How fast is muscle growth. How muscles grow after training - a scientific approach

Naturally with proper training And proper nutrition muscles grow 10 kg in the first year, 5 kg in the second year and 2 kg in friction year.

How many days does a muscle grow?

Workouts are easy and hard, short and long. from the lungs and short workouts muscles grow in 12 hours, from heavy and long to 10 days.

How to eat to grow muscles?

The main rule of nutrition for muscle growth is to eat until you are full. And it is better to do it according to the regime. If your appetite is suppressed by adverse environmental factors, such as partying, then the perception of satiety is greatly distorted and you are imperceptibly eating less than you need for muscle growth.

When do muscles start growing?

Muscles begin to grow immediately after training, if you give the body water, food and rest.

Do muscles grow during exercise?

Swelling of muscles during training is their filling with blood. After training, this blood leaves the muscles and the muscles become smaller, because they have depleted the food reserves that were stored inside the muscle cells. That is why for urgent muscle recovery, the body needs to be nourished with water, food and rest.

Do muscles grow in sleep?

The main muscle growth occurs during sleep, when the body restarts all its systems and carries out reforms in all organs and tissues.

Do muscles grow during the day?

Muscles grow during the day, if you have eaten well and are in a light nap, nothing and no one bothers you. While you are aroused and under work stress in the office or at home, the muscles continue to wilt.

How to understand that muscles are growing?

If you wake up in the morning with pleasant cash in the muscles that you have trained, then they are growing.


If muscles hurt, does it mean they are growing?

Pain is the highest form of pleasant muscle cash after a workout. This kind of happiness becomes more and more difficult to achieve with time and experience.

Do muscles grow if they don't hurt?

With proper training, the muscles should not hurt. Muscles ache from rare workouts, which are carried out according to the "cavalry charge" method. best growth muscles are achieved by people who train without long breaks and slowly increase the load.

Muscles grow in a week

For a week, muscles grow from 50 to 200 grams, depending on the length of training. It is impossible to track such growth in domestic conditions using a centimeter tape.

Muscles have stopped growing!

Unfortunately, slow muscle growth or its absence can only be observed in the 3-month period. Every 3 months you need to take measurements and watch how the body circumference changes.

In the first three months, you can increase 3. This is approximately 1-2 cm in the circumference of the biceps. This is a noticeable and good muscle gain.


Does protein build muscle?

Protein aids muscle growth if it is part of a well thought out protein intake plan. By itself, protein intake can be useless if not coordinated with a nutrition and training plan.

What to drink to grow muscles?

To build muscle, you need to eat food and drink water. And it is better to do it in a timely manner and in the right amount, according to body weight, volume and intensity of training.

How much protein do you need to build muscle?

Usually, two grams of protein per kilogram of dry weight is enough. If an athlete has 80 kilograms of dry mass, then 160 grams of protein is enough. However, don't confuse the scale reading with your lean body mass.

Muscles grow, but fat does not go away

So that fat does not grow, you need to limit its consumption in the diet. Usually it is 70-90 grams. But many people in the pursuit of mass consume up to 300 grams of fat, so they gain fat. Check your dietary fat intake.


How to exercise to grow muscles?

For muscle growth, you need to spend on training 3 hours a week in the first year, 4 in the second, and 5 in the third. For a conditional training hour, you need to do at least 25 approaches with an intensity of at least 50 percent.

Muscles grow at home?

Muscles grow in any conditions: at home, on the street or in the gym. It doesn't matter where, but what you do.

Does push-ups build muscle?

If you have reached the lactate threshold, then the muscles will respond with growth. It’s easy to step over the lactate threshold with push-ups, which means that muscles grow from push-ups.

Do muscles grow from running?

Running promotes muscle growth when it comes in addition to strength training. Running improves muscle trophism and promotes muscle hypertrophy, that is, growth.

Until what age do muscles grow?

Muscles grow while you have a normal endocrine system and normal production of anabolic hormones, an important of which is testosterone. If you are still tormented by an erection in the morning, then your muscles will grow from strength training.

Many men, even at the age of 70, prove that everything is in order with the endocrine system.



