HOW DO WE BUILD MUSCLE?
Protein is made up of amino acids which are the building blocks of the muscles. Delivering your body a constant supply of protein throughout the entire day is essential for optimum muscle growth. Amino acids are the building blocks of your muscle and body. Without them, it would be impossible to build, repair or even maintain the muscle tissue. Having a sufficient amount of protein will put you in a positive nitrogen balance or an anabolic state. Being in an anabolic state will allow you to build muscle.
Muscle is divided into 3 types:
- skeletal (as in somatic musculature)
- cardiac (making up the myocardium)
- smooth (as in viscera)
WHAT IS MUSCLE GROWTH?
Muscle growth — sometimes known as hypertrophy — is the development of mass, density, shape, and function of muscle cells. This adaptation allows the muscle to meet exercise/function-induced stress.
Muscle cells are sort of like a bunch of sticks bundled up for firewood. Myofibrils (“myo”, from the Greek mys, refers to muscle) are cylindrical bundles of filaments composed of sarcomeres. Sarcomeres are the fundamental unit of muscle contraction and are composed of myosin and actin.
All of these proteins comprise about 20% of muscle. Water, phosphates, and minerals comprise the other 80% of muscle.
Muscle growth — sometimes known as hypertrophy — is the development of mass, density, shape, and function of muscle cells. This adaptation allows the muscle to meet exercise/function-induced stress.
Muscle cells are sort of like a bunch of sticks bundled up for firewood. Myofibrils (“myo”, from the Greek mys, refers to muscle) are cylindrical bundles of filaments composed of sarcomeres. Sarcomeres are the fundamental unit of muscle contraction and are composed of myosin and actin.
All of these proteins comprise about 20% of muscle. Water, phosphates, and minerals comprise the other 80% of muscle.
WHERE DOES THE MUSCLE GROWTH COME FROM?
When someone does resistance training consistently, they may notice muscle growth. The growth is due to an increased water, number of myofibrils, and connective tissue.
Scientists often break hypertrophy down into two types:
When someone does resistance training consistently, they may notice muscle growth. The growth is due to an increased water, number of myofibrils, and connective tissue.
Scientists often break hypertrophy down into two types:
- Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy increases muscle size by increasing the volume of sarcoplasmic fluid in the muscle cell.
- Myofibrillar hypertrophy (sometimes called “functional hypertrophy”) increases muscle size by increasing the contractile proteins.
MUSCLE GROWTH AND FIBER TYPE
Although growth can occur in all muscle fibre types, different types of muscle fibres vary in their potential for growth. Fast twitch fibres are more likely than slow-twitch fibres to grow with intense strength training. This may be one reason why athletes such as sprinters tend to be bigger and more muscular than endurance athletes, and why heavier loads tend to stimulate more muscle growth than light loads.
Although growth can occur in all muscle fibre types, different types of muscle fibres vary in their potential for growth. Fast twitch fibres are more likely than slow-twitch fibres to grow with intense strength training. This may be one reason why athletes such as sprinters tend to be bigger and more muscular than endurance athletes, and why heavier loads tend to stimulate more muscle growth than light loads.
MUSCLE GROWTH AND HORMONES
Muscle growth is further influenced by type of exercise, nutritional intake, and hormonal status.
Hormones that modulate muscle growth include:
Muscle growth is further influenced by type of exercise, nutritional intake, and hormonal status.
Hormones that modulate muscle growth include:
- growth hormone
- testosterone
- IGF-1
- cortisol
- beta-endorphin, and
- parathyroid hormone.
3 Mechanisms That Make Muscles Grow
Underlying all progression of natural muscle growth is the ability to continually put more stress on the muscles. This stress is a major component involved in the growth of a muscle and disrupts homeostasis within your body. The stress and subsequent disruption in homeostasis causes three main mechanisms that spur on muscle growth.
Muscle Growth Mechanism #1: Muscle Tension
In order to produce muscle growth, you have to apply a load of stress greater than what your body or muscles had previously adapted too. How do you do this? The main way is to lift progressively heavier weights. This additional tension on the muscle helps to cause changes in the chemistry of the muscle, allowing for growth factors that include mTOR activation and satellite cell activation.3
Muscular tension also most dramatically effects the connection of the motor units with the muscle cells. Two other factors help to explain why some people can be stronger, but not as big as other people.
Muscle Growth Mechanism #2: Muscle Damage
If you’ve ever felt sore after a workout, you have experienced the localized muscle damage from working out. This local muscle damage causes a release of inflammatory molecules and immune system cells that activate satellite cells to jump into action. This doesn’t mean that you have to feel sore in order for this to happen, but instead that the damage from the workout has to be present in your muscle cells. Typically soreness is attenuated over time by other mechanisms.
Muscle Growth Mechanism #3: Metabolic Stress
If you’ve ever felt the burn of an exercise or had the “pump” in the gym, then you’ve felt the effects of metabolic stress. Scientists used to question bodybuilders when they said the “pump” caused their muscles to become larger. After more investigation, it seems as though they were onto something.
Metabolic stress causes cell swelling around the muscle, which helps to contribute to muscle growth without necessarily increasing the size of the muscle cells. This is from the addition of muscle glycogen, which helps to swell the muscle along with connective tissue growth. This type of growth is known as sarcoplasmic hypertrophy and is one of the ways that people can get the appearance of larger muscles without increases in strength.
Underlying all progression of natural muscle growth is the ability to continually put more stress on the muscles. This stress is a major component involved in the growth of a muscle and disrupts homeostasis within your body. The stress and subsequent disruption in homeostasis causes three main mechanisms that spur on muscle growth.
Muscle Growth Mechanism #1: Muscle Tension
In order to produce muscle growth, you have to apply a load of stress greater than what your body or muscles had previously adapted too. How do you do this? The main way is to lift progressively heavier weights. This additional tension on the muscle helps to cause changes in the chemistry of the muscle, allowing for growth factors that include mTOR activation and satellite cell activation.3
Muscular tension also most dramatically effects the connection of the motor units with the muscle cells. Two other factors help to explain why some people can be stronger, but not as big as other people.
Muscle Growth Mechanism #2: Muscle Damage
If you’ve ever felt sore after a workout, you have experienced the localized muscle damage from working out. This local muscle damage causes a release of inflammatory molecules and immune system cells that activate satellite cells to jump into action. This doesn’t mean that you have to feel sore in order for this to happen, but instead that the damage from the workout has to be present in your muscle cells. Typically soreness is attenuated over time by other mechanisms.
Muscle Growth Mechanism #3: Metabolic Stress
If you’ve ever felt the burn of an exercise or had the “pump” in the gym, then you’ve felt the effects of metabolic stress. Scientists used to question bodybuilders when they said the “pump” caused their muscles to become larger. After more investigation, it seems as though they were onto something.
Metabolic stress causes cell swelling around the muscle, which helps to contribute to muscle growth without necessarily increasing the size of the muscle cells. This is from the addition of muscle glycogen, which helps to swell the muscle along with connective tissue growth. This type of growth is known as sarcoplasmic hypertrophy and is one of the ways that people can get the appearance of larger muscles without increases in strength.