Choosing the best type of conditioning program that will stimulate the muscle fiber type that will get you results is extremely important. In the post Increasing Your Bat Speed, I briefly mentioned that your body consists of fast twitch and slow twitch muscles and that each muscle fiber type performs a different function. This post will explore the twitch muscle fibers, when are they used, and how you can develop them in your training programs.
Unfortunately, all body building programs are not created equally when speaking in terms of muscle fiber types. While you cannot differentiate between muscle fibers from your outside appearance, on the inside of the muscle tissue body, there are three different fibers present.
- Type 1 - Slow twitch for endurance
- Type 2A - Fast twitch for quick explosiveness
- Type 2B - Fast twitch for short duration quickness
Slow Twitch Muscle Fiber
Slow twitch muscle fiber would be used if you were to run a marathon or any other extended duration, medium to low intensity activity. These muscle fibers have a very high ability to resist fatigue and have a large oxidative (oxygen caring) capacity. Typically, these muscles can be used for hours without experiencing high levels of fatigue. They are relatively slow to contract and do not generate a great deal of force, and thus, are not used in exercises requiring a high degree of power.
The major fuel source for slow twitch muscles is triacylglyceride that comes from vegetable oil and animal fat. Foods that raise your triacylglyceride levels are: fresh vegetables, eggs, and low fat plain or fruit yogurt. Slow twitch muscles are very high in terms of mitochondrial density and have a large number of capillaries running throughout their bodies. This is to enable sufficient oxygen to get to the muscle tissues so that they can carry on the extended duration of muscular work.
Competitive athletes need to train their slow twitch muscle group to improve their endurance. Even though you are not a marathon runner, your sport typically last for three to four months and you can wear down as the season progresses. Training this muscle group will keep you body and mind fresh throughout the season.
Slow twitch muscle fibers can be trained by dividing the practice into thirty minutes of continuous activity between breaks. This requires a coach to plan the practice schedule ahead of time so that the players are constantly moving at or above 50% exertion level. For example, start practice with dynamic warm-up and then run full court drills (fast break, three man weave, defensive slides, dribbling drills, ...) for the first thirty minutes. Starting a practice with this type of routine will get the player's muscles warmed up and help keep the practice at a high intensity level.
Fast Twitch Type 2A Muscle Fiber
The next muscle group is type 2A fast twitch muscle fiber that is responsible for the most forceful muscle contractions but will fatigue quickly. They tend to have very large motor neurons and very low mitochrondrial density (oxygen carrying capacity). They also have a low oxidative capacity, meaning they will not be able to utilize oxygen very well. It is for this reason that they are not suited to endurance type of activities, because during these exercise variations, oxygen must be present in order to sustain the muscular contractions.
The major fuel sources for type A muscles are creatine phosphate and stored muscle glycogen (glucose). They will not utilize stored body fat at all due to the fact that they are only able to continually contract for a few seconds. Foods that enhance type A muscle activity are: high in protein (lean beef, skinless chicken, and fish) and natural carbohydrates (rice, potato, pasta, cereal, and nuts).
Fast twitch type 2A muscle fibers can be trained during practice with drills that utilize quick explosive movements that exert maximum effort. These muscles are used in first step or rebounding drills. Examples of quick explosive practice drills are 1 on 1 offensive moves, rebounding drills, defensive close out drills, defensive slide, and ten foot wind sprints.
Fast Twitch Type 2B Muscle Fiber
The last muscle group is type 2B fast twitch muscle fiber that is responsible for short duration (typically measured in minutes) energy bursts, but not at an all out pace. An example of when this muscle group is used are if you were doing a running interval at about 80 to 90% of your maximum capacity for a couple of minutes. In basketball, this muscle group is utilized very frequently as during the time during continuous live ball moments, where the athletes are running up and down the court for a few minutes at a time.
Some of the characteristics of the type B muscle fiber are that they still have a large motor neuron (not as large as type A though). They are on the intermediate scale of fatigue resistance and they have a high degree of mitochondrial density. These muscle fiber types are able to use oxygen to a great extent as demonstrated by their higher resistance to fatigue and longer duration of contraction abilities.
The major fuel source for type B muscles is the same as for type A fast twitch muscles: natural high protein and high carbohydrate foods.
Fast twitch type 2B muscle fibers can be trained during practice drills where the athletes are exerting controlled speed. These are the drills where the coach is yelling, "Stay under control." Many full court drills where the players get in a line, effectively creating a pause between physical exertions, train these muscles. Examples drills are full court lay ups, full court wind sprints, scrimmages, and press or press breaking drills.
Summary
In basketball, all three types of muscle fiber are used and need to be developed. A well designed practice that utilizes full court and quick explosion drills can enable the development of slow twitch and fast twitch muscle fibers each practice. As athletes develop these muscle fibers they will experience individual success and as a group experience team success.
For drills specifically tailored for muscle fiber development, see Vince DelMonte's No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guys Secrets to Muscle Gain. He specializes in helping you understand all the principals behind muscle fibers and gaining muscle and weight quickly without drugs and supplements. He is also the author of Video Coaching Lessons To Fast Muscle Gain that are provided when you sign up for his newsletter.
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