Want a more muscular physique? Discover the optimal training methods and foods for maximising your muscle hypertrophy – in other words, increased muscle size.
Muscle hypertrophy refers to an increase in the size of muscle fibres. The entire discipline of bodybuilding is based on this hypertrophic process in which the muscles grow bigger and stronger as a result of regular training.
More specifically, muscle hypertrophy requires muscle overload, primarily mechanical tension: the principle involves lifting heavy loads to cause micro-tears in the muscles (1-2).
After this kind of weight training, the body, and in particular the muscles, must enter an adaptation and repair phase, which is necessary for:
That’s how muscles get bigger and stronger, by rebuilding themselves after exertion. So the only way to produce muscle hypertrophy is to practice resistance training.
There is no single programme for promoting hypertrophy. Just bear in mind that for muscle mass gain, the usual recommendation is to:
For muscle mass gain, each session could, for example, include:
It’s worth noting that some bodybuilders choose the full body option (working all the main muscle groups at each session, as in our example), while others do half body (for example, working the upper body one day and the lower body another day), and others still, choose to split their training into particular muscle groups (chest/triceps one day, shoulders/abs another, etc.) Each approach has its pros and cons.
Make sure that the level of overloading you choose allows you to perform all your repetitions - the last ones should be harder to complete.
Some sportspeople say they train to the point of muscle failure on the last set of exercises (ie, they train to the point of being unable to perform the movement), but you should maintain a careful, gradual approach in order to prevent any injuries that might impede progress (3).
When it comes to choosing weights, start off light with a few kilos (for example, dumbbells weighing 5-10 kg for men and less than 5kg for women) then up the load periodically, as you train.
This way, you’ll be maintaining the principle of progressive overload: the stronger the muscle becomes, the more it needs to be challenged to carry on building! If you want an alternative to adding more and more weight, you can also choose to increase the number of reps, sets, etc.
It’s possible to achieve muscle hypertrophy through bodyweight training. Street workouts, calisthenics and gymnastics are perfect examples (4).
There are several reasons for this:
Whichever you choose, you will reach your limit at some point. But the physique you’ll have achieved if you can string together 20 pistol squats, 20 press-ups with feet raised and 20 one-armed pull-ups at a rate of 5 sets per exercise should already be very respectable!
That said, for muscle hypertrophy to be effective, it’s essential to combine your training with the right lifestyle, observing these two rules:
Rest, and especially sleep, are very important elements. Muscle is built and rebuilt during the night and on rest days.
Good quality sleep also ensures low levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that destroys muscle cells and reduces testosterone levels. And testosterone is crucial for promoting muscle mass and, ultimately, muscle hypertrophy (even for women: resistance training increases testosterone levels in women too).
Similarly, it’s important to manage your stress levels: make sure you factor in relaxation time, with calming practices like meditation or yoga, etc.
In order to function properly, your muscles also need energy provided by fats and carbohydrates, and protein to rebuild (5).
When you train, your body also loses a lot of minerals primarily through sweating (6).
In addition, intensive bodybuilding creates high stress levels for the body, which can induce an inflammatory state and lower immune defences.
It’s therefore vital that your diet satisfies the following demands:
There are also other specific supplements aimed at those looking to build muscle, which offer support in the muscle hypertrophy process:
References
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