How our muscles grow: mechanisms of activation of muscle growth. The best method for building muscle mass Why muscles hurt

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- it's not only strength training, but the whole system that 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 once again I won't repeat myself. 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(VIT).” 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 net by training muscle mass, 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 it 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, this means that you are bleeding inside the 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 “damaged” 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 power 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. You end up with 15-20 reps and 40-60 seconds under tension.

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.

Weight training– a process involving exercises with external resistance to improve the functional characteristics of skeletal muscles, appearance or a combination of these two results. Resistance training can simultaneously increase muscle strength and size, however, there is a clear difference between training the ability to produce maximum force and training for muscle growth. Weight training itself does not cause muscle growth; training load that causes fatigue stimulates physiological mechanisms, responsible for increasing muscle mass. According to the principle of overload in constructing an exercise program, in order to stimulate physiological changes, such as muscle growth, it is necessary to apply physical impact with more than the body is accustomed to receiving. Muscle growth from resistance training occurs as a result of an increase in the thickness of muscle fibers and the volume of fluid in the sarcoplasm. muscle cells. Understanding the Onboarding Process muscular system to the effects of resistance training can help you determine the best training method to maximize muscle growth in your clients. Existing research tells us how the body can respond to stimuli, but each person may experience slightly different results in response to the effects of resistance exercise.

The ability to gain muscle mass and increase lean muscle mass depends on various variables, including gender, age, weight training experience, genetics, sleep, nutrition, and fluid intake. Emotional and physical stressors, each of which can affect adaptation physiological systems to resistance training may also affect the ability to gain mass. For example, overwork at work or insufficient sleep can significantly reduce muscle growth. Knowing how to properly apply this science, however, can have a significant impact, empowering you to help clients achieve maximum results.

Mechanical and metabolic load

It is well known that physical adaptation to exercise, including muscle growth, results from the application of acute program variables. There is no doubt that resistance training leads to muscle growth, however, scientists are still not sure what exactly causes muscle growth. Resistance training produces two specific types of stress, mechanical and metabolic, and both can provide the necessary stimulus for muscle growth (Bubbico and Kravitz, 2011). Brad Schoenfeld is a scientist and author of two comprehensive reviews about training for muscle growth. “Mechanical tension is by far the primary driver of muscle growth from exercise,” Schoenfeld explains. - There is compelling evidence that metabolic stress also promotes adaptive hypertrophy. The challenge for research is that mechanical and metabolic stress act in tandem, making it difficult to isolate the influence of each” (Schoenfeld, 2013).

Mechanical stress- stress from physical activity applied to the structures of the motor neuron and the fibers attached to it, together usually called motor units. Weight training leads to microtrauma of muscle tissue, which sends signals to satellite cells responsible for the restoration of mechanical structures after damage, as well as for the formation of new ones. muscle proteins(Schoenfeld, 2013; 2010).

Additionally, in his study on cellular adaptation to resistance training, Spangenburg (2009) confirms that “mechanisms activated by exercise result in changes in muscle signaling pathways that are responsible for hypertrophy.”

Metabolic stress occurs as a result of the muscle producing and consuming the energy needed to support contractions. Moderate-intensity, high-volume training programs that lead to muscle growth use the glycolytic system to produce energy. By-products of anaerobic glycolysis: accumulation of lactate and hydrogen ions - lead to changes in blood acidity and cause acidosis. Research shows a strong connection between blood acidosis and increased levels of growth hormones that support muscle protein synthesis. In a review of research, Bubbico and Kravitz (2011) note, “Metabolic stress resulting from the formation of glycolytic byproducts (e.g., hydrogen ions, lactate, and inorganic phosphate) is now thought to promote hormone release and lead to muscle hypertrophy.”

When developing a training program that is aimed at increasing muscle mass, you need to know how to use the load of exercise without creating negative combination with other stress factors. Good personal trainer must know how to adjust exercise load to promote optimal results from the training program. It is necessary to develop a resistance training program by correctly using the variables: exercise intensity, repetition range and rest intervals to create mechanical and metabolic stress on the body. muscle tissue, which stimulate the production of hormones and promote the synthesis of contractile proteins responsible for muscle growth (Schoenfeld, 2013; Bubbico and Kravitz, 2011).

Mechanical stimuli

To design an exercise program to maximize muscle growth, you need to understand the physiology of muscle fibers. A motor neuron receives a signal from the central nervous system (CNS), causing the muscle fibers connected to it to contract. There are two main types of muscle fibers: type I (slow twitch) and type II (fast twitch). Type I fibers are also classified as aerobic fibers due to their high oxidative abilities, which enable them to contract over a long period of time. Type II fibers are most often divided into two types IIa and IIb in the physiology literature. Type IIb fibers use energy-rich phosphates to contract to generate high force for short periods of time, without the use of oxygen, making them completely anaerobic. Type IIa fibers can acquire properties of type I and type IIb fibers, depending on the training stimulus applied (Baechle and Earle, 2008; Zatsiorsky and Kraemer, 2006).

