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In This Issue
1. Web Site Update - Newsletters Now On-Line
2. Muscle Fibers - Slow Twitch, Fast Twitch, What's The Deal?
3. Supplement Guide by TrulyHuge.com
4. Massivemuscle.net Merchandise
5. URL Correction For Exercise Demos
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1. Web Site Update:
All issues of the Massivemuscle.net Newsletter are now available on-line. Easily search through past issues to find the specific information you are looking for. Having the newsletters on-line will allow me to add new and more specific information for you, the readers, on a regular basis.
Click Here to see.
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2. Muscle Fibers - Slow Twitch, Fast Twitch, What's The Deal?
One evening, while looking for new bodybuilding magazines, I ran across the September 2000 issue of
Scientific American. What caught my eye was the cover which said "Muscles & Genes - Are Star Athletes Born, Not Made?" Inside I found an article (by Jesper L. Andersen, Peter Schjerling and Bengt Saltin) discussing the different types of muscle fibers. This is definitely vital information to understanding your body. Unfortunately, most people do not even begin to try understanding why this stuff matters. I'm not a scientist, so I will just give a brief synopsis of the article. Below you will find links to find more information on this subject.
The first step to understanding your muscles is to know how they are made up. Muscle is simply a bundle of cells being held together by a connective tissue called collagen tissue. Each muscle cell (also known as a muscle fiber) has an outer membrane. Scattered around under the membrane are some nuclei which contain the genes. Also in each muscle cell are thousands of strands known as myofibrils. The myofibrils are what cause the muscle cells to contract.
Now down to the real nitty gritty, keeping in mind we are down to the inner strands of a single muscle cell. The myofibrils are made up of filaments, linked end to end, called sarcomeres. The sarcomeres are made of two filamentary proteins known as myosin and actin. These two proteins interact to cause the muscle contraction. One of the components of the myosin molecule (the heavy chain) makes up the characteristics of that muscle fiber. This heavy chain can exist in 3 different "isoforms". These are I (slow fibers), IIa and IIx (fast fibers). The contraction speed of the type IIx fiber is approximately ten times that of the type I fiber. The type IIa fibers' contraction speed is somewhere between the other two. Slow fibers rely on efficient aerobic metabolism such as cardiovascular exercise. Fast fibers rely on anaerobic metabolism such as weight training. In reaction to rigorous exercise, nuclei are recruited to make additional myofibril in each muscle fiber. Therefore, each muscle fiber becomes larger.
<>Note: There are also hybrid fibers that contain two different isoforms. However, hybrid fibers are dominated by one of the two isoforms and take on that particular characteristic.
So what does this all mean? Well, the article points out that "The 'average' healty adult has roughly equal numbers of slow and fast fibers..." However, the extraordinary athletes are found to have a domination of one fiber type over the other. For example, sprinters may have up to 95% fast fibers in their legs, whereas marathon runners may have up to 95% slow fibers in their legs. As a bodybuilder you obviously want to train to make all of your muscle fibers larger, thus gaining the maximum amount of muscle size possible. So you need to train so that ALL of your muscle fibers will react with this growth.
Since that is a whole other discussion in itself, please check out the Testosterone website. They have a great article
"Train Right for Your Type" by Ian
King.
(Be sure to check out the "Lessons Learned" section at the bottom.)
If you would like more in depth information on this subject, you can purchase the September 2000 issue from Scientific American.
View it at: http://www.sciam.com/2000/0900issue/0900currentissue.html
Order it at: http://www.sciam.com/marketplace/mrktbackissue.html
They have also published a special issue called "Building The Elite Athlete" which you may also find interesting. You can see and order this special issue at
http://www.sciam.com/marketplace/mrktsingle.html#link1 .
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3. Supplement Guide by TrulyHuge.com
Paul Becker of TrulyHuge.com has put together a great little supplement guide. The best part is it's FREE. Download
by clicking here.
While you're there, be sure to check out the site if you haven't been there before. It is packed with lots of information. You can also sign up for the Truly Huge Fitness Tips weekly newsletter which is always full of great bodybuilding information and tips.
Remember, I don't want to only give you my own information. I want to direct you to the best bodybuilding information on the web.
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4. Massivemuscle.net Merchandise
That's right. I now have shirts and stuff. You can see my store at http://www.cafepress.com/massmuscle/ . As with the books mentioned last week, all profits will only go to the upkeep and improval of the Massivemuscle.net website and newsletter.
I may soon have some other cool designs for shirts. If it all comes together, there will be a Bench Press, Deadlift and Squat design. E-mail me with your thoughts.
All order processing, money transaction and fulfillment is handled by CafePress. As a test, I ordered some of my own merchandise. It took one week to get it and everything was handled flawlessly.
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5. URL Correction For Exercise Demos
Last month I gave a URL for exercise demos from the Gymamerica.com website. They have since changed their site and this new URL should get you to the demos:
Click
Here
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The moral of this month's newsletter is that there is always something more to learn about. No matter how experienced you are with bodybuilding, there is always a more specific piece of information to research. Learning about each little part and function of the human body can take you one step closer to your goals.
Jon Miller
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DISCLAIMER:
The suggestions and opinions in this newsletter are based on my personal experiences. Obviously, not all diets, supplements or training routines work the same for everyone. The objective of this newsletter is to provide you with the knowledge that will help you find what works best for you. You should always check with your personal physician before starting any exercise programs. All of the companies, products and websites I suggested are also from my own findings only.