Why do muscles grow fast?

If a person's muscles grow unnaturally fast - not from year to year, but from week to week. If 10 kilograms stuck to the body in a few weeks, then the person began to take anabolic stimulants muscle growth.

How long does it take for muscles to grow?

The most noticeable muscle growth occurs in the first three years, and then muscle growth goes very imperceptibly and slowly until it stops completely. Usually this stop occurs after 7 years. Natural bodybuilder grows 7 years.

Muscles grow unevenly

This usually comes from uneven training scheduling. different muscles. For example, if you do 30 sets of push-ups and 15 sets of pull-ups in a week, then your chest will grow faster than your lats. The imbalance in the volume and intensity of training is the main reason for the uneven development of your favorite and unloved muscles.

Mister universe 1998 according to the Russian version in the village of Odintsovo

Let's be friends

Very often from people involved in gyms, you can hear such a question: “Why do I swing, but my muscles do not grow?” And this can apply to any muscle groups - biceps, abs, calves, glutes, etc. There may be several reasons for this, but they are all suitable for any type of muscle. So, let's find out why it may not increase. Let's consider both genetic and other reasons.

Genetic Causes

Why don't muscles grow? Perhaps it's a matter of genetics. As you know, muscles are made up of different types of fibers. Conventionally, they can be divided into two types - oxidative and glycolytic. The latter are most prone to expansion. They are capable of increasing twice or more. Therefore, for people whose muscles are dominated by glycolytic fibers, there is no difficulty in pumping up a muscular body.

But if you have more oxidative fibers, then there will be problems with the set. That's why muscles grow slowly. The fact is that oxidative fibers are much thinner, and their ability to increase is negligible. The mechanism for gaining muscle mass involves the regeneration of small damage that the fibers receive during training, but oxidative structures are very resistant to mechanical injury, which further worsens the situation.

Signs that you have a predominance of oxidative fibers are:

  • muscles are pumped unevenly, despite the same load;
  • increased endurance during exercise;
  • mild krepatura (muscle pain that occurs a few hours after training) with serious exertion.

How to deal with it?

So, if the answer to the question "why do not grow calf muscles or any other "became the presence in your muscle tissue a large number of oxidative fibers, there are two solutions to this problem.

The first advice is based on the fact that muscle fibers cannot change. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the number of repetitions of exercises to 14-20 (or higher). This is due to the fact that any training should be aimed at the dominant group of fibers. And the energy exchange processes of oxidative muscles are based on aerobic glycolysis, which is possible only at high loads.

The second advice is based on the hypothesis that muscle fibers can change. And if you continue training designed for glycolytic muscles (5-10 repetitions), then gradually oxidative fibers are transformed. Thus, you need to train with an average rep range, working with a lot of weight.

Both options are applied in practice and work - it all depends on the individual characteristics of the organism.

carbohydrate metabolism

Another reason why muscles do not grow is increased carbohydrate metabolism. Carbohydrate metabolism refers to the conversion of carbohydrates into energy. In muscle tissue, these substances are represented by glycogens, which are the energy for its normal functioning. The rate of such an exchange is individual and genetically determined.

On average, glycogen stores are consumed in muscles per hour. If the metabolism is increased, then the energy can end in 30-40 minutes. And then, to support the work, the body will begin to process into glycogen adipose tissue, glucose from the blood, or the muscles themselves.

And if you still do not know why the muscles of the buttocks do not grow, then you may not have enough calories consumed for long sessions. How more intense workout, the more energy will be consumed. And performing exercises in the absence of accumulated glycogen does not contribute to an increase in muscle mass.

However, you should not confuse increased carbohydrate metabolism with fat metabolism - these are completely different processes. Intensive fat metabolism practically does not affect the growth of muscle mass, but it allows you to quickly lose extra pounds.

Main signs:

  • the occurrence of krepatura with minor loads;
  • ectomorphic (lanky, thin person who has practically no fat layer and poorly developed muscles).

How to fix it?