The initial gains in strength from a resistance training program are primarily due to improvements in nerve function: external resistance creates a stimulus that increases the number of motor units activated and their rate of contraction. One of the long-term adaptations to resistance training is an increase in muscle fiber diameter. As the diameter increases in size, the larger surface area of ​​the fibers allows more force to be generated. Muscles in which the diameter of individual fibers is larger are capable of exerting greater strength. Despite the common misconception that lifting weights can lead to rapid increases in muscle size, it takes eight weeks or more, even with a well-designed program, for significant growth to occur.

According to the all-or-none principle, motor units can be active or inactive: however, when the stimulus to contract is sufficient, all fibers contract. Slow-twitch motor units have a low firing threshold and conduction velocity and are best suited for sustained activity requiring minimal effort because they contain type I fibers.

Fast-twitch motor units contain type II muscle fibers and have a high excitation threshold, and high speed conduction of signals and are better suited for the rapid production of force, since they can produce ATP quickly, without the participation of oxygen. Fast twitch fibers are also larger in diameter than type I fibers and play a more significant role in hypertrophy. Recruitment and innervation of type II muscle fibers requires high mechanical and metabolic loads to the point of failure of the involved muscles (Zatsiorsky and Kraemer, 2006).

Metabolic Stimuli

Motor units in muscles are recruited according to the principle of size, from small, type I initially, to large type II, capable of generating force to move large loads. When type II muscle fibers are recruited, glycogen stores are used to produce the ATP needed for contraction, leading to adaptations that can affect muscle size. When muscle cells are depleted of glycogen stores for energy, they adapt by storing more glycogen during the recovery phase. One gram of glycogen, when stored in muscle cells, holds up to 3 g of water. Performing high repetitions to the point of failure can not only cause acidosis, which stimulates hormone production, but also deplete glycogen stores, leading to increased muscle size after recovery (Schoenfeld, 2013).
According to David Sandler, Director of Education and Science at iSatori Nutrition and former coach By strength training at the University of Miami, mechanical loading likely plays a major role in stimulating muscle growth. “Weight lifting causes structural damage and breakdown of muscle proteins. After damage has occurred, the body releases proline-containing peptides as signals to the endocrine system to begin the repair process."

Endocrine Stimuli of Hypertrophy

The endocrine system produces hormones that control cell function. Mechanical and metabolic stress affecting muscle fibers affects the endocrine system, which increases the production of hormones responsible for the restoration of damaged muscle tissue and the formation of new cellular proteins. The hormones testosterone (T), growth hormone (GH), and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) are released as a result of resistance training and promote the synthesis of proteins responsible for muscle repair and growth (Schoenfeld, 2010; Vingren et al., 2010; Crewther et al., 2006). The level of protein utilization and subsequent muscle growth is associated with damage to muscle fibers that contract during training. Moderate to heavy weights lifted for high reps can generate high levels mechanical forces that increase damage to muscle proteins and signal the production of T, GH, and IGF-1 to remodel proteins and build new muscle tissue (Crewther et al., 2006).

Resistance training produces immediate and long-term adaptations in the endocrine system that are important for muscle growth. In the acute phase, immediately after exercise, the endocrine system will produce T, GH, and IGF-1 to promote repair of damaged tissue. Long-term adaptation involves an increase in the number of receptors and binding proteins that allow more efficient use of T, GH and IGF-1 for tissue repair and muscle growth (Schoenfeld, 2010; Baechle and Earle, 2008; Crewther et al., 2006). Schoenfeld (2010) noted that muscle damage resulting from mechanical tension and metabolic stress from high-intensity exercise is an effective stimulus for the release of hormones responsible for cell repair, and IGF-1 is probably the most important hormone in increasing muscle growth. It has not been determined which type of stress, mechanical or metabolic, affects the endocrine system more, however, research shows that organizing the intensity and volume of training towards lifting heavy weights with short rest periods may lead to increased production anabolic hormones, promoting muscle growth (Schoenfield, 2013; 2010; Wernbom, Augustsson and Thomee, 2007; Crewther et al., 2006).

Weight training for bigger muscles

It's not enough to just lift weights at high reps unless it causes muscle failure. The body is very efficient at storing and using energy, so repeating exercises at a constant load can limit the amount of mechanical and metabolic stress on the muscles and minimize training gains. To stimulate muscle growth, it is necessary to select training variables to produce a mechanical load on muscle tissue, as well as create a significant metabolic demand. Zatsiorsky and Kremer (2006) identified three specific types of resistance training: the maximal effort method, the dynamic effort method, and the repeated effort method (Table 1).

