Introduction Some people believe that we have only one type of muscle in our bodies that help us with all different types of tasks, however; not only do our bodies have different muscle types, they also contain different muscle fibers that are used for different activities. Skeletal muscle contain three types of muscle fibers: slow twitch, fast twitch oxidative, and fast twitch glycolytic. Most muscles in our bodies have different combinations of these muscle fibers, although our body recruits different muscle fibers for different activities. The first muscle fiber to be recruited are slow twitch fibers, are also known as Type I. “Slow twitch muscle fibers are the smallest in diameter, contain the least amount of actin and myosin, and allow
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According to a study done on the similarities and differences of these two muscles, the researchers found that, “The gastrocnemius and soleus muscles both help during standing, which is necessary for standing upright without getting off balance.” However the study also found that, “The gastrocnemius and soleus have different functions during hopping, when the soleus is actually inhibited. Another difference between the two was found when studying the maximum peak to peak amplitudes were different. This is due to the muscle fibers being recruited at different times.” () The purpose of this experiment was to examine the difference between slow and fast twitch muscle fibers between men and women. Based on the definitions of slow and fast twitch muscle fibers, and given the fact that previous studies state that testosterone increases fast twitch muscle fibers, we expect that athletic men will have a higher leap because they have more fast twitch muscle fibers. …show more content…
The male non athletes had an average leap of 43.078 ± 7.802. The P value for the Male Athletes vs Male Non Athletes was 0.0436, proving that there was a significant difference between the groups. The difference in this group can be accounted for by athletic training. According to a study done by Nahdiya Abidin and Mohd Adam they found, “That all male athletes in the study that participated in taekwondo have a larger amount of leg power than females and therefore jump higher.” (Abidin, 2011) In contrast, the female athletes had an average leap of 32.37270 ± 3.86353. The female non athletes had an average leap of 29.79078 ± 7.75456. The P value for this graph was 0.3634, which proves that there was not a significant difference between the two groups. The article continued to discuss the importance of training and the relationship between training and a higher leap. Although the experiment was splitting male and females, the importance of training was also proven. “Female athletes had an average leap of 43.71 ± 4.96.” (Abidin, 2011) This mean is much higher than the mean for our females, even the athletic females, in our experiment. The training the athletes in Abidins’ experiment had to undergo was much more intense than majority of our female participants. Some possible sources of error for this experiment were measurements, clothing, and effort. If one individual is not measuring the same way as another, the results
According to a study done on the similarities and differences of these two muscles, the researchers found that, “The gastrocnemius and soleus muscles both help during standing, which is necessary for standing upright without getting off balance.” However the study also found that, “The gastrocnemius and soleus have different functions during hopping, when the soleus is actually inhibited. Another difference between the two was found when studying the maximum peak to peak amplitudes were different. This is due to the muscle fibers being recruited at different times.” () The purpose of this experiment was to examine the difference between slow and fast twitch muscle fibers between men and women. Based on the definitions of slow and fast twitch muscle fibers, and given the fact that previous studies state that testosterone increases fast twitch muscle fibers, we expect that athletic men will have a higher leap because they have more fast twitch muscle fibers. …show more content…
The male non athletes had an average leap of 43.078 ± 7.802. The P value for the Male Athletes vs Male Non Athletes was 0.0436, proving that there was a significant difference between the groups. The difference in this group can be accounted for by athletic training. According to a study done by Nahdiya Abidin and Mohd Adam they found, “That all male athletes in the study that participated in taekwondo have a larger amount of leg power than females and therefore jump higher.” (Abidin, 2011) In contrast, the female athletes had an average leap of 32.37270 ± 3.86353. The female non athletes had an average leap of 29.79078 ± 7.75456. The P value for this graph was 0.3634, which proves that there was not a significant difference between the two groups. The article continued to discuss the importance of training and the relationship between training and a higher leap. Although the experiment was splitting male and females, the importance of training was also proven. “Female athletes had an average leap of 43.71 ± 4.96.” (Abidin, 2011) This mean is much higher than the mean for our females, even the athletic females, in our experiment. The training the athletes in Abidins’ experiment had to undergo was much more intense than majority of our female participants. Some possible sources of error for this experiment were measurements, clothing, and effort. If one individual is not measuring the same way as another, the results