Why don't arm muscles grow in people with a similar problem? The fact is that their body is simply not able to accumulate enough energy. Therefore, for the effectiveness of training, they should be reduced to 30-40 minutes. The number of approaches per muscle group should not exceed 3 times. It is also necessary to increase the respite between sets and not to exercise at the limit. It is necessary to refuse from training in the morning - at this time the highest carbohydrate metabolism is observed.

motor unit

Why don't muscles grow after training? The reason may be as follows. There is a so-called motor (motor) unit, indicating the number muscle fibers, which are activated during loads, since not all of them are active during operation. This unit depends on the intensity of the exercises: the lower it is, the more inert the fibers, and the higher, the more of them are included in the process. However, even at maximum loads, it will not be possible to use all of them.

(DE) can be strong, moderate or weak. Accordingly, the greater the number of fibers working, the higher the rate. MU is a genetic trait that depends on the degree of interaction between the central nervous system and muscles. And if you still don't understand why don't grow pectoral muscles, then there is a high probability that the whole thing is in a low MU. The main sign that this is the reason for your problem is low strength indicators even during long and serious workouts.

Troubleshooting

So, we found out why muscles do not grow from training. Now let's see how to fix it.

For people with a low motor unit, small workouts are recommended: the minimum number of sets and exercises per muscle group. But at the same time, classes should be frequent - I will put 2-3 workouts on each muscle group. It will be helpful to take frequent breaks. For example, 5 weeks of classes, then a week of rest, again 5 weeks and rest, etc.

Number of muscle fibers

Why don't muscles grow well? From the school biology course, we know that they are made up of fibers. And the more of them, the larger the muscle itself. And since the number of these fibers is an individual indicator and does not depend on whether a person goes in for sports, it is not surprising that some of them manage to increase muscle mass faster than others.

Indeed, there are people of athletic build who may not go in for sports strenuously. Usually their physique is endomorphic or mesomorphic. At the same time, there are people who look like dystrophics, but as soon as they go to the gym, their muscle mass increases. In this case, we can talk about a significant number of fibers that have not been used up to this point.

The amount also depends on the genetic predisposition. And if you are trying to understand why the muscles of the hands do not grow, then it is quite possible that the reason is precisely the insufficient number of fibers. By the way, if the girth of one hand differs from the girth of the other by 1-2 cm, then this may just be evidence of the case we have described.

Medicine adheres to the point of view that the number of muscle fibers is unchanged. And therefore, it occurs only at the expense of already existing ones. If you add a low motor unit, then this will become a significant problem for a bodybuilder.

Signs of a small amount of muscle fibers:

  • disproportion between muscle volume and strength indicators (you press a lot, but your hands and rib cage like a newbie)
  • ectomorphic anatomical features (narrow shoulders, thin bones etc.).

Way out

If you understand why the muscles do not grow, then it's time to start solving the problem. To do this, you need to start alternating small (2-3 months) periods of training for different groups muscle hypertrophy- sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar. At the same time, classes should be held in the style of abbreviated trainings. In this case, there will be no need for separate exercises on the hands - the load that the back and chest-shoulder girdle receive is enough.

Hormones regulate metabolism, they are also responsible for protein synthesis, that is, they control the growth of muscle tissue. For bodybuilding, the main hormone is testosterone. It is the main androgen and is responsible for the intensity, duration and speed of anabolic processes. Therefore, low testosterone can be the answer to the question: "Why the muscles of the legs, lower back and other groups do not grow."

The hormonal level depends on age and individual characteristics. However, it can rise and fall from external influences. So, at high physical activity testosterone rises. Maximum effect this is achieved with intensive work in the implementation of basic exercises, such as deadlift and squats.

It is believed that the highest is observed in the first 40 minutes of training and is kept at this level for 2 days. If you exercise for longer than the specified time, then testosterone will be naturally suppressed by the catabolic hormone.

Signs of low testosterone:

  • tendency to lose weight and lack of muscle growth;
  • weight gain in the spring;
  • long muscle recovery severe fatigue, prolonged krepatura);
  • even with strong weight loss, there is no muscle relief;
  • fat deposits at the waist with general thinness (in this case, increased estrogen will be the cause).

