Training & Nutrition - Hyperplasia of slow twitch muscle fibers?

First, do you believe you can increase the number of slow twitch leg muscle fibers?

Second, what's the best method for this?

http://home.hia.no/~stephens/hypplas.htm

Hot topic.

1) Yes, but minimal. Capillarization and mitochondrial size/density is much more significant IMO.

2) If I had to design a workout it would be sprints or weightlifting followed by LSD. You need to fatigue the fast twitch muscle first to somewhat disrupt the normal muscle fiber recruitment patterns to favor type II recruitment. Then follow that with a constant tension and slow contractions of the type II fibers.

You need to fatigue the fast twitch muscle first to somewhat disrupt the normal muscle fiber recruitment patterns to favor type II recruitment. Then follow that with a constant tension and slow contractions of the type II fibers.I've always suspected that this is the idea behind muscle tension intervals. But, while they are effective, I doubt that they are difficult enough to cause hyperplasia. Maybe if you could do like a couple repeats of Alpe d'Huez at 40 cadence . . .

Hi,
tell us
1) what you're doing
2) where you want to go
3) how you think you might get there

that away we might be able to get a handle on what you're looking for.

Hi,
tell us
1) what you're doing
2) where you want to go
3) how you think you might get there

that away we might be able to get a handle on what you're looking for.

1, 2) I currently ride a bike and I want to time trial as fast as I possibly can in 5 to ten years
3) I want more slow twitch muscle to work with as this obviously is a major advantage

Aerobic power is the easy part for me, my heart and lungs are larger than normal and I'm happy with my teenage marathon times. My legs while marathoning were toothpicks, which is actually how my coach referred to me ("toothpick"). They're now larger but I feel I could add 5 inches of girth to my thighs, while losing one more inch to weight loss.

http://home.hia.no/~stephens/hypplas.htm

Hot topic.

1) Yes, but minimal. Capillarization and mitochondrial size/density is much more significant IMO.

2) If I had to design a workout it would be sprints or weightlifting followed by LSD. You need to fatigue the fast twitch muscle first to somewhat disrupt the normal muscle fiber recruitment patterns to favor type II recruitment. Then follow that with a constant tension and slow contractions of the type II fibers.

I think I follow here. So if I head out to the local wall (steep hill), I can end that warm up n out there with a series of three hard, 30 second sprints. Then when I get there, do a high cadence interval workout up the hill, say a 5 x 20 minute series. Does that sound closer or not to something optimal?

And what factors do you believe might be increasing the likelihood of hyperplasia with this kind of workout?

I see,
have you considered weight training? In the off season, might be something to think about. Learn about plyometrics as well.

http://www.cptips.com/weights.htm

http://www.runnersweb.com/running/rw_news_frameset.html?http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_CTS_20040702_Plyometrics.html