Dr. Andy Galpin is a tenured Professor in the Center for Sport Performance at CSU Fullerton. In 2011, he earned his PhD in Human Bioenergetics and has done incredible work in regard to muscle fibers and how we understand them. On top of being a tenured professor, Dr. Galpin co-authored the book Unplugged and works hand in hand with a variety of elite athletes.
In today’s episode, I sit down with Dr. Galpin to chat about muscle fibers. We talk about what we know, what we don’t know, and everything in-between.
In this episode of the BarBend Podcast, BarBend’s Fitness Editor Jake Boly talks to Dr. Andy Galpin about:
- 2:45 A brief background on muscle fibers and how we understand them
- 5:45 The details of muscle fibers and how they change and adapt
- 7:00 The idea “muscle fibers can’t change” is long gone
- 8:40 Are their modifiable training variables that can influence muscle fibers more than others? Do we know this information yet?
- 12:45 What Dr. Galpin’s lab is doing to close the gap between what we know and what we don’t know about muscle fibers and training variables
- 14:45 Do timelines differ between the shift of fibers from slow to fast and fast to slow?
- 18:40 Modifying variables to increase growth when an athlete is highly-specific with their training
- 22:30 The case study that highlighted the elite powerlifter’s muscle fiber composition
- 24:40 Do we have a real idea about the human potential when it comes to muscle fibers and long-term anabolic use?
- 28:00 Type IIX fibers and how rare they actually are
- 31:20 Do muscle fibers shift as rapidly when detraining versus adapting?
- 34:00 Why we shouldn’t fear frequency completely when it comes to muscle fiber changes
- 37:00 What Dr. Galpin prioritizes when it comes to influencing certain muscle fibers
- 39:00 The importance of coaching philosophy and influencing adaptations
- 43:00 Where to follow Dr. Andy Galpin (also see below!)
Relevant links and further reading:
- Follow Dr. Andy Galpin on Instagram and Twitter.
- Visit Dr. Andy Galpin’s YouTube channel and Patreon page.
- Follow Jake Boly on Instagram.
