Chapter 45, Problem 14PIAT

Summary Introduction

To analyze:

The conclusion that can be drawn from the data given in the question.

Introduction:

The muscle fibers are of three types: slow, fast, and intermediate. In the given experiment, the muscle fibers were categorized as fast and slow muscle fibers only. The absence of the intermediate muscle fibers during the time of the experiment was assumed. In an experiment given below, the biopsies of the gastrocnemius of 14 elite distance runners, 18 trained but nonelite runners, and 19 untrained subjects were obtained. Gastrocnemius is a muscle that forms the major bulk at the calf region present at the back of lower leg. A relationship was established between the muscle-fiber type and their performance, which is shown in the diagram below: