Reader Question: Athletes & Post-Tetanic Facilitation

Q: Is there anything my athlete can do specifically with post-tetanic facilitation on race day to have those powerful fast twitch fibers ready to fire from the start of the race? - Ben Young

A: Wave loading and contrast training are practical ways to use post-tetanic facilitation. PICP Level 5 Coach Moritz Klatten, who trained 7 world champions in boxing and 3 Olympic champions, used this lower body method with his boxing world champion Jack Culcay:

A1. Dumbbell Split Squat, 5 x 3-5, 40X1, rest 10 seconds
A2. Box Jump, Hands Behind Head, 5 x 10-12, explosive, rest 240 seconds

What is happening is that the split squats for low reps will recruit the powerful fast-twitch fibers, and when you move to the box jump those fibers will still be activated.

Also, consider that Doug Hepburn had a great way to do this by contrasting two types of training protocols. See this Workout Systems: Modified Hepburn Method on our website.