Anyone who has ever practiced exercise knows very well that athletes’ muscles grow not only during, but also after, and, compared to strength training, it is less effective for muscle growth. How do muscles grow after training? To explain this phenomenon, physiology will come to our aid.
During each workout, the body experiences stress, and this is completely normal, otherwise muscle mass will not grow. Its growth depends on a number of factors:
- genetic predisposition and;
- hormonal levels;
- age (a young body builds muscle faster);
- diet;
- training and rest regime;
- with a gradual increase in load and periodic change of exercises;
- general condition of the body.
Schematically, the muscle growth process looks like this:
- During strength training (cardio to a lesser extent), the body experiences stress due to an unusual load, and during the training process it progresses from time to time. Metabolic stress occurs. The muscles seem to be pumped with blood, and as a result, muscle hypertrophy occurs.
- During intense exercise, microtraumas occur in the muscles due to the destruction of muscle fibers, causing pain.
- Muscle growth does not begin during the workout, but only three hours after it and continues up to two days (which is why it is recommended to exercise different muscle groups).
- The restoration of muscle fibers occurs from amino acids under the influence of hormones at the level of intracellular reactions and is accompanied by hypertrophy.
Hypertrophy of muscle fibers
If during a strength or cardio workout you do all the exercises with maximum tension (heavy weight, many repetitions, fast pace), then by the end of the workout a feeling of heat appears in the muscles.
This is the so-called metabolic stress, or pumping, when the muscles are pumped with blood and swelling occurs around the muscle cells.
Because of it, the cells and connective tissue swell, the muscle seems to burst, and its volume increases as a result (however, it does not become stronger).
However, hypertrophy of muscle fibers after training will not last long, usually for several tens of minutes.
Bodybuilders use pumping before competitions to visually make their muscles more voluminous and prominent and look more impressive in photos and videos.
The importance of protein in muscle growth
How long and with what intensity the restoration and growth of muscle cells will occur largely depends on how you eat.
The main building material for muscle fibers, of which the muscle itself consists, is. In percentage terms it looks like this:
- 18-20% – protein content in total muscle mass (the rest is water);
- 80% of protein is in “lean” muscle tissue.
The main sources of protein are the following products:
- beef, the protein from which is absorbed by 70-80% and quite quickly; in addition, it contains many essential amino acids;
- hard-boiled - in this case the protein is absorbed by 90% (and in its raw form - only by 50%); egg white contains a high content of almost all vital amino acids;
- ; However, the absorption of protein from it occurs rather slowly.
It has gained great popularity as a sports supplement, containing a lot of essential amino acids.
The protein from it is absorbed by 90%, so it is recommended for consumption after strength training/cardio training.
The role of hormones, amino acids and trace elements in muscle growth
Let's start with amino acids, which, in fact, make up all the proteins in our body.
To eliminate microdestructions in the structure of muscle fibers, and at the same time create new ones, new proteins are synthesized from amino acids.
But this process does not occur on its own; to trigger it, it requires exposure to certain hormones: samototropin (growth hormone), testosterone (the main male sex hormone) and insulin. Physical strength and high-quality muscles depend on them.
The role of insulin is to accelerate the transport of amino acids to cells and activate protein synthesis.
This, of course, does not exhaust its role in our body - it is a very multifaceted hormone, on which, among other things, the body’s energy supply largely depends.
Protein synthesis is practically impossible without minerals; play a huge role in the functioning and growth of muscles, so cardio and strength training must be accompanied by the intake of vitamin and mineral complexes.
The importance of sleep for muscle growth
Now comes the fun part, at least for beginners.
All these complex processes of restoring muscle structure and building muscle mass occur not during, but after strength training, during rest and especially sleep.
This process is called supercompensation, when the muscle not only recovers to its original level, but also exceeds it.
Resistance training involves exercising additional weights to improve the appearance and functionality of skeletal muscles. Such training can increase muscle size and strength at the same time. But at the same time, there are clear differences between training that promotes muscle growth and training aimed at developing maximum effort.
Weight training by itself does not lead to muscle growth, but the training load received in the process causes fatigue, which stimulates the physiological mechanisms responsible for the growth of muscle mass. When building a program for such training, you need to take into account that the physical impact received on them must be of very high intensity, incomparable to that which the body usually receives.
As a result of weight training, the volume of muscle fibers increases, which leads to a gain of muscle mass, and the volume of fluid contained in the sarcoplasm of muscle cells also increases. What does understanding the process of adaptation of the muscular system to resistance training provide? First of all, it helps in choosing the best training method to build muscle more effectively.
The research available today explains the mechanism of the body's response to stimuli affecting it. However, each person may experience different results in response to the same effects of resistance exercise.
The ability to increase muscle mass and lean muscle mass depends on many variables: age, gender, experience with similar training, genetics, sleep and nutrition patterns, amount of fluid consumed. Physical and emotional stress also affect the adaptation to training of physiological systems and, as a result, weight gain. Thus, insufficient sleep and work overload can have a negative impact on muscle growth.
Knowledge about this science can help you achieve maximum results.
