In this twenty-first century world, especially in the United States, our culture is obsessed with Hollywood.
This has created an epidemic of body image problems, and everybody wants "the perfect body".
Ripped abs, bulging biceps, and a huge chest are all desirable in this day and age.
So why should you be left out? Building muscle is easy if you understand the basics of how it's done.
The most efficient way to build muscle is through weight training.
Before I dive into specific routines and exercises, allow me to explain the process of how muscle is actually built.
The act of an organ of the human body growing is called "hypertrophy".
When it comes to building muscle, it is called "skeletal muscle hypertrophy".
There are two basic types of hypertrophy: sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar hypertrophy.
Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is when the amount of fluid inside the muscle cell (cytoplasm) increases, causing the muscle to enlarge.
Myofibrillar hypertrophy is when the number of nuclei inside the cell increases, as well as the amount of contractile proteins actin and myosin increasing.
(when you lift a weight, flex, or use any muscle, it is because the muscle cells or "fibers" contract, causing the corresponding bones to move).
Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy occurs usually with higher reps, and is purely cosmetic, meaning there is no associated strength increase.
Myofibrillar hypertrophy is associated with an increase in strength, and a slight increase in muscle size.
When designing a weight-lifting regimen, one must target a combination of both sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar hypertrophy to achieve the best possible results.
We all know about evolution, and the theory behind it (whether you believe it or not).
Building muscle is not too different.
Evolution is based around the idea of organisms adapting to changes and stress and becoming better to overcome them.
With muscle, you apply stress to it, and it adapts to that stress by becoming bigger and stronger for the next time it is faced with such a stress.
With this in mind, I'd like to introduce a principle called "progressive overload".
This means that in order to continue gaining muscle, you have to keep providing your muscles with additional stress.
For example, say during the first week of your weight lifting program, you bench press two hundred pounds for 3 sets of 10 reps.
In order to conitnue gaining muscle from the bench press, you must increase the intensity the next time.
Intensity can come in the form of adding weight to the bar, adding reps, sets, or even decreasing the amount of rest between sets.
However, while simply lifting weights a few times a week will be beneficial to your health, and you will see SOME progress, it will be nothing like the progress you will see with proper nutrition.
Since muscle cells are made up of mostly protein, you must increase the amount of protein in your diet.
Also, in order to gain mostly muscle and not half muscle, half fat, I recommend you eat 4-6 small meals per day instead of three large ones.
Also, cut out simple sugars such as candy and soda and replace them with complex carbohydrates.
This has created an epidemic of body image problems, and everybody wants "the perfect body".
Ripped abs, bulging biceps, and a huge chest are all desirable in this day and age.
So why should you be left out? Building muscle is easy if you understand the basics of how it's done.
The most efficient way to build muscle is through weight training.
Before I dive into specific routines and exercises, allow me to explain the process of how muscle is actually built.
The act of an organ of the human body growing is called "hypertrophy".
When it comes to building muscle, it is called "skeletal muscle hypertrophy".
There are two basic types of hypertrophy: sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar hypertrophy.
Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is when the amount of fluid inside the muscle cell (cytoplasm) increases, causing the muscle to enlarge.
Myofibrillar hypertrophy is when the number of nuclei inside the cell increases, as well as the amount of contractile proteins actin and myosin increasing.
(when you lift a weight, flex, or use any muscle, it is because the muscle cells or "fibers" contract, causing the corresponding bones to move).
Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy occurs usually with higher reps, and is purely cosmetic, meaning there is no associated strength increase.
Myofibrillar hypertrophy is associated with an increase in strength, and a slight increase in muscle size.
When designing a weight-lifting regimen, one must target a combination of both sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar hypertrophy to achieve the best possible results.
We all know about evolution, and the theory behind it (whether you believe it or not).
Building muscle is not too different.
Evolution is based around the idea of organisms adapting to changes and stress and becoming better to overcome them.
With muscle, you apply stress to it, and it adapts to that stress by becoming bigger and stronger for the next time it is faced with such a stress.
With this in mind, I'd like to introduce a principle called "progressive overload".
This means that in order to continue gaining muscle, you have to keep providing your muscles with additional stress.
For example, say during the first week of your weight lifting program, you bench press two hundred pounds for 3 sets of 10 reps.
In order to conitnue gaining muscle from the bench press, you must increase the intensity the next time.
Intensity can come in the form of adding weight to the bar, adding reps, sets, or even decreasing the amount of rest between sets.
However, while simply lifting weights a few times a week will be beneficial to your health, and you will see SOME progress, it will be nothing like the progress you will see with proper nutrition.
Since muscle cells are made up of mostly protein, you must increase the amount of protein in your diet.
Also, in order to gain mostly muscle and not half muscle, half fat, I recommend you eat 4-6 small meals per day instead of three large ones.
Also, cut out simple sugars such as candy and soda and replace them with complex carbohydrates.
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