Are there different types of muscle fibers?
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Researchers refer to skeletal muscle cells fibers because they are thin and long. In fact, some muscle fibers can extend the entire length of a muscle group, such as in the biceps. That is several inches! In addition to their unique design, skeletal muscle cells are not all the same. In fact, humans are blessed with more than one type of skeletal muscle cell, which vary in performance and metabolic properties (see Table). This allows us to efficiently perform a broad range of activities or sports that vary in nature. This includes sports that are longer duration/lower intensity and short duration/higher intensity. |
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Performance and Metabolic Properties of Muscle Fibers
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Type I Muscle Fibers |
Type II Muscle Fibers |
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What are the different classes of muscle cells?
Muscle cells into grouped into two general categories or “types” (Type I and II). Type II muscle fibers are often subclassified as IIa, IIb, and IIc. However, for our purposes, it is enough to distinguish between the two main types. Skeletal muscle is actually bundles of a mixture of Type I and II muscle fibers. In fact, the average person will tend to have about a 50/50 mixture of Types I and II muscle fibers. Meanwhile, highly successful athletes tend to have a significant imbalance one way or the other which, will allow them to excel at a particular sport. On the next page we will look more closely at type I and II muscle fibers and how they are recruitment.
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