It is a known fact that weight training leads to muscle growth. But scientists continue to argue about what causes this growth. Such training leads to two types of stress - metabolic and mechanical. Both of them stimulate the growth of muscle mass, but it is difficult to say who plays the dominant role, since they act in pairs.
Under mechanical stress understand the stress caused by physical activity, which is applied to the structures of the motor neuron, as well as the fibers attached to it, which is usually called the words - motor unit. Muscle tissues receive microtrauma during weight training. They send messages about this to satellite cells, which are responsible for the restoration of damaged structures and the formation of muscle protein.
In addition, mechanisms activated during physical activity with weights cause changes in the muscle signaling pathways responsible for hypertrophy. This was confirmed in his studies by Spangenburg.
- the result of muscle energy production and consumption, which is necessary for muscle contractions. Moderate-intensity, high-volume exercise programs that produce muscle growth use what is called the glycolytic system to produce energy. Due to the products formed as a result of anaerobic glycolysis - hydrogen ions and accumulating lactose, blood acidosis occurs and its acidity changes.
Research data have established a direct relationship between high levels of growth hormones involved in the synthesis of muscle proteins and acidosis. Currently, they tend to believe that it is metabolic stress that leads to muscle hypertrophy.
It is important to know this in order to use it when drawing up a training program aimed at increasing muscle mass, so as not to create a negative combination with the second stress factor, how to properly regulate the load in exercises in order to achieve optimal results from training.
A good trainer always knows how to correctly apply the variables when developing a weight training program, i.e. what intensity to choose, how many repetitions should be, rest intervals during which the synthesis of proteins responsible for muscle growth occurs.
To properly design a program for maximum muscle growth, you need to understand muscle fiber physiology. The central nervous system sends a signal to the motor neuron. Having received the signal, the neuron causes contraction of the muscle fibers connected to it, which are of two types: slow-twitch (type I) and fast-twitch (type II). The first type of fiber is aerobic, as it has a high oxidative capacity, which allows them to contract for a long time.
The second type is divided into two subtypes: IIa and IIb. IIb fibers contract using energy-rich phosphates to generate short-term, high force without the use of oxygen, making them completely anaerobic. IIa fibers, depending on the stimulus used, can acquire the properties of type IIb and type I fibers.
Initially, strength gains from resistance training come primarily from improved nerve function: receiving stimulus from external resistance, the number of motor units activated increases. The speed of their contractions also increases.
A long-term adaptation to such training is the growth of muscle fibers in diameter. When this happens, the increased surface area of the fibers allows more force to be generated, i.e. muscles in which the diameter of individual fibers has increased are capable of exerting much greater force. Contrary to the common misconception that muscle size increases greatly by lifting weights, it must be said that for significant muscle growth it takes at least eight weeks (or even more).
Motor units, according to the all-or-none principle, can be either active or inactive. But, with sufficient stimulus for contraction, all fibers contract.
Slow-twitch motor units have a very low firing threshold and low conduction velocity, so they are better suited for prolonged activity that does not require maximum effort because they are composed of type I fibers.
Fast-twitch motor units are composed of type II muscle fibers with a high excitation threshold and high signal conduction velocity. They are suitable for rapid force production because they are able to quickly produce ATP without oxygen.
The diameter of fast-twitch fibers is also larger than type I fibers, so their role in hypertrophy is greater. Innervation and recruitment of type II muscle fibers requires the creation of the highest possible metabolic and mechanical loads and recruitment to muscle failure in the approach.
Metabolic Stimuli
Motor units are recruited in muscles according to the principle of size, i.e. first from small ones (type I), then large ones, capable of creating a force sufficient to move large weights (type II). Recruiting type II fibers to produce ATP utilizes glycogen stores needed for contraction, resulting in adaptations that influence muscle size. When this reserve is depleted, adapted muscle cells store it in large quantities during recovery. At the same time, a gram of glycogen retains up to 3 grams of water. Performing high repetitions (to the point of failure) leads not only to acidosis, which stimulates hormone production, but also to depletion of glycogen stores, which explains the increase in muscle size after it is restored.
Director of Education and Science at iSatori Nutrition David Sandler and former strength coach at the University of Miami believes that mechanical loading plays a major role in stimulating muscle growth. He says muscle protein broken down by lifting weights causes the body to release proline-containing peptides, which signals the endocrine system to repair itself.
Endocrine Stimuli of Hypertrophy
Cell functions are controlled by hormones produced by the endocrine system. It is influenced by metabolic and mechanical stress that affects muscle fibers. The endocrine system begins to increase the production of hormones in order to restore damaged muscle tissue, as well as to be able to form new cellular proteins.
As a result of weight training, the following hormones are produced: testosterone (T), insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) and growth hormone (GH). They are responsible for muscle recovery and growth and protein synthesis.
Protein intake and subsequent muscle growth are related to the degree of damage to muscle fibers contracted during exercise. Large and moderate weights lifted during training in a large number of repetitions, generating a fairly high level of mechanical effort, increase damage to muscle proteins. Thus, a signal is given to the production of these hormones, the task of which is to reconstruct damaged proteins and build new muscle tissue.
