Slow twitch muscle fibers provide endurance for activities like running and cycling, while fast twitch fibers produce more power but fatigue quickly. Slow twitch fibers use oxygen more efficiently to generate energy, making them better suited for aerobic exercise. Strength training can target different types of fibers, with more reps and lower weights engaging slow twitch fibers and fewer reps with heavier weights activating fast twitch fibers. While some people may have more of one type of fiber than the other, other factors like diet, sleep, and exercise routine are more important for athletic success.
Muscles are made up of hundreds of thousands of fibers that allow daily movement and sports activity. Slow twitch muscle fibers, also known as Type I fibers, are responsible for endurance. This type of muscle continues to tremble while engaged in activity, unlike fast-twitch muscle fibers, which produce more power but don’t stay in motion for long. Slow-twitch muscle fibers are useful for aerobics, swimming, running, and cycling, all of which require long periods of endurance.
Slow twitch muscle fibers can fire for longer periods without fatigue than fast twitch muscle fibers. This is because they can use oxygen more efficiently to make more fuel for activities that require endurance. Muscles use adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as a source of energy. ATP is created by the metabolism of oxygen in the bloodstream. Slow twitch muscle fibers complete the ATP generation process better than fast twitch or type II fibers.
Slow and fast twitch muscle fibers play an important role in strength training. When lifting weights, more repetitions with a lower weight will engage the slow twitch fibers, resulting in more muscular endurance but less power. Women often prefer this type of strength training to avoid looking bulky. Fewer reps with heavier weights activate fast-twitch fibers, which help build more strength.
Most people have about the same number of fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle fibers, although some people are naturally born with more of one type than the other. People with faster twitch fibers are often better at anaerobic activities that require a lot of power over a short period of time, such as weight lifting and sprinting. People with slower twitch fibers may be better at aerobic exercise for longer periods of time than people with the same number of fast and slow twitch fibers and people with more fast twitch than slow twitch fibers.
Some muscle fibers can switch from fast twitch to slow twitch during training. While scientific studies have yet to arrive at a definitive answer as to how and why this occurs, many test subjects have experienced an increase in slow-twitch muscle fibers while participating in resistance training. The type and amount of muscle fiber is generally only one significant factor in athletic performance at the professional level. A proper diet, sleep schedule, hydration, and exercise routine are often more important than muscle fiber type in determining training or athletic success.
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