New answers tagged muscle
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In short yes, the percentage of slow/fast fibres will vary with muscle group. Pectoralis major tends to be about 60% fast-twitch fibres. "Legs" is a bit of a generalisation - your soleus, in common with other postural muscles, is predominantly slow-twitch fibres, other leg muscles contain more fast-twitch fibres (taken from this study):
Soleus 70% ...
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Yes it is possible for two people of similar builds to have different flexibilities and I simply think this is because the amount of stretching and the consistency and repetition of that stretching. I doubt it's something that is a natural occurrence, it's like confidence, there's no way you can be born with it. If you take a look at gymnasts and how they do ...
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I like a number of the answers above (in particular the one from @user31548). One other thing that I'd like to add is that some people get stronger more than they get bigger.
I look reasonably fit, but not like the guy you call to move a fridge. I can lift more than you'd think by looking at me. Using more or less the same programs, intensity,... other ...
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TLDR
If you want something to grow, work it hard. If you want it to not-shrink, work it at least a little.
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The only way I can interpret your question in a way that makes sense to me is "When I'm not exercising a variety of muscles, is there any way to control which of them degrades first/fastest?". Is that what you're asking? ...
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Bending forwards: Rectus abdominis (the "6 pack" muscle)
Bending backwards: Erector spinae group (the muscles running up your back either side of the spine)
Bending sideways: Abdominal oblique muscles (these are on the sides, in two layers, running between the hips, rib cage, and the centre of the abs)
Twisting: Also abdominal oblique muscles
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So basically you have three types of muscle fibre:
Type I (slow-twitch)
Type IIa (fast oxidative)
Type IIx (fast glycolytic)
Most people are generally born with roughly a 50/50 split between types I and II. Top level endurance athletes can have up to 90-95% type I fibres, whereas strength/power athletes can have 60-80% type II. It's generally believed that ...
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An efficient squatter mainly uses the glutes to extend the hips, not the hamstrings.
As can be seen from this image the hamstrings crosses both the hip and knee joint:
They therefore have two functions: extending the hips and flexing the knee.
If you use the hamstrings to extend the hips in the squat you also get a flexing torque at the knee. This means ...
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I think this question has more to do with why a person with a lot of fast-twitch muscle types have higher stamina. Especially if you pair it with this question.
First, there are actually three types of muscle fibers. Type 1 (slow-twitch), type 2a (fast-twitch), and Type 2b (super-fast-twitch. Also called Type 2x). Type 2a is kind of an in between between ...
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I'm not able to answer your question definitely, but here's a thought experiment with squats.
Strong person has a squat PR of 200kg
Weak person has a squat PR of 40kg
Who do you think will manage more reps with a weight of 40kg?
So i'd say, all else equal then yes, the stronger person also has more stamina.
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We need to clarify some terms. "Extension" means movement of a joint which increases the angle between two body parts. So elbow extension is the movement that increases the angle between the humerus and radius/ulna, i.e. straightening the elbow. The opposite of extension is "flexion", which is a movement of a joint which decreases the ...
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I imagine it has something to do with him being a full-time professional athlete with multiple full-time coaches optimizing his training.
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