A GUIDE TO MUSCLE BUILDING

Building muscle (hypertrophy) is one of the two most common goals for most gym goers and for good reason. There are many benefits to increasing muscle mass, whether it be for health, weight loss or performance.

So what are some of the benefits of increasing lean muscle tissue? Here are some examples:

• Muscle helps you to burn more calories

• Speeds up your metabolism

• Builds bone

• Supports your joints

• Manages blood sugar levels

• Increases strength and endurance

• Makes you look better

• Makes you feel better

• Helps to burn body fat

• Aids weight loss

• Helps increase sports performance for athletes

There are over 650 muscles in the body and every muscle has a specific role and function. This means that all muscles matter, not just the “mirror muscles” that make you look aesthetically better. The real unsung heroes are usually the smaller muscles in the body which help to stabilize and move the bigger ones. Unfortunately it is also these small muscles that receive little to no attention compared to the bigger more well known muscles.

It is a well known fact that compound exercises (squats, dead lifts, bench presses, overhead press etc) recruit more muscle fibres. This is usually the best way to get stronger, and build more overall mass and size. If you also threw in some additional exercises for the stabilizers, then your strength will go up quicker. This is because you are also focusing on your weakest links. Here are some examples of muscles that tend to get neglected and not get strengthened:

• Upper back

• Mid and lower traps

• Transverse abdominal area

• Obliques

• Glutes

• Hamstrings

• Forearms

• Grip

• Rotator cuff

• Rear delts

• Lower back

• Abductors

• Adductors

• Hip flexors

This is a big list. There is no coincidence that a lot of these muscles are found in the posterior chain (the back of the body) Neglecting them leads to weaknesses, imbalances and injuries if they do not get the stimulus needed.

For these reasons, your training programs must include exercises that will build and strengthen these muscles. This is vital for having a well balanced body.

HOW TO BUILD MUSCLE

There are 3 scientific ways of how to do this:

• Mechanical tension

• Metabolic stress

• Muscle damage

Let's look at these in a bit more detail and see how they benefit you:

MECHANICAL TENSION

Mechanical tension is created by using a heavy load and performing exercises through a full range of motion for a period of time. In order to cause further hypertrophy (muscle building) stimulation, the muscle has to also go through a full range of motion. In other words training with heavy weights forces the muscles to adapt to the load placed on it.

METABOLIC STRESS

This particular way is to use moderate to light weights for more reps of an exercise. This causes the pump in a muscle which fills it with blood and can cause that burn sensation. The resulting metabolic stress placed on the muscles has an anabolic effect leading to molecular signalling and an increasing hormonal response by the body.

MUSCLE DAMAGE

Muscle damage is an essential component of the muscle building process. Muscle damage is sustained during resistance training, largely coming from eccentric (lengthening the muscle) and concentric (shortening the muscle) contractions. D.O.Ms (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) is a very common sensation experienced by individuals after undertaking exercise, this is a result of micro tears in the muscle as a result of damage.

Both types of contractions cause muscle damage, but eccentric contractions cause more damage to the muscle than concentric contractions. Hence why bodybuilders incorporate ‘negative’ reps into their training regimes. This onset of muscle damage triggers motor pathways that then activate protein synthesis to occur and the rebuilding of the damaged muscle begins.

Depending on your goals, the best way to increase lean tissue is to include all 3 ways. To do this you can periodize your training plans. For example:

• Weeks 1 - 6 muscle damage

• Weeks 7 - 12 metabolic stress

• Weeks 13 - 18 mechanical tension

Building new muscle should be a staple in everyone’s training goals. Whether you are looking to lose weight, look better, increase performance for sport or for real world application. However, don’t just focus on those muscles that make you look good in the summer. Make sure you give those neglected smaller muscles the respect, focus and attention that they equally deserve. Your body and your posture will thank you for it in the long run.