Important for muscle growth, the endocrine system, resistance training leads to immediate and long-term adaptations. After exercise (in the acute phase), it produces IGF-1, GH and T, which promote the repair of tissues damaged during exercise (this is an urgent adaptation).
As far as long-term adaptation is concerned, it consists in increasing the number of receptors and binding proteins that the listed types of hormones allow to be used effectively. That is, as Schoenfeld notes, the stimulus for the release of hormones responsible for cell repair is muscle damage as a result of metabolic and mechanical stress due to high-intensity exercise. Among them, the most important is the hormone IRF-1, which increases muscle growth.
It has not been established which of the two stresses has a greater impact on the endocrine system, but according to the study, the volume of training associated with lifting heavy weights, followed by a short period of rest, leads to an increase in muscle-building anabolic hormones.
Weight training for bigger muscles
When repeating exercises with a constant load, you may encounter that the training results will be minimal. This is explained by the fact that by using and storing energy as efficiently as possible, the body can limit the amount of metabolic and mechanical stress.
To stimulate muscle growth, training variables must be selected to place a mechanical load on the muscle tissue and create sufficient metabolic demand.
Kremer and Zatsiorsky identified three specific types among weight training: Dynamic force method, Maximum force method and Repeated force method, the characteristics of which are given in Table 1.
Table 1. Classification of strength training
| Type of effort | Description | Intensity | Number of repetitions |
| Maximum effort (MU) | Use to create mechanical overload of maximum weights | 85–100% PM | 1-6 |
| Dynamic forces (DE) | Not maximum weights, but lifted as fast as possible | 40–60% RM – repeated efforts 80–100% RM – single efforts |
4-8 for repeated efforts 1-2 for one-time efforts |
| Repeated efforts (RE) | Creating metabolic overload by performing repeated lifts (not maximal weights) to failure | 70–80% PM | 8–12 (performed to failure) |
Important: RM – repeated maximum.
Maximum Effort Method
With this method, significant loads are used to increase the activity of high-threshold motor units that contain type II fibers. Training using this method can improve intramuscular coordination (simultaneous increase in active motor units in a particular muscle) and intermuscular coordination, i.e. the ability to activate different muscles at the same time.
The main stimulus from MU is mechanical, myofibrillar hypertrophy with a significant increase in strength and a moderate increase in muscle mass. That is, it is very effective for developing strength, but for increasing muscle mass it is not the most effective means.
Dynamic force method
The difference between the method and the previous one is that it does not use maximum weights moved at the maximum available speed, which are necessary to stimulate motor units, but the contractile elements of the muscles are activated. This allows you to create isometric forces, as well as tension in the connective tissues (elastic and fascia) of the whole body.
When the contractile elements of the muscles are shortened, the connective tissues are deformed. In this case, the energy of elastic deformation is transferred during explosive reverse movement. A very effective method for increasing the rate of development of force and contraction power, which are necessary during dynamic activity. However, for the contractile elements of the muscles needed to stimulate muscle growth, it does not allow to achieve a sufficient level of mechanical and metabolic stress.
The method does not involve the use of maximum loads in strength training, which are performed until the inability to do the next repetition (muscle failure). The last few reps of the set are performed in a fatigued state, stimulating all motor units. The method may involve all fibers in the contraction of the target muscle, causing them to be significantly overloaded. The method involves a moderately heavy load and performing a large number of repetitions with it. This creates mechanical and metabolic overload, which stimulates hypertrophy. It is often used by bodybuilders to increase lean muscle mass.
The method involves activating slow motor units at the beginning of the approach. As they become fatigued, they begin to recruit high-threshold (type II) motor units that support the required effort. Their rapid fatigue leads to the end of the approach. By contracting, type II anaerobic fibers produce energy through anaerobic glycolysis, accompanied by metabolic by-products such as lactate, hydrogen ions, which affect the acidity of the blood (increase it). According to research, acidosis, i.e. increased blood acidity is associated with an increase in the hormones IGF-1 and GH, which promote tissue repair.
It is important to remember that muscle growth only occurs when the load is sufficient and the set is performed to failure, which stimulates type II motor units and creates the necessary metabolic conditions.
Three main advantages of the method:
- A huge effect on muscle metabolism, which is accompanied by severe hypertrophy.
- Strength increases due to the activation of a significant number of motor units.
- Minimal risk of injury compared to the MU method.
Rest and recovery
The post-workout recovery period is often the most overlooked variable in any program. However, it is very important for promoting the hormones GH, T and IGF-1 to be synthesized into muscle protein after exercise.
Exercise is only part of the muscle growth equation—the physical stimulus your muscles receive. A sufficient recovery period is necessary for the muscles to restore glycogen, carry out the processes of reconstruction of damaged tissue and create new ones. The most effective period for protein synthesis is from 12 to 24 hours after the end of classes. The frequency of classes largely depends on the level of preparedness, scope and final individual goal.
The period required for muscle recovery and growth is 48-72 hours between workouts for individual muscle groups.
