Muscle Fibers & training

[marcus300]

Muscle fibers


With HIT training we are specifically trying to stimulate a certain type of muscle fiber. We have different muscle fibers in the body and once you know how to train certain ones and the importance of making these grow you can design the ideal training routine to suit your goals. We are all aiming to add muscle tissue and we have to put ourselves under stress by progressively overloading our bodies so they have no alternative but to grow. All muscle contraction starts by nerves being activated, the stronger the nerve signal the more forceful muscle contraction can be applied to the lift. The nerves first get activated by the brain and this is where the mind muscle connection comes into play. I am always saying that you must get yourself in the right mind set for the working set, there are many ways to do this and ive explained many ways in my thread how I go about doing it, but the stronger the mind before the working set the better contraction and force can be applied to the muscle fibers. We can all do 10 reps with a certain weight but you can also really think about those ten reps and really activate the contraction in the muscle and work that muscle to the max and those reps will feel completely different. This is what separates a lot of people so before I move on really think about how you do reps and work that particular muscle to its max. I've seen many members saying they are doing so many reps with a certain amount of weight but I can say I bet a lot aren't really activating that muscle group to the max. Remember everything starts from within your brain, your inner self and how you go about attacking that working set. You have seen how I describe the zone I get myself into just prior to my working set and this is the zone you need to be in to fully work those muscle fibers to the max.

We are after activating the motoneurons within the network of nerves which is the signal for the muscle to contact, we have many different sizes but we are only interested in the large motonerurons which activate the large muscle fibers. We have slow switch and fast twitch fibers within the body and we are all made up of different amounts, that's why some of us grow bigger and faster and others struggle growing big thick muscles. Usually the guys who struggle with adding slabs of tissue on their frame are the guys who have more slow twitch fibers than fast, and the guys who are more genetically gifted with bodybuilding are the one who have more fast twitch. But either way you need to activate the fast twitch fibers and give yourself the best chance of building bigger larger muscles.The slow twitch ones are the ones what are more suited for endurance and are very resistant to fatigue the aerobic type athletes have a higher amount of these fibers over fast twitch.

Fast twitch muscle fibers are the ones we are concerned with activating and working. There are two types 2a and 2b. The type 2a ones are fibers which get activated when doing higher reps ranges lets say more than 12-15 reps, they are also the fibers what come into action around the 6-12 rep range. Type 2a fibers when activated correctly can grow in size and this is what many people tend to activate and see growth from when they start training. The type 2b fast twitch fibers are the ones what I adore lol these babies are the foundations of building bigger thicker muscles, if you activate these correctly they can grow tremendously in size and grow about 4 times the size of the 2a fast twitch fibers can, so you can see these are the ones what make the difference, but stimulating both type 2a and 2b fast twitch is getting the best out of both worlds but my personal aim and priority is to stimulate the type 2b fast twitch fibers and seriously breakdown these to get me some serious size on my frame.

What's the best way to stimulate the 2b fast twitch muscle fibers I hear you asking, well ive described it all the way through my thread but let me go over it again so you understand how important it is to have the right mind set what I speak of all the time and what kind of stimulation is needed to activate these tough fibers. Usually during a set of about 6-12 reps the type 2a are activated, you know the sets were your repping away and start struggle a little bit and rack it and move on. In basic terms your not going to true positive failure (I can go on and on what true positive failure is but trust me it takes along time to push your body to this limit and a lot of mental dedication its an advance training protocol) now if you took your set to true positive failure and you cant do anymore this is the time when the type 2b fast twitch fibers are activated, once you activate these fibers this is the best potential to really make your muscle grow bigger and thicker.

You will grow with normal sets and reps with modest intensity but if you want serious growth than you have to take your working set to true positive failure, this means using a weight what is heavy enough to make that working set very difficult and then going past true positive failure. Remember the type 2a fast twitch do all do all the work until you get to true positive failure then the type 2b come into play and these are the ones what produce the biggest gains in muscle size. You have to progressively overload your body each time you train, this means add more weight (or reps until you can add more weight) to stimulate growth, you also need to make sure your activating the type 2b fast twitch fibers which only get involved when you go to true positive failure. Your rep range needs to be between 6-12 reps at the failure point, I prefer around 6-8 reps range at failure. This is why its wise to have a partner when trying to activate the type 2b fast twitch fibers because you may think your going to positive failure but you wont be you need that reassurance of a partner who can just take that small amount of weight of the bar at true positive failure so you can mentally get past this sticking point. There are many advance protocols what you can use to get yourself to true positive failure which I've discussed in my thread.

