We know that exercising leads to fat loss and muscle gain. But how exactly is the muscle built? What are the factors that influence the rate at which you can build muscle and how can you optimize it? How does our body increase muscle size seemingly out of nowhere by performing resistance exercises? What is the upper limit to muscle growth?
The human body is extremely complex and intelligent. It readily adapts to the environment encompassing it. We can acclimatize to a wide range of temperature and humidity. We are constantly responding in physiological ways to changes in temperature, infections, pollution, mechanical stress etc. These changes usually occur over the span of a few days to several months.
How exercise affects muscles
During resistance training, our body is experiencing an external mechanical stress. When we do this often enough, the body realizes that to respond to this external stimuli more effectively, it must become more efficient at that particular activity. And what is the best way to do so? By ensuring that the muscle used for that particular movement becomes stronger and bigger. This is a simplified version of what happens in our body.
When performing resistance exercises, damage to muscle fibres occurs in the form of micro-tears. These micro-tears are the cause of soreness experienced by beginners when they start resistance training or perform a new exercise. It is also known as DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). DOMS usually occurs 12-48 hours after exercise and can last up to 48-72 hours after that. DOMS occurs to almost all individuals and is nothing to worry about.
These micro-tears cause a certain type of cells known as satellite cells to repair the muscle fibres. They fuse with the muscle fibres thereby increasing the cross sectional area of the muscle. Over time, these satellite cells, just like any other cell, replicate by dividing into more cells. This causes the muscle to become larger and thicker.
The important point to note here is that muscle growth occurs during rest and not while performing exercise. That is why spending 3 hrs a day at the gym while only sleeping for 5 hours is completely pointless. In order to grow bigger and stronger, nutrition and rest are more important than exercise by itself.
How hormones affect muscles
Two main hormones that affect muscle growth are testosterone and growth hormone (HGH). Testosterone and HGH are usually released during high intensive exercise (generally anaerobic/resistance exercises). They are anabolic (muscle growth promoting) hormones and as a result are popular steroid substances.
Another hormone called cortisol (commonly referred to as the stress hormone) is generally released by the body during stressful conditions (both mental and physical). However, it isn’t particularly a “bad” hormone. Exercise by itself is a form of stress to the body. Cortisol is released after exercise and in fact, in the right amounts, aids in muscle growth.
Men tend to have 20-30 times more testosterone as compared to women. This is one of the main reasons why it is very difficult for women to put on as much muscle as men over the same time period. The misconception that women will get “bulky” by lifting heavy weight is baseless. They simply do not have the hormone profile for that to happen. The women bodybuilders who have a great amount of muscle mass are almost always of a high amount of steroid substances.
Testosterone and HGH production can be maximized by eating a sufficient amount of healthy fats (unsaturated and saturated) and micronutrients such as zinc, magnesium and iron.
How nutrition affects muscles
The body looks at muscle as a luxury. If a person does not eat enough food or calories, the body assumes that he/she is starving and therefore eliminates all the tissue it deems unnecessary. This leads to a reduction in fat as well as muscle tissue.
In order to build muscle, you must provide a surplus of food/calories and perform sufficient exercise to cause muscle breakdown. By having a caloric surplus, the body will readily use all the excess nutrients for muscle building purposes. However, the entire caloric surplus will not just be used to build muscle; in fact a small amount may contribute to fat gain as well, but it is usually insignificant unless the surplus is very large.
How rest affect muscles
As I mentioned before, rest is when muscles actually get repaired and grow. It is recommended that you get around 7-8 hrs of sleep per day. Sleep helps regulate all the hormone levels (increases testosterone and HGH and reduces cortisol). Sufficient sleep also ensures you are active throughout the day and have enough energy to get in a great workout. I have always found a good night’s sleep to be the best solution to lethargy, lack of motivation and general attentiveness.
Take a few days off in the week. You could do yoga, work on your mobility or play some sport instead. This will ensure that your muscles have recovered completely for the next session. Not every workout needs to be a 100% all out effort. Sometimes it is better to just take it easy.
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