How To Build Muscle/Muscle Growth - Part 3

One muscle is a bundle of cells which doctors call fibers. These are long and cylindrical in shape. One of the muscle fibers contains many myofibrils that allow the muscle to contract.

Regular exercise with higher weights and less reps, will also increase the number of myofibrils in each of the muscle cells. The increase in mitochondria will account for between 20 and 30 percent of the growth of a muscle and the increase in myofibrils will account for a growth of the same amount.

As you work a muscle with strength training it will also increase the amount of glycogen stored and the amount of connective tissue in the muscle fibers. These factors will also account for a portion of the size of muscle growth.

Bodybuilders will use two different terms to refer to muscle growth. The first is “Swell” which refers to the increased volume of the muscle by a supply of sarcoplasm in the myofibrils. This is triggered by a high number of reps with moderate weight.

The second term is “Shred” which refers to muscle definition with little subcutaneous fat. Heavy weights with low reps will result in micro-tears in the muscle which, as the body repairs, results in myofibrils that are more dense, larger and stronger.

Resources:

Mens Health: How Does My Body Build Muscle

http://www.mh.co.za/food/how-does-my-body-build-muscle/

University of New Mexico: How Do Muscles Grow

http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/musclesgrowLK.html

ScienceDaily: Growing Strong Muscles without Working out

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120830130446.htm

ScienceDaily: Exercise Triggers Stem Cells in Muscle

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120206143944.htm

Mueller Center: how Do your muscles grow

http://www.muellercenter.rpi.edu/musclegrowth.php

Washington University: Muscle Types and Sex Differences