Table 1. Classification of strength training

Type of effort	Description	Intensity	Number of repetitions
Maximum effort (MU)	Using maximum weights to create mechanical overload	85–100% PM	1-6
Dynamic forces (DE)	Non-maximum weights lifted at the maximum available speed	40–60% RM – repeated efforts 80–100% RM – single efforts	4-8 for repeated efforts 1-2 for single efforts
Repeated efforts (RE)	Creating metabolic overload by performing repeated lifts of submaximal weights until failure	70–80% PM	8–12 (executed until failure occurs)

Attention: RM – repeated maximum. Source: Zatsiorsky and Kraemer, 2006.

Maximum Effort Method

Maximum effort (MET) strength training uses significant weights to increase the activity of high-threshold motor units containing type II fibers. MU training can improve both intramuscular coordination—an increase in simultaneously active motor units in a single muscle—and intermuscular coordination—the ability various muscles be activated 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. The MA method is effective for developing strength, but it is not the most effective means of increasing muscle mass.

Dynamic force method

When training with the dynamic force (DE) method, non-maximal weights are used, moved at the highest available speed to stimulate motor units. The remote control method activates the contractile elements of the muscles to create isometric force and tension in the connective tissues (fascia and elastic tissue) throughout the body. When the contractile elements of the muscles shorten, they deform the connective tissues, and then the energy of the elastic deformation is transferred during the reverse, explosive movement. The remote control method is most effective for increasing the rate of force development and contraction power required in many sports or dynamic activities. However, the DP method does not provide sufficient mechanical or metabolic stress to the contractile elements of the muscles that are needed for stimulation. muscle growth.

Repeated Effort Method

The repeated effort (RE) method in strength training involves the use of non-maximal loads performed before the onset of muscle failure(failure to complete the next repetition). Performance the last few reps of a set in a fatigued state stimulates all motor units, the PU method can involve all fibers in the target muscle into contraction and cause significant overload. The high reps performed at moderately heavy loads of the PU method stimulate hypertrophy by creating mechanical and metabolic overload and are often used by bodybuilders to increase lean muscle mass. When using the PU method, slow motor units are activated at the beginning of the approach, and as they fatigue, high-threshold type II motor units will be recruited to maintain the required force. Once activated, high-threshold motor units quickly fatigue, which leads to the end of the approach. Contractions of type II anaerobic fibers produce energy through anaerobic glycolysis, producing metabolic byproducts such as hydrogen ions and lactate, which alter the acidity of the blood. Research shows that acidosis, an increase in blood acidity caused by the accumulation of hydrogen ions and the production of lactate, is associated with an increase in GH and IGF-1 to promote tissue repair during the repair process (Schoenfeld, 2013; 2010).

It is important to note that if the load is insufficient or the set is not performed to failure, type II motor units are not stimulated or the necessary metabolic conditions are not created to promote muscle growth. The PU method provides three main advantages:

1) Greater effect on muscle metabolism, accompanied by greater hypertrophy.
2) A significant number of motor units are activated, resulting in increased strength.
3) There may be less risk of injury compared to the MU method.

Rest and recovery

Often the most overlooked variable in any exercise program is the recovery period after exercise. Regardless of the type of stress (mechanical or metabolic) that drives muscle growth, it is not as important as the time it takes for T, GH, and IGF-1 to promote muscle protein synthesis after exercise. Exercise is a physical stimulus applied to muscles and is only part of the muscle growth equation. Adequate recovery is necessary to provide muscles with sufficient time to replenish glycogen and undergo physiological processes of reconstruction and creation of new tissue. Most effective period for protein synthesis is the period of 12 – 24 hours after training. The frequency of training for a muscle group depends on the individual training goal, experience and level of training. The recovery required for muscle growth is 48 – 72 hours between training a particular muscle group.

The stimulation of mechanical and metabolic stress in the gym will promote muscle growth as long as T and GH are released during REM sleep, meaning that post-workout muscle gains require a full night's sleep. Inadequate sleep and recovery will not allow for optimal muscle protein synthesis and can lead to increased levels of energy-producing hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, which can reduce the ability to form new muscle tissue. Lack of sleep, poor appetite, long-term illness, and loss of growth as a result of exercise are all symptoms of overexertion that can significantly impact a person's ability to achieve their fitness goals (Beachle and Earle, 2008). “Underrecovery” is another reason to think about overexertion. “To promote muscle growth, you need time for rest (active rest) to allow for full recovery,” says Schoenfeld (2013). When working with clients looking to increase muscle mass, encourage them to get adequate sleep to ensure maximum results.

