Fast & Slow twitch fibers

[JustBecause]

I've been reading some information about fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibers and how each of them work.

Does anyone here concentrate your routine around this concept?

[bod1ggity]

Position of Flexion training... I live by it

This is an example of POF training

1.First you hit the bulk of the fibers in any muscle with a compound, or midrange, movement--such as squats for the quads or bench presses for the pecs.

2.Next you use an exercise that works the target muscle at the point where it's completely stretched. Sissy squats for the quads and flyes for the pecs are good examples of stretch-position moves. When you use a quick twitch at the point of stretch, you activate the myotatic reflex, which sends a shock to the nervous system and forces reserve muscle fibers to come into play.

3.Finally you use a contracted-position exercise, such as leg extensions for the quads, which allows you to flex and squeeze the muscle against resistance. The peak-contraction effect finishes off the muscle and helps further stimulate those reserve fibers you recruited with the stretch in the previous exercise."

As you can see he talks about the mid range exercises, stretch exercises and the contracted position exercises. For example, a barbell curl is hardest in the mid range. A good exercise. Dumbbell curls while you're laying back on an incline bench put a good stretch on the biceps and are harder in that position. Then concentration curls can get a good peak contraction. So you've got the three positions and you are hitting it at different angles. Keep your sets down, I would say no more than two sets each exercise. So you might do three to six sets per body part. You can use it full body or you can use it to bring up a lagging body part. But, if you're going to try the multi angle of training, I really think that POF is the most sensible approach to do it, rather than just the shotgun approach of dumbbell bench presses, bench presses, and a few other exercises thrown together.


Ive posted this many times already, a couple times in much more detail such as exercise routines... hitting fast twitch muscle fibers is important... an example of a slow twitch exercise would be a squat, a fast twitch would be jump squats... anyways I hope this helped a little with explanations on hitting muscle fibers.

[sTaTic]

good post something everyone should read

[tatteredxangelx]

yeh i didnt know anything about that ... bump .... why would you only do 2 sets per exercise tho?

[Alin]

Position of Flexion training... I live by it

This is an example of POF training

1.First you hit the bulk of the fibers in any muscle with a compound, or midrange, movement--such as squats for the quads or bench presses for the pecs.

2.Next you use an exercise that works the target muscle at the point where it's completely stretched. Sissy squats for the quads and flyes for the pecs are good examples of stretch-position moves. When you use a quick twitch at the point of stretch, you activate the myotatic reflex, which sends a shock to the nervous system and forces reserve muscle fibers to come into play.

3.Finally you use a contracted-position exercise, such as leg extensions for the quads, which allows you to flex and squeeze the muscle against resistance. The peak-contraction effect finishes off the muscle and helps further stimulate those reserve fibers you recruited with the stretch in the previous exercise."

As you can see he talks about the mid range exercises, stretch exercises and the contracted position exercises. For example, a barbell curl is hardest in the mid range. A good exercise. Dumbbell curls while you're laying back on an incline bench put a good stretch on the biceps and are harder in that position. Then concentration curls can get a good peak contraction. So you've got the three positions and you are hitting it at different angles. Keep your sets down, I would say no more than two sets each exercise. So you might do three to six sets per body part. You can use it full body or you can use it to bring up a lagging body part. But, if you're going to try the multi angle of training, I really think that POF is the most sensible approach to do it, rather than just the shotgun approach of dumbbell bench presses, bench presses, and a few other exercises thrown together.


Ive posted this many times already, a couple times in much more detail such as exercise routines... hitting fast twitch muscle fibers is important... an example of a slow twitch exercise would be a squat, a fast twitch would be jump squats... anyways I hope this helped a little with explanations on hitting muscle fibers.


Great post. Good info.

