Originally Posted by
rustymongrel
Jumping and short sprints are an excellent test of fast twitch potential.
I've never been good at either, even with training. Most people take me for a "sprinter" when they see me at the track cause I'm a big guy (6'3, 200lbs) with big thighs but you can't judge a book by it's cover.
There are many "turbo-diesels" like you racing track. People who tend to have an even mix of fast and slow twitch muscle fibers, just many more, or larger fibers compared to everyone else.
Many people tend to get caught up in the ratio of muscle fibers, but there is also the need to account for ones amount of muscle as well. Just cuz someone may look like a sprinter doesn't mean they are. Slow twitch muscles don't like to grow, but they will if stressed properly.
I used to have a teammate that came from competitive slalom skiing. Those guys tend to be big, and he was as well (6'4" and 275#). They need to be able to resist and generate huge loads as well as supporting their position under those loads as well. Something like that would definitely place a growth stimulus on your slow twitch muscles.
He was good for keirins and Madisons (always rolling and up at speed with rests), but his make-up put him in a sort of no-man's land for everything else. He could get to and hold a high speed for a short period of time, but had a crappy start and jump, as well as not enough aerobic capacity to hang during endurance events. That turbo lag killed him in sprint events. Great guy to draft in a Madison.