Can you develop speed?
It's the age old question-Can you develop speed? Are you born fast and if so can you get faster?
Every athlete wants to improve their speed. The first thing we need to understand is that the body adapts to situations it is put in. I like to think of it as the bodies way of surviving and dealing with the demands put on it.
Do you have any question that if you go out and run 30 minutes a day that you will eventually get better at running long distances? You bet you will. What about lifting weights? If you consitently lift heavy weights do you think you eventually get stronger? You bet. Will doing power lifts help you become more powerful? Yes.
If you're body will improve in these aspects why do you question if you can get faster? There is no doubt that a focused and proper implementation of a speed program will improve your speed.
The next question we have to ask ourselves is if we can develop Usain Bolt, Carl Lewis type of speed. The simple answer to that is no. You may not have the right anatomical body structure that elite sprinters have. In addition, elite sprinters are loaded with fast twitch muscle. Either you have them or you don't. You can change the properties of the ones you have so that a slow twitch muscle becomes more fast twitch like. But, I believe to be an Usian Bolt type of sprinter you have to be born with certain gifts.
Summary
Although speed can be developed and improved you have to be born with the right characteristics to be a world class sprinter. This does not mean you should not try to improve your speed if you're lacking now. Every serious speed athlete should work to develop this critical skill.
