Bodybuilding Wizard

    Subscribe to Updates

    Join our mailing list to receive the latest updates from our team.

    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Trending
    • The Benefits of Incorporating Boxing Into Your Workout Routine
    • Trap Bar Deadlift Vs. Barbell Deadlift — Differences and Similarities
    • Barbell vs. Dumbbell Shoulder Press For Shoulder Development
    • Comparison of squats and leg presses – which exercise to choose and why?
    • Barbell Seal Rows: Build a Thicker Back Faster
    • Meet the air bike – cardio equipment we love to hate
    • 6 Mistakes to Avoid During an Online Workout
    • The Effects of Caffeine on Muscle Growth
    RSS Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube Pinterest Instagram
    Bodybuilding Wizard
    Subscribe
    • Home
    • Training
      • Weight training basics
      • Advanced bodybuilding
      • Workout programs
      • Home weight training programs
      • Cardio workout
      • Bodybuilding glossary
      • Exercise equipment
      • Weight training accessories
      • Weight lifting injuries
    • Exercises
      • Chest exercises
        • Middle chest exercises
        • Upper chest exercises
        • Lower chest exercises
      • Back exercises
        • Middle back (latissimus dorsi)
        • Upper back (trapezius)
        • Lower back (erector spinae)
      • Bicep exercises
      • Tricep exercises
      • Shoulder exercises
        • Front deltoid
        • Side deltoid
        • Rear deltoid
        • Rotator Cuff
      • Neck strengthening exercises
      • Quadricep exercises
      • Hamstring exercises
      • Calf exercises
      • Tibialis anterior exercises
      • Abdominal exercises
        • Upper abdominal exercises
        • Lower abdominal exercise
        • Oblique exercises
      • Core exercises
      • Forearm exercises
      • Glute & Hip exercises
      • Kettlebell exercises
      • Foam rolling & Stretching
      • Explosive (dynamic) lifts
    • Motivation
      • Videos
        • Motivational videos
        • Funny workout videos
      • Pictures
      • Quotes
      • Funny Fitness
      • Transformations
    • Diet
    • Supplements
    • Anatomy
    • FAQ
    • Health
    Login
    Bodybuilding Wizard
    You are at:Home»Anatomy»The Law of Muscle Fiber Recruitment
    maximal muscle fiber recruitment bodybuilding

    The Law of Muscle Fiber Recruitment

    0
    By krunoslav on April 13, 2020 Anatomy
    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Email Tumblr WhatsApp

    The Law of Muscle Fiber Recruitment

    As far as building muscular mass is concerned, the sole objective is muscle fiber recruitment. The more muscle fibers recruited, the more activated; the more activated, the greater the growth stimulation. It therefore stands to reason that the more muscle fibers called into play or made to contract against resistance, the more muscle fibers will be stimulated to hypertrophy, or grow larger. In this post we would like to talk about how the muscle fiber recruitment process works. Also, we will show you the ways how to achieve maximal muscle fiber recruitment so that you can increase the size of your muscles in no time.

    How the muscle fiber recruitment process works?

    When your body needs to move or perform a certain task, it calls upon your muscles to complete it. We have two types of muscle fibers to do this:

    • Type 1 – Slow Twitch fibers are slow contracting, lower force producing, suitable for long-lasting activities, and have lower fatigability;
    • Type 2 – Fast Twitch Fibers are fast contracting, high force producing, not suitable for endurance (they quickly run of power), and have high fatigability (low resistance to fatigue);

    It was demonstrated clinically in 1973 that, at light loads, slow-twitch fibers contract and are capable of sus­taining repeated contractions at this relatively low inten­sity. Since these fibers are weaker, they’re not suited to a higher intensity of effort or overload.

    If a greater load is imposed upon the muscle, a progressive recruitment of larger and stronger (fast-twitch) muscle fibers occurs. Thus, when the load increases from light to heavy, there is a progressive increase in the number of muscle fibers involved in the contraction.

    Something we find exceptionally interesting is that our body always calls the slow twitch muscle fibers before the fast twitch. It does not matter what kind of task is being performed. If you’re walking through the woods and see a bear, as soon as you start running for your life, your body is going to recruit the Type 1 fibers first. Even if it’s only a nanosecond before the fast twitch fibers will also start to act. Think of a car shifting from first gear to second or a thermometer rising. The Type 1 Slow twitch fibers engage first. Then, if the load becomes too great, or the demand too high, the Type 2 Fast Twitch fibers take over. We hope this helps clarify the muscle recruitment process.

    muscle fiber recruitment process

    So, what’s the bottom line?

