How fast, enduring or strong we are depends on how developed the different muscle fibers in our body are. The texture of the muscles. In general, a distinction is made between red and white muscle fibers. You can find out how to train them at FITBOOK.
The human body is capable of incredible peak performance. Sprinters like Usain Bolt cover the hundred meters in 9.58 seconds. Other athletes complete an ultramarathon over 100 kilometers. And sports like CrossFit show: In contrast to most animal species, we are not only excellent specialists, but also good all-rounders. How fast, enduring or strong we are depends on how developed the different muscle fibers in our body are.
But what types of muscle fibers are there, how do they differ, what are their tasks and how can we optimally train them? How fast, enduring or strong we are depends on how developed the different muscle fibers in our body are. But what types of muscle fibers are there, how do they differ, what are their tasks and how can we optimally train them?
What are muscle fibers?
Muscle fibers are the spindle-shaped cellular base of skeletal muscle. Also known as muscle fiber cells or myocytes, they contain several hundred muscle fibrils that are responsible for the contraction of individual muscle cells. Depending on the type and length of the muscle, the muscle fibers can be a few millimeters to a few centimeters long.
What types of muscle fibers are there?
No matter where we come from, how we train or what form of nutrition we prefer: each of us has two different types of muscle fibers:
- White muscle fibers (fast twitch fibers): These muscle fibers contract very quickly and are responsible for intense, explosive and powerful movements.
- Red muscle fibers (slow twitch fibers): Muscles that contract slowly but are very persistent are called red muscle fibers.
Which type of muscle fiber is used depends on the movement that we perform. For example, if you deadlift 10 heavy reps, you are training the white muscle fibers. When training for a marathon, on the other hand, the red muscle fibers are addressed. This is important information for amateur and competitive athletes.
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Do all people have the same number of white and red muscle fibers?
The average adult has a roughly equal distribution of red and white muscle fibers. Depending on genetics and the type of training, the proportions can also differ significantly. Due to the dominance of runners from East Africa (particularly Kenya and Ethiopia) over the long distance, e.g. B. the marathon, as well as the West African athletes over sprint distances, research has been carried out for years on the supposed advantages of the physique of the athletes. Among other things, they came to the conclusion that people from West Africa have a particularly high proportion of white muscle fibers. So it’s no wonder that many world-class sprinters come from this region.1
They also want to have shown that people with African ancestry have different biomechanics (narrower hips, longer legs and stronger thighs) compared to Europeans or Asians, which should also have a positive effect on running performance. However, these genetically favorable factors should not hide the fact that African athletes probably train the hardest in the world in order to be able to access their potential.
Time to take a closer look at the two muscle fiber types and the different strategies for training them.
White muscle fibers – explosive power and high energy expenditure
Whether you’re bodybuilding, setting a world record in the bench press, or just want to carry the washing machine up to the fifth floor, you should focus on training your white muscles. Because these are a bit thicker than the red muscle fibers, are addressed particularly quickly by the nerves and enable great power output. And: Your energy consumption is significantly higher.
Exactly for this reason, a strenuous weight training for fat loss is theoretically much more effective than a leisurely jog in the park. It just burns a lot more calories. However, the white muscle fibers tire particularly quickly. A sprint over several kilometers or 200 repetitions with a heavy barbell are therefore not possible. From this point of view, endurance training for losing weight (burning fat) is more practical.
Also interesting: Is endurance training really bad for building muscle?
How can I specifically train white muscle fibers?
In short: When training, focus on few but heavy repetitions. This is how you use the white muscle fibers particularly effectively. Whether you work with weights or prefer to work with your own body weight is your decision.
Here are some exercises from classic strength training that train the white muscle fibers:
- bench press
- Squats with the barbell
- pull-ups
- deadlift
- Bent-over rowing
You should be able to handle as heavy a weight as possible and do only a few repetitions; for a good training effect, however, at least ten repetitions with three to five sets should be possible. Of course, your health always comes first and an intensive warm-up program is also a must when training the white muscle fibers. Increase slowly and keep in mind: Excessive weights can – especially if you have not trained sufficiently – also lead to injuries and overuse reactions with pain, in severe cases also to joint damage.
It is also important to get a good training plan in advance and ideally to train under the supervision of an experienced trainer at the beginning.
Also interesting: How many repetitions are optimal for strength training to build muscle?
Overview of red muscle fibers
Red muscle fibers have a particularly high myoglobin content. This protein transports oxygen through muscle cells. Red muscle fibers are activated by the nerves much more slowly than the white ones. They are also thinner, which gives marathon runners their typically gaunt appearance. The contraction of the red muscle fibers consumes little energy. The muscle fibers themselves need oxygen, glycogen and fat for their own energy production. Glycogen is an energy store filled with carbohydrates. Therefore, before or during training and during competitions, simple sugars such as Glucose and fructose (e.g. from a ripe banana) make more sense because they can be metabolized directly. Carbohydrates from whole grains such as muesli and oatmeal are long-chain sugars that first have to be broken down into simple sugars. This takes several hours, so the energy is only available correspondingly late.
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Endurance training strengthens the red muscle fibers
Walking, running or cycling: you need staying power for all these sports. The red muscle fibers are particularly stressed here and can be trained over time in such a way that they can perform at their best for hours. Until then, you should slowly increase. You should only tackle your first marathon participation after months of consistent training. In this way, you gradually increase the efficiency of your red muscle fibers. For example, long endurance runs at a leisurely pace are a great way to activate red muscle fibers.
Also interesting: Running in the aerobic area should make you happy
Does my diet affect muscle fibers?
Your diet should be as individual as your sporting goals. While bodybuilders and strength athletes should pay particular attention to a high protein intake, endurance athletes – especially in competitions – are dependent on full carbohydrate stores. But whether you want to strengthen your white or red muscle fibers, a varied diet that includes protein, healthy fats and carbohydrates, as well as vitamins and minerals is sure to get you there.