The human body is composed of different muscle groups which governs movement and flexibility. The muscles are important components in fitness. Knowing how they work is important in determining what specific types of training to do to be able to achieve personal muscle fitness.
The body is made up of different types of muscles, all determining the body?s fast and slow movements, and the different chemical processes and interaction which result muscle fitness: strength, burst, or endurance. The muscle type and the chemical reaction it involves produce the power which will govern movement, such as slow contraction for short burst of power, longer sustained movement for low intensity, or high intensity contraction for longer periods of time. Here are the different types of muscles.
Fast Twitch Muscles: This type of muscles provides rapid movements for short periods of time. Glycogen is used rather than oxygen which requires anaerobic enzymes to produce power. Fast twitch muscles uses glycogen which is stored in the muscles and liver and synthesized by the body using carbohydrates. Fast twitch muscles have two types, and provides the body with strength and speed which is used with moderate or maximum muscle effort.
Slow Twitch Muscles: Slow twitch muscles have fibers which have a slower contraction time. This type of muscles uses oxygen for power and uses more of the aerobic enzymes. Examples of slow twitch muscles are found in the legs, thigh, trunk, back and hips which are used to hold posture of the body. Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) is the primary source of energy of slow twitch muscles for its ability to contract. Chemical reactions in the body produce ATP. When a muscle functions, ATP is broken down by chemicals to produce energy.
In muscle fitness, keep in mind that all necessary components such as glucose and fatty acids are all stored in the body for muscle use. The cardiovascular system provides continuous amount of oxygen, while glucose is stored in the muscles and liver to sustain about 2 hours of strenuous exercise. The body has a mechanism to use fatty acids and amino acid proteins after carbohydrates are used in the muscles. Training on how you can prolong aerobic physical conditioning accounts endurance.
