We all have been influenced by the commendable feats athletes perform. Be it sprinting, long distance running, basketball, powerlifting, bodybuilding etc. What makes an athlete capable of performing feats that most people can only dream of? Is it the way they train? Or is it what they eat? Or is it genetics? Why does body composition seem to be sport specific? Or is it that particular body composition is suitable for a specific sport?
Let’s begin by understanding what muscles are. Google dictionary defines muscles as a band or bundle of fibrous tissue in a human or animal body that has the ability to contract, producing movement in or maintaining the position of parts of the body. Muscles can be grouped using some parameters. For understanding this article, let’s group them into the following three categories:
Let’s begin by understanding what muscles are. Google dictionary defines muscles as a band or bundle of fibrous tissue in a human or animal body that has the ability to contract, producing movement in or maintaining the position of parts of the body. Muscles can be grouped using some parameters. For understanding this article, let’s group them into the following three categories:
1. Skeletal muscle: These are connected to bones, are striated in appearance and voluntary in action
2. Smooth muscles: These are involuntary (automatic) in action. Examples – vasodilation (dilation of blood vessels resulting in a decrease in blood pressure), vasoconstriction (constriction of blood vessels increasing blood pressure), etc.
3. Cardiac muscles: These look like skeletal muscles but behave like smooth muscles, are striated in appearance and have their electrical conduction system
When a muscle works, the fixed end is called as the origin, and the moving end is called as insertion. The insertion will go towards the origin. Contrary to popular belief, muscles can only pull and not push. The movement may look like a push but honestly speaking, the muscle action is always contract (or pull). When muscle fibres run parallel to each other then, that muscle may be called as parallel muscle.
For a more detailed skeletal muscle classification, you can refer Classification of Skeletal Muscles.
Let’s dive deeper….
The above diagram will give you an idea of how many components make up the muscle belly. As seen above, muscle belly consists of fasciculus; fasciculus consists of sarcolemma; sarcolemma consists of myofibril; myofibril consists of sarcomere; sarcomere consist of actin and myosin.
Explaination:
1. Fasciculus: Fasciculus are a bundle of skeletal muscle fibres surrounded by perimysium, a type of connecting tissue. Credit - Wikipedia
2. Sarcolemma: Sarcolemma is a cell membrane of a striated muscle fibre cell. Credit - Wikipedia
3. Myofibril: Myofibril are long filaments that run parallel to each other to firm muscle (myo) fibres. Credit - Biology Dictionary
4. Sarcomere: Sarcomere is a structural unit of a myofibril in a striated muscle. Credit - Oxford Dictionaries
5A. Actin: Actin is a family of globular multi-functional proteins that forms contractile filaments of muscle cells. Credit - Wikipedia
5B. Myosin: Myosin is a family of globular multi-functional proteins that forms contractile filaments of muscle cells. Credit - Wikipedia
Together, Actin and Myosin form the contractile filaments of a muscle cell.
Muscle fibres can be classified into many types depending on how fast (or slow) they twitch. For simplicity of understanding, let’s categorise them as follows:
1. Slow Twitch Fibres or Type 1 Fibres: These have a limited potential to Hypertrophy.
2. Fast Twitch Fibres or Type 2 Fibres: These have a higher potential to Hypertrophy.
Further, Fast Twitch Fibres or Type 2 Fibres can be classified into:
2A. Intermediate Fast Twitch Fibres or Type 2A Fibres
2B. Very Fast Twitch Fibres or Type 2B Fibres
Please note that Very Fast Twitch or Type 2B Fibres have the highest potential to Hypertrophy or grow.
Now coming to the point, why does a powerlifter look radically different than a bodybuilder and a long distance runner? With our understanding of muscle fibres, let’s compare them:
Powerlifter
A powerlifter will be interested in increasing strength since it will aid him/ her lift heavier and perform superhuman strength feats. Body fat percentage is not a concern for powerlifters as it’s not a mandate to have lower body fat levels to qualify for or win a powerlifting competition.