Night sleep is very important for muscle mass gain, since during it GH and T are released, and muscle growth occurs while they are being produced. Insufficient recovery and inadequate sleep at night do not contribute to optimal muscle protein synthesis. On the contrary, this can lead to increased levels of cortisol and adrenaline - hormones responsible for energy production, reducing the ability to form new tissue.
Decreased appetite, insufficient sleep, long-term illnesses, and cessation of muscle growth are the main symptoms of overexertion, which greatly reduce the ability to achieve your fitness goals.
What to Consider When Designing a Training Program to Gain Muscle Mass
For muscle hypertrophy, the standard protocol is to perform 8 to 12 repetitions at a good intensity, leading to failure of the last repetition. Medium-duration or short rest (30-120 s) between sets leads to a significant metabolic demand. The mechanical tension of the muscles involved in the contraction ensures that 3-4 approaches are performed in the exercise.
The pace of movement should include both a short phase of concentric contraction (no more than 1-2 s), and a relatively long phase - eccentric (2-6 s), which has a greater impact on muscle development (from the point of view of hypertrophy), since during it it is faster protein synthesis occurs.
Complex, multi-joint movements with barbells, kettlebells and dumbbells work more different muscles, so the metabolic impact they can have is significant, especially in the 12-20 rep range.
Single-joint or isolated movements provided by the simulators can direct the impact strictly to a specific muscle, i.e. load it as much as possible.
The exercise program for increasing muscle mass presented below is based on the latest scientific research. However, because the mechanical and metabolic demands of high-volume training can cause quite serious muscle damage, it is recommended for clients with at least a year of free-weight training experience.
First of all, you need a good dynamic warm-up, which should include exercises for the core muscles and a variety of movements without weights. This will prepare the muscle tissue for the stressful effects of high-volume exercise. Warm-up is performed for the whole body, even if the workout involves loading its individual parts (one or two). A full warm-up will help increase calorie expenditure and will be useful for restoring muscles that were stressed in the previous workout.
It would be preferable to start training with movements that involve the maximum number of muscles, moving from them gradually to the use of simulators that affect individual muscles.
The final exercises should be exercises in the simulator and a weight loss approach: when all repetitions of the approach to failure are completed, the weight is reduced, with which the possible number of repetitions to failure is now performed again. These approaches can cause significant stress (metabolic and mechanical), as well as cause discomfort. That is why it is recommended to perform them at the end of training.
For each person, the program must be developed individually, taking into account her/his goals. The program, as you can see, limits cardio load, since excessive energy consumption can lead to a decrease in muscle growth.
conclusions
For many, the attention-grabbing science behind muscle growth is simply a technical explanation of recommendations passed down by bodybuilders from generation to generation. It can be argued that a progressive increase in training load undoubtedly leads to muscle growth.
But it is still not clear whether metabolic or mechanical overload is more suitable for someone who is interested in increasing muscle mass. Therefore, determining which stimulus is more suitable occurs through trial and error. Some, for example, tolerate the discomfort of training to failure, which creates metabolic overload. Others prefer heavy repetitions to induce mechanical stress. Both types of stress lead to muscle growth, but can also cause muscle damage, sometimes significant. But, in any case, colossal efforts must be made to achieve the goal. And this is perhaps the only case for which the phrase “no pain means no result” is true.
Day 1: Lower Body
| Exercise | Intensity (% RM) | Repetitions* | Rest | Approaches |
| Deadlift | from 70 to 80 | 8–12 | 30–60 seconds | from 3 to 5 |
| Romanian deadlift | from 60 to 70 | 12–20 | 30–60 seconds | 3–5 |
| Bulgarian one leg squat | 70–80 | 8–12 | 30–60 seconds | 3–5 |
| Shin extensions | 60–80 | Weight Loss Approach | No | 1 |
| Calf Curls | 60–80 | Weight Loss Approach | No | 1 |
* Until failure
Day 2: Upper body, deadlifts
| Exercise | Intensity (% RM) | Repetitions* | Rest | Approaches |
| Pull-ups (reverse grip) | Body mass | To failure | 30–60 seconds | 3–5 |
| Bent-over row | 60–70 | 12–20 | 30–60 seconds | 3–5 |
| Horizontal block thrust | 70–80 | 8–12 | 30–60 seconds | 3–5 |
| Forearm flexion with supination | 70–80 | 8–12 | 30–60 seconds | 3–5 |
| Exercise machine for biceps shoulder muscles (EZ bar) | 60–80 | Weight Loss Approach | No | 1 |
* Until failure
Day 3: Upper Body Presses
| Exercise | Intensity (% RM) | Repetitions* | Rest | Approaches |
| Standing press | In the range of 75–85 | 6–10 | 30–60 seconds | 3–5 |
| Press at a certain angle | 60–70 | 12–20 | 30–60 seconds | 3–5 |
| Standing Dumbbell Press | 70–80 | 8–12 | 30–60 seconds | 3–5 |
| Standing leads | 60–70 | 12–20 | 30–60 seconds | 3–5 |
| Pushups | Body mass | To failure | 30–60 seconds | 3-5 |
* Until failure
Important: RM means repeated maximum
Day 4: Low-intensity cardio or rest
My respect, dear comrades! This Friday we will talk, and not for the first time, about the most pressing topic - we will find out what makes muscles grow.
