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Muscle growth, or hypertrophy, can be achieved through exercise and supplements. There are two types of growth: sarcoplasmic, which increases muscle size, and myofibrillar, which increases strength. Microtrauma theory suggests that muscle fibers tear during exercise and are repaired stronger with protein. Some drugs can promote muscle growth, but they are often dangerous and illegal.
Muscle growth, scientifically known as muscle hypertrophy, is literally the increase in the size of muscle cells in a living body. It can be caused by a number of different factors and occurs to varying degrees throughout life. It is a natural biological process, but it can be helped or promoted by physical exercise and nutritional supplements. There are two different types of muscle growth, one that primarily increases the size of the muscles and one that primarily increases their strength.
In humans, natural hypertrophy usually ends in late adolescence, after puberty. After that point, it takes a conscious effort to see continued muscle growth. Short, intense anaerobic exercises—exercise in which the target cells don’t have time to take in fresh oxygen—are the most efficient way to promote muscle growth. The most obvious example of anaerobic exercise is weight lifting, as opposed to an aerobic exercise, such as jogging, in which the muscles can take up oxygen during the course of the exercise.
Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, the type of muscle growth that is primarily related to size, involves an increase in the volume of a particular type of fluid, known as sarcoplasmic fluid, in the muscle. This type of muscle growth is achieved by performing strength exercises that involve lifting lighter weights for a relatively high number of repetitions. Lifting for strength, known as myofibrillar hypertrophy, involves only a small number of repetitions of a given exercise, but with weights that add up to nearly 100 percent of the target muscle’s capacity. A weight lifter using his maximum effort to lift a barbell just once is an excellent example of a myofibrillar exercise.
A leading theory behind the actual development of muscles is known as microtrauma. As muscles are overloaded from lifting weights or doing other work, small tears occur in the muscle fibers. This damage is repaired by the body, which overcompensates by building a stronger fiber in an effort to minimize future damage. Protein is essential for this repair and growth of muscles, and it is estimated that for optimal growth during strength training, 0.03 ounces (approximately 1 gram) of protein should be consumed daily for every pound (0.45 kilograms) of muscle. body weight.
In addition to protein, other natural and synthetic drugs can be taken to promote muscle growth. Testosterone, anabolic steroids, and human growth hormone are just a few of the many chemicals and compounds that naturally or artificially increase hypertrophy. However, many of these substances are toxic when used in excess, and often have dangerous side effects. Furthermore, most of them are universally illegal to obtain or use without a prescription.
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