Development of a training program to gain muscle mass

The standard protocol for muscle hypertrophy involves performing 8 to 12 repetitions with enough intensity to induce failure by the last repetition. A short or medium-long rest between sets (30–120 s) allows you to create a significant metabolic demand. Performing 3–4 approaches per exercise provides effective mechanical tension to the muscles involved in contraction. The tempo of movement should include a relatively short concentric contraction phase (1 – 2 sec) and a longer (2 – 6 sec) eccentric phase to ensure sufficient mechanical tension. “From a hypertrophy perspective, eccentric contraction has a greater impact on muscle development. In particular, eccentric exercise has been associated with greater increases in protein synthesis” (Schoenfeld, 2010).

Complex, multi-joint movements with free weights such as barbells, dumbbells and kettlebells include a large number of different muscles and can have significant metabolic effects during exercise, especially in the rep range from 12 to 20. Adjustable machines that provide isolated or single-joint movements can target specific muscles precisely. Schoenfeld argues that each type of resistance plays a role in optimal muscle growth: “Free weights, which involve a large number of muscles, help increase muscle density, while the stabilization provided by machines allows for greater loading of individual muscles.” The exercise program below is based on the latest scientific research associated with increased muscle mass. The metabolic and mechanical demands of high volume training can cause severe muscle damage and are only recommended for clients with at least one year of experience lifting free weights. Clients need to start with a good dynamic warm-up, incorporating a variety of non-weight-bearing and core-specific movements to prepare muscle tissue for the stressful effects of high-volume training. Even if an activity targets one or two body parts, it is important to do a full-body warm-up, which can help increase caloric expenditure and help restore muscles worked in previous activities. It is preferable to start training with complex movements with free weights to engage the maximum number of muscles, and during the course of the lesson gradually move on to the use of simulators that affect individual muscles.

The last exercise in each workout should be performed on the machine using a weight reduction approach: after completing all repetitions of the set to failure, the weight is reduced and a possible number of repetitions are also performed with it until failure. Weight loss approaches can cause significant mechanical and metabolic stress, as well as significant discomfort, and should be performed at the end of the session.

Each client needs a program that meets his/her needs, but a similar method for the greatest increase in muscle mass. You will note that this program has limited cardio activity. According to Schoenfeld, "too high consumption energy may reduce muscle growth."

conclusions

The science behind muscle growth is compelling, but for many it simply provides a technical explanation for recommendations that have been passed down from one generation of bodybuilders to the next. One thing is for sure: muscle growth occurs as a result of progressively increasing training load; however, it is still unclear whether the increase is caused by mechanical or metabolic overload. Thus, determining which stimulus (mechanical or metabolic) is more suitable for a client who is interested in increasing muscle mass is a matter of trial and error. Some clients may be able to tolerate the discomfort of training to failure, which creates metabolic overload, while others may prefer to use significant weights for multiple repetitions to induce mechanical stress. Mechanical and metabolic stimulation promote muscle growth, but can also cause significant muscle damage. If a client wants to increase muscle mass, he must understand that colossal efforts are required to achieve the desire. This may be the only time when the phrase “no pain, no gain” is appropriate.

Day 1. Bottom part body

Exercise	Intensity (% RM)	Repetitions*	Rest	Approaches
Deadlift	70–80	8–12	30–60 seconds	3–5
Romanian deadlift	60–70	12–20	30–60 seconds	3–5
Bulgarian single leg squat	70–80	8–12	30–60 seconds	3–5
Shin extensions	60–80	Weight Loss Approach	No	1
Calf flexion	60–80	Weight Loss Approach	No	1

* Until failure

Day 2. Top part body, traction

* Until failure

Day 3. Upper body, presses

* Until failure

Attention: RM – repeated maximum

Day 4. Rest or low-intensity cardio exercise

Anyone who wants to build muscle mass is concerned with the question, how do muscles grow? Why do some look like “bulls”, others like “skinny deer”, although the only one working hard in the gym? To influence the process of muscle growth, you need to know physiology and properly organize training and rest.

A little physiology

Muscles are made up of slow-twitch and fast-twitch fibers. Muscles grow not while training occurs, but after it. During training, muscles are injured, strained and partially torn. After classes, a recovery process occurs. It is during the recovery process that muscle growth is observed. Healthy cells replace destroyed ones, and in increased numbers.

During training in the gym, a person trains skeletal muscles, consisting of myofibrils and sarcomeres. Together they form muscle fiber. A person has 650 skeletal muscles. They contract when a command is received from the motor neurons. Through nerve impulses, motor neurons “tell” the muscles that they need to contract. The better this connection is established, the more active the muscle fibers contract.

Interesting! A person’s physical power does not depend on the volume and mass of muscles, but on the body’s ability to stimulate motor neurons and better compress muscle fibers.

Operating principle

During active exercise, the number of nerve impulses that cause muscle contraction increases. Thus, the muscle tissue becomes harder, although it does not necessarily change in size in the early stages. It takes months of training for cells to grow.