HIT training will activate the tough type 2b muscle fibers and going to true positive will recruit all the muscle fibers which will give you the best chance of some serious tissue growth. Using advance training protocols like drop sets, rest pause, forced, negatives, supersets and even partials can be used to further your beyond failure training to help you activate the type 2b fast twitch fibers.

[crazy mike]

Thanks Marcus a great read and useful for everyone. I agree whole heartedly with this :

All muscle contraction starts by nerves being activated, the stronger the nerve signal the more forceful muscle contraction can be applied to the lift. The nerves first get activated by the brain and this is where the mind muscle connection comes into play. I am always saying that you must get yourself in the right mind set for the working set, there are many ways to do this and ive explained many ways in my thread how I go about doing it, but the stronger the mind before the working set the better contraction and force can be applied to the muscle fibers. We can all do 10 reps with a certain weight but you can also really think about those ten reps and really activate the contraction in the muscle and work that muscle to the max and those reps will feel completely different. This is what separates a lot of people so before I move on really think about how you do reps and work that particular muscle to its max. I've seen many members saying they are doing so many reps with a certain amount of weight but I can say I bet a lot aren't really activating that muscle group to the max. Remember everything starts from within your brain, your inner self and how you go about attacking that working set. You have seen how I describe the zone I get myself into just prior to my working set and this is the zone you need to be in to fully work those muscle fibers to the max.

This is what I learned early but it is not an easy thing to do. I learned that what is necessary is that mind to muscle connection. For me it is to move very methodically thinking of what muscle I am using on that exercise and in which I am targeting. If you just want so many reps such as 10 and that is you main focus and pump it out as fast as you can without thinking your max growth potential becomes limited. Thanks again for all this info. ...crazy mike

[Sgt. Hartman]

Nice post thanks Marcus.

I've grown more in the last 2 years of this type of training than in the 6 years prior. While it is an advanced type of training I'd recommend anyone who is ready to give it a go. It won't disappoint.

[kelkel]

Nicely said. It works for me. Always has.

[teezer33]

Awesome read Sir, I am really starting to learn this technique, but still find it a little difficult at times.

[marcus300]

Awesome read Sir, I am really starting to learn this technique, but still find it a little difficult at times.

You will find it very difficult to take yourself to true positive failure, I see load saying they train to failure but in reality they are not. You need to have the right mind set and focus and be able to concentrate on that working set to your absolute limit. You have to blank everything out of your head start to release some adrenalin and train all out for that working set. Its very hard but in time you will be able to learn and understand what is needed to train to positive failure. Once you reach the limit were you cant do anymore more reps this is failure and you need to push past this painful zone so you recruit all the muscle fibers possible to stimulate some serious growth.

[marcus300]

Ive made a copy of this thread at the top of this section in the stickie department

[marcus300]

bump

[austinite]

How on earth did I miss this? Thanks for the bump marcus, and outstanding post. So much talk about steroids lately and not enough talk on this topic!

[marcus300]

How on earth did I miss this? Thanks for the bump marcus, and outstanding post.

I wrote it for my thread because it fits perfectly into how I train and I thought I would make a thread here, some may find it interesting and get some insight how to develop those tough fibers what really grow the biggest.

[marcus300]

bump

[AlphaMike]

Another great read from marcus300. I've been taking your advice but I'm still not quite able to mentally take myself to positive failure yet. I just try to push myself a little farther every day!

[David PvP]

Marcus is the man,very informative,we all thank you Marcus

[Rusty11]

I completely missed this first time around. Glad it was bumped.
A+ write-up, marcus.

[almostgone]

I wrote it for my thread because it fits perfectly into how I train

I read an article awhile back (don't recall where) that reminded me of your style. It stated that" Overtraining isn't caused by what you do in the gym. It's created by by what you do out of the gym".....i.e. .....lack of rest, inadequate nutrition.

Nice post, Marcus.

[marcus300]

Thanks everyone.

[MajorPectorial]

Great thread. It defo makes a difference going thru failure. Can actually feel it.

For days

Every time;-)

[bartman314]

after 20+ years of 2a training, i have recently learned about this '2b' approach. it has been an incredible experience - ~20 lbs of good mass after 8 weeks of intense training, nutrition (and likely trt!), albeit i benefitted from being down 15 lbs from a motorcycle crash on labor day. i will summarize the experience in a separate thread (and current challenges related to likely overtraining!), but wanted to thank marcus (and others here!) for the wisdom.

