Muscle Fibers are the basic building block of skeletal muscles. These fibers create the energy for a body to move when we contract them. There are different types of these muscle fibers and they have a specific influence on our body that you can see by following this link. In this article, we will discuss type 1 muscle fibers and how they impact your body.
What are Type 1 Muscle Fibers?
They are also called the Slow-Twitch Fibers. Type 1 muscle fibers are smallest in size and red in color. These types of fiber have Mitochondria in its cells that create energy using oxygen which is why Type 1 muscle fibers are red in color.
This high number of Mitochondria also makes them more resistant to fatigue. That is why people utilizing type 1 muscle fiber don’t get tired easily. These fibers are activated when you are doing low-intensity exercises.
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Utilize Type 1 to Lose Fat
Thanks to Mitochondria, type 1 muscle fiber uses fat in our body and combines it with oxygen to create energy. They need the oxygen in your body so they keep the blood flowing which is a good thing. It doesn’t require extra carbs or chemical process to keep going but instead burns your fat to produce energy.
So if you are looking to lose weight/fat you need to contract those Type 1 muscle fibers in your body. In addition, you get stronger and thinner muscles with bigger stamina.
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Marathoner is an Example
Have you ever noticed a marathoner? They run 42 kilometers on difficult tracks and Marathoners are very slim. They do training to trigger type 1 muscle fibers only. They lose as much weight as possible because they have to carry it for miles in a run. Moreover, they have marvelous stamina.
On the other hand, sprinters usually have bigger muscles as they train Type 2 muscle fibers. They have to run a track for few seconds and they put all their energy into it.
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What Muscle Fiber Type Do You Have?
Our body has both the Type 2 and Type 1 muscle fibers. Depending on your genetics there could be three possible combinations.
- You could have both in an almost equal amount
- You could have Predominant Type 1
- You could have Predominant Type 2
A national level marathoner athlete would most probably have more Type 1 muscle fibers in his/her body. On the other hand, a national level sprinter would have more Type 2 muscle fibers. Here is How You Can Find Your Fiber Muscle Type.
Workouts for Type 1 Body
Remember that these exercises don’t increase the number of type 1 muscle fibers. It will just activate them and why you need to activate those muscle fibers depends on your goals.
The Thing to remember is to keep the weight light and increase repetitions and then mix them with some heavier weight and fewer repetitions.
You can basically do any exercise to activate these muscles as long as they are kept low-intensity. According to Henneman’s Size Principal, first, your type 1 fibers are activated when you perform physical activity. Type 2 muscle fibers only activate after you have maxed out the type 1.