Bodybuilder
A bodybuilder will be interested in Hypertrophying the Very Fast Twitch or Type 2B Fibres which have a very high potential to grow and will aid him/ her have bigger muscles and win a bodybuilding competition. The only difference here is that a bodybuilder will only be interested in hypertrophy and very low levels of body fat and not necessarily strength. For a bodybuilder, strength is purely optional.
Long distance runner
In case of a long-distance runner, he/ she will be interested in Slow Twitch or Type 1 Fibres. The abundance of slow twitch fibres will help in running longer distances.
Please understand, almost all athletes have a team of experts that manage them. This team includes a sports psychologist, a doctor, a pathologist, a steroid expert etc. They are on a strict diet and an intensive training regime to increase their performance at their sport. They are genetic freaks and are ready to do whatever it takes to win. They are solid mentally. It will be profoundly incorrect and unethical to say that only intensive training will make you an athlete, no, absolutely not. There are specific factors that decide whether you become a successful athlete or not. Some elements are controllable, and some are not controllable.
Factors like genetics, height etc. are not controllable. Factors like diet, training, muscle mass are controllable to a certain extent. How individuals respond to diet and exercise depends on their genetic makeup. Just imagine this, for long-distance running, a person who is genetically (or naturally) blessed with abundant Slow Twitch or Type 1 Fibres will always have the edge over a person with less Slow Twitch or Type 1 Fibres; they are lucky to be born with it. On the other hand for bodybuilding, a person who is genetically (or naturally) blessed with abundant Very Fast Twitch or Type 2B Fibres will always have the edge over a person with less Very Fast Twitch or Type 2B Fibres. If I draw a parallel, Usain Bolt can never win a cycling race with Lance Armstrong. Similarly, Michael Jordan will never win a 100-metre sprint race with Usain Bolt.
High altitude training
People who live at high altitudes have higher levels of red blood corpuscles to compensate for low levels of oxygen. Apparently, they will have the edge over people from the plains. Oxygen absorption and delivery will be way better in people who live (and/ or train) at high altitudes than people from the plains. Now you understand why athletes are obsessed with high altitude training.
All successful athletes are genetic freaks. They are extremely lucky to have been born with the right genes.
To conclude, an athlete’s body and mental makeup are very sport specific. Genetics to a great extent plays a significant role in deciding if you will be a successful athlete. Other factors like training, diet & nutrition, mental health & fitness, type and quality of steroids, supplementation, do or die attitude, opportunities, funding, etc. also play a significant role in deciding if a person will ever be a successful competitive athlete.
2. Smooth muscles: These are involuntary (automatic) in action. Examples – vasodilation (dilation of blood vessels resulting in a decrease in blood pressure), vasoconstriction (constriction of blood vessels increasing blood pressure), etc.
3. Cardiac muscles: These look like skeletal muscles but behave like smooth muscles, are striated in appearance and have their electrical conduction system
When a muscle works, the fixed end is called as the origin, and the moving end is called as insertion. The insertion will go towards the origin. Contrary to popular belief, muscles can only pull and not push. The movement may look like a push but honestly speaking, the muscle action is always contract (or pull). When muscle fibres run parallel to each other then, that muscle may be called as parallel muscle.
For a more detailed skeletal muscle classification, you can refer Classification of Skeletal Muscles.
Let’s dive deeper….
The above diagram will give you an idea of how many components make up the muscle belly. As seen above, muscle belly consists of fasciculus; fasciculus consists of sarcolemma; sarcolemma consists of myofibril; myofibril consists of sarcomere; sarcomere consist of actin and myosin.
Explaination:
1. Fasciculus: Fasciculus are a bundle of skeletal muscle fibres surrounded by perimysium, a type of connecting tissue. Credit - Wikipedia
2. Sarcolemma: Sarcolemma is a cell membrane of a striated muscle fibre cell. Credit - Wikipedia
3. Myofibril: Myofibril are long filaments that run parallel to each other to firm muscle (myo) fibres. Credit - Biology Dictionary
4. Sarcomere: Sarcomere is a structural unit of a myofibril in a striated muscle. Credit - Oxford Dictionaries
5A. Actin: Actin is a family of globular multi-functional proteins that forms contractile filaments of muscle cells. Credit - Wikipedia
5B. Myosin: Myosin is a family of globular multi-functional proteins that forms contractile filaments of muscle cells. Credit - Wikipedia
Together, Actin and Myosin form the contractile filaments of a muscle cell.
