Them wiry types

visceral_instinct

Monkey see, monkey denigrate
Valued Senior Member
How come some people are very thin, but disproportionately strong?

Are their muscle tissues denser or something?
 
Muscle strength is affected by factors other than muscle size such as the type of muscle fiber [slow twitch and fast twitch], the point at which the tendon inserts into the joint [the farther from the joint, the stronger the muscle], the length of the limb [and hence the muscle] and the gender [testosterone = greater muscle strength].

I would say, its a mix of genes and training.
 
^ Thanks for the informative post, I did not know that.

Which one is stronger, fast twitch fiber or slow?

How do you mean the point at which the tendon is inserted? Can it be inserted ointo a different area of the joint?

and the gender [testosterone = greater muscle strength].

Can you still be strong if you don't have testosterone?

There's a girl in my kickboxing class who I'm fairly sure does not have much testosterone, she is the archetypal girly girl, but she is extremely strong for someone that slightly built.
 
We have a mix of muscle fibers. Those that are oxidative and don't increase much in size [slow twitch] and those that are anerobic and respond to stress with increase in size [fast twitch] - there are also intermediate fibers which could go either way.

I'm not sure if one is stronger than the other, but its an example of how size may differ between muscles.

The point of tendon insertion is where the muscle is attached to the bone. The further along it is the stronger the tendon [since more firmly attached] and hence the stronger the muscle. Much of wrist strength, for example is tendon strength.

Everyone has testosterone, men just have more of it.
 
Ah I see...

While we're on the subject, exactly how do women make testosterone? I know we have precursor hormones like DHEA, androstenedione et al, but wouldn't they just get converted into estrogen?

Excuse me if I'm talking shit, I don't know a lot about it..
 
muscle fiber recruitment plays a lot, not 100% of your muscle is activated at the same time.. Powertraining increases the amount but without as much hypertrophy as more tension training would
 
Testosterone is secreted in women by the ovaries. Although men produce 40 times as much, women are more sensitive to it, showing greater aggression and sexual arousal with smaller increases.

In females, leutenising hormone released by the pituitary binds to thecal cells in the ovary, and stimulate the production of androstenedione and testosterone, these are further acted upon by an aromatase and converted to estrogens. In addition, the adrenal glands also produce testosterone [50:50 between ovaries and adrenals]

Testosterone is required to maintain muscle tone, bone health and libido. Which is part of the reason why you see osteoporosis, sarcopenia and decreased libido after menopause.

pcos_diagram.gif
 
How come some people are very thin, but disproportionately strong?

Are their muscle tissues denser or something?

It's because there are different muscle types. Most of the muscle in your body is slow twitch, it's useful for long aerobic activity since it carries the most oxygen. Then you have type II muscle fiber which is more useful to athletes who need to be explosive; power lifters, sprinters, and boxers are examples. There are several types of fast twitch muscle, only two of which are found in humans.

What muscle type you have and where it is on your body is determined by your genetics, but you can train explosive exercises to temporarily acquire fast twitch muscle.
 
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