Muscle Media Magazine

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    What do you bring to the table…?

    Estrogen, Oral Contraceptives AND Muscle Growth

    The Dynamic Warm-Up

    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Facebook Instagram RSS
    Muscle Media Magazine
    Subscribe Login
    • Store
    • Our Magazine
      • Magazine Download Desktop
      • Magazine Download Mobile
      • Apple News
    • TRAINING
      1. Fitness class
      2. Gym equipment
      3. Routines
      4. Sport equipment
      5. View All

      The Importance of Working Your Core Muscle

      You Need More Than Aerobic Exercise

      Exercise Videos At Home

      All About Working The Transverse Abdominals

      Rowing Machine, Exercise Equipment

      Free Weights vs. Machine Exercise

      Training With a Stability Ball

      Buying An All-In-One Home Gym

      Arm Exercise

      Get Minutes Of Fitness Exercise

      5 Super Simple Exercise Tips

      The Importance of Working Your Core Muscle

      Exercise Equipment Options

      Training With a Stability Ball

      Equipment for Home Exercise

      Amazing Kettlebell Workout Produces Superior Results

      Estrogen, Oral Contraceptives AND Muscle Growth

      The Dynamic Warm-Up

      Get Up Get Outside Get Moving

       Benefits of Hypertrophy Training

    • DATING

      6 Tips For Safe Online Dating

      Single Dads, 8 Dating Rules

      Your Digital Spring Date

      3 Things That Can Save You When You Don’t Know What To Say

      “Tools” For Picking-Up Girls

    • HEALTH & WELLNESS
      1. BODY
      2. DIET & NUTRITION
      3. MIND
      4. MOTIVATION
      5. SPIRIT
      6. TOPICS FOR MEN
      7. View All

      Are  SARMs the future of sport performance?

      Preventing Age-Related Muscle Loss

      Sleep & Athletic   Performance

      Antihistamines  &  Physical Activity

      Timing Your Nutrition

      Performance Supplementation

      Why go Raw?

      Amino Acids in Food

      Preventing Age-Related Muscle Loss

      Making Exercise More Fun

      Mirror, Mirror on the Wall… Body Image

      Hypnosis Weight Loss: Stop the “Weighting”

      Preventing Age-Related Muscle Loss

      Get Minutes Of Fitness Exercise

      5 Super Simple Exercise Tips

      Child Exercise Equipment

      Preventing Age-Related Muscle Loss

      Making Exercise More Fun

      Spiritual Growth: Spiritual Challenges of Modern Times

      Hypnosis Weight Loss: Stop the “Weighting”

      Timing Your Nutrition

      Preventing Age-Related Muscle Loss

      Antihistamines  &  Physical Activity

      Single Dads, 8 Dating Rules

      Timing Your Nutrition

      Mental Strengthening for Athletes with Injuries

      Are  SARMs the future of sport performance?

      Preventing Age-Related Muscle Loss

    • DIET & NUTRITION
      • LOSE WEIGHT
      • RECIPES
    Muscle Media Magazine
    Home»TRAINING & FITNESS» Benefits of Hypertrophy Training
    TRAINING & FITNESS

     Benefits of Hypertrophy Training

    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr WhatsApp VKontakte Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    “The “latest and greatest” technological advances in human performance can often cause us to overlook the basics.”

    By Destiny Snape

    Athletes are under constant pressure to maximize their performance with the best nutritional programs, training regimens, supplements, and recovery techniques. There are hundreds of studies promising the most effective ways to improve athletic performance using never-before-seen methods. With all the information out there, it’s easy to be sucked in.   The “latest and greatest” technological advances in human performance can often cause us to overlook the basics.  Strength, for example, is a vital component in developing a competitive edge over competitors. When it comes to strength, specifically hypertrophy, a 2017 study found that there are many advantages that athletes experience such as increased muscle fiber size, increased explosive strength and power, and increased work capacity.