[JustBecause]

HERE IS SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR YOUR READING PLEASURE ;)

Fast and Slow Twitch Muscle Fibers
From Elizabeth Quinn,

How they affect your performance
It is generally accepted that there are two basic types of muscle fibers. Slow twitch (Type I) muscle and fast twitch (Type II) muscle fiber. Research is currently looking at the specific makeup of these fibers and the 'fast' and 'slow' categories are much simplified. It appears that the fast twitch fibers can be further categorized into Type IIa and Type IIb fibers (1)(2).
Until further evidence is available however, these distinctions will help us discuss and understand how muscle fibers affect performance.

Human muscles contain a genetically determined mixture of both slow and fast fiber type. On average, we have about 50% slow and 50% fast fibers in most of the muscles used for movement. The slow muscles contain more mitochondria and myoglobin which make them more efficient at using oxygen to generate ATP without lactate acid build up. In this way, the slow twitch fibers can fuel repeated and extended muscle contractions such as those required for endurance events like a marathon.

The two fiber types generally produce the same amount of force per contraction, but fast twitch fibers produce that force at a higher rate (they fire more rapidly). So a lot of fast twitch fibers can be an asset to a sprinter when there is a limited amount of time to generate maximal force. The slow twitch fibers, on the other hand, fire less rapidly, but can go for a long time before they fatigue.

Fiber Type and Performance

The genetic component of muscle fiber type can not be overlooked when it comes to performance. Olympic athletes tend to be genetically blessed with large variations in fast and slow twitch fibers that perfectly suit their sport. Olympic sprinters have been shown to possess about 80% fast twitch fibers while those who excel in the marathon may have 80% slow twitch fibers.

Can you change your muscle fiber type by training?

This is a hard question to answer because good studies are just now being conducted (3). Currently, there is limited evidence to show that human skeletal muscle switches fiber types from "fast" to "slow" due to training (4). Researchers have demonstrated a fast-to-slow fiber transformation in animal skeletal muscle, and the human studies are showing similar outcomes. There is decent evidence that pure fast (Type IIb) fibers can transition to "hybrid" (Type IIa) fibers with chronic endurance training.

What can I do to improve my performance?

Keep in mind that genetic differences may be dramatic at the elite levels of athletic competition, but for the typical athlete, following the principles of conditioning will dramatically improve personal performance.

Following the principle of overload is the cornerstone of training. With consistent endurance training muscle fibers can develop more mitochondria and surrounding capillaries. In this way training improves your muscle's ability to cope with and adapt to the stress of exercise.

Fiber type alone is a poor predictor of performance, even among elite endurance athletes. There are many other factors that go into determining athletic success, including mental preparedness, proper nutrition and hydration, getting enough rest, and having appropriate equipment and conditioning

[bod1ggity]

yeh i didnt know anything about that ... bump .... why would you only do 2 sets per exercise tho?

Here you go Bro, heres an example of a POF training workout routine... I have alot more but this is one of the best basic ones.

Break in routine
Mon, Wed, Fri.
Squats 2x10-12
Stiff leg deadlifts 2x10-12
Bench presses 2x10-12
Pulldowns 2x10-12
Bent over barbell rows 2x10-12
Seated dumbbell presses 2x10-12
Dumbbell upright rows 2x10-12
Standing calf raises 2x10-12
Lying tri ext. 1x10-12
Standing barbell curls 1x10-12
Crunches 1x15-25

Size Surge Routine:Phase 1 five weeks
Monday
Squats* 2x7-9
Leg Extensions 1x7-9
Stiff-legged deadlifts* 1x7-9
Leg curls 1x7-9
Bench Presses* 2x7-9
Flat-bench flyes 1x7-9
Incline DB presses 2x7-9
Chins or pulldowns* 2x7-9
Bent over rows* 2x7-9
Behind the neck presses* 2x7-9
Dumbbell upright rows 2x7-9
Wednesday
Deadlifts* 2x7-9
Standing calf raise 2x12-18
Barbell curls* 2x7-9
Lying Tri ext.* 2x7-9
Wrist curls 1x12-18
Hammer curls 1x7-9
Kneeups 2x7-9
Crunches 2x12-18
Friday
Squats* 2x7-9
Leg extentions 1x7-9
Leg curls 2x7-9
Seated calf raises* 2x12-18
Bench presses* 2x7-9
Flat-bench flyes 1x7-9
Incline DB presses 2x7-9
Chins or pulldowns* 2x7-9
Bent over rows* 2x7-9
Behind the neck presses* 2x7-9
DB upright rows 2x7-9

* Do 1-2 light warmup sets with 50% on the first and 70% on the second prior to your two work sets. On the fifth week drop the weight in all sets and stop short of failure. A sort of working rest week if you will.

