What we know about the muscle growth

What we know about the muscle growth

About
Musqle.com Team

Highlights:

-there are several mechanisms of muscle growth, main being reparation of microinjury caused by resistance training and growth factor mediated hypertrophy

-it is not sure if hyperplasia (increase in muscle cell number) takes place

***

Back in 1960’s, most articles on this topic started with the classical sentence: “although we landed a man on the Moon we still don’t understand what exactly is causing our muscles to grow”.

Well, we really didn’t – the most popular theory at that time was that muscle growth is caused by lactic acid build-up during the exercise.

Now we know this is wrong. But we didn’t improve much in our ability to reach other planets than Moon and we don’t fully understand the muscle grow mechanism yet.

The Microtrauma Theory (full article here)

As it became clear that lactic acid build-up is not responsible for muscle hypertrophy, a new theory occurred: during the resistance exercise – and especially in the passive phase (when lowering the weight) – multiple very small injuries occur in the muscle and the consequent repairing mechanism is responsible for muscle hypertrophy (increase in the size of muscle cells) and possibly muscle hyperplasia (increase in the number of muscle cells).

The Hormonal Theory (full article here)

This theory holds that the most important factors in the muscle growth process are elevated levels of testosterone and growth hormone. They in turn launch a cascade of processes involving a large group of growth factors. Another proven effect of testosterone is removing glucocorticoids from their receptors by occupying their places but not launching the catabolic process normally associated with glucocorticoid presence.

Many effects of testosterone and DHT (dihydrotestosterone, the main testosterone derivate) are mediated by androgen receptors. Androgen receptors concentrations are increased after resistance exercise. Blocking the AR receptors lead to significant decrease of muscle mass growth in laboratory animals. http://www.springerlink.com/content/l651840550t56gm3/

The Intrinsic Theory (full article here)

This new theory is based on studies by D. W. West and colleagues. They argue that since there is no correlation between the post-exercise testosterone and HGH-levels and muscle growth (except for pubertal age group and supra-physiological doses of testosterone) there must be another, more significant biological path leading to hypertrophy of the muscle fibers.

This mechanism is intrinsic to the affected muscle (meaning limited to the muscle and not systemic). It has been described as “acute activation of intrinsically located signaling proteins such as p70(S6K) and the acute elevation of muscle protein synthesis”.

Hypertrophy versus hyperplasia (full article here)

The main unanswered question is whether muscle growth is caused by growth of individual muscle cells (hypertrophy) or by increase in the number of muscle cells (hyperplasia). There are scientific studies supporting both theories.

You probably ask how this is possible. It should be very simple to check it: make autopsy of a small, untrained muscle and of large, trained muscle. If the cells in the large muscle are very large, the hypertrophy theory is correct. If they are of the same size as those in “small” muscle, the hyperplasia theory is right.

Well, believe it or not, this is exactly what several teams of scientists did and the results were different in every study. So while some studies proved the hyperplasia theory, the other studies refuted it.

Sarcoplasmic versus myofibrillar muscle growth theory (full article here)

It should be noted that this theory originated from coaches, not scientists although it (very rarely) found its way to some scientific papers.

The proponents of this school of thought claim that bodybuilders have mostly muscles fibers inflated by sarcoplasmic fluid in the muscle cells as opposed to the muscles fibers of power lifters, who, among others (as the theory goes) have more efficient muscle consisting mostly of proteins.

This belief is not supported by observation of muscular biopsies.

It probably originated from the fact that bodybuilders often cannot develop the same strength in certain specific weight-lifting disciplines as power lifters.

It is, however, well known that CNS (central nervous system) plays a decisive role here. The ability of CNS to activate maximum number of individual fibers during specific movement can be learned and this mechanism is completely independent from growing muscle mass.

Therefore it is almost sure that the extraordinary ability of weight lifters to move the heavy weight is defined by the capability of CNS to activate muscle fibers and by the available muscle mass (read more in the article on STRENGTH).

What we do know

  1. Muscle growth is caused by increased protein synthesis in the trained muscle.
  2. Muscle growth is intrinsic, not systemic. Otherwise, the resistance training involving any individual muscle would lead to the growth of all muscles.
  3. Testosterone plays some role. It is clear that males have bigger muscle mass than females.
  4. Growth hormone is not directly responsible. GH supplementation leads to growth of tendons but not muscles.
  5. While increased testosterone levels will lead to some muscle growth regardless of physical activity, most important growth takes place locally in the trained muscle.
  6. Only resistance training will lead to muscle growth. Other types of physical training may lead to increase in strength or endurance but not to increases in lean muscle mass.
  7. Insulin and insulin-related growth factors play an important role in muscle growth. Insulin supplementation will, however, not promote muscle growth (and is likely to cause serious health problems).
  8. Heredity plays a role. Different people have different numbers of various muscle fiber types. This can predispose us to perform better in certain type of sports.