To solve this problem, it is necessary to perform basic exercises with a small number of repetitions (4-6) at the highest possible loads. In this case, the duration of the workout should be 45 minutes, and the frequency - one day after two. Muscle groups train once every 1.5-2 weeks in shock mode.

Myostanin activity

If you do not know why the pectoral muscles do not grow, then perhaps the reason is myostatin, a protein that inhibits the growth of muscle tissue. This substance is designed so that the muscles cannot grow indefinitely. From the point of view of the body, an excess of muscle tissue is just as harmful as fatty tissue.

Some people have elevated myostatin levels. Then the growth of muscles will be suppressed, regardless of the structure of the body and how intense the training will be. Thus, myostatin acts as a natural destroyer of muscle tissue.

Signs:

  • rapid decrease in muscle mass;
  • muscular dystrophy;
  • lack of muscle tissue growth during training of any intensity and even the best and balanced nutrition.

What to do in this case?

There are no methods that could block the production of myostatin. However, as a result of scientific experiments, it was found that the constants physical exercise can solve the problem.

We looked at the innate reasons why muscles do not grow. Now let's look at the errors. training process that can cause this phenomenon.

In 90% of cases, the lack of muscle mass growth can be explained by insufficient calorie intake. In order for the body to maintain its current weight, it needs a specific amount of energy. This number is called BSI - basal metabolic rate. Each person has his own indicator, as it depends on age, physical activity, body weight, etc. If you consume fewer calories than OSI, this will lead to weight loss, including muscle loss. If a person consumes more OSI than required, then his weight will increase.

The lack of the required number of calories, therefore, can cause you to wonder: “Why is muscle strength not growing?”

To understand the problem, you must first find out how many calories the body needs. To do this, you can contact a nutritionist who will not only tell you how much energy your body needs, but also help you make the right menu. Or use a large number of currently existing calculation methods, such as the Harris-Benedict equation, and find out the result yourself.

Returning to our goal, we note that in order to increase muscle mass, it is necessary to use large quantity than you spend. Or rather, add 500 kilocalories. It is this amount of energy that the body needs daily to build muscle tissue. That is, you need to add 500 to the OSI, and based on the figure obtained, calculate the diet.

Right products

To compose for yourself correct menu, it is necessary to clearly understand how much protein, fat and carbohydrates (BJU) is needed to increase muscle mass. The optimal ratio of BJU is the following: 30-20-50. Thus, 30% of the total diet should be proteins, 20% fats, 50% carbohydrates.

An example calculation is as follows. Let's say your BSI is 3,000 kilocalories, then:

  • 30% of the total will be 900 kilocalories of protein. We divide the resulting number by 4 (so many kilocalories per gram of protein) and we get 225 g of protein per day.
  • 20% - 600 kilocalories of fat. Divide them by 9 and get 67 grams of fat per day.
  • 50% - 1500 kilocalories of carbohydrates. Divide by 4 and get 375 g.

Meal frequency

But if all the above tips are followed, but there is no effect, then why don’t muscles grow after training? There is another reason, which is also related to nutrition. The point is that “when” and “how much” you eat is just as important as “what”. Three meals a day is a thing of the past. Doctors have proven that frequent, but small meals help speed up the metabolism, thereby increasing the body's ability to lose and increase its mass.

Thus, it is desirable to take food at least 6 times at regular intervals. It is best if all 6 daily servings are the same calorie content. Of course, under conditions modern life it seems unrealistic, but with a little effort and time on the weekends, you can stock up on snacks and lunches for the whole week. And for those who can't do that, there's a great solution to the problem - sports blends. For a diet aimed at increasing muscle mass, there is nothing better protein shake. And it is prepared very simply - you just need to dilute a few tablespoons of a powdered substance in water. Usually in 1 serving of such a mixture there are about 600 kilocalories, consisting of a large amount of protein.

Why don't muscles grow when playing sports, if everything is in order with nutrition and genetics?