[marcus300]

after 20+ years of 2a training, i have recently learned about this '2b' approach. it has been an incredible experience - ~20 lbs of good mass after 8 weeks of intense training, nutrition (and likely trt!), albeit i benefitted from being down 15 lbs from a motorcycle crash on labor day. i will summarize the experience in a separate thread (and current challenges related to likely overtraining!), but wanted to thank marcus (and others here!) for the wisdom.

Thanks

[Blesdawg]

Good post. Thanks Marcus. Now I understand the science behind going to failure much better which helps. Knowledge is power!

[marcus300]

Good post. Thanks Marcus. Now I understand the science behind going to failure much better which helps. Knowledge is power!

It does explain things doesn't it. Every little bit of knowledge helps you to progress

[David PvP]

Such a fantastic read Marcus

[marcus300]

Thanks

[almostgone]

Printed this and your approach to the mental aspects and keep them in my logbook. I try to skim both articles while spending a little quality time on the treadmill.

[marcus300]

Printed this and your approach to the mental aspects and keep them in my logbook. I try to skim both articles while spending a little quality time on the treadmill.

That's great to here. You got a little bit of Marcus with you in the gym lol.

Glad it helps

[marcus300]

bump

[Icy]

Wow this is extremely helpful. I gotta start trying to get into this mentality

[marcus300]

bump

[marcus300]

bump

[Khazima]

Great write up Marcus, very informative.

[Honkey_Kong]

Hey Marcus, what do you do to get yourself in that "mindset" you were talking about in this thread?

[marcus300]

Hey Marcus, what do you do to get yourself in that "mindset" you were talking about in this thread?

I was asked the same thing last week, this is a repost from my thread

Getting into the training zone mentally is hard work, I've been approached many times via pm on this subject and ive talked a lot about it within this thread but it is hard and probably has hard to learn as learning how to train how I've described throughout this thread.
First let me try and get this across about the mental side of training. When you see Dorian speak or train you can see he is mentally as well as physically strong. Many of the top Pro's seem to have this ability to have this mental focus to train to the level what is required to stimulate those fibers what seem to grow the biggest. I really do think its something what can be learnt and by perseverance we can get this mental focus and use it to its fullest. I've always had the motivation to train and get big and nothing in my life would stop me but I did have to learn how to release those feelings to train to a level were i wanted to get to. Over time I got the mental edge to train to true positive failure I don't know why but its something over the years what came naturally to me and I've mentioned many times within this thread how I try and get into this zone. For me we all have our little things we do to prepare ourselves before one of those working sets what is going to test us mentally as well as physically, I feel this is an individual thing what you have to find what works for you.

For me I think about certain things what have happened to me in my past what ignites my adrenalin and releases an inner aggression what I can only state as unstoppable. I talk to my inner self and take away everything around me, I am alone and only can hear my inner voice speaking and I drift to a time and relive an event in my mind like I am there again, the feelings what I felt at the time I feel again, the atmosphere I feel around me exactly like it was, I relive the exact circumstances at that moment and how I felt after and this completely isolates me from the outside world and I am stuck in the past reliving an event. At a moments notice I can come straight out into this rage and channel these emotions into the working set with the adrenalin flowing and my inner voice shouting at me. I also use another method which works for me also, I can also concentrate and watch myself doing the working and yet again take myself out of the situation I am in and go through in my head what is about to happen and I can trigger the inner aggression. I know I want it so much, I know I have to take myself to places were my body has not been before, I know its going to hurt but I kind of like that knowing I am about to inflict pain onto myself, this again ignites all these feelings inside of me that make me feel unstoppable and no one could out lift or train with the same intensity as me. That's what I feel when I am in this zone I know no one can come close I truly believe this and with that positive thinking I can take myself to failure and beyond. That's the two ways what do it for me.

I know guys who listen to music and crank it up and get into the zone, I know guys who walk up and down thinking about the set and getting into the zone, I know guys who want to be slapped which I've done in the past which instantly releases the fighting instinct which allows you to lift more than you would if you weren't in the zone. The problem is with some guys is learning how to get into this zone, its all about mind control and taking yourself away from where you are and talking to your inner self and produce these feelings. Some people can't do this and it needs to be learnt over weeks/months just like training to true positive failure like we do with HIT. Ever watch Branch pre working set how he gets himself into the zone, you can actually see his eyes change and his whole demeanour into this animal what looks unstoppable, same with Dorian and many others they all have the ability to get into this zone and recruit those tough fibers what only get activated when your at failure and beyond.


