What troubles have you had buying clothes after working out?
You want to be strong and you can't train any worse than anyone else. To train your muscles brilliantly, you might find some methods and moves to make them grow. If you jump around from one training method to another until a certain workout really works for you, forget it.
Understand the basics of muscle building and you'll never again blindly train in all sorts of weird and wonderful ways. Become a master at training just to build muscle straight away!
the two types of muscle building
muscle gain can be divided into two types - sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar
myoplasmic enlargement can be thought of as an increase in the non-contractile components and fluids within the muscle. It is sometimes referred to as 'non-functional' muscle building because muscle size can increase without any increase in strength. Ever wondered why some bodybuilders don't look as strong as they should? Non-functional muscle building is one of the reasons.
however, the more sarcoplasm that grows, the more muscle glycogen can be stored, allowing for a greater sense of muscle pump. The fact that muscles can thus store more energy is a benefit and should therefore not really be considered as "Non-functional".
On the other hand, myogenic fibre growth refers to the increase in the size and number of the contractile proteins actin and myosin, as well as the number of muscle segments. When we talk about the amount of muscle that makes up the body, only 20% of the muscle is made up of myosin. These myoproteins are what we call "Functional" Myogenic fibres.
therefore, theoretically, the remaining approximately 80% of non-functional muscle has a greater capacity to increase in size. It is important to note here that functional muscle building usually uses a lower range of reps (e.g. 4-6) while non-functional muscle building uses a higher range (e.g. 8-15 reps or more).
It is important to understand 3 factors if you want to understand what a movement does for you, or how a particular training program allows you to build more muscle.
1. Mechanical tension
when a muscle is passively stretched (stretching a muscle without actively contracting it), this is known as passive elastic stretching. On the other hand, when tension is applied by flexing the muscle as isometrically as possible and thus, this is known as active tension.
In both cases, a large amount of mechanical tension is created. Greater mechanical tension seems to have a great effect on muscle growth and prevents muscle atrophy. Doing some high tension isometric exercises as part of your training may be a good way to build muscle and prevent muscle atrophy.
in addition, stretching exercises can play an important role in muscle growth and maintenance and should be part of a strength training programme. Taking some holistic approach to training by stretching the target muscle between sets may also be of some use when it comes to maximising muscle gain.
Being stretched through the full range of motion and lengthening of the muscle, or under load, also produces an important muscle growth response. For example, fully extending the latissimus dorsi in the low range of a pull-up and spreading the elbow outwards, which is sometimes referred to as a 'weighted stretch', can lead to muscle growth.
this is not surprising as there is a lot of mechanical tension generated during these load stretches as the muscles generate a lot of eccentric force in the extended state.
2. Metabolic stress
research has shown that metabolic stress plays an important role in the muscle-forming response. Some even argue that high metabolic stress and metabolites are even more important than high mechanical tension.
metabolic stress is a result of exercise and it relies on anaerobic glycolysis for energy production, achieved through the production of high lactate, blood ph changes and a sense of muscle burn during training. The accumulation of metabolic by-products can trigger a surge of anabolic hormones, including growth hormone (hgh) and insulin-like growth factor (igf-1).
Venous obstruction caused by repeated muscle contractions can also prevent blood from escaping, cellular swelling and inadequate oxygenation of the muscle. One of the reasons why blood flow restriction (bfr) training is so effective is because it exploits this mechanism.
simply put, any training that produces metabolic stress and achieves pumping sensation will help grow more muscle, but simply pursuing pumping sensation is not the whole story.
3. Muscle injuries
as most peeps know, muscle damage occurs during strenuous exercise. Theoretically, localised damage to muscle tissue can provoke muscle growth. The response to localised injury or muscle damage can be compared to the inflammatory response to muscle damage and infection. Yes, we are deliberately 'hurting' ourselves.
this response is thought to release various growth factors that ultimately lead to muscle formation. However, it is a careful balance and it is not just about destroying muscle mass to allow it to grow. If there is too much tissue breakdown for the body to keep up (protein degradation over synthesis), you are unknowingly in a catabolic state.
At higher intensities (i.e. Lower rep ranges), tissue breakdown is faster, but at these intensities the time the muscle is under tension can be very short because a set doesn't last very long.
for example, muscle breakdown rates are high when doing 1-3 reps, but the duration may be too short to build significant muscle. Therefore, some recommend doing 6-10 reps per set while the muscles are under tension, balancing intensity and duration of tension.
Increasing the centrifugal phase of the exercise, stretching while the muscle is activated, or overloading the centrifugal phase of the exercise can create a lot of mechanical tension and muscle destruction.
how to combine these muscle growth factors
when training, certain mechanisms will be active which crossover between certain mechanisms. However, it is crucial to ensure that the training covers a variety of movements and methods to activate almost all mechanisms. The table below details the methods used.
Training method mechanical tension metabolic stress muscle damage
high intensity (1rm ≥85% of weight) high low high
moderate intensity (1rm 70-80% of weight) moderate high moderate
moderate/low intensity (≤65% of 1rm) low high low
centrifugal training high low high
isometric training high depends on isometric duration high
centripetal training low high low
intra-set stretching high moderate low
load stretching high depends on number of sets high
peak contraction and load depends on intensity high depends on intensity
slow rate (prolonged muscle tension) low high low
explosive training high low high
intensity techniques (e.g. Decreasing sets) depends on intensity high depends on intensity
making muscle training easier
as mentioned earlier, muscle response to training and growth is complex. We have only scratched the surface of the principles, but with this information you will be able to better understand what a good muscle building program should look like.
A complete muscle building workout should include the following, but it depends on the effort you put in.
L performing a full range of movements.
L doing a number of isometric training movements.
L a certain amount of stretching before, during and after the workout.
L include movements that emphasise "Load stretching".
L movements that include peak contractions.
L perform moderately high intensity exercises (4-6 sets of 4-6 reps).
L perform moderate loading exercises (3-5 sets of 8-15 reps)
l perform moderate to low loading exercises (2-4 sets of 15-25 reps) aiming for maximum blood flow and muscle pumping sensation
l consider using a slower movement rate when you want to keep your muscles under tension and metabolic stress for more time.
L use special intensity techniques such as decremental sets, backward sets, 21 reps, mechanical decremental sets, pre-fatigue supersets, post-fatigue supersets etc. To develop a variety of mechanisms and stimulate muscle growth.
there are several ways in which you can structure your training cycles. Firstly, you can choose to achieve all the mechanisms and all the rep ranges in one training cycle (a more complex approach). Or you can spend 3-4 weeks emphasising mechanical tension and a lower range of reps, and then 3-4 weeks emphasising metabolic stress and a higher range of reps.
Both approaches can be equally effective and you can try different training methods.
it's also important to balance your training with your life and to watch your diet and rest too. It's not difficult to master these 5 points if you want to get stronger and stick to them.
