If you’ve ever wondered why some people seem to adapt more quickly to resistance training, it’s probably due to the type of skeletal muscle tissue they have. Each of our muscle fibers is either ...

Researchers have identified the role of the large Maf transcription factor family in regulating fast twitch muscle fibers. A mouse model lacking Maf expression in the skeletal muscles exhibited a ...

There are a bunch of different reasons that serious endurance athletes generally don't have big pipes. The most obvious one is that they spend a lot of time running and pedaling and so on, and very ...

When you picture different athletes—marathon runners, gymnasts, and Olympic weightlifters, for example—you likely categorize them instinctively by their height, size, and build. But the differences in ...

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think about the words twitch and muscle? Spasms, perhaps. You'd hardly be alone in thinking that. But when it comes to fitness, it's most commonly ...

Your DNA might be giving you an edge or could be holding you back. The ACTN3 gene encodes the protein alpha-actinin-3, which is found almost exclusively in fast-twitch muscle fibers. These fibers are ...

Tsukuba, Japan—Different types of exercise encourage the formation of different types of muscle fibers, or the cells that make up your muscles. Slow twitch muscle fibers support endurance activities ...