The Science behind Muscle Growth.

I mentioned in my last post that I am a fitness enthusiast, I am very particular about staying fit and everything that promotes fitness and health, I was into muscle building for some years, but I decided to take a break last year when I went to learn martial art, I am still growing in that aspect, this post is to tell you the science about muscle buildup and everything it entails.

Muscle building goes beyond just physical muscle outlook, it provides a lot more benefits than that, muscle building makes you feel stronger and better. With strength and resistance being incorporated into a workout plan, it would help you;

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With weight management through the increase of lean muscle mass, which burns calories.
It helped you increase bone density and promotes strong bones appropriately.
Reduce the symptoms of some form of chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and diabetes.
Protects joints from any possible injury and decreases the risk of falls as there is advancement in age.

There are three major muscle types, skeletal muscle is one of them, tendons are a form of attachment to the muscles, which contract and create a movement to bones. As humans, we are able to improve our muscle mass by carrying out appropriate exercises and eating proper food.

There is usually an increase in the size of muscles when the muscle is being challenged to deal with a higher level of weight or resistance, this entire process is known as Muscle Hypertrophy. Muscle hypertrophy happens when the muscle fiber of the muscle sustains an injury or gets damaged, the body has the ability to repair damaged fibers by getting them fused, this gives room for an increase in the mass and size of the muscle.

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Exercising regularly with the intention of achieving muscular hypertrophy is greatly dependent on your goals, you can follow through on any of these weight-lifting schedules;

You can lift weights, especially three times a week, giving yourself a day in between each session to allow your muscle to grow.
Engage in lifting, starting from two days a week and more depending on your level of fitness.
Alternate between days of upper-body lifting and lower-body lifting exercises, choose different days to train on those specific areas, this gives room for different muscle enhancement while there is space for recovery and rest.

There are hormones in the body that contribute significantly to the growth and repair of muscles, the hormones include; the human growth hormone, insulin growth factor, and testosterone. These hormones function through the;

The stimulation of anabolic hormones, which promotes the growth of muscle and protein synthesis.
Improving the way the body processes proteins.
The enhancement of tissue growth.
The inhibition of protein breakdown.
The activation of satellite cells, these satellite cells are types of stem cells that play a major role in the development of muscles.

When the body goes through resistance and strength training, it would;

Improve muscle sensitivity to testosterone.
Stimulate the release of testosterone.
Release the growth of hormones from the pituitary gland.

Muscle development is based on various factors, the factors include; genetics and the level of estrogen and testosterone in the body can affect how muscle grows. Muscle growth is different in people with different body types regardless of their biological sex. Whether you are a male or a female, you can have any of these body shapes, and for each of these body shapes, different muscle-building techniques are required;

Those with Mesomorphic body type are usually muscular and they are able to build body mass faster than other body types.

People with Endomorphic body type are often curvy and rounded, they are able to build muscle through strength training effectively.

The people with the Ectomorphic body type usually have a slim or straight frame, this body type has a lower chance of building body mass, even if they try, it would take a longer time for them to build, but they can increase strength through resistance training.

Regardless of body type, anyone can build muscle at different rates depending on sex, age, and genetics, muscle development, however, increases when exercise is consistent, long-term, and challenging. When exercise is accompanied by sufficient rest, the best result can be achieved.

You have to understand that muscle building does not happen suddenly, it will require months of regular exercise and activities to get a visible result, some very good examples of strength training activities include;

The use of stationary weight machines.
Lifting of free weights.
Resistance band activities.
Body weight exercises like squats and pushups.
Exercises involving strength training classes.

As an adult who is trying to grow muscle, please make sure to stick with adult exercise guidelines and not go overboard with physical activity. This is not to say strength training is terrible for adults, adults can engage in strength training to prevent injury and aid recovery, but it has to be done in moderation.

In order to build muscle through weight lifting, you will require mechanical damage as well as metabolic fatigue. When a muscle weight is lifted, the contractile proteins found in the muscles would generate the required force to overturn the needed resistance provided by the weight. On another note, it could lead to structural damage to the muscle, and mechanical damage done to muscle protein stimulates a repair response to the body, the occurrence of damaged fiber in muscle proteins would result in to increase in muscle size.

Physiology of Muscle Growth.

After all that we have learned about muscle growth, let me give a detailed rundown on the operations of muscle growth. After a successful workout procedure, the body will naturally repair or replace every damaged muscle fiber together to form new muscle protein strands or myofibrils, once the myofibrils are repaired, it would increase in thickness and number to create muscle hypertrophy.

Muscle growth happens whenever the rate of muscle protein synthesis is higher than the rate of muscle protein breakdown, the thing is, the changes/adaption does not happen during the process of weight lifting, but it happens during the resting phase. Muscles get added to muscle cells through the interference of satellite cells, these cells act like stem cells for your muscles. When satellite cells are activated, they help with the addition of more nuclei to muscle cells, it therefore directly contributes to the growth of myofibrils (muscle cells).

Conclusion.

Muscular hypertrophy is achievable and it can be achieved through weightlifting at the gym, however, need to break down and challenge muscles if you want to get any visible growth. A diet rich in protein is necessary for muscle growth, look out for lean protein sources like protein powder that is plant-based, chicken, lean meat, and fish. Regardless of your age, make sure to visit the hospital and have a doctor check your health status to determine if the path of the heavy lifting is safe for you.