After reading, you will learn everything about growth mechanisms/triggers - the most significant factors in composite muscle development.
So, take your seats in the auditorium, it will be tediously interesting.
What makes muscles grow? Encyclopedia of answers
With this article we continue our thematic series “Muscle inside”, in which we talk about the processes occurring inside the muscles, how these processes can be controlled in order to improve the quality of the physique. Currently, the following topics have been discussed: , them , and also . If you are not familiar with them yet, now is the time to do so. We go further and today we’ll talk again about muscle growth factors.
Actually, let's start.
Note:
For a better understanding, all further narration on the topic of what makes muscles grow will be divided into subchapters.
Physiology of muscle growth. What happens to muscles after training?
Classes in the gym and exercises are all the practical side of the pumping process. However, if you do not know in theory how muscles can grow, then the results will leave much to be desired. In turn, the “theory + practice” combination can produce qualitatively different “fruits”. Well, let's start growing them.
Working in the gym (and not only), a person acts on skeletal muscles, which consist of thread-like myofibrils and sarcomeres that form muscle fiber (MF) and are the main contractile units.
On average, the human body carries 650 skeletal muscles. They contract when they receive signals from motor neurons that fire from a part of the cell called the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Motor neurons “talk” to muscles (through signals - sent nerve impulses) contract, and the better the athlete receives and delivers these signals to the muscles, the stronger he becomes in the future.
Note:
The strength of a particular person does not depend on the number of muscles in his body, but on how developed the ability of his body (CNS) is to activate motor neurons and better compress muscles. As for direct muscle growth, it tends to occur more steadily after the initial period of “strength gain”, i.e. The foundation of muscle mass is built on strength training.
After completing your workout, your body repairs (or replaces) damaged muscle fibers through a cellular process that joins them together to form new muscle protein filaments/myofibrils. These restored myofibrils increase in thickness and number, thereby creating muscle hypertrophy (growth).
Muscle growth occurs whenever the rate of muscle protein synthesis is greater than the rate of muscle protein breakdown. This adaptation does not occur immediately when you lift the weight, it occurs during the rest phase. Moreover, rest means not only the complete completion of training (no load), but also a short rest after the set.
How does the process of “adding” muscles to muscle cells occur?
And it happens due to satellite cells, which act as stem cells for your muscles. When activated, they help add more nuclei to muscle cells and therefore directly affect the growth of myofibers. The activation of these satellite cells varies from person to person, and it is this fact that allows someone to build muscle quite quickly, and someone to fight for every kilogram of mass (ectomorph).
Conclusion: The more satellite cells a person can activate, the more he can grow volumetrically. In theory (and in practice), there are three mechanisms for activating satellite cells.
What makes muscles grow: growth triggers
Natural muscle growth is based on its ability to constantly overcome increasing tension/load. This stress is a major factor involved in muscle development and it disrupts homeostasis in the body. Stress and subsequent disruption of homeostasis trigger three primary mechanisms that stimulate muscle growth.
No. 1. Muscle tension
To increase muscle growth, you must apply a load greater than what your body has adapted to. How to do it? The main way is to lift heavier weights. This additional stress causes changes in muscle chemistry that allow for growth factors that include activation of mTOR and satellite cells. Muscle tension has the greatest effect on the connection of motor units to muscle cells.
No. 2. Muscle damage
With respect and gratitude, Dmitry Protasov.
I just returned from my training. I’m tired, but I still have the strength to write this article for you. I decided to write it because many athletes have a vague idea of why muscles grow and how to influence muscle growth.
Have you ever wondered why people with the same strength levels have different muscle volumes? Because muscle growth– this is not only strength training, but a whole system, which we will talk about now.
You've probably heard hundreds of times that muscles grow from heavy weights, that you need to eat right, someone recommends taking sports nutrition, and much more. I don’t know about you, but this has already set my teeth on edge and I won’t repeat it again. The article will be detailed, so be prepared to read it to the end to understand why muscles grow and what affects muscle growth.
Muscle growth ensures an increase in training intensity.
When they tell you that muscles grow only when your working weights increase, then know that they are telling you the absolute truth! Without increasing the weights, your muscle mass will not increase.
But what we mean by intensity is not how much weight you lift, but how hard you do it. I can bet that if you work with a weight of 50 kg for 10 reps, then I will make your arms ache in just 1-2 sets, despite the fact that the weight will only be 35 kg. And this will provide colossal muscle growth! How do you like this?
The thing is that ordinary athletes do repetitions quickly and the entire path from the bottom point of the amplitude to the top takes them no more than 2 seconds. You've probably noticed more than once that if you stay at one point longer than usual or do repetitions more slowly, the exercise becomes much more difficult to do. So why is this?
The whole secret is that by doing the exercise slowly (10 seconds up and 10 seconds down), you significantly increase the intensity of the training, thereby ensuring muscle growth and figure improvement.
You've probably already heard about this method; it's called “High Intensity Training (HIT).” I will not dissuade you from the effectiveness of other methods (I personally use others), but let the facts speak for themselves.
