Question: how to sprinters sprint reallyfast

Steve Faulkner answered on 15 Mar 2012:

Good question. Its down to the fibres that make up their muscles. There are two main types of muscle fibre Type 1 and Type II. Type I are generally much more fatigue resistant and are capable of using much more oxygen to make them contract. These fibre types are prominent in endurance athletes. Type II fibres are bigger fibres and able to contract more forcefully and produce more power. In a sprinter this ability to create more force and power leads to greater speed. With the right sort of training, they can improve the ability of these fibres to make more force and power to enable them to run much faster. Sadly, the make up of your muscles is largely determined by your genes, although there is some trainability to increase your endurance or maximum speed with the correct training. Hope this helps!