Muscle fibres can be classified into many types depending on how fast (or slow) they twitch. For simplicity of understanding, let’s categorise them as follows:
1. Slow Twitch Fibres or Type 1 Fibres: These have a limited potential to Hypertrophy.
2. Fast Twitch Fibres or Type 2 Fibres: These have a higher potential to Hypertrophy.
Further, Fast Twitch Fibres or Type 2 Fibres can be classified into:
2A. Intermediate Fast Twitch Fibres or Type 2A Fibres
2B. Very Fast Twitch Fibres or Type 2B Fibres
Please note that Very Fast Twitch or Type 2B Fibres have the highest potential to Hypertrophy or grow.
| Muscle Fibre classification |
Now coming to the point, why does a powerlifter look radically different than a bodybuilder and a long distance runner? With our understanding of muscle fibres, let’s compare them:
Powerlifter
A powerlifter will be interested in increasing strength since it will aid him/ her lift heavier and perform superhuman strength feats. Body fat percentage is not a concern for powerlifters as it’s not a mandate to have lower body fat levels to qualify for or win a powerlifting competition.
Bodybuilder
A bodybuilder will be interested in Hypertrophying the Very Fast Twitch or Type 2B Fibres which have a very high potential to grow and will aid him/ her have bigger muscles and win a bodybuilding competition. The only difference here is that a bodybuilder will only be interested in hypertrophy and very low levels of body fat and not necessarily strength. For a bodybuilder, strength is purely optional.
Long distance runner
In case of a long-distance runner, he/ she will be interested in Slow Twitch or Type 1 Fibres. The abundance of slow twitch fibres will help in running longer distances.
Please understand, almost all athletes have a team of experts that manage them. This team includes a sports psychologist, a doctor, a pathologist, a steroid expert etc. They are on a strict diet and an intensive training regime to increase their performance at their sport. They are genetic freaks and are ready to do whatever it takes to win. They are solid mentally. It will be profoundly incorrect and unethical to say that only intensive training will make you an athlete, no, absolutely not. There are specific factors that decide whether you become a successful athlete or not. Some elements are controllable, and some are not controllable.
Factors like genetics, height etc. are not controllable. Factors like diet, training, muscle mass are controllable to a certain extent. How individuals respond to diet and exercise depends on their genetic makeup. Just imagine this, for long-distance running, a person who is genetically (or naturally) blessed with abundant Slow Twitch or Type 1 Fibres will always have the edge over a person with less Slow Twitch or Type 1 Fibres; they are lucky to be born with it. On the other hand for bodybuilding, a person who is genetically (or naturally) blessed with abundant Very Fast Twitch or Type 2B Fibres will always have the edge over a person with less Very Fast Twitch or Type 2B Fibres. If I draw a parallel, Usain Bolt can never win a cycling race with Lance Armstrong. Similarly, Michael Jordan will never win a 100-metre sprint race with Usain Bolt.
High altitude training
People who live at high altitudes have higher levels of red blood corpuscles to compensate for low levels of oxygen. Apparently, they will have the edge over people from the plains. Oxygen absorption and delivery will be way better in people who live (and/ or train) at high altitudes than people from the plains. Now you understand why athletes are obsessed with high altitude training.
All successful athletes are genetic freaks. They are extremely lucky to have been born with the right genes.
To conclude, an athlete’s body and mental makeup are very sport specific. Genetics to a great extent plays a significant role in deciding if you will be a successful athlete. Other factors like training, diet & nutrition, mental health & fitness, type and quality of steroids, supplementation, do or die attitude, opportunities, funding, etc. also play a significant role in deciding if a person will ever be a successful competitive athlete.
Suggestions/ questions/ grammar corrections and constructive criticism are highly welcome.
Let me know how helpful was this article by commenting in the comments section or connecting with me on [email protected]
See you.
- Akshay Ankalikar
- Akshay Ankalikar