Size Surge Routine Phase 2, four weeks
Workout 1
Quads
Mid: Squats* 2x7-9
Stretch: Sissy Squats 1x7-9
Contracted: Leg ext. 2x7-9
Hams
Mid & Stretch: Stiff leg deads* 2x7-9
Contr: Leg curls 2x7-9
Calves
Mid: Toes pointed leg curls 1x7-9
Stretch: Donkey calf raises 1x12-18
Contr: Standing calf raise 2x12-18
Upper chest
Mid: Incline Presses* 2x7-9
Stretch & Contr: Incline cable flyes 1x7-9
Lower chest
Mid: Bench Presses* 2x7-9
Stretch & Contr: Dec. cable flyes 1x7-9
Triceps
Mid: Lying tri extensions 2x7-9
Stretch:Overhead ext. 1x7-9
Contracted: Dumbbell kickbacks 1x7-9

Workout 2
Midback
Midrange: Behind the neck pulldowns* 2x7-9
Stretch: 1 arm dumbbell rows 1x7-9
Contracted: Bent over bent arm laterals 2x7-9
Lats
Mid: Pulldowns to the front* 2x7-9
Stretch: DB pullovers 1x7-9
Contr: Undergrip bent over rows 1x7-9
Upper Traps
Stretch & Contracted: Forward lean shrugs 2x7-9
Deltoids
Mid: Behind the neck presses* 2x7-9
Stretch: Incline 1 arm laterals 1x7-9
Contr: Lateral raises 2x7-9
Biceps
Mid: Barbell curls* 2x7-9
Stretch: Incl. db curls 1x7-9
Contracted: Nonsupport conc. curls 1x7-9
Abs
Midrange & lower contracted: Rev. crunches 1x7-9
Stretch: Roman chair crunces 1x7-9
Upper contracted: Crunches 1x12-18

* Do 1-2 light warmup sets with 50% on the first and 70% on the second prior to your 2 work sets.
As always diet is the #1 factor in this program working this should be done on a bulking cycle with a bulker diet. Use weights that you can safely manage in the rep range. Once you can cleanly do 9 (or 18 in certain instances) increase you weight until you can only get 7 clean.

[dsgrey]

I think we're neglecting the nature of the human animal when wqe narrow the scope of our observations to a point that doesn't allow the facts to come to light. There are actually 3 types of muscle fibers, You have the fast twitch which are more dense in nerve tissue for faster moer powerful stimulation, the slow twitch that without we'd probably rip our own bodies apart and kill ourselves. the 3rd type are non specialized and tend to develope specialization based upon our activities to meet our survival needs. There is little if any evidence to clearly suggest that one person is born with more natural ability to do any sport. What we develope over our lifetime is how our body adapts and it can be changed with hard work and discipline. Some things like being right or left handed are programmed into the brain but studies have shown that even the these things that we thought were set in stone can adapt to change. A person is a sprinter and develops a sprinters attributes because that is what they have disposed themselves to do. A distance runner is a distance runner for the same reason. We are good at things that we like and we like things we are good at- so which came first the chicken or the egg. Now of course there are some things about our physical attributes that may be an advantage or disadvantage and we can't change that like height. A 7' guy will always have the advantage over a 5'8' guy on the basketball court and a guy with shorter limbs will have a greater strength potential then a guy with longer limbs. I've heard a thousand times about genetics in reference to body building as being some kind of predetermining fatcor of whether or not a guy could ever hope to build a muscular physique- usually it was coming from some muscle head who was blown up on gear and really didn't know what the hell he was talking about anyway talking to some guy who just didn't have the knowledge he needed to develop his program to achieve his goals. that little guy he was talking to didn't listen to him and through trial and error and study he found his way. So a big FUCK YOU to all the assholes who wanted to talk shit because I was always stronger inside than you could ever be inside or out.

