Did you know that there are different types of skeletal muscle fibers that specialize in different kinds of motion? Muscles are made of many bundles of muscle fibers, each fiber contracting and relaxing during use. Some muscle fibers are better suited for slow and sustained motion, while other muscle fibers are better suited for quick and powerful motion.
“Slow-twitch” muscle fibers, which are much more vascularized, function with the steady supply of oxygen (aerobic), are slower to fatigue, but produce lower force.
“Fast-twitch” muscle fibers, which are less vascularized, function much more anaerobically (without the need for oxygen), are quick to fatigue, but produce high force.
No single muscle is made up of one or the other, but rather a mix of the two. The ratio of slow to fast muscle fibers changes with age, training, trauma, and rehabilitation!
Posted on Instagram on January 25, 2021.