"Coach Pete with Omega Speed Training has helped me grow as an athlete.  The speed training programs, and speed training camps were awesome!  In the strength and conditioning programs that were given by Omega Speed Training - I have seen a ton of improvement in a short period of time.  Omega Speed Training workouts are the best and I look forward to coming to the gym to workout because I know the workout I am now doing is getting big results.  I can't thank Coach Pete with Omega Speed Training enough, he knows his stuff when it comes to speed training and knows how to work with a variety of people.  He is the man - thanks Coach Pete!" ~ Nick C, SAC State football
 

Contrary to what you had been previously taught, recent research indicates that heavy resistance training leads to huge gains in endurance type sports (aerobic athletes).

Research shows that an 8 week heavy duty strength training program will increase your maximal strength by 10% and increase your peak muscular force by as much as 34% over traditional training programs.

Also, your TPF (Time to Peak) force, which is the the amount of time required for your muscles to reach their highest force production during a movement will increase by 80%.  In other words, it will take you less time to generate muscular force.  Your explosive performance will increase, whereas an aerobic athlete who does not do a heavy duty strength training program will continue to harbor "fat" TPFs that are directly linked to sluggish movements.  Bottom line is that you will be more quicker and more powerful during your athletic performance.

The research revealed that when high resistance - 85% of Maximum (1RM) is utilized during a movement, all or at least most of the motor units involved in the motion are immediately activated in order to handle the heavy load.  The research revealed that even the high threshold motor units, the ones that are reluctant to get involved in activity were being activated.  Red fast twitch muscle fibers are high threshold motor units.  High resistance recruits these high threshold motor units that are ripe with red fast twitch muscles and causes them - over an 8 week program to be highly trained in movement, increasing the rate at which force is produced.

Note: The Recent Research gives hope to the Slugs amongst us!  If you believe that you are a slow-twitch slug, with few or no red and/or white fast-twitch muscles?  It is reasonable to argue that a heavy weight training program will upgrade your TPF to an incredible degree!  So hit the weight room!

Does an 8 week heavy duty strength training program help with aerobic conditioning?  Recent research and data say, YES.  Tests have shown that an 8 week heavy strength training program will upgrade your time to exhaustion by as much as 56%, whereas, the traditional aerobic training programs only achieve a 25% improvement. 

But what is now driving aerobic athletes to the nearest weight room, is the fact that an aerobic athlete's economy is enhanced by as much as 28% after an 8 week heavy weight training program, whereas the traditional aerobic training fails utterly to increase the economy of an aerobic athlete.  In other words, after an 8 week heavy duty strength training program - it will cost you considerably less oxygen to perform your aerobic sport.

The research revealed that the athlete's motor units (collections of muscle cells) were stronger after 8 weeks and as a result, the athlete recruited fewer motor units to carry out the aerobic work at hand, lowering the athlete's overall energy and oxygen costs. 

The bottom line is - make yourself stronger in the movements required in your aerobic sport and you will begin activating fewer motor units - thus your economy will be better and your fatigue-resistance will sky-rocket!

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If you have any questions and/or need any additional information, please don't hesitate to contact Coach Pete at coachpete@omegafitnessquest.com