Main advantages of VIT:
- Light weight – less risk of injury
- With less weight, the likelihood of cheating (violation of technique) is significantly reduced, which means you train exactly the muscles you want to train
- If you don’t have a large number of weights, then this is the best option, because you can train even at home, where not everyone has a 100-kilogram barbell!
- More muscle fibers are involved in the work, because the muscle is under load for more than 30 seconds. Read more in the article
But we will go further! To provide incredible muscle growth, there is still something you can do! HIT is good, but strength training, why should we give it up? Of course not! I offer you the best option to combine these two approaches. This is what it looks like.
First, you take your usual working weight, with which you can do 5-8 repetitions to failure without breaking the technique, and then take a smaller weight and continue doing repetitions. Having reached the next failure, lose weight again and finish the muscles to the end. These are called drop sets.
But where is VIT? Now I’ll explain: do repetitions with a lighter weight slowly (10 seconds for example) and at the end you can even add negatives, when you can barely move at all. That's exactly what I do.
Negatives this is the use of only the negative phase of the amplitude of movement, i.e. in our case, lowering the bar ().
You need to lower the weight very slowly over 10 seconds. This is one repetition. Do this 3-5 times and you will simply be amazed at how intense your training has become!
Physiology of muscle growth
Why do muscles grow? We have already discussed how to stimulate muscles to grow, now let’s talk about what remains behind the scenes, about what happens inside our body.
The process of muscle hypertrophy (growth) begins with an unusual load, i.e. you are stepping out of your comfort zone. You haven’t run before, but today you ran 5 km at once. Your muscles received a load higher than usual and you sent a signal to the body - grow, adapt to the load. But if this load is not repeated in the near future, then the rollback process begins and your muscles return to their original state, as if you had never trained.
The body is essentially very lazy and does not want to do anything until you force it! He always tries to get rid of what he doesn't use. Let you gain 10 kg of pure muscle mass through training, but if after some time (for example, a year) the body does not receive loads, your muscles will simply deflate! The body will eat them! He believes that since you don't use muscles, you don't need them.
This is called the catabolic process or the breakdown of muscle tissue. This is the reverse process of anabolic growth of muscle tissue.
There is an interesting pattern - the body willingly burns muscle, but is in no hurry to increase muscle mass. Therefore, after the first workout, even if your muscles hurt, do not expect that these actions are enough for noticeable muscle growth. To stimulate muscles to growth it is necessary to constantly stimulate them, give them regular, ever-increasing loads! Only then will your muscles begin to grow.
If there is no regularity of load, then, as you already know, a rollback begins and you return to the starting point. You shouldn’t be offended by your body and say that it doesn’t allow you to be big and strong. On the contrary, knowing these mechanisms, you will be able to consciously control your body and muscle growth!
Muscle growth process
As you know, muscle growth is always accompanied by pain. I always calm myself down with this, because my muscles hurt 7 days a week, sometimes one or the other, but at least one muscle group still hurts.
I often remember the words of my friend: “If it hurts, it means it grows!” And these words always support me. By the way, Pasha, if you are reading this article now, thank you!
Why do muscles hurt?
Let's move closer to the meat. Muscles are made up of fibers that contract – becoming thicker and shorter. Under the influence of load, some of the fibers are damaged and crack. These cracks in the muscles cause pain.
If you hit your foot and get a bruise, it means that you are bleeding inside your body and soft tissue is affected. Of course, this place hurts you.
It’s the same story with muscles, but you don’t have to hit them. By the way, you probably noticed that if you hit a muscle hard, the pain afterwards is almost the same as after physical activity.
Micro cracks must heal, only then will your muscle fully recover.
Due to the fact that muscles are damaged under heavy loads, they begin to hurt! Muscles do not hurt due to lactic acid. If someone tells you this, then don’t believe it, because it’s complete nonsense. Lactic acid is produced by the body during exercise and makes your muscles feel tired. It is responsible for muscle fatigue. After all, if you don’t feel tired, then you can continue the load and seriously damage your muscles, which will make you incapacitated and vulnerable.
The body protects you. After all, if you have damaged your muscles and cannot move, then someone can eat you. In the wild it is survival of the fittest. And if you haven’t forgotten yet, we are all from there.
Muscle growth and number of fibers involved
Have you ever noticed that the larger your muscles, the more they hurt? The thing is that not all muscle fibers are involved during exercise. The weakest and hardiest fibers work first, when they get tired, stronger fibers are connected to them and the main part of the muscle is turned on only at the very end.
This phenomenon takes its roots from our past. Let me remind you once again that we are just animals and by design we should be able to survive in nature. And if we once use up all our reserves of energy and strength, then what should we do in case of danger? It is for this reason that weak but hardy fibers work and only then the strength fibers are included in the work.
As you know, there are two types of muscle fibers in our body: fast and slow (endurance). Just as a prudent coach does not let all his strong players onto the field, our body keeps strong fibers in reserve. What if they are not needed? The body is very economical and if you can get by with less energy consumption, then why pay more?
