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Hypertrophy, or muscle hypertrophy, is a condition that most bodybuilders strive for. It consists in a slow increase in muscle mass so that it increases its volume and you can develop the desired body shape. Special hypertrophic training is used to achieve muscle hypertrophy.
What is hypertrophy and what are its types?
Hypertrophy is a Latin word meaning growth or growth. It is most often used to determine the increase in muscle mass (muscle tissue) obtained as a result of intense strength training. Muscle hypertrophy can be either myofibrillary – this is a growth of muscle fibers – or sarcoplasmic, which is the increase in the volume of glycogen in the muscles. The latter type of muscle hypertrophy is one of the causes of the so-called muscle pump. Hypertrophy can also be structural or functional. Structural hypertrophy is an increase in muscle mass and muscle endurance, but in this case their strength does not increase. Functional muscle hypertrophy causes, in addition to the growth of muscle tissue, an increase in muscle strength.
Hypertrophic training – what is it?
Muscle hypertrophy, or muscle growth, will appear after any type of strength training. However, there are forms of training that accelerate the growth of muscle mass more than others, and these should be the focus of a person who wants to gain muscle quickly. The duration of the training, the number of repetitions of a given exercise, the number of breaks, and the type and weight of loads are important. Hypertrophic training aims to maximize the increase in muscle mass in a reasonably short period of time. When using it, you should follow strict rules for exercising – their type, frequency, optimal load and other guidelines that will help you achieve the goal of rapid muscle growth. Proper muscle hypertrophy consists in a slow, systematic increase in the volume of muscle tissue and muscle endurance, and in the case of functional hypertrophy – also in an increase in their strength. To do this, you need to regularly perform appropriate exercises that stimulate the body to achieve this type of effect. In addition to exercise, a properly selected diet is also important. Muscle tissue is formed as a result of exercise, but it must have the appropriate building blocks in the form of nutrients supplied with food.
Principles of hypertrophic training
Regular and systematic training is the most important when it comes to achieving the effect of muscle hypertrophy. Regularly stimulated muscles gradually grow to the expected state. If training is not systematic or if for some reason it is abandoned, the muscle tissue disappears. However, you should also remember to rest to give your muscles and body time to recover from exercise. The optimal time for breaks between exercises for specific muscle groups is two days. The hypertrophic effect is achieved by stimulating especially the fast twitch muscle fibers. For example, lifting weights works well for this. Therefore, in order to achieve muscle hypertrophy, strength training is primarily used. However, exercises such as running and other endurance training should also be added to it, as they support muscle growth and overall fitness and endurance of the body. Two or three times a week, it is worth introducing cardio training that will increase efficiency and oxygenate the muscles. For hypertrophic training, you should take short breaks between strength exercises. If the breaks are longer, the muscles will become lazy and the training will not be as effective. Muscles also lose heat during long breaks, which adversely affects their further work. Short breaks not only support the effectiveness of hypertrophic training, but also increase the metabolism, which helps to burn fat faster, which is very important if we want to emphasize the muscle structure. During hypertrophic training, you should also take care of accurate and precise weight-bearing exercises so that your muscles grow steadily. Proper diet is very important for obtaining the optimal effects of muscle hypertrophy. You should eat foods rich in protein, which is the building block of muscle tissue. Protein products should be consumed one hour before strength training and immediately after it, in order to make up for the deficiencies of this ingredient.