Here are a few more rules that you must follow if you want to build muscle mass:

  1. Maintenance water balance in organism. It is necessary that he does not experience the need for liquid as in training days, as well as in ordinary ones. This point is especially important for those who take sports supplements(e.g. creatine), as they promote the removal of water from the body. To solve the problem, it is recommended to carry a bottle of water with you at all times.
  2. Do not forget that the body needs rest. Muscles don't grow during exercise. On the contrary, they are damaged, and in the process of rest they are restored and increased. So don't go to the gym too often.
  3. Try to get enough sleep. This point is directly related to the previous one and is no less important.
  4. Be sure to eat after your workout. It should be a complete serving with a lot of protein.

And in conclusion, we note that the most common reason for the lack of growth in muscle mass is the wrong selection or incorrect implementation. Therefore, before looking for serious reasons for failure, you need to make sure that you are doing everything right.

Building muscle by next Friday is the secret desire of many guys. Needless to say, slow progress is the scourge of everyone who presses iron or likes to hang out on the horizontal bar. Is it possible to somehow accelerate muscle growth?

Of course - and here are five secrets from which muscles grow faster. But first, secret number zero (which is not a secret at all) - you need to eat well. And now - to business.

Rule 1. Press fast

Working at a slow pace is good for developing strength and honing technique. But here's the problem - muscles grow better from fast, explosive movements. Speed ​​mobilizes the whole body: the brain understands that the muscles are under stress, and gives them a "go-ahead" to grow.

Of course, the working weight will have to be slightly reduced. But the explosive style fills literally every muscle with blood - it will be seen immediately!

Rule 2. Do unilateral exercises

Never heard of these? Unilateral movements are the secret weapon of advanced jocks. The bottom line is to load only one side of the body: for example, squat not with both legs, but only with the right or left. Or bend one leg instead of two in the simulator.

It is known that one hand can take more load than in the usual two-handed style of execution. Coaches say it's great way shake the muscles accustomed to everyday life.

So, analyze the exercises that you do and decide if they can be made one-sided.

Rule 3. Mega warm-up

You don't forget to warm up, do you? Good job. Now let's make it much more useful - for example, include several sets of isolated exercises.

For example, you decided to shake well lying down today. This is a hard exercise, and it is best to do it at the beginning of a workout so as not to lose strength. But we will go the other way - first we will lightly squeeze with a narrow grip to pump the triceps, and then we will start the bench press.

Such stimulation of individual muscles before the main, basic exercise- this is a kind of super warm-up, which not only warms up, but also pumps up muscles at the same time. Just don't chase the record - weights must fly!

Rule 4. Magic Touch

Everything is very simple - touch the muscles more often, kneading them and stroking them. Touch is a signal to the brain to activate work with this muscle, which is why it recovers and grows faster.

Scientifically, this fact is nothing, but many use touch even without prompting. The muscle is damaged during training, and in nature, massage of the damaged area is the first "ambulance".

Rule 5. More work in less time

Did you manage to do 4 sets of 12 pull-ups in the previous workout? Wait to add load. Try to do the same, not in 40 minutes, but in 30. All methods are good here - either speed up the execution style (see rule 1) or shorten the break between sets.

If it was not possible to meet within half an hour, try to do it next time - and everything will definitely work out!

In this article, we will look at several important aspects regarding muscle growth in athletes. It is extremely important to understand what a muscle is, why it grows, what it needs to grow.

Any professional bodybuilder will tell you: in order to build muscle, you need to understand the process itself, its nature! Only then can positive results be achieved in the future.

The muscle is the most "economical" part of our body. She tries to lose the substances she needs as little as possible and, accordingly, gain as much as possible.

Also in the human body there is a mechanism ideal weight. Your body itself determines for itself the peak at which you need to stop when gaining mass so as not to create problems for yourself. If this peak does not suit you, then you need to arrange a “fight” with it in order to change the situation.

From birth, each person has a certain amount of fibers laid down by genetics, the number of which you cannot increase, but the quality is no problem. The muscle grows by increasing the thickness of the fiber structure. So, all that is required of you is to make it (the fiber) grow.

Operating principle

During training, your fibers are partially destroyed (torn), and during rest, the muscle is restored and tends to exceed the limit that was originally set. This process has received its name - "super compensation".

