The Science Of Muscle Growth

The Science of Muscle Growth Muscle growth, also referred to as hypertrophy, is the development of mass, shape, function, and density of muscle cells. This adaptation is what allows your muscles to handle exercise-induced distress. Muscles are made up of many fibers: cylindrical bundles of filaments called sarcomeres. They are the fundamental units behind muscular contractions and are made up of actin and myosin. These proteins comprise approximately 20% of your muscles. The other 80% are made up of water, phosphates, and minerals. When you break it down physiologically, each cell of muscle fiber is supported by other groups of cells. These wrapped bundles of cells wrap on top of one another, with fibers in between and blood vessels surrounding each one. The epimysium grows in between these groups of fibers and around the entire muscular structure and is what becomes fused with the tendon. This is either the fixed attachment or the movable attachment depending upon its origin. Furthermore, it connects muscles to the bones. Now that you understand the basics, when you perform resistance training regularly you might notice that your muscles grow. This growth is because of an increase in water, an increase of the cellular bundles, and an increase in connective tissue. Scientists divide hypertrophy into two different types. The first type is sarcoplasmic hypertrophy which increases your muscle size by increasing the volume of fluid inside of your muscle cells. Myofibrillar hypertrophy is sometimes referred to as functional hypertrophy and it increases the size of a muscle by adding some amount of protein. Different people within the fitness industry argue that bodybuilders demonstrate that first type of muscular development, or sarcoplasmic hypertrophy where muscles look really puffy. Weightlifters like to show off the functional hypertrophy whereby the muscles look tight and dense. Even though growth can take place in all of the muscle fiber types, the different types of muscle fibers vary in terms of how much they can grow. Fast twitch fibers will grow more than slow twitch fibers if you practice intense strength training. This is part of the reason why athletes like sprinters are bigger and more muscular compared to endurance athletes; it is also why heavier loads tend to stimulate increased muscle growth compared to light loads. Muscular growth is influenced not only by the type of exercise you do but nutritional intake and hormonal status, which will influence how your body allocates the nutrients you eat. If you are sedentary, stressed out, and malnourished, your body probably won't put on muscle no matter how much you try or what you eat. If you train hard, eat a lot, and you make sure to get enough recovery time, your body will put on muscle.