Group: General Fitness & Exercise

Created: 2011/12/31, Members: 382, Messages: 54581

Various general exercise related discussions. Find out what it takes to reach your fitness goals through daily effective exercise. With so many options we try to find out what works best.

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Fast twitch/ Slow twitch

babyg25
babyg25
Posts: 38
Joined: 2002/08/13
New Zealand
2006/02/03, 06:13 PM
i was at the gym during teh week doing body pump in a group fitness class and, going with my goal to lift heavier this year, i put my squat weights up. my legs gave up half way through the track and it was shear will power that got me through lol. they also stayed like jelly throughout the rest of the class and were shaking, now considering the squat track is the first track you can imagine what fun the lunges at the end were.

so i asked the trainer why my legs gave up so soon after starting the track and he started talking about fast twitch/slow twitch and i haven't got a clue what he was talking about. my upper body has always been way stronger than my lower body (which doesn't make much sense to me as my lower body had to carry nearly 300lbs of weight for over a year)

Can someone please explain this fast twitch/ slow twitch to me in extremely beginner format lol and should i be working on my lower body more in the gym to combat this?
Nyxtikal
Nyxtikal
Posts: 268
Joined: 2005/09/20
United States
2006/02/04, 04:37 AM
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/exercisephysiology/a/aa080901a.htm

this should help you out......the third and fourth paragraphs describe pretty well the purpose of your fast and slow twitch muscles
bb1fit
bb1fit
Posts: 11,105
Joined: 2001/06/30
United States
2006/02/04, 01:09 PM
I wouldn't overwhelm yourself with this stuff. Just keep doing it. I could make a real long post explaining fast twitch and slow twitch, and which muscles contain more or less of each, but not worth it. Just assume for ease sake that most all muscles are evenly divided, and forget about it. :big_smile:

Not trying to make light of it, just it can be overwhelming and it is very difficult at best to try to isolate th4e fibers. Then you can throw in type 2A, and it gets even more overwhelming. Different rep schemes "target" different fibers, but it is difficult to do.

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Strength and Honor!
bigandrew
bigandrew
Posts: 5,146
Joined: 2002/10/21
United States
2006/02/04, 06:39 PM
yea and you also get into sraoplastmic(sp) hypertrophy and myrfibil(sp) hypertrophy as well

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Friends don't let friends squat high...


People don't reach thier true potental, only those who seek it.
wrestler125
wrestler125
Posts: 4,619
Joined: 2004/01/27
United States
2006/02/04, 10:06 PM
And from there you can get into central nervous system pathways with myofibrilar hypertrophy...

Like BB1Fit said, its not really worth thinking about if your just starting out. It's like worrying about supplementing when your still not eating clean. It's just icing on the cake.

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Iron and chalk.

Pain is only temporary, it is in your mind. If you can still walk, then you can still run.
mikencharleston
mikencharleston
Posts: 1,585
Joined: 2002/01/09
United States
2006/02/04, 10:27 PM
Or you can just do your workout and forget about making it so hard. :)

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Mike
in Pensacola Now.
wrestler125
wrestler125
Posts: 4,619
Joined: 2004/01/27
United States
2006/02/05, 01:39 PM
A-Men.

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Iron and chalk.

Pain is only temporary, it is in your mind. If you can still walk, then you can still run.
Mojo_67
Mojo_67
Posts: 1,299
Joined: 2003/09/23
United States
2006/02/05, 02:02 PM
...Uhhhh, which way did he go george???

You guys are still talking about working out right?.....right???

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Seize the day!
Mojo_67
Mojo_67
Posts: 1,299
Joined: 2003/09/23
United States
2006/02/05, 02:45 PM
This is one of those threads that I know is well out of my realm. I usually know when I'm in over my head so I just sit back and learn.

But I gotta admit, I'm kinda worried lately every time I post. What if I screw up??? The other day I was reading thru some of gatormades threads and came across one about calling people out on bad advice. To be honest with ya, it kinda freaked me!!! And I gotta say...if he ever calls me out...I'm going invisible!!!

JK gatormade, that was a very good thread on professional advice. Too bad their isn't a filter.

Now...lets get back to this whole fast twitch/slow twitch thing...I usually find it best to just go with a good medium twitch but that's just me. Whatever works best for you!

OH STOP IT, I'M JUST KIDDING...ok I'm gonna go wrestle with my kids now...enjoy your ay everyone.

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Seize the day!
babyg25
babyg25
Posts: 38
Joined: 2002/08/13
New Zealand
2006/02/05, 08:35 PM
so in other words it just my trainer showing how much technical stuff he knows and i dont lol

cheers all
baby
2006/04/01, 12:42 PM
All the posts that involve words like anabolic, catabolic, hypertrophy, slow twitch fast twitch and such have always sent me into a paroxim of lip diddling. Let Menace, BB1 and Wrestler have their debstes which we mortals were never meant to understand. These guys are kind of the Einstiens of fitness. Just keep your eyes on the prize and keep doing your routine.

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Sometimes life is like herding cats.


Charlie