When a muscle is under constant load, it has to involve increasingly stronger fibers in the work, otherwise the weaker fibers will not withstand. It is for this reason that I recommend doing all exercises slowly, so that the muscles are under load for more than 30 seconds. I wrote more about this
How long do muscles hurt?
Let's get back to muscle pain. If you have used all the muscle fibers, then your muscle will hurt completely or almost completely, and the larger the muscle, the larger the “damage” area. Therefore, after a good strength load, muscles ache from 3 days to a week in trained athletes. And if you lifted the barbell for the first time or after a long break, then up to 2 weeks!
In addition, not just muscle cracks may occur, but partial disintegration of the muscle fiber. In this case, the “affected” muscle may swell and become very painful, stronger than usual. In this case, the muscles hurt for a very long time.
After aerobic exercise, for example, long running, the muscles do not hurt very much, since not all muscle fibers are involved and the pain is rather superficial. Strength training is another matter, especially if it is long-term and high-intensity, as I described above. In this case, many fibers are involved and the muscles hurt not only on the surface, but also deep inside! When the fiber partially disintegrates, you may notice that the muscle has become soft.
In order not to be unfounded, I will say that I checked these facts on my own skin and I can assure you that it is true! I was involved in running and football for several years and for me running 10 km every day was a regular activity. After running, muscles never hurt as much as after doing 20 reps of barbell squats.
What happens during muscle growth.
Muscles respond to stress by growing. When microcracks heal, each damaged fiber becomes thicker and stronger in order to continue to cope with such a load.
The number of fibers in a muscle can vary. Once as a child, after watching one program on TV, I decided that the number of muscle fibers is always the same, only their strength and thickness changes. It turns out that when adapting to a new load, new fibers can grow.
Your muscles also become thicker due to the storage of various substances in them. For example, glycogen and creatine phosphate.
The larger the muscle, the more it can store these substances in itself. It is believed that pumping (pumping) during training allows you to increase the space for storing nutrients, thereby increasing muscle volume.
Hormones and muscle growth
When researching the issue of muscle growth, one cannot ignore hormones. After all, they are the ones who shape our body. In women, muscles practically do not grow even with strength loads, while in men muscle growth normal phenomenon. It's the fault of hormones. Or rather testosterone.
In men, the level of the hormone testosterone is several times higher than in women. It was research on the production of synthetic testosterone that led to the emergence of anabolic steroids.
Since we are talking about growth, we cannot ignore growth hormone. It is these two hormones that allow our muscles to grow. The higher the level of these hormones in the blood, the faster the rate of growth of meat on your bones.
Hormonal explosion
After you have shocked your muscles with a monstrous training, the release of hubbub into the blood begins. The stronger the load, the more hormones and the faster your muscles grow.
But not any training allows you to get a hormonal explosion. Let's look at your workouts through your body's eyes.
First case. You did an exercise of 10 reps and got rejected. Two more such approaches. Your muscles have received a heavy load and you are really tired. Time under load 20 seconds.
Second case. You did the same 10 reps, but after failure, you took less weight and continued until the next failure, and then decreased the weight again and failed again. And two more such approaches. As a result, you have 15-20 reps and 40-60 seconds under load.
In which case do you think more fibers are involved? After which workout will your muscles hurt more? The second case is correct.
So, the more muscle fibers are involved, the stronger the release of hormones. But by the number of fibers I mean not only an individual muscle, but the entire body as a whole. Barbell squats use more muscles than barbell raises? Well, of course.
Only heavy multi-joint exercises allow you to achieve a hormonal explosion and, as a result, muscle growth. At least once a week you must do a heavy leg exercise: classic or straight-legged deadlifts, squats with a barbell, leg press or their equivalents. Without these exercises rapid muscle growth will never.
But in addition to the hormonal explosion, you can simply increase the level of hormones with the intensity of the training. I already mentioned this, see above. The main thing is to get as many fibers as possible involved in the work!
Results on muscle growth.
- Muscles grow when they are subjected to force.
- The load should be regular and constantly increase
- It is necessary to use the largest number of muscle fibers
- Do one basic multi-joint leg exercise at least once a week to get a hormonal burst.
- If your muscles don't stop hurting, give them some more time. Never load sore muscles!
Now you know what it depends on muscle growth, how to make muscles grow, what exercises to do and the process of muscle growth itself from the inside.
If your muscles are growing well, you should have fun too. So watch this hard prank in a student dorm.
A balanced diet, regular training 3-4 times a week, proper recovery on rest days are essential for muscle growth. Nutrition for muscle growth is about 65-70% of success, and training and recovery is 30-35%. Now you understand the importance of eating the right diet every day.
For serious results, you need to competently approach the solution of assigned tasks. The athlete must plan the number of calories per day, the amount of protein, break down workouts by muscle group and on rest days - recover well and get enough sleep.
