Can’t develop chest and abdominal muscles? How to bombard muscle groups? Doctor: There are differences between red and white muscle fibers. If you make a mistake, you will get half the result with twice the effort.

Many people who like to go to the gym to train their chest muscles and six-pack abs may have a common question: "Why can't I train my chest muscles and abdominal muscles?" What's wrong with the method? Which methods should be used to "bomb the muscle groups" and develop satisfactory muscle lines?

Pediatrician Lin Zhiwei, who is also an expert in sports medicine, shared his secrets to building muscle in the gym based on his experience. He said that although there are hundreds of reasons why one cannot achieve their ideal body shape, he would like to explain the differences between red and white muscles so that everyone can understand how to effectively build perfect chest and abdominal muscles!

(Photo taken from Dr. Lin Zhiwei's Facebook)

Dr. Lin Zhiwei said that human skeletal muscle can be roughly divided into the following two types according to appearance, physiological function and mitochondrial density:

Red muscle fibers:

The density of mitochondria is relatively high, and muscle cells mainly rely on oxygen to produce energy, so they are the protagonists in aerobic exercise; the characteristic of red muscle fibers is that they can produce contractions for a long time and continuously, but the disadvantage is that the power they provide is relatively small and they cannot cope with heavier weights and faster movements.

White muscle fibers:

Muscle cells mainly rely on the anaerobic system to produce energy, and the byproduct is lactic acid, so the soreness after contraction may be more obvious; the characteristic of white muscle fibers is that they can be used for shorter-term, higher-intensity exercises, but the disadvantage is that the endurance they provide is poor and they cannot cope with endurance sports such as marathons.

(Photo taken from Dr. Lin Zhiwei's Facebook)

(Photo taken from Dr. Lin Zhiwei's Facebook)

(Photo taken from Dr. Lin Zhiwei's Facebook)

There are obvious differences between red and white muscle fibers in each muscle group

In fact, the ratio of red and white muscles in various muscle groups of the human body is not the same. For example, the pectoral muscles are a muscle group mainly composed of white muscle fibers, while the abdominal muscles are mainly composed of red muscles.

(Photo taken from Dr. Lin Zhiwei's Facebook)

Training mode is crucial

For the chest muscles, which are mainly composed of white muscles, training must focus on presses with low repetitions and heavy weights (6RM or even lower) (barbells, dumbbells, or equipment are all fine) to achieve more obvious results. Relatively speaking, for the abdominal muscles, which are mainly composed of red muscles, training must focus on sit-ups and leg raises with high repetitions and low weights (15RM or higher) to achieve more effective results.

The back and leg muscles are made up of half red and half white muscles, so a balance of heavy weights and high repetitions must be achieved in training to achieve an ideal shape.

The shoulders are mainly composed of slow-twitch red muscles, so it is more efficient to use supersets and giant sets to bombard the muscle groups in turn.

Getting the training mode wrong will lead to less results

Dr. Lin Zhiwei said that many people only do 15 reps of flyes per set for their chest muscles during training, and only do 6 reps of sit-ups per set with super heavy weights. In fact, in terms of muscle composition itself, this is not the most efficient training method.

However, light weight, high repetition training is not without help for the chest muscles. In terms of muscle morphology, both red and white muscles should be developed and all should be developed to be more comprehensive. However, if there is no low RM (higher weight) training at all, it is really difficult for the chest muscles to grow.

However, heavy weight training is risky, so it is better to be guided by an experienced coach or have help from a friend.

Doctor Lin Zhiwei