Knowing what muscles to work out and how, is pivotal when it comes to progressing towards your goals. Knowing what muscle type you are working on while doing normal everyday activity/ athletic activity is usually information that is given to only those interested in and or studying anatomy or kinesiology. In this blog, we are going to deep dive in to the 2 different types of muscle fibers in your body, what they are used for and what the most effective workouts are for that type!
Type 1 muscle fibers and type 2 (also known as Fast Twitch Muscles and Slow Twitch Muscles) are what the human body is mainly comprised of. For the most part, we are born with an almost equivalent amount of fast twitch and slow twitch muscles, however some people actually have a predominance of one type of muscle. I'm sure you are asking, "well which one is which?"
Fast Twitch (Type 2)
- This muscle type assists you in faster movements
- Short bursts of energy
- Loses endurance very quickly
- Creates energy anaerobically (without the use of oxygen)
Slow Twitch (Type 1)
- This muscle assists you in slower movements
- Long lasting energy
- Built for maintaining endurance
- Houses more blood vessels in order to utilize oxygen for energy
The Term “Twitch” refers to the contraction that the muscle makes, in which a fast twitch is actually a fast contraction of the muscle. This specific muscle type controls abrupt movements like reacting to a dropped phone. Type 2 utilizes an abundant amount of energy very quickly to perform a certain movement, meaning that the muscle quickly loses energy and cannot be sustained for long. For example, a full on sprint for your bus that you are about to miss. The amount of blood vessels within Type 2 muscles are minimal due to the muscles not needing oxygen in order to power the muscle. They survive off of their self- made glycogen, which is why the energy is utilized so quickly.
In contrast, type 1 muscle fibers are the fundamental muscle type that the body utilizes. Slow Twitch muscles expends energy much slower and evenly in order to maintain the momentum of the muscle. They specialize in low intensity exercises/ movements which is mainly reflected in endurance type movements. For example, holding that case of 24 water bottles from the car to your house would be utilizing your slow twitch muscle fibers. Due to type 1 fibers engaging in more long distance, endurance type work, these muscles will need a constant provision of blood and oxygen. This is made possible by type 1 muscle fibers having many more blood vessels located within, which allows slow twitch muscles to be fed by oxygen and maintain the energy flow rather evenly.
In order to fully understand which type controls what, here is a more practical list of the kind of activities that can be done with each muscle type:
Fast Twitch (Type 2)
- Running/Sprinting
- Jumping
- Lifting heavy weight
- Punching
Slow Twitch (Type 1)
- Standing
- Walking
- jogging
- Swimming
- Yoga/Pilates poses
In conclusion, both muscle types are needed in order to conduct distinctive movements for everyday activities and for athletic maneuvers. To reiterate, Type 2 or Fast Twitch muscles assist you in rapid bursts of action that requires large amounts of strength/ energy. Type 1 or Slow Twitch muscles assist you with slower more endurance type movements that require longevity. If you are an athlete, or someone training towards more endurance sports like basketball, boxing, marathon running, swimming, hockey and sports of this nature, you want to concentrate on your slow twitch strengthening. You do this by focusing on long distance running, cycling, swimming and jump rope. Now sports which are centered around fast twitch muscles like football, power lifting, baseball, boxing/ MMA, 100 meter dash etc, you want to concentrate sprinting/ agility drills, Olympic lifting and plyometric training. If you have hit a plateau in your weight training or just beginning your journey, follow me on Instagram @spartan_alliance25 or Join the Alliance on Facebook (search Spartan Alliance Fitness) and shoot me a DM for more fitness information!
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