6 Pack Abdominals

  

All muscles have various types of muscle fibers.  Stronger muscles are the result of all types of muscle fibers being trained.  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.  The majority of muscles consist of about half fast twitch and half slow twitch fibers.  Each type of fiber works differently and to build more muscle you should have a training program that uses both fiber types.

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 stored in your body.  The nerve cells in fast twitch muscle fibers fire more rapidly, so the fibers fatigue more rapidly, than slow twitch fibers.  Sprinters produce a lot of power for a very short time, using a lot of fast twitch muscles to do it.

Type A uses both aerobic and anaerobic energy 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.  Only anaerobic energy is used by Type B fast twitch muscle fibers.  Type B fast twitch muscle fibers have a contraction rate that is the fastest of all 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 contract slower and do not generate a lot of force, but they are also slow to fatigue so they can work much longer than fast twitch muscles.  Oxygen rich blood runs through the many capillaries found in slow twitch muscle fibers providing them with the aerobic energy required to function.  Low intensity exercises performed over a long period use slow twitch muscle fibers.  Slow twitch muscles are used when you train for a marathon, ride a bike many miles or go hiking.

 The most effective strength training program will use all three types of muscle fiber so when you require power from any given type, you will have it.  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 the greatest effort for a short period of time.  Sprint at full speed or lift a weight that you can only do one repetition to fatigue.  To train fast twitch type A fibers you should lower the intensity and increase the time – run fast but do not sprint and do it for 20 – 30 minutes, or lift a weight that requires 6 – 10 repetitions to fatigue.  Slow twitch muscles get stronger when you train for endurance.  Training for endurance means running for an hour, swimming 100 laps or lifting weights low enough so you can do 3 sets of 6 – 10 repetitions.  This training will take more time than training for fast twitch muscle fibers, but it is necessary to complete this training also to build the entire muscle and get the maximum strength you are looking for.

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