What are fast twitch muscle fibres ? and why they are important for muscle increase.
Knowing as much as you can about your muscles and how they function will help you not only when it comes to creating an effective exercise program, but it will also help you understand the importance in following it. After all, the greater your knowledge in health and fitness, the better you are at applying it; and, the better you are at applying it, the more health benefits you’ll receive.
Muscle Fibre Basics
Your body has two types of muscle fibres: slow twitch and fast twitch. Whereas you use slow twitch muscle fibres for exercises that need endurance, such as running and cycling, fast twitch muscle fibres are used in physical activities that require short, intense bursts of energy. Some examples of these are weight lifting and sprinting.
Fast twitch muscle fibres are used in certain day to day activities as well. For example, if you’re moving a piece of furniture from one room to another, you’re going to need to engage your fast twitch muscle fibres to give you the immediate bursts of energy you need to move something so
heavy.
How to Positively Work Your Fast Twitch Muscle Fibres
Because your fast twitch muscle fibres are meant to help you with small amounts of forceful exercise, you need to work them differently than you would the slow twitch fibres. One of the best ways to do this is through specific strength training methods.
When you lift heavier weights for fewer repetitions, you’ll engage your fast twitch fibers. So, aim for weight amounts that you can lift somewhere between eight and twelve reps before you’re not able to lift them without sacrificing your posture. Basically, if you can easily do more than a dozen reps, the weights are too light; and, if you’re not able to push out more than a couple reps at a time, they’re too heavy.
Our bodies are a complex web of fibers and tissues and organs that function better as a whole when each individual piece is running at maximum capacity. Focus on getting the most out of your fast twitch muscle fibres and you’ll be on your way to a puzzle that has all its pieces in place.
