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What do i need to include to build muscle?
What do i need to include to build muscle?
Often people are unsure where to start when developing a program to achieve muscle hypertrophy.
There are some key variables that should always be considered when prescribing training programs
Throughout each section will provide a guide on how to build your program around these key principles.
The interaction between Frequency, Intensity and Volume (4)
All three have a large contribution when inducing muscular hypertrophy, with insufficient evidence supporting the superiority of any of these components within increasing cross-sectional area (5).
These components are often seen as having a close relationship. It is not as simple as "I'm going to focus solely upon intensity and volume", all three aspects will be included, however one or two of these will be emphasised within a meso or macro-cycle (6).
Lower volume advocates typically suggest a reduction in sets per exercise, with each being taken to failure or with advance trainers utilising set extensions, such as force reps, drop sets and rest pauses to go 'beyond' failure (7).
However, High(er) volume resistance training advocates multiple sets per exercise, often >3 sets per exercise, all performed at 8-12 repitions , emphasising shorter rest periods (60-120 seconds) (8). Click the link above to find out more
Regardless of the training 'style', It is apparent the prescription of a certain level of intensity, in the form of load (% 1 repetition maximum(RM)) is regarded as the most important variable (9).
There are three main processes that should be maximised to induce skeletal muscle hypertrophy, these being:
Mechanical Tension- Steering towards low volume training the use of greater loads (>85% 1rm) , this will result in higher levels of motor unit activation (fast twitch muscle fibres) (11). Primary pathways of which is stimulated are mTOR, a key pathway in inducing Muscle anabolism (12)
Metabolic stress - Primarily associated with higher volume and shorter rest periods (<120 seconds) (13) . Exercise induced metabolic stress results in a number of mechanism: Increased muscle fibre recruitment elevation in systemic hormone production (Specifically IGF-1, Testosterone and Human growth hormone), Alerted myokine production, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cell swelling (14) .
Muscle damage- Occurs from the performance of unaccustomed exercise, eccentric muscle action and high volume training, the severity is mainly dependant on the type, intensity and duration of exercise. The result of this is tears to the sarcolemma, basal lamina and supportive tissues (15). Exercise-induced muscle damage (EMID) is associated with the factors involved in the accretion of muscle proteins. Research suggests that that regeneration and repair of skeletal muscle after EMID is coordinated by a cluster of genes which regulate the inflammatory process, growth, stress response and membrane biosynthesis (16) .
How to ensure we are including these mechanisms in our program
Hypertrophy mech.mp4Acute variables
Acute variables
As well as the main principles, there are few areas we should consider when finalising our programs towards building a good physique.
These are dependant on individual status. Individuation is an important factor as we all have different needs, wants and goals.
Furthermore, these differences can also be predominately based on biological, physiologically and biomechanically differences.
An area of interests within most research is gender differences. Click the link to find out more
How to program around acute variables
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