QuestionThanks
What decides which muscles your body gets; runner or lifter?
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Followup To
Question -
Hello
I am trying to learn how muscles work.
Two things I am not sure about. I hope you can help me with these two questions.
I read in a muscle fitness magazine an article where they author said that muscles (the cells) get tired after only 10 seconds, when you are picking up and holding something heavy. Is this true? It went on to say that is why your muscles shake after a short time. The muscles are resting, holding, resting, holding.
And the second question is; how do muscles get stronger? I mean, if you can pick up something 5 pounds, but then do weightlifting, later on you can pick up something 10 pounds. It seems to have nothing to do with having big muscles. I see guys who are into sports with normal arms who can walk on their hands. THEY do not have huge arms, but they can do things that I THOUGHT only guys with huge muscles could do!
Thanks for the help. This is very confusing!
Answer -
muscle physiology is very complex... there are two kinds of muscles... the ones that a runner can use to run a marathon, and the ones that weightlifters use to lift hundreds of pounds... the people like gymnasts who can do the amazing stuff like walking on hands have taught their muscles to work together as well as having them in great tone. The strength, but not endurance muscles do fatigue quickly.... strength depends on recurrent stressing of the muscles which strengthens individual fibers as well as activating the fibers to work in harmony.
AnswerYou have some of both with all individual muscles and how you use them depends on how they develop and which ones predominate. Genetics has a lot to do with it, some people have bigger well defined muscles than others; regular appropriate exercise can maximize given muscles for size or endurance to an extent.
