IN SUMMARY
l Successful power athletes (e.g., sprinters) generally possess a large percentage of fast muscle fibers and therefore a low percentage of slow, type I fibers.
In contrast to power athletes, endurance athletes (e.g., marathoners) typically possess a high percentage of slow muscle fibers and a low percentage of fast fibers.
Although muscle fiber types are known to play a role in sport performance, considerable variation exists among successful athletes competing in the same sport.