Why does knowing the difference between muscle fiber types matter?
Because different muscle fibers burn different amounts of fat in different amounts of time and, therefore, it is essential that you know which ones you are using when you exercise. Fast-twitch muscle fiber is much thicker than slow-twitch muscle fiber and can provide much stronger contractions than slow-twitch muscle fibers. Sounds good. However, a fast-twitch muscle fiber has very little mitochondria (center of cellular respiration in a cell) and little, if any, myoglobin (extra oxygen carriers). This means that it quickly uses up all of its oxygen and has to find another way to produce energy without oxygen. Slow-twitch muscle fiber is a lot less thick than a fast twitch muscle fiber. Most of the time, slow-twitch muscle fiber is packed with lots of mitochondria and myoglobin. Since the slow-twitch muscle fiber has a much smaller power output compared to a fast-twitch muscle fiber, it can keep up with the oxygen needs of the cell. Because of this, slow-twitch muscle fibers can keep g