Stimulation and recovery are two inextricably linked mechanisms that ensure muscle growth. During training in the gym there is stimulation. This is muscle compression and tension. When compressed, a microscopic rupture of muscle fibers necessarily occurs. Increasing the load each time, these microtraumas become constant companions of classes.

And after the impact on the muscles, rest is necessary. This is restoration. During the period that the cells are restored, new cells grow, and, consequently, the muscles themselves grow.

What is muscle fiber hypertrophy?

As a result of regular physical activity, a gradual increase in muscle mass is observed. This is what they call it. An increase in muscle volume requires special conditions and occurs if a person regularly increases the load, crossing the barrier to which the body has already managed to adapt.

Eat different types hypertrophy:

Testosterone production stimulants help create hypertrophy. But they will be useless without special nutrition, training, etc. But there is no harm from these stimulants, unlike anabolic steroids.

Interesting! All the muscles of the body, especially the chest and abs, look much more beautiful with sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, which bodybuilders achieve. But athletes of other disciplines grinningly call this “empty muscles” because they have no strength.

In order for muscles to grow, it is necessary to increase the number of myofibrils in muscle fibers. Muscle growth is impossible without special effects that affect the formation of myofibrils. Amino acids, in turn, are obtained from proteins of animal origin. It is a building material for muscles. This means that the first condition for their growth is a diet rich in proteins. Proteins are what makes muscles grow.

This doesn't mean you need to eat more than usual or increase your calories. You need to eat in the same usual amount. The ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates should be optimal: 30\10\60.

The rate of muscle growth is largely determined genetically. However, it is possible to interfere with nature. Factors that influence muscle growth potential include:

• thickness of transverse muscle fibers;
• fiber type (slow or fast twitch);
• number of muscle fibers;
• the amount of fluid that is in the muscles;
• the amount of sarcoplasm present;
• the number of blood vessels in the muscles.

You cannot influence what a person is already born with. But it is quite possible to correct the potential inherent in nature. In this case, you need to take into account the type of body structure.

There are such types as:

• (short limbs and wide body);
• (body parameters are relatively harmonious);
• (thin people with problems building muscle).

Selected for each body type individual nutrition and training.

Rest time between workouts and its role

Merely eating meat and other proteins is not enough without a proper exercise and relaxation routine. Periods of work and rest should be alternated correctly. Training is the determining factor for muscle growth and hypertrophy. When the body feels that it lacks the physical potential to complete a given task, it resorts to hypertrophy.




Training solves several problems at once - not only promotes the growth of muscle tissue, but also helps to grow up if a person is not yet 25 years old. A person can grow 5-6 centimeters in a year. And training also helps launch the mechanism for the formation of amino acids - important components of proteins.

Without going into complex medical terms, you just need to understand that after training it is extremely important to get proper rest . And even during the workout itself, you need to take 3-5 minute breaks. The optimal pause between active training is a day. And even better - 48 hours. That is, you need to study in a day or two.

Note! Of course, you need to follow expert advice, but you shouldn’t ignore your own feelings: the body itself will tell you when to add rest and when to add exercise.

The fact is that for muscle growth the body needs to overcome physical fatigue. If there is not enough recovery time between workouts, fatigue will accumulate and muscle growth will stop. The body will spend energy on maintaining vital functions, and not on increasing muscle volume.

Important! Muscles grow when the rate of recovery exceeds the rate of muscle protein breakdown.

The effect of muscle tension on muscle growth

Muscle tension is one of the factors for muscle growth. Therefore, weight lifting is often used in classes. When muscles tense, chemical processes in muscle tissue are activated, affecting cell growth. In order for muscles to increase in volume, it is necessary to give the body such a load to which it has not yet had time to get used.

Interesting! Painful sensations after exercise almost completely disappear after a year of training. The pain dulls over time, the person no longer feels it.

The role of hormones in the process

Do muscles grow due to additional hormone production? Certainly. During training, testosterone levels increase, and it stimulates the response to growth hormone. This process begins at the moment when a person is unable to lift a projectile or do push-ups. This is called muscle failure. This condition causes a shock to the body, which is why an additional portion of hormones is produced.

Athletes additionally take artificial hormones to speed up results. But according to many doctors, it is better not to get carried away with this. In order for growth hormones to reach the muscles and not be destroyed by the liver, hydrogen ions are needed. Hydrogen ions should be no more and no less than necessary. With a deficiency or excess, muscle growth will be inhibited. Hormonal balance is maintained by the correct regime of exercise and rest.

The role of amino acids

Amino acids are part of protein compounds, and without them muscle growth cannot be achieved. There are 22 types of amino acids in the body. Our body produces 4 of them itself, and another 8 come to us with food.

