I thought this would be an interesting title for today’s discussion. A unique perspective, perhaps, but there is indeed LIFE in the fast lane.
If you’re like me, you’re thinking about The Eagles’ 1976 mega-hit Life in the Fast Lane. But our exploration has nothing to do with the drug and party scene. We’re actually talking about speed. Training for speed. Sprinting. Going fast.
Speed has always been a part of athletics. That’s an easily recognized point. But we’re starting to see speed trickle into the realm of health, fitness training, and longevity. On the surface this may seem almost contradictory, but with further consideration it should make great sense.
As we explore the topic of speed training for (almost) everyone, Lifetime Athletes like you and I are in a unique position. Some of us have already embraced regular speed training (maybe we never really got away from it). Many of us are open-minded and willing to try out some safe speed. Most of us are curious and want to learn more. And so it shall be.
Speed is epitomized by maximum velocity in sprinting, but it is also well expressed with submaximal velocities and quick movements in general. Going fast is evolutionarily wired into the human beast, and it represents vitality, youthfulness, and athleticism. There is a bit of a conundrum here because most folks quit going fast in their teens or 20’s. They fall into habitual patterns of just doing relatively slow movements and exercises. For decades. Then they wonder how they became so slow. Or they state they don’t do fast training or sports anymore because they don’t want to get injured. But to me that’s like saying you don’t live a full and passionate life because you’re afraid you’ll die sooner if you do so.
The secret to going fast and keeping it safe (free from injury) is going slow. At first. The intelligent application of speed training requires months of preparatory training using resistance exercise, mobility work, and plyometrics. This is followed by a very gradually progressed overload in speed volume using good sprint mechanics. It’s exhilarating to go fast and it has multiple unique benefits.
Sprinting helps to preserve your fast-twitch muscle fibers. The Type IIa and IIx fibers are preferentially recruited in sprinting. These muscles come into play with heavy, explosive, and fast movements. There is a reason they are called fast-twitch. These fibers atrophy if they are not used and they relate not only to athletic prowess but also to functionality with reflexes, fall prevention, and emergency situations.
Sprinting maintains your elasticity. Moving rapidly and optimally managing forces and loads through range requires the ability to generate pulsatile stiffness in the body. This property is evident with crisp ground contacts in the sprint stride but it is extremely valuable in many daily activities.
Sprinting makes you faster at every pace, distance, and sport. This is the concept of relative speed. The faster your max, the lower percentage of it you need at sub max speeds. Being speedy applies to more than just distance running but we should use it as an example. Success in events lasting more than a few minutes relies primarily on the development of the aerobic system. But good sprint mechanics enhance running economy. Just look at any world record holder or Olympic champion. If you take two equally fit runners but one has enhanced form from sprint training, that runner will perform at a higher level due to energy conservation and efficiency of power output. This is known as the anaerobic reserve and it will be higher in the sprint-trained distance runner. You still have to do your metabolic training, but if speed is neglected, losses in potential will occur. And if those two runners are ever in a race which comes down to a finishing kick, the sprinter will blow the doors off the slogger.
Sprinting is good for your body composition. It’s a great way to get cut, ripped, or shredded. Sprinting produces unique hormonal signaling that tells your body to keep the muscle (because it is needed to generate max speed) but lose the fat (because this type of excess weight slows you down). Thus, a weekly sprint workout for some of the year can have extremely beneficial side effects. I’ve used this successfully with a number of weight loss clients who had hit a plateau with resistance training, cardio, and diet. Injecting a little speed is magic.
Sprinting makes you look, and feel, younger. Other people see it and you experience it. Going fast is natural, and fun. We live in a world where many people are inadvertently mixed up with how they apply their CNS to activity. I’m talking about folks who are overstressed in much of life and thus they only seek easy, gentle, calming, and restorative modes of exercise. That’s actually appropriate in the moment but it’s “f’d up” in the long term because the beast is designed to go fast/big from time to time. 10-20% of the training volume. Jump, yell, throw, sprint. Summon and release the beast. Nourish him or her. Celebrate it. Everything we do in training should not always be easy, slow, meditative, and listless. Watch kids. They mix it up and kick it up now and then. That’s less about being a kid. It’s more about simply being a human. We are built to sprint and those who embrace that win.
But all this stuff has to be safe in order for it to be effective. That’s why we have a Speed Block in the Annual Training Plan for The Lifetime Athlete Training Tribe. It’s a block-periodized system that balances strength, speed, power, agility, and endurance for the evolving human. I’m certainly biased and I’m not sheepish about saying this system is the Ultimate Fitness for LIFE Platform. Subscribed members in The Lifetime Athlete App have exclusive access to all our workouts and supportive resources.
This is also why we have the Speed Course in The App. Members can learn the science behind sprint training and apply advanced methodologies to their training. Know what to do, how to do it, and why it works.
You may have heard some of today’s popular longevity influencers saying “Wow, I discovered sprinting. I tried it and it was amazing. I think it may be the fountain of youth and more of us should be doing it.” That might be your motivator to get into speed training. But the worst thing you can do is just go out blindly and blast it. You’ll get hurt. The best thing you can do is apply some comprehensive study and training to safely get the results you want and deserve.
Living Life in the Fast Lane is next-level stuff. You just have to start slowly and use the proper on-ramps. You’ll be so glad you did.