The process of fiber thickening is accompanied by the synthesis of myofibrils (protein filaments). They absorb the nutrients that you eat with food.

The more you train, the more protein threads there will be, the better the blood supply to the muscles. It follows from this that if you do not supply your body with the necessary substances (proteins, calories, minerals, vitamins, and much more), then development is out of the question. Muscles can never get bigger, and the fact becomes clear: training without proper nutrition leads to zero effect.

What is muscle fiber hypertrophy?

During training, your muscle becomes engorged with blood, which leads to its increase, as noted above. This process in bodybuilding is defined by the term "pumping" - pumping.

Hypertrophy, in fact, is a disease of your muscle, its non-standard and unusual condition. The fiber increases in size due to an increase in the number of myofibrils. The level of protein in the muscle increases.

The role of protein synthesis in gaining muscle mass

Each cell in the human body has only 1 nucleus in its composition, while muscles - a large number of, which allows them to synthesize new, high-quality proteins that consist of a certain number of amino acids. The nuclei of muscle cells give a signal to ribosomes so that they synthesize the necessary type of protein.

If you do not supply the muscles with the necessary construction material they just can't grow up. And again, as you can see, it's all about nutrition.

Muscle tension and its effect on muscles

The tension created by a muscle during exercise is another essential element. He is responsible for starting the mechanism of protein synthesis, giving a signal to muscle cells about the need to feed the "affected" fibers.

Thanks to this, new tissues appear, an increase in muscle mass and volume occurs. Receptors in cells are very sensitive to maximum loads and high voltage. That is why all professional bodybuilders are advised to exercise as long as strength allows.

It is necessary to cross the pain threshold in order to start the process of protein synthesis and supercompensation.

The role of hormones in the training process

Muscle growth is built on 3 "pillars":

  • Testosterone
  • Insulin
  • A growth hormone

Each of these hormones has a powerful effect on muscle cells. Insulin speeds up the delivery of protein to the muscles. The potassium-sodium pump carries out the process of transferring amino acids to muscle tissue. The other two hormones, on the contrary, act on muscle fibers, causing them to disintegrate. This whole process is possible only with powerful loads.

The role of amino acids

An amino acid is a protein particle. From them, the necessary protein is built. 1 type of protein contains several types of amino acids. Your results in terms of mass gain depend entirely on how much protein you eat with food.

The required amount of protein is determined by the level of intensity of the training process. Also besides protein important role play calories that supply the necessary energy for complex physical exercises.

Cycles of growth and loss of muscle mass

In bodybuilding, any bodybuilder must remember 2 important processes:

  • Anabolic cycle (constant muscle growth, if all training conditions are met + proper nutrition)
  • Catabolic cycle (malnutrition, resulting in a decline in muscle growth and the appearance of fatigue)

Necessary conditions for muscle growth

If you decide to build muscle mass, then you need to follow the 3 main components:

  • Powerful loads and properly built training process.
  • Proper and regular nutrition, which will supply your muscles with all the necessary substances.
  • Complete rest.

It is important

It must be remembered that our body is “smart”, it gets used to a certain load, which is repeated for a long time. You should "surprise" him with new exercises, changing loads, training durations, and many other tricks.

For full muscle growth, it is optimal for you to develop not only fast fibers, but also slow ones. That is - sometimes alternate loads (on force and on mass). Proportional growth depends on this.

What affects muscle volume?

The compaction and thickening of the muscle fiber is influenced by factors such as:

  • Fiber thickness
  • Number of blood vessels
  • sarcoplasm
  • Number of fibers
  • What fibers are developed
  • Fascia

In this article, we have reviewed the most important points relating to muscle building. Remember, in order to build quality mass, you need to learn this process.

Of course have mandatory conditions, which every bodybuilder must follow, but everyone has their own muscle building exercises, and the program should also be individually suited for you. If you have the opportunity to consult with a specialist, then do not miss it.

Try putting together some programs and see how they affect you. And what about nutrition, everything is simple here: there will be no full-fledged intake of all the necessary substances - there will be no mass.

