my cardio, although after seeing the cyclists’ photos above, I’m ready to switch to the bike.
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Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman
Former Editor in Chief, Iron Man Magazine
www.X-Rep.com
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