To truly optimise your time in the gym, however, it's worth needling in on the training protocols behind hypertrophy.

Lift progressively heavier weights, eat a calorie surplus, get adequate rest, and your body will build larger, stronger muscles to cope with the ever-increasing loads. On paper, the principle is straightforward. The return the starting position would be eccentric.Hypertrophy you hear the term bandied about constantly on Instagram, and it's likely the reason you started lifting weights in the first place, but what does it actually mean? The scientific term for 'building muscle', hypertrophy simply describes the process of tissue stimulation and repair. One example of a concentric movement is raising the weight during a bicep curl to your shoulder. Researchers found exercises that involve shortening (concentric) movements at fast-to-moderate speeds for 1-3 seconds and elongating (eccentric) at slower speeds (2-4 seconds) to be highly effective. One study from 2010 found that for maximum gains, there needs to be significant metabolic stress on the muscles, plus a moderate degree of muscle tension. You don’t necessarily need to work your muscles to the point of what’s called “failure” - meaning you’re unable to follow through a repetition to get the results you want. This can also lead to muscle gain.īoth mechanical damage and metabolic fatigue are important for achieving muscular hypertrophy. They aren’t able to continue fueling muscular contractions or can no longer lift the weight properly.

Mechanical fatigue occurs when the muscle fibers exhaust the available supply of ATP, an energy component that helps your muscles contract. The damaged fibers in muscle proteins result in an increase in muscle size. Mechanical damage to muscle proteins stimulates a repair response in the body. In turn, this can result in structural damage to the muscles. When you lift a heavy weight, the contractile proteins in the muscles must generate force to overturn the resistance provided by the weight. To build muscle through weight lifting, you need to have both mechanical damage and metabolic fatigue. How to build muscle and increase muscle size

Science of bodybuilding