Watch a video about how muscles grow and how you can influence muscle growth.

And the second video how to accelerate the growth of muscle fibers

Good luck! Everything depends on you.

I just got back from my workout. I'm tired, but I still have the strength to write this article for you. I decided to write it because many athletes vaguely imagine why muscles grow and how to influence muscle growth.

Have you ever wondered why people with the same strengths have different muscle volumes? Because muscle growth- this is not only strength training, but a whole system, which we will talk about now.

You have probably heard hundreds of times that muscles grow from big weights what you need to eat right, someone recommends taking sports nutrition and much more. I don’t know about you, but it has already set my teeth on edge and once again I won’t repeat myself. The article will be detailed, so get ready to read it to the end to understand why muscles grow and what affects muscle growth.

Muscle growth provides an increase in training intensity.

When you are told that muscles grow only when your working weights grow, then know that you are being told the absolute truth! Without increasing the working weights, your muscle mass will not increase.

But by intensity they mean not how much weight you lift, but with what effort you do it. I can bet that if you are working with a weight of 50kg for 10 reps, then I will make your arms ache in 1-2 sets, despite the fact that the weight will be only 35kg. And it will provide a colossal muscle growth! How do you like this?

The thing is that ordinary athletes do repetitions quickly and take them no more than 2 seconds from the bottom point of the amplitude to the top. You have probably noticed more than once that if you linger at one point longer than usual or if you do repetitions more slowly, then 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 providing yourself with muscle growth and figure improvement.

You have probably heard about this method, it is called " High Intensity Training(WIT)". I will not dissuade you of the effectiveness of other methods (I personally use others), but let the facts speak for themselves.

The main advantages of HIT:

  • 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 that you want to train.
  • If there is not a large number of weights, then this the best option, because you can train even at home, where not everyone has a 100-kilogram barbell!
  • More muscle fibers are included in the work, because. the muscle is more than 30 seconds under load. Read more in the article

But we will go further! To provide incredible muscle growth, you can do something else! HIT is good, but strength training, what to throw at all? No, of course! I suggest you the best option to combine these two approaches. Here's what it looks like.

First, you take your usual working weight, with which you can do 5-8 reps to failure without breaking the technique, and then take a smaller weight and continue to do repetitions. Having reached the next failure, drop the weight again and finish the muscle to the end. This is called weight loss sets.

But where is the vit? Now I will explain: do repetitions with less weight slowly (for example, 10 seconds) and at the end you can even add negatives when you are already barely moving. That's exactly what I do.

Negatives it is the use of only the negative phase of the amplitude of motion, i.e. in our case, lowering the bar ().

You need to lower the weight very slowly for 10 seconds. This is one repetition. Do this 3-5 times and you will 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 hypertrophy (growth) of muscles begins with an unusual load, i.e. you are stepping out of your comfort zone. You didn’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 not 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 does not use. Let you build up 10 kg of pure muscle mass by training, but if after some time (for example, a year) the body does not receive loads, your millet muscles will be blown away! Your body will eat them! He believes that if you don't use your muscles, then you don't need them.

This is called the catabolic process or the breakdown of muscle tissue. This is the reverse process of anabolic - the growth of muscle tissue.

There is an interesting pattern - the body willingly burns muscles, 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 a noticeable muscle growth. To stimulate muscles for growth it is necessary to constantly stimulate them, to give regular, ever-increasing loads! Only then will your muscles begin to grow.

If there is no load regularity, then, as you already know, a rollback begins, and you return to the starting point. Do not be offended by your body and say that it does not 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 with this, because my muscles hurt 7 days a week, sometimes one or the other, but at least one muscle group still hurts.

I often remember the words of my friend: “If they hurt, it means they grow!”. And these words always support me. By the way, Pasha, if you are reading this article now, then thank you!

Why do muscles hurt?

Let's move on to the meat. Muscles are made up of fibers that contract—get thicker and shorter. Under the action of the load, some of the fibers are damaged and cracked. These cracks in the muscles cause pain.

