Muscle & Fitness 2018-03-01 Muscle & Fitness UK.edcoan.ir | Page 18

MALE MUSCLE SAY GOODBYE TO STUBBORN MUSCLE GROUPS! W ITH OVER HALF A million followers on Instagram and high profile sponsorships under his belt, Dragos Skyo is quickly making a name for himself as one of the biggest names in the business. He attributes his success to a combination of hard work and aesthetics. If you fancy bagging yourself some impressive symmetry and fine chiselled lines, Dragos recommends targeting specific muscle fibres to achieve this. In an exclusive interview with Muscle & Fitness, Dragos tells readers exactly how to say goodbye to stubborn muscle groups, thus ensuring perfect symmetry throughout. “I’ve learned everything from years of training with the big guys from this industry, as well as picking up things by reading and researching myself,” begins Dragos. “I am never afraid to try new things out and experiment, I’m happy to share what I’ve discovered with you so that you too can put this invaluable knowledge into practice.” “I will try to keep it as simple as possible, because it might get confusing for new or recreational gym goers, but I will certainly put you on the right path in order to obtain the best results,” he continues. “So, that being said let’s begin!” The path to perfection “I’m constantly being asked by people how they can get specific stubborn body parts to grow,” explains Dragos. 16 MUSCLE & FITNESS / MARCH 2018 The secret to targeting fast twitch B muscle fibres- with fitness sensation Dragos Syko /// BY DANNI LEVY /// PHOTOGRAPHS BY JASON ELLIS “Well, there are a lot of factors we need to take in consideration. Genetics are a key factor, along with the amount of food intake, level of rest, and type of training you do.” “Let’s clear some things up before I get down to the nitty gritty. Genetics are very important in this industry- they can make the difference between last and first place, but this doesn’t mean you can’t sculpt the best possible version of yourself- good genetics or not!” “Proper food intake is vital to provide macro and micronutrients for your body in order for it to grow. Also supplementation plays a very important role in this execution.” “Rest is fundamental to growth too. We all know that the muscles are growing when we sleep and rest- not when we train. So, the more you rest after you hit a hard session, the better.” “Training… Here is the hard part. If you want to grow a certain muscle group then you need to hit failure every time you train.” “Now let me tell you why it’s so important to hit failure…” Fast vs slow twitch muscles fibres “For those of you who may not be aware, everybody has both fast and slow twitch muscle fibres,” advises Dragos. “Everyone is made up differently, so the number of each muscle fibre type you have is purely down to genetics. T his is something you can never change.” “It has been proven that slow twitch muscle fibres cannot grow,” Dragos explains. These are the type of muscles you use when you’re doing cardiovascular exercise or light weights for 15-20 reps upwards. But when you’re using heavy weights, your fast twitch fibres get activated. “You have two kinds of fast twitch fibres; fast twitch A and fast twitch B. When you hit very heavy weights you use your twitch A fibres, which can grow up to 25%. This means that you will grow, but not to the maximum capacity. In order to do this, you have to activate the fast twitch B fibres, and these can grow up to 100%.” Activating fast twitch B fibres for maximum muscle growth “Now, these are the type of fibres you really want to be hitting,” says Dragos. “In order to do this you have to hit failure and beyond. Ideally, work between the 6-12 reps range. Being able to perform more than 15 reps means that the weight is too light, and being able to do less than 5 reps means you will be getting more strength gains