Please help, fast.

[Cipher]

I have heard people talk about Bruce Lee's idea on buidling speed. Something about slow twitch and fast twitch muscles that are user for speed and power. Can someone please fill me in on this method and how you build up these speed muscles? Or please post some web sites that explaine this. Thanks for any info.

[Cyborg]

I don't think I'm qualified to talk about how to build your fast twitch muscles. So I won't! :)

More important than muscle mass/strength IMO is relaxing everything that isn't needed for that movement. ie: you can't punch fast while flexing your bicep. Isolate the muscles needed and use only those. Lock up your fist right before you hit. Don't have any wasted motion, it slows you down and telegraphs what you're doing. Remember that there's more than one kind of speed, the people that seem the fastest are the ones who don't have any wasted motion.

[curtis]

Hi guys!
Cipher great question. Cyborg you are right about wasted motion and being relaxed.
I dont clame to know Bruce's ideas, but I was tought something about fast twitch muscles and speed in general.
first, a good way to train fast twitch muscles is to power lift and after ,to learn to relax the muscle so to keep it in its natural elastic state (instead off geting stiff and bulking up)

now speed is just a perception.
As Cyborg stated about wasted motion( I will not cover that, But it is an imporant point!)

telagraphing your intent and learing to read others intent can help you become faster.(without moveing faster.)

learning to move without seting up you motion.Is a real trick to learn but if there is no setup,the other person has no warning something is going to happen. (makeing you look as you are moveing at warp speed.)

and lastly distance is a factor, most people over look.
if you can get in close without warning the opponent you are going to do something, you can move before he can see or react to your motion.

this is just a quick overveiw to keep this topic going. I hope it helps?
Have a good day! C.A.G.

[Cipher]

So by power lifting would this be considered doing like 2 or 3 reps of your highest amount of weight you can lift? And then I'm not too sure what you mean by staying in a relaxed state afterwards. Does this mean to power lift high weight 2 or 3 times and then just rest for a long time staying relaxed and not lifting anymore until for awhile? Thanks.

Anyone else that has any info to add then please post for everyone.

[curtis]

Hello again
Yes by power lifting. I mean HEAVY weights with low reps.(3 sets of 3. for an example.)
and after the term noodleing come to mind. any exercise to get your arms and body back to a relaxed state.(bounceing or strikeing loosely in the air,snaping back .(any exercise that gets the muscle to remain loose.)

DO NOT JUST REST! that will cause you to stiffen up.The gaol is to relax the muscle without letting it stiffen up.

in baseball a pitchers exercies comes to mind, throw a ball as hard and as loosely as possible,( if you are tence you can not thow the ball for a long time) Think of your punch as the ball and throw it loosely with out stiffening. (remember the goal is to relax the muscle.)
another though is instead of a ball think of it as a ball on a string or rope, throw it and recoil it loosely ( so there is little or no stress on the elbo joint.)
I think of it as tendon punching.

one more idea. get a massage (sp?) someone who will make you relax. It can get a bit pricey unless you know someone. But it WORKS!
HAVE A GOOD ONE!!! C.A.G.

P.S. sory for the editing. no spell check today. c.a.g.

[Cipher]

Thanks a lot. So would I be doing it right if I did, say a bench press high weight, 3 reps, 3 sets and between each set maybe shadow box for 30 sec or 1 min and then do the next set? I may have to do the weights at a gym located were I work so I may look pretty stupid shadow boxing there, what would you suggest as an alternate relaxing excersise that could be done in front of my coworkers that wont bring up a lot of oh you do martial arts type questions. What about super low weight like under 5 lbs and do random type lifts with them? or maybe I could just swing my arms around and make it look like I am streching them out:)
So to sum it up.....
1-lift high weight 3 reps
2- Do some kind of relaxed excersize for 1 min
3- Do 2nd set
4- Do some kind of relaxed excersize for 1 min
5- Do 3rd set
6- Do some kind of relaxed excersize for 1 min
How does this sound?

It seems like one of the main points is to keep your muscles active but totaly relaxed, like limp shadow boxing. Can you do several different types of lifts in one workout as long as you follow the same guide lines? Like benchpress first, tricept curles 2nd and so forth.........

Thanks alot for the help I have ben looking around trying to figure out what steps to take but have not been able to find out until now. Sorry one more question, will lifting like this make you bulk up a lot? I allways thought lifting heavy weight would make you bulk up, but maybe only 3 reps and then keeping relaxed will make a huge difference.

[Cyborg]

For the stretching/relaxing exercises I'd swing both arms in a circle front and back, do jumping jacks and things like that.

Heavy weight does not necessarily make you grow larger. To put on mass I like 3 sets with 15 reps. I'm doing Pavel Tsatsoulines' routine now which consists of a weight I can lift 6-7 times but I only lift it 4 times. And only 2 sets about 3-5 minutes apart. This does NOT make me tight, tired or sore. I usually do bobbing and weaving afterwards just 'cuz I have so much energy. It really makes me feel good! I'm not telling his entire workout plan/theories (takes too long to type) and I'd suggest getting his book "Power to the People". Look up dragondoor.com for all his books. Got any more questions about that routine I'll try to answer when I have more time.