Last edited: 8/8/2021

TYPE II MUSCLE FIBERS | TYPE IIA & IIX

Type II Muscle Fibers | Type IIa & IIx Medical Editor: Rogie R Sabado, RMT

OUTLINE II) TYPE IIX MUSCLE FIBERS

I) TYPE IIA MUSCLE FIBERS ● Also known as fast glycolytic muscle fibers
II) TYPE IIX MUSCLE FIBERS (A) STRUCTURAL
III) OTHER NOTES ● Intermediate fiber diameter
IV) REVIEW QUESTIONS ● Very low capillary density
V) REFERENCES o Very little O2
o White/palish pink because there is not a lot of blood
● Very little mitochondria
I) TYPE IIA MUSCLE FIBERS o Very little aerobic respiration, if any
o Depends primarily on anaerobic respiration
● Also known as fast oxidative muscle fibers
● Contains significant amount of glycosomes
Remember:
● Very little myoglobin present
● Type I fibers are slow twitch muscle fibers.
● Type IIx and type IIa fibers are fast twitch muscle fibers. (B) METABOLIC
● Produces ATP anaerobically via glycolysis and creatine
(A) STRUCTURE phosphate pathway mentioned earlier
● Largest in diameter of all skeletal muscle fibers ● Fast contractility
● In humans, type IIa fibers are bigger than the type IIx. In ● Has very fast myosin-ATPase activity
other animal studies, the type IIx, also referred to as type ● Very low fatigue resistance (less than a minute)
b fibers, are bigger compared to type IIa. ● Produce largest amount of power
● ↑ Capillary density ● 3rd recruitment order
● Reddish-pink hue (C) FUNCTION
o Cannot produce the perfect reddish hue because it is
a large muscle fiber ● Lifting weights
● Hitting a baseball
● ↑ Mitochondria
o Depends upon aerobic cellular respiration III) OTHER NOTES
o Uses glucose for formation of ATP
● Factors affecting fiber type distribution
● Contains glycogen stored in glycosomes (moderate)
o Genetics
o When a body needs ATP, the muscle can breakdown
o Environmental stress
the glycogen into glucose for energy
● The muscles of a runner will need a lot more O2 because
(B) METABOLIC he is carrying a lot of activity.
● Mainly depends upon aerobic cellular respiration
(A) ENDURANCE ACTIVITY
● Can also undergo anaerobic respiration
o When glucose is converted to pyruvate, 2 ATP is ● More blood vessels needed
produced in a process called glycolysis ● Mitochondria – increased in number and size
(hypertrophy)
● Creatine phosphate pathway
● More myoglobin
o Together with ADP, creatine phosphate binds to
● There is a switch from type IIa to type I muscle fibers
creatinine kinase.
o The phosphate group in the creatine phosphate is (B) RESISTANCE EXERCISE
transferred to ADP, resulting to ATP formation.
o The creatine is acted on by other enzyme to be (1) Lifting heavy loads and putting a lot of stress in the
converted back to creatine phosphate. muscles

● Fast contractility due to high amounts of myosin- ● Muscle fibers split longitudinally
ATPase activity ● Myosatellite cells plug, proliferate, and fuse in the
● Moderate fatigue resistant (less than 30 minutes) longitudinal split and grow into it
● Generates moderate amount of power, but not as much ● Muscle will be hypertrophic
power as type IIx (2) Myofibrils occupy 80% of cell volume
● 2nd recruitment order
● Contains decent amount of myoglobin ● If the myofibrils become bigger, the cell volume will
o Contributes to the actual reddish hue because increase leading to hypertrophy.
myoglobin contains heme pigment ● Increase in mitochondria will also make the cell bigger.
● If there are more glycosomes, there is a concurrent
(C) FUNCTION increase in glycogen content.
● Walking (3) Switch from type IIa to type IIx fibers
● Sprinting
(C) DISUSE ATROPHY
● When a muscle is not utilized, it decreases in size
● Switch from type IIx to type IIa
● Muscles become weaker

TYPE II MUSCLE FIBERS | TYPE IIA & IIX MUSCULOSKELETAL: Note #1. 1 of 2
 IV) REVIEW QUESTIONS

Arrange the muscle fibers according to myosin-

ATPase activity
a. Type IIx > type IIa > type I
b. Type IIa > type IIx > type I
c. Type I > type IIx > type IIa
d. Type I > type IIa > type IIx

Arrange the muscle fibers according to their

recruitment order, from 1st to last
a. Type I, type IIa, type IIx
b. Type IIa, type IIx, type I
c. Type IIx, type I, type IIa
d. None of the above

Arrange the muscle fibers according to amount of

power produced, from least to greatest
a. Type I, type IIa, type IIx
b. Type IIa, type IIx, type I
c. Type IIx, type I, type IIa
d. None of the above

All of the following correctly describe muscle fibers,

EXCEPT:
a. In disuse atrophy, muscle fibers switch from type IIa
to type IIx
b. Type IIx muscle fibers mainly rely on aerobic
respiration
c. Type IIa muscle fibers have the least fatigue
resistance
d. 2 of the above
e. All of the above

Also known as slow glycolytic muscle fibers

a. Type I
b. Type IIa
c. Type IIx
d. None of the above

CHECK YOUR ANSWERS

V) REFERENCES

2 of 2 MUSCULOSKELETAL: Note #1. TYPE II MUSCLE FIBERS | TYPE IIA & IIX