Today in the Blue Sapphire’s adventure we took our fast twitch muscle fibers center stage. Intense sets of intervals were featured in Carolyn’s choreography today and this writer got into the rarefied air again of 120 RPM’s. For so long I have been unable to be in position #3 and muster much more than 70 on my console but today it was a simple shift of my hands down to the middle of the handlebars that allowed me to shift my weight almost exclusively to my legs and my hands were there just for balance. This in turn gave me the elusive speed that I see so many of you have when you seem to fly standing up. Admittedly though I was starting to fail when we went beyond 30 seconds and when CM asked us to go a full 60 seconds my speed saw a precipitous drop. Maybe I just need more practice.
Although there are different categories of fast twitch fibers they seem to fire anaerobically and can only last for a short period. According to my neophyte research we seem to have 50% of both and the jury is still out (at least from the article I read) on whether we have more of one over the other as it might depend on the training we do. I used to be a sprinter in High School but in my twenties when I shifted to long distance running my fast twitch fibers weren’t called on too often except for a bravado sprint to catch a few runners at the finish. I keep thinking about that comment someone made to me some months ago asking me isn’t spin just working out on a stationary bike.
I saw my friend Bruce who works out exclusively on the main floor and told him that the reason he is not losing weight is because he needs more anaerobic work balanced with aerobic. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that he has to work out harder. I just didn’t get it either and always wondered why after doing what I thought was a furious workout on the elliptical machine why I was gaining weight instead of losing or maintaining. None of those sessions can come close to what I do everyday.
Carolyn Mellace, The Blue Sapphire is such a professional and although I have missed her of late never disappoints and kudos to Kristen for finding this precious gem.
Jack Briant Reporter: http://jackbriant.blogspot.com/
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