HEALTH & WELLNESS
Sculpting a Lean Physique Word by Story Sheidow
There are many misconceptions to the science behind sculpting a lean physique. Is building lean muscle possible, or is a lean look simply based on body composition? Lean muscle is somewhat of an elusive concept – the “unicorn” of the fitness world, so to speak. Does it exist? Are there even different types of muscle at all?
In short – the answer is both yes and no.
The body is comprised of two types of skeletal muscle fibres: slow-twitch and fast-twitch. The difference between these two types has less to do with the size of the muscle, and more to do with what they’re used for. Slow-twitch muscle fibres help enable us to perform endurance-based exercises such as long distance running, biking, or swimming. Fast twitch fibres fatigue much quicker, and are used for shorter, more powerful bursts of movement such as sprinting and heavy lifting. Muscle groups within the body are generally comprised of both - with one type being slightly more dominant in each area. Fast-twitch fibres grow larger than their counterparts in response to strength training. They activate quicker, but also fatigue faster. Slow-twitch fibres, on the other hand, are
almost as strong, but take a second or two longer to respond and are slightly more resistant to growth with training. Each muscle type is activated differently.
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