No Frills Muscle Building?
Q: What’s the latest on training for muscle size? Do I have to spend an hour or two in the gym five or six days a week to put on some muscle?
A: Not unless you want to. I believe most people will be encouraged by recommendations made by UK exercise scientists from Southampton Solent and Manchester Metropolitan Universities. After an extensive literature review, James Fisher, James Steele, and Dave Smith identified and grouped 57 peer-reviewed journal articles providing evidence-based guidelines for training to build muscle. Their review distills muscle building to the essentials, including a few heartening surprises. (The full report can be found in Medicina Sportiva, 17 (4): 217-235, 2013)
The single most important requirement for building muscle is maximum effort to stimulate the growth of as many muscle fibers as possible. Pushing or pulling should be continued until you can’t do another repetition in good form, the point of momentary muscular failure.
That can be accomplished with high or low repetitions and heavy or light resistance. Single sets and multiple sets appear to achieve essentially the same results. Rest periods between sets or exercises appear not to affect results; rest as long as you need. Both slow and fast repetitions are effective, as long as muscular tension is maintained. Both full and limited range movements build muscle. Isometric contraction also works. "Muscle does not know what it contracts against; it simply contracts or relaxes," Fisher et al explained.
"Our suggestion is to perform a variety of upper and lower body exercises, utilizing divergent grips and body positions to insure comparable hypertrophy for the entire muscular system," the UK researchers wrote. They warn, however, that muscle shape and response vary from person to person; they are largely beyond the control of the individual. Muscles respond differently for each person. Symmetrical development is not the norm.
In addition, combining endurance training with strength training does not appear to impede hypertrophy. “In fact, the addition of high intensity cycling might increase muscular hypertrophy,” the researchers added.
Importantly, no training for up to three weeks does not appear to cause significant muscle shrinkage, and may even increase results upon return to training. “This seems logical” the researchers wrote. “The body does not grow during training, but rather whilst recovering from the training stimulus. Brief periods of excessive training require a similar period of no training to allow the body to recover and prepare for further training.”
The researchers ended with a word or two on expectations. While the time required for muscular growth varies from person to person, significant hypertrophy usually begins to appear within three weeks of starting resistance training. Untrained persons gain faster than trained persons. “It should be realized that once a person is in some degree of trained state that their rate of growth is likely to diminish,” the researchers observed.
While the vast majority of people respond positively to muscle training, it has been reported that roughly one percent are low responders and three percent are high responders. Most people fall somewhere in the middle.
http://www.cbass.com/FAQ(10).htm (Bottom of page)
Q: What’s the latest on training for muscle size? Do I have to spend an hour or two in the gym five or six days a week to put on some muscle?
A: Not unless you want to. I believe most people will be encouraged by recommendations made by UK exercise scientists from Southampton Solent and Manchester Metropolitan Universities. After an extensive literature review, James Fisher, James Steele, and Dave Smith identified and grouped 57 peer-reviewed journal articles providing evidence-based guidelines for training to build muscle. Their review distills muscle building to the essentials, including a few heartening surprises. (The full report can be found in Medicina Sportiva, 17 (4): 217-235, 2013)
The single most important requirement for building muscle is maximum effort to stimulate the growth of as many muscle fibers as possible. Pushing or pulling should be continued until you can’t do another repetition in good form, the point of momentary muscular failure.
That can be accomplished with high or low repetitions and heavy or light resistance. Single sets and multiple sets appear to achieve essentially the same results. Rest periods between sets or exercises appear not to affect results; rest as long as you need. Both slow and fast repetitions are effective, as long as muscular tension is maintained. Both full and limited range movements build muscle. Isometric contraction also works. "Muscle does not know what it contracts against; it simply contracts or relaxes," Fisher et al explained.
"Our suggestion is to perform a variety of upper and lower body exercises, utilizing divergent grips and body positions to insure comparable hypertrophy for the entire muscular system," the UK researchers wrote. They warn, however, that muscle shape and response vary from person to person; they are largely beyond the control of the individual. Muscles respond differently for each person. Symmetrical development is not the norm.
In addition, combining endurance training with strength training does not appear to impede hypertrophy. “In fact, the addition of high intensity cycling might increase muscular hypertrophy,” the researchers added.
Importantly, no training for up to three weeks does not appear to cause significant muscle shrinkage, and may even increase results upon return to training. “This seems logical” the researchers wrote. “The body does not grow during training, but rather whilst recovering from the training stimulus. Brief periods of excessive training require a similar period of no training to allow the body to recover and prepare for further training.”
The researchers ended with a word or two on expectations. While the time required for muscular growth varies from person to person, significant hypertrophy usually begins to appear within three weeks of starting resistance training. Untrained persons gain faster than trained persons. “It should be realized that once a person is in some degree of trained state that their rate of growth is likely to diminish,” the researchers observed.
While the vast majority of people respond positively to muscle training, it has been reported that roughly one percent are low responders and three percent are high responders. Most people fall somewhere in the middle.
http://www.cbass.com/FAQ(10).htm (Bottom of page)