If you hit your foot and get a bruise, it means that you have a hemorrhage inside the body and soft tissues are affected. Of course, this place hurts you.

With muscles, the same story, only you don’t have to hit them. By the way, you probably noticed that if you hit a muscle well, then later the pain is almost the same as after physical exertion.

Micro cracks must heal, only then your muscle will fully recover.

Due to the fact that the muscles are damaged under heavy loads, they begin to hurt! Muscles do not ache due to lactic acid. If someone tells you this, then do not believe it, because this is complete nonsense. Lactic acid is produced by the body during exercise and makes the muscles feel tired. It is responsible for muscle fatigue. After all, if you do not feel tired, then you can continue the load and damage your muscles very badly, which will make you incapacitated and vulnerable.

The body is protecting you. After all, if you have damaged your muscles and cannot move, then someone can eat you. In the wild, the fittest survive. And if you haven't forgotten, we are all from there.

Muscle growth and number of fibers involved

Have you ever noticed that what more muscle Oh, the more they hurt? The thing is that not all muscle fibers are involved in the load. First of all, the weakest and most enduring fibers work, 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. Once again, I remind you that we are just animals and, by design, 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 power fibers are included in the work.

As you know, there are two types of muscle fibers in our body: fast and slow (endurance). Just like a prudent coach does not release all his strong players on the field, so our body keeps strong fibers in reserve. What if they are not needed? The body is very economical and if you can do with less energy, then why pay more?

When a muscle is under constant stress, it has to connect ever stronger fibers to work, otherwise the weak fibers will not survive. It is for this reason that I recommend doing all exercises slowly so that the muscles are under tension for more than 30 seconds. I wrote more about it

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 area of ​​\u200b\u200bdamage. Therefore, after a good power load, the muscles hurt from 3 days to a week in trained athletes. And if you took the barbell for the first time or after a long break, then up to and up to 2 weeks!

In addition, not just muscle cracks can occur, but a partial breakdown of the muscle fiber. In this case, the “affected” muscle can swell and hurt a lot, more than usual. In this case, the muscles hurt for a very long time.

After aerobic exercise, for example, a long run, the muscles do not hurt very much, since not all muscle fibers are involved and the pain is rather superficial. Another thing is the power load, especially if it is long 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! With partial disintegration of the fiber, you can see 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 - it's true! I have been running and playing football for several years and for me running 10 km every day was a regular activity. After running, the muscles never hurt as much as after squats with a barbell in 20 reps.

What happens during muscle growth.

Muscles respond to stress by growing. When microcracks heal, each damaged fiber becomes thicker and stronger to continue to cope with such a load.

The number of fibers in a muscle can vary. Somehow in childhood, after watching one TV show, I decided that the number of muscle fibers is always the same, only their strength and thickness change. It turns out when adapting to new load new fibers may also grow.

Your muscles become thicker also 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 muscle growth, hormones cannot be ignored. After all, they form our body. In women, muscles practically do not grow even with power loads, while in men muscle growth normal occurrence. It's the hormones' fault. Specifically, 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 the 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 hormones 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 the eyes of the body.

First case. You did a 10-rep exercise and got rejected. There are 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 to the next failure, and then reduced the weight again and got rejected again. And two more such approaches. As a result, you have 15-20 reps and 40-60 seconds under load.

What do you think, in which case more fibers are involved? After what workout will the muscles hurt more? The second case is correct.

So, the more muscle fibers involved, the stronger the release of hormones. But by the number of fibers, I mean not only individual muscle but the whole organism as a whole. Barbell squats use more muscles than ? 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: deadlift classic or on straight legs, squats with a barbell, leg press or their analogues. Without these exercises rapid growth muscles will never.

But besides the hormonal explosion, you can simply raise the level of hormones with the intensity of training. I already mentioned this, see above. The main thing is to get as many fibers as possible to get 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 the muscles have not stopped hurting, give them more time. Never load sore muscles!

Now you know what depends muscle growth how to make muscles grow, what exercises to do and the process of muscle growth itself from the inside.

That the muscles grew well, you need to have fun too. Therefore, watch this tough joke in a student hostel.