Fiber programming (part one)

How to structure a muscle building program for the various districts, based on the subjective distribution of the various types of fibers.

Edited by Dr. Antonio Parolisi

Until now we have seen how the bench-press acts as a test exercise for the evaluation of the pectoral, deltoid and triceps muscles; now we will mention the work of the back muscles which will be the subject of the 3rd part of this article, where the reference exercise it will be the pull-down, or if they are trained subjects of the pull-up (pull-ups). In the analysis of these movements the main muscles involved are the back muscles, trapezius, rhomboids, posterior deltoids, as well as all the flexors of the forearm, including the infamous brachial biceps, as well as the forearm grip muscles. The triceps, especially the long head, they too intervene in the movement and often cause burning but the attention must be turned to the other muscles, tested also because many also experience work in the abdominal muscles.
As mentioned for the flat bench with regard to the triceps, the same very often also happens in the biceps with the pull-down exercise, that is, many say they cannot continue a set due to excessive burning in the arm and forearm. it is the same done previously and the reference is therefore always with regard to the discussion of muscle fibers.The same applies to the squat which mainly involves the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings and calves muscles as well as the lower back.
Obviously, the word "mainly" was mentioned for a simple reason: the muscles involved in a movement defined as a multi-joint movement such as bench press, pull-ups or squats are so many. The focus on these intrinsic muscles indirectly falls on the work of the more superficial muscles, which are therefore negligible from a descriptive point of view, also because in order to focus more attention on these intrinsic districts what is fundamental is, once again, the " functional stabilization exercise. Functional training.
So, at this point, to facilitate the work of many readers in drafting a program that takes advantage of muscle burning tests, below are a series of tables for each test result. Obviously the possible combinations are so many and on the other hand the subjects are all different from each other, so it is not certain that they can all have the same sensations during the execution of the test exercises.
To make a moment of the point of situation c "it is necessary to specify some parameters to better understand how to compose the program. By convention we will assign terms to identify the type of structure and the relative training in reference: the muscles that during the test exercises, give the greatest burning sensation to be categorized as WHITE muscles (the reference is obviously to the greater quantity of one type of fiber than another); the muscles that at the end of the test do not give any signs of excessive work or burning, should be categorized as muscles REDS Muscles that, on the other hand, give greater sensations of work to the Reds, but certainly inferior to the Whites, we will categorize as INTERMEDIATE muscles.
I would like to remind you once again that these are not tests as per laboratory muscle analysis but they are very practical and have the aim of "directing" the subject towards a program that is as suitable for him as possible and not simply a standard program that does not takes into account several factors. In this way, even if there is no unique precision, the logic of programming according to the criterion of muscle burning and the related metabolism of the fibers, finds ample space in programming for muscle building.
Returning to the tables, c "it should be further specified that, with reference to the WHITE muscles, the series will be 5 or 6 depending on the level of fatigue. For the RED muscles the series will be 9 or 10 and for the INTERMEDIATE ones follow logic between Obviously, as explained above, it must be taken into account that in two multi-joint exercises such as 3 series of horizontal bench presses and 2 series of slow forward, the triceps muscles have already worked for 5 series so, in the case of were White muscles, their training would be concluded, at least as regards the component of white and intermediate fibers, but if you really want to get the maximum growth and also stress the red fibers, you could perform "isolation" exercises for the triceps with 2-3 long series with light loads and slow controlled cadences, recovering less than 60 seconds between a set and " other, in such a way as to also stress their red fiber component.
This is however to be taken into consideration and it is important to remember that

for muscle growth it is good to be able to solicit all types of fibers with mixed workouts but in any case that for the most part take into account the distribution of the type of fibers in the various districts.

Everything will be clearer from the tables.