Adaptation is the word that helps to explain all that we do here. The exercise types that we put our bodies through will determine how our bodies adapt. This adaptation is our growth. If your workouts are primarily focused upon endurance of slow repetitive movements over long intervals then your body will adapt to meet that. If your workouts are focused on fast powerful movements your body will adapt to that. The fast twitch muscle fibers are the ones with the greatest potential for damage, therefore they possess the greatest potential for growth. Think about this: if all the muscles in your biceps were fast twitch muscles then you could probably curl a car, but at the same time you'd easily overload the muscle and probably rip it right off your arm. So you need the slow twitch to be able to continue functioning after your power is gone when your fast twitch are burned out. Consider this: if your workout routine goes from fast powerful movements and then you continue even after the explosive power is gone you are no doubt working off of oxygen and therefore primarily slow twitch fibers. the slow twitch fibers are slow for a reason; to prevent damage. More damage= more repair/growth. Less damage= less repair/growth.
One important factor in recruiting fast twitch muscle fibers is depleting oxygen. Muscles get oxygen from blood. less blood volume means less oxygen and less oxygen means less slow twitch muscle recruitment, which means more fast twitch recruitment, which means more damaged muscle tissue leading to repair, scar tissue and growth. One way to achieve this is through the use of a tourniquet, but unless you have your doctor with you to apply and monitor the use of a tourniquet you'll have to find a less effective means of reducing bloodflow to muscle while working them. Keep your heart rate down. try this one time go to gym fresh. do bench press 1-2 rep max, rest 5 minutes, do same weight again, record result, rest 30 minutes and do it again. If you're juiced up it doesn't really matter if your workout is one hour or five hours because your own body's test production is null at this point anyway, but giving your body time to reload your muscles APC store will get you more heavy lifts and greater results in less time. Check out Power lockouts, single rep sets or what I like to call short stroke overload exercises. You want to build massive muscles you need to lift massive weights. To lift massive weights you need massive strength. to build massive strength fast use short stroke overload.
In October 1996 I went from a bench 1 rep max of 300 to 2 reps max 460 in six weeks on one workout a week using this system combined and without the aid of any supplements or gear. This is what I did:
set up power cage with bench. set safety bars so that when I grip the bar my arms are at 130 degrees or greater, basically I only have about 3 inches to push the bar up to lockout. Slap on as much weight as I can push- you just have to keep adding weight until you find one that you can only lift once, so if I lift it twice I'm done with that set and adding weight while I rest for at least 5 minutes. when you find your one rep max at this level do 5 sets. Rest a week. Second time around I already knew where to start with weight- holy shit I need more weight. do the process over again, shouldn't take as long this time. Once you reach a respectable weight and say this is what I want to be able to bech press full range, you simply lower the bars one notch at a time per workout until you are lifting that weight throughout the full range.

[bod1ggity]

In October 1996 I went from a bench 1 rep max of 300 to 2 reps max 460 in six weeks on one workout a week using this system combined and without the aid of any supplements or gear. This is what I did:
set up power cage with bench. set safety bars so that when I grip the bar my arms are at 130 degrees or greater, basically I only have about 3 inches to push the bar up to lockout. Slap on as much weight as I can push- you just have to keep adding weight until you find one that you can only lift once, so if I lift it twice I'm done with that set and adding weight while I rest for at least 5 minutes. when you find your one rep max at this level do 5 sets. Rest a week. Second time around I already knew where to start with weight- holy shit I need more weight. do the process over again, shouldn't take as long this time. Once you reach a respectable weight and say this is what I want to be able to bech press full range, you simply lower the bars one notch at a time per workout until you are lifting that weight throughout the full range.

Wow man I havent done that in years, I did that back ide say 6 or 7 years ago to max out my bench... Jesus im getting old