         The stigma surrounding hypertrophy and athletes is often negative with a fine line between the emphasis on performance or physique. The primary goal for an athlete is to be functional in their sport. It would not be beneficial for an athlete to focus on hypertrophy with the sole purpose of just being “bigger”.  Athletes need to be able to produce force relative to their body weight, which ultimately translates to greater strength for sport-specific tasks. With the variety of sports today, everyone seems to have different ways in which to achieve muscular hypertrophy.  Outside factors will also impact how it is achieved.  For example, genetics influences the body of each athlete and the rate at which they develop muscle. 

         There are three different body types: ectomorph, endomorph, and mesomorph. Each body type has special characteristics that help determine what type of training style and nutrition they should follow to achieve their goals.  Ectomorphs typically have a more difficult time gaining muscle and fat and tend to have a faster metabolism. Their training style should be more focused on compound movements, which incorporates multiple muscle groups. Endomorphs can build muscle relatively easy but can also store a good amount of fat as well because of their slower metabolism.  Their training style should incorporate more interval training to help boost their metabolism long after their workout is over. Mesomorphs are in the middle. They can build muscle while storing low amounts of fat and tend be naturally athletic. A mesomorph body type has a bit more freedom in their style of training because they can see results with pretty much any style.  They can see results with even a moderate approach. These body types all have their unique ways in achieving muscle hypertrophy and should be considered when developing individual programs.  Promoting muscle growth is a tricky process and must be done correctly. 

         Muscular hypertrophy is facilitated by engaging as many motor units as possible during a specific movement according to a 2017 paper.  Working with a higher rep range (about 8-12 repetitions) while using a moderate to heavy resistance results in a microtrauma of the muscle fibers. This trauma to the muscle is the primary reason an individual experiences soreness following a workout.  However, this process is essential to muscle growth.  In response to the microtrauma, the body begins to repair the muscle by adding additional muscle tissue to the damaged area to strengthen the muscle. This process is also known as supercompensation, which follows a training period.  Ultimately, this leads to higher performance capacity.  Adaptations occur which places greater emphasis on the importance of progressive overload. Progressive overload is how, after supercompensation, an individual continues to see growth over time.  Growth can be achieved by increasing the resistive weight each week, increasing the number of repetitions performed, or decreased rest time.  You must progressively increase the intensity or volume of your training to force the body to adapt to new levels of stress.  Although stressing the body to adapt is how muscle growth is promoted, too much stress and not enough recovery is detrimental to the body.  Hypertrophy training places a high strain on the body.  For your body to recover properly, plenty of rest is essential. Many people believe that the muscle builds while training, but that is false. The body repairs the muscle while resting.  According to a 2019 study, sleeping this gives muscle fibers a chance to rebuild by adding more contractile proteins.   The parasympathetic nervous system is activated which speeds up recovery, and growth hormone is also released which stimulates tissue growth and repair.  Athletes should try to get 7-9 hours of sleep to promote muscle growth and repair. 

         In addition to training for hypertrophy and proper recovery, proper nutrition is necessary for muscles to have enough fuel to grow.  This “anabolic state” requires that a positive energy balance is needed for muscles to be able to properly repair themselves and grow.  When in a positive energy balance, the athlete is consuming more calories than they are using.  This will help them increase their weight as fat mass or muscle mass. (Focusing on consuming higher amounts of protein, specifically 1.2g-1.8g per kg of bodyweight and incorporating balanced diet will help minimize the amount of fat mass gained.)  Proper eating frequency is vital to maintaining proper energy stores throughout the day. Eating smaller portions multiple times throughout the day (every 3-4 hours) is an efficient way to achieve this. Try to spread out your protein consumption throughout the day.  Avoiding eating large amounts of protein at one time is the way stimulate protein synthesis. Nutrition plays a huge role in how an athlete will respond to their training program.  Overlooking this piece will hinder reaching their maximum potential.

