All muscles consist of various types of muscle fibers.  Stronger muscles are the result of all types of muscle fibers being worked.  For some specific exercise combinations that use all types of muscle fiber, read this article on an exercise plan.  The two main muscle fiber categories are fast twitch – both Type A and Type B – and slow twitch.  Fast twitch fibers and slow twitch fibers usually each make up about half of nearly all muscles.  Your training program should train both types of fiber to use all of the fibers in any given muscle and make the muscle bigger.

The fiber that uses anearobic energy is the fast twitch fiber, it is required for short bursts of strength or energy.  These muscle fibers use the energy available in your body.  Fast twitch muscle fibers fatigue faster than slow twitch fibers because the fast twitch neurons fire faster.  Sprinters use fast twitch muscles because they use a lot of force for a very short time.

Type A uses both aerobic and anaerobic metabolism and are considered transitional muscle fibers.  If you need to move fairly fast – but not as fast as you can – you will use fast twitch Type A muscle fibers.  Type B fast twitch muscle fibers use only anaerobic energy.  Type B fast twitch muscle fibers have a contraction rate higher than all other muscle fibers so they fatigue fast.  These muscle fibers are used when you want a high performance burst of energy. 

Slow twitch muscle fibers are aerobic.  These fibers are slow to contract and do not generate a lot of force, but they are also slow to fatigue so they can work for a long time.  Energy for these muscles is provided by oxygen rich blood transported to them through the many capillaries within the fibers.  The slow twitch muscle fiber is used for medium to low intensity exercises that can be executed over a long period of time.  Some examples are running a marathon, an extended bike ride or hiking in the mountains.

 Your strength training workout should train all three types of muscle fibers so you can have the energy you want for whatever type of exercise you choose to do.  You can find reviews of programs that adhere to this principal at Turbulence Training Review and No Nonsense Muscle Building Review.   There are a lot of programs out there, but next I’ll give you some ideas on how to train each muscle type – you could easily make up your own program.

The completely anaerobic Type B fast twitch muscle fibers can be trained with exercises that require an all out effort for a short time period.  Lift the heaviest weight you can lift for one repetition to fatigue or sprint at full speed to fatigue.  Type A fast twitch muscles are worked when you decrease the intensity and increase the time – run fast for 20 – 30 minutes or lift a weight that allows you to complete 6 – 10 repetitions to fatigue.  Slow twitch muscles get stronger when you train for endurance.  Lift weights small enough that you can complete 3 sets of 6 – 10 repetitions, run for an hour or swim a lot of laps.  This training will take more time than training for fast twitch muscle fibers, but it is necessary to perform this training also to build the entire muscle and get the maximum strength you are looking for.

Tags: build muscles, muscle building, Strength Training, Strong Muscles
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