To the list of essential amino acids you can add:

• – protects muscles from destruction;
• – increases muscle endurance and promotes their rapid recovery after microtrauma;
• – affects the speed of muscle tissue construction;
• – an important amino acid for muscle growth and the synthesis of creatine and adrenaline.

Majority essential amino acids found in plant and animal products, namely in proteins.

Necessary conditions for muscle growth

In order for the body to acquire the long-awaited forms, the following conditions must be created:

1. Repetition basic movements, such as , .
2. It is recommended to eat frequently – at least 6 times.
3. The diet should consist mainly of proteins. You also need minerals, mineral water.
4. You need to sleep enough. It is during sleep that the muscles completely relax, and this is important for their growth.

Another important point- This is the connection between muscle growth and the central nervous system. To start the process of muscle growth, you need to influence the central nervous system with firm beliefs, self-hypnosis, and a great desire to achieve your goal.

And also create stressful conditions for the central nervous system in the form of additional load during training, increasing time for exercise, changing the training schedule.

We have translated several important knowledge from scientific language into human language that will help you grow muscles as efficiently as possible.

We believe that almost everyone who reads fitness texts understands that exercise can increase both strength and muscle size. However, there is a clear difference between strength training and training aimed specifically at increasing muscle size.

How muscles grow

Weight training itself does not cause muscle growth. But the load received during training causes fatigue and stimulates physiological mechanisms, which, mainly during rest, cause the muscles to increase. Growth occurs as a result of an increase in the thickness of muscle fibers and the volume of fluid in muscle cells. The ability to gain muscle mass depends on gender, age, weight training experience, genetics, quantity and quality of sleep, nutrition and fluid intake, and even stress levels can affect the ability to gain mass. For example, work overload or insufficient sleep can significantly reduce muscle growth, despite proper training

and nutrition.

Mechanical and metabolic stress

There is no doubt that if you regularly and correctly lift iron, this leads to an increase in muscle volume and strength, however, scientists still have not decided what exactly causes muscle growth.

The challenge for research is that both mechanical and metabolic stress act in tandem, and isolating the effects of each separately on muscle growth is not easy.

“Slow” and “fast” muscle fibers

To design an exercise program to maximize muscle growth, you need to understand physiology.

There are two main types of muscle fibers: slow-twitch and fast-twitch. Fast-twitch fibers are larger in diameter than slow-twitch fibers and, accordingly, occupy a more prominent place in your muscles.

“Slow” fibers are also classified as aerobic, due to their high oxidative abilities, which enable them to contract for a long time. They are best suited for long-term activities that require minimal effort (such as long-distance running).

Fast-twitch muscle fibers have a high excitation threshold as well as a high conduction velocity and are better suited for fast efforts (which is why runners short distances look like athletes compared to stayers). In other words, these are the fibers you need to successfully jerk a heavy barbell.

Repeated effort method. If you want to grow, do sets to failure

It's not enough to just lift weights at high reps unless it causes muscle failure. The body stores and uses energy very efficiently, so repeating exercises with a constant load can limit the amount of mechanical (roughly speaking, they will tear badly) and metabolic stress (little growth hormones will be released) on the muscles and minimize the results of the workout.

Simply put, to maximize muscle growth, it is advisable to do exercises until muscle failure (I can’t do it anymore!)

3 types of training

Scientists Zatsiorsky and Kremer in 2006 identified three fundamental types of training: the maximum effort method, the dynamic effort method and the repeated effort method. The first two methods are good for their purposes, but are not the most effective for muscle growth.

1. Maximum effort method

This method uses significant weights to increase the activity of “fast” muscle fibers (which we wrote about in more detail above). Roughly speaking, the maximum effort method is associated with lifting the maximum possible weight (and therefore a small number of repetitions per set).

The main stimulus from the maximum effort method is mechanical (aimed at creating micro-tears in the muscles), myofibrillar hypertrophy with a significant increase in strength and a moderate increase in muscle mass.

The maximal effort method is effective for developing strength, but it is not the most effective means of increasing muscle mass.

2. Dynamic force method

When training using the dynamic effort method, no Weight Limit, where the emphasis is on moving the weight as fast as possible to stimulate the motor units.

This method is most effective for increasing the rate of force development and contractile power required in many sports or dynamic activities. However, it does not provide enough mechanical or metabolic stress to the muscles needed to stimulate growth.

3. Repeated Effort Method

The repeated effort method does not involve maximum loads, but the need to do exercises until muscle failure occurs (when it is no longer possible to perform any further repetitions in the set).

The last few repetitions, which have to be done through the burn, can involve all the fibers in the target muscle into contraction and cause significant overload. When using the repeated effort method, slow motor units are activated at the beginning of the approach, and as they tire, the “fast” muscles will also be activated.