    The nervous system will only switch on as much muscles as it needs to overcome the resistance.

    In essence, light loads, regardless of how many sets and reps you perform with them, recruit primarily slow-twitch muscle fibers, which have the lowest capacity to increase in size. Heavier loads recruit fast-twitch fibers in addition to the slow-twitch fibers already activated.

    From this we can conclude, quite without fear of contradiction, that the amount of weight lifted, as opposed to the speed of the contraction, is what recruits and stimulates the greatest amount of muscle fibers, thereby allowing for the greatest increases in size (muscle hypertrophy) and strength.

    Closing thoughts about the muscle fiber recruitment

    According to the law of muscle fiber recruitment, the heavier the weight, the more muscle fibers are called into play to move it. Conversely, the lighter the weight, the fewer fibers that are required to move it.

    As a result, you must consistently strive to lift heav­ier and heavier weights instead of increasing the number sets and repetitions. Consistent increases in size and strength are your goals, after all.

    If you have the fiber recruitment potential to bench-press 200 pounds for 6 sets of 30 rep­etitions, yet the most you ever lift in any given workout is 125 pounds for 6 sets of 30 repetitions, then neither your muscle mass nor your strength will ever increase. They don’t have to: the muscles are only being called upon to do work that’s well below their existing maxi­mum capacity. And that work, incidentally, is quite capable of being handled solely by the slow-twitch fibers, which happen to be the ones that have the least growth potential.

    The law of muscle fiber recruitment makes it abundantly clear that you must use a load of at least a threshold poundage, since in the body’s ongoing effort to conserve energy, it activates only the minimum number of muscle fibers required to perform a particular movement for any given demand.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email WhatsApp
    krunoslav
    • Twitter

    Hey! My name is Petar, and I'm the owner and author of Bodybuilding Wizard. I started this website back in late 2014, and it has been my pet project ever since. My goal is to help you learn proper weight training and nutrition principles so that you can get strong and build the physique of your dreams!

    Related Posts

    The Influence of Hormones on Muscle Growth and Development

    Setting Realistic Body Fat Goals

    Closed and Open Kinetic Chain Exercises

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

    WE ARE SOCIAL
    • Facebook 181
    • Twitter 472
    • YouTube 98
    • Instagram
    RECENT POSTS
    January 17, 2023

    The Benefits of Incorporating Boxing Into Your Workout Routine

    January 15, 2023

    Trap Bar Deadlift Vs. Barbell Deadlift — Differences and Similarities

    January 8, 2023

    Barbell vs. Dumbbell Shoulder Press For Shoulder Development

    December 31, 2022

    Comparison of squats and leg presses – which exercise to choose and why?

    December 25, 2022

    Barbell Seal Rows: Build a Thicker Back Faster

    RECENT COMMENTS
    • Justin Dew on Designing your own home gym
    • krunoslav on Meet Your Muscles: How muscles are named?
    • Christina on Meet Your Muscles: How muscles are named?
    • jack on Types Of Whey Protein
    • igtropin on Stiff-Leg Deadlift Technique
    LATEST GALLERIES

    Subscribe to Updates

    Join our mailing list to receive the latest updates from our team.

    ABOUT
    ABOUT

    We are a group of bodybuilding enthusiasts and this is our effort to have all the details about bodybuilding on a single website. We strive to educate and inform our visitors so that they can make the correct training, nutrition, and supplement decisions on their own. Bodybuilding Wizard will make your dream body your reality and take you to a whole new level!

    POPULAR POSTS
    April 2, 2014

    Lying Leg Curl Exercise Guide

    February 18, 2019

    Meet Your Muscles: How muscles are named?

    March 30, 2014

    Workout Frequency

    BODYBUILDING WIZARD
    Bodybuilding Wizard Footer Logo
    Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest YouTube
    • About
    • Write for us
    • Privacy
    • Contact
    • Terms of Use
    • Friends
    • Advertising
    Copyright © 2014-2022 BodybuildingWizard. All rights reserved. Powered by WordPress. Made with love and lots of caffeine.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Sign In or Register

    Welcome Back!

    Login to your account below.

    Lost password?