I do watch Youtube videos many times before I go training because this for me motivates myself and helps me prepare for what I am about to do in the gym. I know some of you feed of this thread before working out because I can tell with what you say before and after you train, its all about motivation, dedication and having the mental focus to keep positive and have that inner drive. We all have been under a BB with some serious weight on thinking to yourself I am going to fail this, you even say to your partner watch me I think I am going to struggle with this one and guess what happens???? you struggle and the set is a waste of time. We all have been there and ive been there many times in the past thinking this way trying to break into new areas without having the positive mind set or approach what it takes do accomplish this.


Learn how to train your mind and you will develop further not only mentally but physically aswell. I've read a lot of mind control, self help books and I am trained in areas to help direct and open peoples minds. I really enjoy NLP which helped me when I was going through times of trouble in my mind and I couldn't focus on anything. You have to learn this behaviour if it doesn't come naturally, but simple steps and trying what works for you will point you in the right direction were you to can get into the zone what will help you develop further in your training.



ARE YOU TRAINING HARD ENOUGH?

I've had a few PM's about training and cycles and one thing what shines through to me is that a lot are not training hard enough they dont fully understand how to train correctly. We spend so much time designing cycles and eliminating sides we think we have the perfect environment to grow into something what looks like it was carved out of stone but after 15 weeks of these super cycles most are pming me asking how can they stop the gains sliding away. We assume members are training hard enough and intense enough but in reality they aren't. I see alot of members just coasting through their training sessions and doing a set number of reps and sets and think the diet and AAS will transform them into a living god but all what happens is the gains slide away and they end up going back on gear to get some kind of size back.

I can't emphasize enough how important it is to find the right training protocol for your body to grow. You have to try many training routines and find which one you respond best to. We also need to get in the right mind set when we walk in that gym, you going there for one purpose and if you don't push your body beyond what its capable of doing your not going to grow bigger. You want to be leaving that gym feeling like you just done 10 rounds with Tyson in his hay day. You have to go through the pain, you have to push and pull the hardest you have ever done before, you have to push your body to places where its never been before and push past the pain every single time you go in the gym.

Overload your body to a state were its screaming for you to stop and no matter what, you couldn't do one more rep even if your life depended on it. If you don't train in this fashion your not training hard enough. Do you want to be bigger than anyone else, do you want to turn heads and do you want to have that monster size what no one else has got then if this is the case stop FUKING around in the gym and stop going through the motions and push past your limits and use methods what take you to hell and back.

I train that hard my eye balls shake and I find it hard to focus, I mentally prepare myself and think of things what make me angry and I push that last rep out no matter what. I kind of like the pain in certain bodyparts and I can push past it into a world of total hell, I feel like I am on fire and I swear I can feel the blood surging through my veins into the muscle what I am working. When I've done my last working set I know I cant perform another rep even if someone had a gun to my head and said you'll die if you don't do another rep, I know I've come to my limit and the sick thing about this is I actually enjoy it., I dream about it, I think about it and I cant wait to get back in the gym to do it again. Its like I'm self harming because the torture I go through is extremely painful but I know this is what I have to do to maintain what I've got and to build those extra few lbs of tissue. This is what separates the normal guys who look like they go to the gym to the fuking monsters what walk this earth

Now are you training hard enough? ask yourself can you train harder because if the answer is yes your restricting your gains and wasting money and time. Why spend all that money on gear, gh and food when your not attacking your body like you should be. Think about it and make your next workout like your going to war with yourself.

[Times Roman]

ok, I book marked this thing for future reference so i'll read it this time around. missed it last time.

[Bodacious]

ok, I book marked this thing for future reference so i'll read it this time around. missed it last time.

Book mark how do you do that?

[Khazima]

Fuarrrrk now I just want to get back in the gym! That shit was intense, you should make a YouTube channel Marcus, with words like that and a training ethic like yours, as well as some monstrous size you could motivate and inspire thousands.

[Bodacious]

X2 I read that and was like freak I wanna go to the gym now.

[marcus300]

The mind set you walk into the gym with goes a long way. Releasing the inner aggression so its controlled when lifting the weight is the key to maximizing gains and stimulating growth. Control your mind and you will have the best chance at exploding out of your skin. Find what works for you to get into this zone, sit silently, listen to music, think of a time what really makes you angry or do what ever it takes to get yourself in the zone to lift to your max. This isn't easy to master but once you do the rewards are outstanding. The mind is a very powerful thing and everything starts within the brain so train your inner self to get into the zone. When you watch most of the pro's train you will see them in the zone, its a natural thing what comes easy to them. Think about this next time your about to do your working set.

[marcus300]

Ive stickied the mental mind zone post by popular demand form a few members so if you want to comment on the post or what your future mind set is going to be post away its at the top of the page.

[marcus300]

bump for the guy who pm'ed me