Bodybuilding-Hypertrophy Adaptation
How hard is your weight training workout?
Are you always pushing your muscles beyond what they have become used to by undertaking a progressively harder weight training workout.
Using increasingly heavy weights and for between 20 and 60 reps?
There are of course other important factors such as rest, nutrition and genetics but these are irrelevant if you are not following the Number 1 Rule...
Your weight training workout must be progressively harder each and every session.
Using increasingly heavy weights and for between 20 and 60 reps?
There are of course other important factors such as rest, nutrition and genetics but these are irrelevant if you are not following the Number 1 Rule...
Your weight training workout must be progressively harder each and every session.
Bodybuilding is About Overload and Recovery
Your body does not understand reps, weight training programs or the latest split routine from a muscle magazine but what it does well is cope with overload and recovery.
If you traumatise the muscles by overloading them with a weight training workout your body will recover (if given rest) and adapt to the trauma making the muscle bigger and better than it was before so it can be prepared for any future trauma.
The recovery and repair process is known as hypertrophy adaptation and it is the main precursor of muscle growth.
During your weight training workout you must lift heavy enough weights cause the trauma and you must keep the muscle under tension for an amount of time (you must do enough reps but not to many) which will in turn force this hypertrophy adaptation to take place.
If you traumatise the muscles by overloading them with a weight training workout your body will recover (if given rest) and adapt to the trauma making the muscle bigger and better than it was before so it can be prepared for any future trauma.
The recovery and repair process is known as hypertrophy adaptation and it is the main precursor of muscle growth.
During your weight training workout you must lift heavy enough weights cause the trauma and you must keep the muscle under tension for an amount of time (you must do enough reps but not to many) which will in turn force this hypertrophy adaptation to take place.
Once the body has adapted if you use the same weight with the same intensity
hypertrophy adaptation will not take place.
Hypertrophy will only work if the muscle has not encountered that level of overload before.
How to stimulate hypertrophy adaptation
During your weight training workout if you are lifting the same amount of weight as you where in your last weight training workout then you are wasting your time, you need to add some sort of ever-increasing progressive overload in order to stimulate hypertrophy at each session to keep muscles growing in size and strength.
The progressive overload can be increased for example by;
• Lifting a little more weight each weight training workout.
• Increasing the reps or sets.
• Reducing rest time between sets.
• Increase the amount of exercises per body part or session.
The studies have confirmed the muscle building range is between 8 and 12 reps per set and between 20 and 60 reps total per muscle group per workout .
Example of a progressive weight training workout
Session 1, choose a weight that you can do only eight reps.
Session 2, do 9 or 10 reps
Session 3, do 10 or 12 reps
When you reach, 12 add enough weight so you can only do 8 again and repeat the sequence.
Alternatively,
• Add extra weight each session.
• Do four sets of 12 reps.
• Choose a weight you can do 12 with for all four sets.
• Each session add 1 pound to the bar.
The one pound my not seem a lot but if you can keep those small increases going for a year you have added over 50 pound! That will equate to massive increase in strength and muscle size.
The progressive overload can be increased for example by;
• Lifting a little more weight each weight training workout.
• Increasing the reps or sets.
• Reducing rest time between sets.
• Increase the amount of exercises per body part or session.
The studies have confirmed the muscle building range is between 8 and 12 reps per set and between 20 and 60 reps total per muscle group per workout .
Example of a progressive weight training workout
Session 1, choose a weight that you can do only eight reps.
Session 2, do 9 or 10 reps
Session 3, do 10 or 12 reps
When you reach, 12 add enough weight so you can only do 8 again and repeat the sequence.
Alternatively,
• Add extra weight each session.
• Do four sets of 12 reps.
• Choose a weight you can do 12 with for all four sets.
• Each session add 1 pound to the bar.
The one pound my not seem a lot but if you can keep those small increases going for a year you have added over 50 pound! That will equate to massive increase in strength and muscle size.
