muscles, oxygen and threshold

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bigfatty
Posts: 135
Joined: Sun Sep 28, 2014 11:53 am

by bigfatty

from what I have heard, bigger muscles do not help cycling at threshold/aerobic. the story goes, at ftp, you only use a certain percentage of muscle ouptput so it is all on the cardiovascular system.

i also heard that, your lungs draw in sufficient oxygen, while at or close to threshold/aerobic (as opposed to maximal oxygen uptake, where oxygen starts to run short i.e. anaerobic), which then makes a limiting factor... the capillaries to the muscles. so wouldn't it make more sense to have more muscle, i.e. more capillaries, to process more oxygen, to go faster at threshold.

i am familiar with weight to power ratios so this is more a flatland question.

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dmp
Posts: 422
Joined: Fri May 08, 2009 8:31 pm
Location: Seattle

by dmp

I’m not exactly sure what you are referring to but “more muscle = more capillaries” is fallacious. What i think you mean to refer to is capillary density (and mitochondrial density and efficiency). In simple terms greater capillary density permits more efficient O2 delivery to the muscle and greater mitochondrial density permits greater energy generation.

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