Getting stronger, toned, bigger & increased muscle mass all require complex changes in your muscles. One of such changes is hypertrophy. If you workout consistently & regularly, you may see an increase in your muscle size over a period of time. This is due to a process known as hypertrophy.
Hypertrophy is an increase in skeletal muscle mass & cross section area in response to work done against the resistance such as workout. Skeletal muscles are generally made up of myofibrillar proteins which all your muscles contract. The enlargement of these myofibrillar muscle fibre causes increase in muscle size following a resistance(exercise). Hypertrophy contributes more to overall strength after changes in structure & function of nerves have occurred in the muscle. Different intensities of workout will determine which muscle fibre will increase in size. It is always recommended to follow training volumes(sets/reps) based on your genotype/genetic makeup to produce a stimulus that will lead to optimal hypertrophy of your muscle fibres.
The fact is your muscle is continually adapting to environmental stresses & demand placed upon them. To do this, your muscle is balancing two continuous processes:
- Muscle Protein Synthesis: Building up of Amino Acids into new proteins
- Muscle Protein Breakdown: The breakdown or muscle proteins into amino acid blocks.
Whether or not you gain muscle depends upon the net balance of these two processes.
We call this net balance as Net muscle protein balance & is calculated = rate of muscle protein synthesis- rate of muscle protein breakdown. Therefore, if Net protein balance is positive , it will result in hypertrophy.
Source: https://www.mediavida.com/foro/fitness/sintesis-proteica-articulo-interesante-517164
When the rate at which you build new protein is more than the rate at which you breakdown protein, then you will have a positive net muscle protein balance. This is also referred to a situation when your muscles are in anabolic state. This state means that your muscle fibres will produce more protein & increase the size of your muscles. This results in your muscle hypertrophy.
If this enhanced protein production also includes contractile protein in myofibrils( also referred to as myofibrils protein synthesis), it will lead to strength gains.
If the opposite occurs- if you have negative net muscle protein balance, if rate of muscle protein breakdown is more than rate of muscle protein synthesis, it will result in loss of muscle mass & is referred to as catabolic. Changes in muscle protein synthesis is more pronounced than changes in muscle protein breakdown & therefore muscle protein synthesis has a more profound impact on muscle & strength gains.
How do you stimulate muscle growth?
The following ways can help you induce your muscles to adaptation for growth
- Progressive overload: Increase the weights you lift over time.
- Fatigue: Push your muscles to their metabolic limits through game plans such as AMRAP- as many reps as possible.
- Muscle Damage- As you induce your muscles to overload or push them to fatigue, you will cause wear & tear of your muscle fibres. This when coupled with nutrition & rest will result in hypertrophic adaptation to your muscle fibres.
It is important to note that inducing your muscle to fatigue will result in an increase in volume of fluid & non-contractile protein in muscle. Although this can temporarily increase your muscle size, it does not lead to muscular strength.
However, a lot of us may think- “ I do not want to look massive so why Hypertrophy?”. It is important to note here that hypertrophy or muscle & strength gains also strengthen our joints. It also increases our fat free mass which boosts our metabolism. So you should never think of hypertrophy as only an increase in muscle size or focus on aesthetics.
So the question arises what happens beneath the skin to drive this muscle growth? Hypertrophy occurs through activation of various molecular signalling pathways. mTORC1( a key molecule that regulates protein synthesis in muscle fibre & other cells) is one of the important pathways. It recognises physiological signals triggered by stress caused by exercise & in response increases muscle protein synthesis to keep the balance positive. This results in muscle growth as explained in previous paragraphs.
When you workout , mTORC1 observes changes in the muscles. It influences target protein downstream resulting in increased muscle protein synthesis which further increases muscle fibre size & cross-sectional area of muscles, leading to overall muscle gains. This pathway of mTOR is also stimulated by presence of essential amino acids(EAA) specifically leucine. Consuming protein following exercise increases the rate of protein synthesis, thereby elevating muscle growth & strength through maintaining positive net protein balance for a longer period of time.
Your genes have a large role to play in increasing your muscle size & strength. Your genes influence intrinsic response to your hypertrophic stimuli ( exercise, consumption of Essential Amino Acid-EAA). Based on genetic insights we can group individuals as high responders & low responders. Genes such as IL-15 & IL-15R impact your hypertrophic response.
We structure & deliver resistance training schedules based on allele of these genes your body carries to maximise your hypertrophy & strength gains.
Discover your personal traits & learn about your specific genetic predisposition to hypertrophy. So if your looking to increase your strength or build a bulk physique, you have to come to the right place. By subscribing to our membership & personalised fitness programs, you will not only receive information about genetic response to various aspects of nutrition & fitness but also be coached by an international fitness coach who will cover both genetics powered nutrition & exercise aspects of the program that will help you maximise your fitness potential & improve your mental health. Sign up for our membership here.