 

So what does it all mean for us?

For practical reasons, this is what every bodybuilder should know:

  1. Resistance training is most efficient with 70% - 90% of personal one-repetition maximum
  2. Three sets of one exercise proved to stimulate the protein synthesis more than one set only
  3. Protein synthesis is elevated for at least 24 hours after exercise (the window for protein supplementation)
  4. The passive movement (lowering the weight) is at least as important for muscle growth as the active movement (lifting the weight)
  5. Insulin and Growth Hormone supplementation do nothing for muscle growth
  6. Testosterone supplementation will increase muscle growth (but beware of side-effects like impotence; not to speak about the legal issues - testosterone and its derivatives are treated as narcotics in USA and most western countries)
  7. Improvements in performance (strength) are not necessarily tied to increases in lean muscle mass

1 Comment

  • Reply

    Apply for REGISTERED PASSPORTS AND DRIVERS LICENSES ,Identity cards, resident permits, visas,Buy IELTS/TOELF IDP, GMAT, ESOL,NEBOSH, DIPLOMAS,ETC WhatsApp..+1(818)691-5919)www.easydocumentsonline.com #chrisandersondoc@gmail.com

    Buy Drivers License online www.easydocumentsonline.com whatsapp +1(818)691-5919

    www.easydocumentsonline.com
    WhatsApp...+1(818)691-5919
    Skype...........chrisandersondoc
    Email............chrisandersondoc@gmail.com
    www.easydocumentsonline.com

    buy real passport, genuine passport for sale, fake passport for sale online, buy real and fake passport online, buy real genuine fake passport online, purchase passport online, buy legal american passport, purchase fake US passport online, purchase fake EU passport,

    Buy Second Passport

    Citizenship

    Buy Driver's License | New legal driving license‎

    BUY QUALITY FAKE/REAL Passport-USA ,UK , GERMANY

    We are the world number one independent group of specialize IT professionals and database technicians base in the USA, we are specialized in the making of genuine passport SSN, ID card, Birth Certificate, Visa, PR, Diplomas and many other documents of very unique quality. We have produced passport, Drivers license, SSN, ID card, Birth Certificate, Diploma and other documents for over 150 countries.

    We produce genuine registered documents which are legally used and we also produce Fake or Novelty documents which are just use for camouflage and can not be use legally, these types of document are not important so we produce on high demand and order We also work with agents from top embassies within the world who have all our clients information processed from within and have everything authenticated in the supposed database system. So everything we do regarding the production of a genuine passport, SSN, ID card, Birth Certificate, Visa, PR, Diplomas and many other documents are genuine and all the real documents that can be legally used. With over 17 years of service with our expertise in producing genuine passport, SSN, ID card, Birth Certificate, Visa, PR, Diplomas and many other documents, over 23 millions of our produced documents are circulating the world also with people facing problems to cross international boundaries and also help some to get jobs both nationally and internationally and for complicated cases we have immigration lawyers who help our clients if they have any difficulties. We have produce documents for many Celebrities and Politicians and top Government officials from different continents.

    We quite know the risk in carrying or using a fake document that is why we invest our technologies, professionalism and skills to put in a company so as to aid people who find it difficult to have a particular document

    We process passport for Canada, USA, Germany, UK, Belgium, EU countries, South Africa and other parts of the world. Feel free to contact us anytime you wish. We have Asian Brothers to sort any documentation issue you may have. Whether Genuine or Novelty Document
    BUY REGISTERED PASSPORTS AND DRIVERS LICENSES

