HOW TO BUILD MORE MUSCLE?

Suman Shrestha (Mr.Dharan,2064,Mr.Koshi,2065)

There are 2 ways known to man in which the quantum of muscle can increase in humans…HYPERTROPHY & HYPERPLASIA…the former relates to an increase in the size of existing muscle cells & the latter relates to cell splitting & division through which there is an increase in the number of muscle cel...ls.

Hypertrophy is proven but the jury is still out on whether Hyperplasia through exercise takes place or not…Hyperplasia is generally seen during the growth phase of human beings due to the action of anabolic hormones like Insulin like Growth factor -1 (IGF-1). Hence as fitness professionals we are not concerned with HYPERPLASIA.

The method we employ through resistance training to increase muscle tissue in the body deals with HYPERTROPHY.

So we need to understand the process of Hypertrophy in order to be successful in our endeavour to increase in muscle in the body.The method involves a 3-pronged attack…

First & foremost we deploy a load on our muscles through, resistance training (Preferably Weight training). This means that we lift weights to challenge the muscles beyond what they are usually capable of doing. This is done by taking a set of weight training to failure (You keep repping out with weights in selected exercises for various body parts till you cannot do even one more repetition…We try & lift weights that do not allow more than 6 to 10 reps before hitting failure.) This challenge causes the muscle to wear & tear further causing micro trauma at the cellular level. This micro trauma is not acceptable to the body & the body perceives a need to strengthen itself as a protective measure against further damage in face of a similar challenge. In other words the Body is given a need to strengthen itself to adapt to the level of stress caused by exercise. Now the same amount of weights & reps that caused damage at the cellular level giving the body a need to get stronger are no longer challenging enough after hypertrophy has taken place…thus if further progress is desired then the overload has to progressively increase to initiate hypertrophy again. This is called Progressive overload (PO). Suffice to say that without this micro trauma given to the body through progressive overload (PO), the human body would have no need to strengthen itself.

After the onslaught of training the body immediately initiates the process of repair work…this repair work doesn’t just end at bringing the muscle cell back to its original self but goes through super compensation & makes it bigger & stronger than it was…in other words Muscular Hypertrophy takes place…

For the above process to take place… the second part of the 3-pronged attack needs to be in place & that is nutrition (N). Without the muscle building macro nutrient protein not there in sufficient quantity, exercise can only remain a stimulus for hypertrophy, but will never yield more muscle as the raw material (Protein), needed for that construction & repair is not there in the right quantum.

The third part is Rest & Recovery (R). After inflicting the growth producing damage stimuli through intense weight training & giving sufficient raw material (Protein) to build, if you end up working out again sooner than required, you will end up increasing the breakdown rate way beyond the rate at which the body can rebuild & super compensate. This again will result in zero growth.

In a nutshell,

You should train the muscle with sufficient intensity to cause damage (PO). Only then will it signal a need in the body to get stronger, which will initiate a process of repair & growth.

This will happen only if the body is given the right nutrition - adequate protein (N) & sufficient time to rest in between workouts through correct scheduling (R)

This will result in super compensation yielding a bigger muscle cell than before – Hypertrophy.

So in conclusion, if I were to give you a formula for muscular growth…it would be this:

PO + N + R = HYPERTROPHY

PO, N & R are the 3 legs of the tripod on which Hypertrophy stands. Each leg is as important as the other. Any one of these legs are shortened & Hypertrophy will fall flat on its face.