         It’s time to explore how an athlete benefits from hypertrophic training. One of the primary benefits of training for muscular hypertrophy is increased muscular development. This is accompanied by increased explosive strength and power training capacity allowing the athlete to improve performance.   This can translate into the athletic movements they are required to perform.  They may also experience increased work capacity, allowing them to perform more efficiently and effectively for a longer period of time. Increased fat oxidation and glucose sparing occurs. This is beneficial for sports that are performed at a high intensity. When an athlete is training above the lactate threshold, their body shifts to glucose as the primary source of energy.  Unfortunately, glucose stores are not as sustaining as fat stores.  This can be a limiting factor when it comes to energy production. By increasing fat oxidation, the athlete would be able to perform at a high intensity in relation to increased power and force output.  Finally, hypertrophy training stimulates an increase in fast twitch muscle fibers. Type-2 fibers (fast twitch muscle fibers) are the “Holy Grail” responsible for firing quickly and producing significant power and strength. These muscle fibers are advantageous to almost every anerobic athlete providing them with the ability to perform optimally.  All these benefits allow the athlete to perform in the most productive way. This helps the athletes prevent injuries while strengthening their bodies. 

         Hypertrophic training has many benefits to an athlete looking to improve their performance. It is important for them to be able to perform at their absolute best when important competitions, matches, or meets present themselves.  There is so much more substance to hypertrophy training than simply improving physical appearance. Although an athlete may experience several benefits from this style of training, it’s important to establish proper training regimens. This also means establishing the proper timeline to incorporate hypertrophy training into their regimen. Outside of training, ensuring that detailed nutrition and recovery plans are being followed is essential. Being an athlete is a full-time job.  Ensuring an athlete is receiving the best plan to promote their success is an important component.

    References

    Boyle, M. (n.d.). Retrieved from Strength Coach: https://www.strengthcoach.com/public/1824.cfm

    Dewar, M. (2017, December 4). Retrieved from BarBend: https://barbend.com/fitness-athletes-focus-hypertrophy/

    Kiikka, D. (2019, September 9). Retrieved from The Sports EDU: https://thesportsedu.com/muscular-hypertrophy-definition/

    Lylemcd. (2019, November 20). Retrieved from Body Recomposition: https://bodyrecomposition.com/training/supercompensation-oftraining#:~:text=In%20the%20context%20of%20training%2C%20the%20supercompensation%20model,baseline.%20Over%20time%20it%20falls%20back%20to%20normal.

    Trinh, E. (n.d.). Retrieved from JEFIT: https://www.jefit.com/exercise-tips/three-different-body-types#:~:text=What%20are%20the%20Three%20Different%20Body%20Types%3F%20The,eating%20habits%20accordingly%20to%20reach%20your%20fitness%20goals.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr WhatsApp Email
    Previous ArticlePreventing Age-Related Muscle Loss
    Next Article Get Up Get Outside Get Moving

    Related Posts

    Estrogen, Oral Contraceptives AND Muscle Growth

    The Dynamic Warm-Up

    Get Up Get Outside Get Moving

    Preventing Age-Related Muscle Loss

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    infinitelabs digital
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Vimeo
    Don't Miss
    DR TOM - GOT A MINUTE
    DR TOM - GOT A MINUTE

    What do you bring to the table…?

    This is one of the questions I most often ask of my patients and clients.…

    Estrogen, Oral Contraceptives AND Muscle Growth

    The Dynamic Warm-Up

    Timing Your Nutrition

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from SmartMag about art & design.

    infinitelabs digital
    Facebook Instagram
    • Advertise with us
    • Contact Us
    • Muscle Media Magazine App Downloads
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Write for Muscle Media
    © 2023 musclemediaonline.com | All rights designed. Designed by Infinite Labs Digital.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Sign In or Register

    Welcome Back!

    Login to your account below.

    Lost password?