Here are 6 practical tips that will increase your muscle building literacy and increase your muscle mass:
To grow muscle mass, you need to consume 1.5-2.5 grams of protein per 1 kilogram of your weight every day. For example, your weight is 75 kg, which means you should include 112.5-187.5 grams of protein per day in your menu. Good sources of proteins are: chicken fillet, pollock fillet, turkey, beef, fish and seafood. You can eat fatty fish, but try to eat other lean meats every day. Eat egg whites and 1-2 yolks per day (no more). These proteins contain all the essential amino acids. Animal proteins are essential in your diet. Choose dairy products and cottage cheese with a fat content of 0.5, this will allow you not to gain excess fat deposits in the body, and you will look athletic with a minimum amount of fat in the body. Additionally, include plant-based proteins (nuts, legumes) in your daily diet. We've sorted out healthy proteins, now you'll learn about unhealthy foods that contain little protein, a lot of fat and excess carbohydrates (flour, starch) - it's advisable to avoid them altogether. These include: sausages, dumplings, sausages, cutlets, etc.
Muscle mass requires sufficient calories. For example, your weight is 75 kg and you want to gain muscle mass, then multiply 75 by 35 and get 2625 calories per day and add 500 calories. It turns out 3125 Kcal per day for muscle growth. 2625 Kcal is the norm for an athlete of 75 kilograms to maintain weight, and increasing the menu by 100-200 Kcal will give very little results. Increase your diet by at least 500 calories. Thus, for your weight, you can calculate the norm, add an additional 500 calories, and get the required daily amount. Remember, it is impossible to gain only lean muscle mass; for every kilogram of muscle, you will gain some minimal amount of fat. But there is no need to be afraid of this, because... If in the future you want to burn fat and dry out your body, you can achieve this in 1 month through diet. Therefore, increase the calorie content of your menu and eat well every day, then the muscles will grow. Keep in mind that nutrition for muscle growth should be healthy, we’ll talk about this later. If you are gaining excess fat, then reduce the amount of carbohydrates.
To absorb your daily calorie intake, you need to eat 4-5 times a day, every 3-4 hours and 3 hours before bedtime. The time can be as follows: 08:30, 12:30, 16:30, 20:30, adjust it to suit you, taking into account work, study and other matters. You understand, if your menu contains 3000 calories, you won’t eat them in 2 or 3 meals. Therefore, 3000 calories can be divided into 5 meals of 600 calories each, and this is more plausible and realistic. Every time before meals, drink 200 ml of water, and you will get 1 liter per day. The norm is 1-2 liters of clean drinking water per day. With an intense daily routine or heavy training, this water norm increases to take into account thirst. To gain muscle mass, you do not need to starve, because this is very harmful. It is necessary to maintain the body's metabolism at a high level so that food is absorbed and excess fat is not deposited. Try to make your diet varied every day so that you have a good appetite, because muscles require a lot of useful substances - proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, etc.
We're talking about healthy fat. Many people are afraid of fat and exclude fatty foods from their diet. Let's figure it out. There are good and bad fats. Plant fat and Omega 3 are healthy and should be included in your daily diet. These include nuts, legumes, vegetable oil, seafood, fatty and non-fatty fish. Healthy fat affects the body's testosterone production, and muscles without sufficient testosterone production grow slowly. Additionally, testosterone has a positive effect on our bones and is responsible for libido. Additionally, you can buy Omega-3 at the pharmacy if you don’t eat much fish and include it in your diet. Bad fats: saturated fats, trans fats (processed fats), cholesterol. Bad fats: margarine, butter, fatty cheeses, fast food, chocolate, confectionery, fatty dairy products. Eliminate unhealthy fats from your menu and be sure to include healthy fats in your daily diet, they will help you increase muscle mass.
Protein and carbohydrate shakes are necessary if your goal is to gain muscle mass and you have no time to sit down at the table due to busy everyday life (work, study, training, etc.). Let's look at proteins and gainers. Proteins are called protein shakes, but gainers are carbohydrate shakes. Let's consider a menu for 4000 calories per day, and you adjust the menu taking into account your daily needs. It’s difficult to eat 1000 calories 4 times, because you stretch your stomach, overeat, and it’s not a fact that all 1000 Kcal will be absorbed at one time. Most likely, some of the calories will be stored as fat, so 4 times 700 calories and several protein shakes will be much more reasonable. Gainers should be consumed if you lack carbohydrates. Many gainers do not drink because... They eat porridge, pasta, buckwheat, rice, etc. well, but they enjoy protein shakes. Therefore, break your diet into 4-5 meals and if you cannot eat on time, then buy protein and carbohydrate mixtures in sports stores and include them in your diet.
Before training, 1-2 hours before, you need a balanced menu. Proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins must be present. There should be more proteins and carbohydrates, and less fat in this meal. Carbohydrates are a source of energy, and you must show good results during training in order for your muscles to grow, and carbohydrates help you great and charge your body for the entire workout.
After training for 30-60 minutes, you need to eat well in order to provide yourself with carbohydrates and proteins to restore the body. Also keep fats to a minimum in this method.
When you sleep, your body and all muscle fibers are repaired. You should eat 3 hours before bedtime and dinner should not contain too many carbohydrates, more protein. You can drink 1 additional serving of a protein drink 1 hour before bed if you are feeling hungry.
Follow the 6 best tips for gaining quality muscle mass and in a couple of months you will gain significantly and look great.
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