The repeated effort method of performing an exercise to failure is most effective for muscle growth, says science. It is important to work until failure. If the load is insufficient or the approach is not performed to failure, stimulation of the “fast” motor units (as you read above, they are the ones that mainly give volume to the muscles) does not occur or the necessary metabolic conditions that promote muscle growth are not created.

Sleep and recovery are just as important as training and nutrition itself.

Rest is the most underrated element of training. No matter how long you endured the pain of those last reps or how diligently you sourced protein and calories from your diet, it is not as important as the time it takes for nutrients and hormones to promote muscle protein synthesis after exercise.

Exercise and food are an important part of the muscle growth equation, but they're not the whole story. Adequate recovery is very important - it is necessary to give the muscles enough time to replenish glycogen reserves and undergo the processes of reconstruction and creation of new muscle tissue.

The recovery required for muscle growth is 48–72 hours between training sessions for a particular muscle group. This scientific argument, by the way, speaks in favor of split training - when each muscle group receives the main load, for example, once a week.

Inducing mechanical and metabolic stress during your gym training will only make sense while the hormones and substances necessary for muscle growth are released during REM sleep. This means that a full night’s sleep is important for muscle growth after training. Inadequate sleep and recovery will ruin your efforts in the gym and at the dinner table. Moreover, lack of sleep can increase adrenaline and cortisol levels, which can also reduce the ability to form new muscle tissue.

Lack of sleep, poor appetite, long-term illnesses, and loss of growth as a result of exercise are all symptoms of overexertion that can significantly impact a person's ability to achieve their fitness goals.

“Underrecovery” is another reason to think about overexertion. “To promote muscle growth, you need time for rest (active rest) to allow for full recovery,” says Schoenfeld (2013).

Training program for gaining muscle mass

Number of repetitions

Science suggests that for maximum muscle growth, select the weight so that you do 8-12 repetitions until muscle failure - it’s good that almost every trainer in the gym seems to know this simple fact. True, now, unlike you, not everyone knows why exactly.

Amount of rest between sets

Short to moderate rests between sets (30 seconds to 2 minutes) can cause significant metabolic stress.

Number of approaches in each exercise

According to scientists, performing 3-4 approaches provides the most effective mechanical tension for all muscles involved.

Travel speed

Scientists recommend performing movements with maximum effort faster - 1-2 seconds (for example, lifting a barbell), and the eccentric phase of the exercise (for example, lowering a barbell) for a longer period (2-6 seconds). Slower execution of the eccentric phase is necessary to ensure sufficient mechanical tension - it is this “easier” phase of movement that is most important for muscle growth. “From a hypertrophy perspective, eccentric contraction has a greater impact on muscle development. In particular, eccentric exercise has been associated with greater increases in protein synthesis” (Schoenfeld, 2010).

Free weights or machines

Scientist Schoenfeld argues that each type of resistance plays a role in optimal muscle growth: "Free weights, which involve a large number of muscles, help increase muscle density, while the stabilization provided by machines allows for greater loading of individual muscles."

Preparing for serious training

When training for muscle growth with a large metabolic and mechanical effect, it can cause serious muscle damage and is recommended for people with at least one year of training experience.

It is necessary to start with a dynamic warm-up, loading the core muscles (abs, stabilizer muscles and others) to prepare the muscle tissue for the stress of high-volume training.

Exercise order

It is preferable to start training with complex movements with free weights to engage the maximum number of muscles (for example, squats with a barbell, deadlifts are best done at the beginning of training), and during the course of the session gradually move on to machines that affect individual muscles.

Extreme exercise

The last exercise in each workout must be performed in a weight-loss machine: after all repetitions of the approach to failure, the weight is reduced and the maximum possible number of repetitions must be done with it until failure.

Weight loss approaches can cause significant mechanical and metabolic stress, as well as significant discomfort, and should be performed at the end of the session.

It is important to dose the load that is necessary for you, because “overload” can be no less harmful to muscle growth than “underload”. For example, in the program recommended by scientists for muscle growth (see below), cardio load is limited. According to Schoenfeld, "too much energy expenditure can reduce muscle growth."

The exercise program presented below is based on the latest scientific research related to increasing muscle mass.

Attention: RM – repeated maximum

Day 4. Rest or low-intensity cardio exercise

How muscles grow after training - a scientific approach. Learn how to gain muscle mass and recover properly between strength training sessions.

Skeletal muscles are composed of filamentous myofibrils and sarcomeres that form muscle fibers. 650 skeletal muscles human body contract, receiving a signal from motor neurons triggered by a part of the muscle cell called the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Motor neurons tell your muscles to contract.

The better you are at contracting your muscles, the stronger you become.

Powerlifters can lift enormous weights without looking overly muscular. This is due to their ability to activate these motor neurons and contract muscles better. Therefore, many powerlifters are smaller than bodybuilders, and can lift much more weight.

Maximum strength gains occur at the very beginning of your strength training. Further muscle development occurs gradually, since you have already learned how to activate them.

