HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF MUSCLE HYPERTROPHY?-24/11/2020

We go to the gym to shape and build up our bodies, but most of us do not think about the science behind it all. I thought it would be interesting to do some research and understand how muscles are developed in our body. This blog is for all the thinkers out there that would like to understand how muscles are built.

Muscle hypertrophy is the term I discovered is used to describe the increase in muscle mass, basically the size of our muscles. This happens as we start developing our muscle size and strength through strength training by lifting weights or free weight exercises.

There are two types of muscle hypertrophy, myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic. Usually people pick one or the other depending on how they wanted to impact their muscles strength or the muscles size. Myofibrillar is increasing myofibrils and sarcoplasmic is storing more muscle glycogen.

I will break this down, skeletal muscles are attached to bones using our tendons and we need them to move our bodies. A couple of muscle fibres which are myocytes make or create the skeletal muscles. Each myocyte has myofibrils which lets the muscle contract. Myofibrillar hypertrophy is increasing myofibrils and this makes the muscle denser and stronger.

Muscles also have sarcoplasmic fluid which is used for energy and this fluid is around the myofibrils in the muscles. It has adenosine triphosphate, glycogen, creatine phosphate, and water. When you work out, lots of fluid moves to our muscles to provide energy so we can perform in the gym. Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy makes our muscles look bigger.

Managing muscle size

When you do strength training, it will help build both myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. By challenging the body through resistance training your muscles begin to adapt and they start growing and becoming stronger. Strength training, a good diet, a variety of different exercises depending on the muscle you want to develop as well as a good night’s sleep is the best way to grow your muscles and strengthen them. If you do not pay attention to these important areas, you will notice that your muscle size and strength will decrease.

Strength training is a great method of increasing muscle size and strength. The goal of this type of training is to stimulate muscle hypertrophy and build it bit by bit. Strength training is doing movement that are against resistance. The exercise recommended are weightlifting, body weight exercises like pushups and squats, using resistance bands for each muscle and using tougher resistance bands as you progress, as well as working out on weight machines. As you increase the difficulty through progression over time, the muscle hypertrophy increases.

Each person has different goals when it comes to the development of their muscles, therefore different types of strength training should be followed depending on whether they want to increase or decrease muscle size. For example, if you are aiming to tone down, it would be best to do more reps and carry less weight in exercises. Also make time for short rests between each set of the exercises. If you are aiming to build muscle like a body builders who work to increase muscle size and strength, I would recommend using medium range weights with a good amount of reps like 10 with shorter resting times between each set of an exercise.

Developing an exercise routine

To develop muscles, you need to create a routine and build exercise into your weekly schedule. It is recommended that you do a minimum of 2 days of exercise per week and aim to ensure that you exercise all muscle parts. Remember to also leave time for your muscles to rest and grow in between your routine. However, each person is different, some people, like me, like exercising 6 days a week. I have a routine where I work a different muscle on each day. This allows my muscles a couple of days to recover and grow. By giving muscles some time to rest they grow gradually and naturally.

Studies have shown that two days are more than enough for building muscles, therefore select a routine that works best for your schedule and goals, as working out more days a week does not increase your muscle mass. Do remember, it is important to rest between each set of exercises. Your muscles need to recover from the strain you have put them through. Two minutes is usually the minimum time needed for your muscles to recover.

Building muscles will take time, so expect to see results after a few weeks. Begin slowly and build up resistance slowly. As you increase the weight you lift or resist, you will begin to see your muscles grow and develop.

Rami’s Tips

I recommend people that once you decide to begin training to build muscles, you set a goal of what you want to achieve. Building muscles needs commitment and is a long-term process which needs consistent strict training for several years with a healthy diet to help you in reaching your body goal. Whether your goal is hypertrophy and muscle building muscle to the maximum or toning down, both need commitment and a strategy to achieve your end result.

For people who want to increase their muscle size and strength, I recommend they focus on compound exercises. Compound exercise could include squatting, deadlifts and bench presses. These exercises help in building muscle and strength and will gradually increase weight over overtime. Alongside that they need to add target exercises for each muscle. In addition, eating a calorie surplus which is a bit above what you usually eat and sleeping at least 7-9 hours a night.

In contrast, for people who would like to tone down, I recommend a strict training routine and dieting. In terms of food, eating healthy meals with more protein, as well as vegetables and reducing carbs and sugar is a good starting point. In terms of training, I recommend any form of cardio exercise in their weekly routine as well as rest. When exercising, focus on increasing reps with low or moderate weights depending on your end goal.

If you would like to discuss any of this further, please do not hesitate to reach out and contact me.

This blog was developed by research taken from MedicalNewsToday.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/muscle-hypertrophy