    Identity cards, resident permits, visas

    Buy IELTS/TOELF IDP, GMAT, ESOL,NEBOSH, DIPLOMAS,ETC

    How do we do it? trade secret! but we can assure you that you’ll have no problems using our documents. Information on how to send us the data needed(scanned signature, bio-metric image etc) will be given after receiving your order.
    We also have counterfeit banknotes(eur, cad, aud, gbp, usd etc) for sale. Most recent designs and the quality of our banknotes are rare to find. We ship internationally with no hassles.
    ID cards,buy passport, fake passport, Driver’s License, Banknotes,
    OUR KEY WORDS
    buy fake documents online, where can i buy fake passport, buy real fake passports, buy real and fake passport online, fake passport online maker, genuine passports for sale, purchase passport online, buy uk driving licence online, buy real driving license uk, buy eu driving licence without test, quickest way to get driving licence, fake bulgarian driving licence, buy real driver’s license, buy fake english driving licence, fake uk driving licence, buy genuine driving licence, buy driving licence dvla, fake drivers license online, fake driving licence, fake driver’s license, quickest and easiest way to get bike licence, fastest way to get a full uk driving licence, buy fake id online, scannable fake id, fake id maker online, birth certificate online, apply for birth certificate online, i’ve lost my birth certificate, birth certificate prices, full birth certificate uk, how do i get a copy of my birth certificate uk, instant bachelor’s degree, buy degree from any university, buy a degree uk, verifiable degree, fake degree from real university, fake college diploma maker, buy a degree from a real university, fake diploma high school, fake diplomas that look real, fake certificates online, fake certificate maker, best fake money, where can i buy counterfeit money, buy fake notes online, buy undetectable counterfeit money, buy counterfeit money, high quality counterfeit money for sale, buy fake money that looks real.
    -IDs Scan-yes…
    -HOLOGRAMS: IDENTICAL
    -BAR CODES: IDS SCAN
    -UV: YES
    -Passports
    FAKE IDS WITH FAST SHIPPING - EMAIL SUPPORT
    Fake ID’s Over state drivers license cards and State ID
    stamps, Visa, school Diplomas and other products for a number of countries
    like:USA, Australia, Belgium,Brazil, Canada, Italy,Finland, France,
    Germany, Israel, Mexico, Netherlands, South Africa,Spain, United Kingdom.

    we are able to produce the following items;

    REGISTERED AND UNREGISTERED BRITISH PASSPORT.
    REGISTERED AND UNREGISTERED CANANIAN PASSPORT.
    REGISTERED AND UNREGISTERED FRENCH PASSPORT.
    REGISTERED AND UNREGISTERED AMERICAN PASSPORT.
    REGISTERED AND UNREGISTERED RUSSSIAN PASSPORT.
    REGISTERED AND UNREGISTERED JAPANESSE PASSPORT.
    REGISTERED AND UNREGISTERED CHINESSE PASSPORT.
    Buy Registered and unregistered USA(United States) passports,
    Buy Registered and unregistered Australian passports,
    Buy Registered and unregistered Belgium passports,
    Buy Registered and unregistered Brazilian(Brazil) passports,
    Buy Registered and unregistered Canadian(Canada) passports,
    Buy Registered and unregistered Finnish(Finland) passports,
    Buy Registered and unregistered French(France) passports,
    Buy Registered and unregistered German(Germany) passports,
    Buy Registered and unregistered Dutch(Netherland/Holland) passports,
    Buy Registered and unregistered Israel passports,
    Buy Registered and unregistered UK(United Kingdom) passports,
    Buy Registered and unregistered Spanish(Spain) passports,
    Buy Registered and unregistered Mexican(Mexico) passports,
    Buy Registered and unregistered South African passports.
    Buy Registered and unregistered Australian driver licenses,
    Buy Registered and unregistered Canadian driver licenses,
    Buy Registered and unregistered French(France) driver licenses,
    Buy Registered and unregistered Dutch(Netherland/Holland) driving licenses,
    Buy Registered and unregistered German(Germany) driving licenses,
    Buy Registered and unregistered UK(United Kingdom) driving licenses,
    Buy Registered and unregistered Diplomatic passports,
    IELTS certificate,
    Express Canadian citizenship documents
    Verified id cards
    Passport registered
    Canada ID Cards
    United States ID Cards
    Student ID Cards
    International Cards
    Private Cards
    Adoption Certificates
    Baptism Certificates
    Birth Certificates
    Death Certificates
    Divorce Certificates
    Marriage Certificates
    Custom Certificates
    High School Diplomas
    G.E.D. Diplomas
    Home School Diplomas
    College Degrees
    University Degrees
    Trade Skill Certificates
    Social Security
    Validate SSN Number

    www.easydocumentsonline.com
    WhatsApp...+1(818)691-5919
    Email:……chrisandersondoc@gmail.com
    Skype...........chrisandersondoc
    www.easydocumentsonline.com


Creatine


Pre-workout vs. post workout proteins


Biological value of proteins (BV)