The physiological side of gaining muscle mass

After exercise, your body repairs old damaged muscle fibers or forms new protein compounds (myofibrils). The restored myofibrils increase in thickness and number, creating muscle hypertrophy (growth).Muscle growth is associated with the predominance of protein synthesis over its breakdown and occurs not during training, but during rest.

There are also satellite cells that act as stem cells for your muscles. When activated, they help nucleoids enter muscle cells. And this already leads to the growth of myofibrils.

The ability to activate satellite cells is a key factor that distinguishes genetic uniqueness from hard gainers (i.e. people who are not predisposed to gaining muscle mass).

The most interesting discovery over the past 5 years has been that in people whose muscles respond well to exercise, the level of myofibril hypertrophy reaches 58% with activation of satellite cells by 23%. As the number of activated cells decreases, hypertrophy also decreases. If a person’s muscles do not respond to the load, there is not only no myofibrillar hypertrophy, but also activation of satellites (0%). And so it turns out that the more you engage your satellite cells, the more you will grow. The question arises: how to activate satellite cells for muscle growth?

3 types of stimulation that make muscles grow

Natural training is based on constantly increasing stress on the muscles. This stress is an important component of their growth. It maintains homeostasis in your body. It is stress, together with maintaining homeostasis, that is the basis of the three main conditions for gaining muscle mass.

1. Muscle tension

To grow, you need to give your muscles more stress than what they have adapted to. How to do it? The main thing is to constantly increase working weights. Muscle tension creates changes in the chemical processes within the muscle, which creates preconditions for growth such as the activation of mTOR (an intracellular protein that is a signaling element that regulates the development and hypertrophy of muscle fibers) and satellite cells.Two other factors explain how some people manage to be stronger but smaller than others.

2. Muscle damage

If you've ever felt muscle pain after a workout, this is an indicator of localized muscle damage from exertion. It is local damage that activates satellite cells. This does not mean, of course, that you must feel pain to do this. But there should still be muscle damage. The pain usually goes away over time due to other processes.

3. Metabolic stress

If you've ever felt a pump (blood flowing into a working muscle) during a workout, it was an effect of metabolic stress. Bodybuilders believe that it is the pump that makes muscles grow. Scientists partly agree with this.

Metabolic stress allows muscles to grow, although the muscle cells themselves do not necessarily become larger. This happens due to the entry of glycogen into the muscles, which helps them increase due to the growth of connective tissue. This process is called sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, with which you can look larger without increasing strength.

How hormones affect muscle growth

Hormones are the next element responsible for muscle growth and recovery and have great importance in the regulation of satellite cell activity. Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), mechanical growth factor (MGF) and testosterone are the most important hormones directly related to muscle gain.

The goal of many athletes when working out in the gym is . Everyone knows that it increases protein synthesis and reduces protein breakdown, activates satellite cells and stimulates the production of other anabolic hormones. Despite the fact that we cannot use up the overwhelming (up to 98%) part of the testosterone secreted by the body, strength training not only stimulates its production, but also makes the receptors of our muscle cells more sensitive to free testosterone. It can also increase the production of growth hormone by increasing the amount of neurotransmitters in damaged fibers.

Insulin-like growth factor regulates muscle mass by increasing protein synthesis, improving the absorption of glucose and amino acids (protein components) skeletal muscles, and also activates satellite cells for greater muscle growth.

Why do muscles need rest?

If you do not give your body enough rest and nutrition, you can stop the anabolic processes in the body and trigger catabolic (destructive) ones.

The increase in protein synthesis after exercise lasts for 24-48 hours, so all the food eaten during this time will go towards muscle hypertrophy.

Remember that your limit is set by your gender, age and genetics. For example, men have more testosterone than women, so their muscles will certainly be stronger and larger.

Why doesn't muscle growth occur quickly?

Muscle hypertrophy takes time. For most people this is a fairly lengthy process. People don't see significant changes in weeks and months because fundamental changes are only possible through the nervous system's intervention in activating your muscles.

In addition, different people have different genetics, hormone production, the type of muscle fibers and their number, and the ability to activate satellite cells. All of this can slow down muscle growth.

To make sure you're doing your best For , Protein synthesis must constantly prevail over its breakdown.

To do this, it is necessary to consume a sufficient amount of protein (especially essential amino acids) and carbohydrates - then the cells will be able to recover. Visually noticeable muscle growth and changes in form will greatly motivate you. But for this it is important to understand the scientific side of the issue.

How muscles grow: conclusion

In order to pump up muscles, you need to create stress to which the body has not yet adapted. This can be achieved by lifting more weight and varying the exercises, so you will injure more muscle fibers and stress the muscles during the pump. At the end of your workout, the most important thing is to get enough rest and fuel for muscle recovery and growth.