Why muscles? How our muscles grow: mechanisms of activation of muscle growth. FAQ on muscle growth or building the correct training algorithm

My respect, dear ladies and gentlemen! Today we are waiting for a super exciting article, and all because it will be devoted as much as possible to the question - why and how muscles grow? You've probably noticed that I haven't yet overloaded you with information on "pumping up" topics, such as how to develop 6 abs, powerful arms or legs. This is done on purpose, because... You must first thoroughly understand through what (what processes) your muscles will grow, and only then comprehend the correct exercise technique and take notes on various training programs.

So, in this review we will talk about the basic topic of bodybuilding, and I will try to cover issues related to muscle growth in as much detail (from all sides) and qualitatively as possible, i.e. what, how and due to what they grow.

So take your seats in the auditorium, we are starting...

Muscle Growth and the CNS: An Introduction

Probably one of the most popular questions among bodybuilders of all stripes (and especially novice athletes) is exactly this - how do muscles grow? Usually it is second in popularity after “how to pump up a particular muscle group.” It would seem that this is a favorite question, it is asked often, which means there are answers? Yes, of course, there are common truths (a little more about them), but they do not work for everyone, or rather, for everyone in different ways. And all because few people delve into the very “technological” essence of the process (the mechanisms of muscle growth from the inside) - but in vain. Well, okay, God be their judge :), we will deal with all this here and now.

So, the basic postulates say that muscles grow when:

Work is underway with.
Those. the training process includes multi-joint exercises such as squats with a barbell on the shoulders, etc.
Rational is provided.
Growth requires consuming increased amounts of up to 2,5 g/kg body weight, eat frequently (up to 6 once a day) and don’t forget about water and minerals.
Providing adequate rest (sleep), which triggers all the body’s recovery processes.

It would seem that everyone has known these principles for a long time, and there is nothing new in them, then why does someone in the gym look like a “real bull”, while others look like “slender-skinny” deer, because both of them know these principles of growth and nutritional patterns. Genetics? Yes, to a certain extent, but there is still an important link in the chain that makes a powerful bodybuilder out of a skinny (genetically practically ungifted) bodybuilder. And this link is called neurophysiology. Why exactly this, but there is simply nothing more - after all (other things being equal) we all eat the same, we sleep the same, we lift approximately equal weights. It turns out that muscle potential is determined by genetics (which can be changed), but our brain can awaken it. Let's figure out how.

The launch of processes associated with protein synthesis in our muscles occurs thanks to orders coming from the central nervous system (CNS). When a person decides to change (become different), the decision depends on the central nervous system, and not on the external environment, although the latter influences it. Only the central nervous system launches all the necessary processes of neurostimulation of the brain and prepares, instructs our body to react in one way or another to various types of loads, by engaging the required muscle groups. He was being clever, did he understand what he said? :)

Now we understand that in order to trigger the mechanism of muscle growth, it is necessary to influence the central nervous system. The fundamental criterion here is adaptability, without which a person could not achieve anything. Adaptability is the ability and ability of the body to adapt to changing conditions. If we translate this definition into bodybuilding, it will mean that no matter how hard you work during training (according to the same program), it will not give you a long-lasting effect because the muscles adapt to any load, and they need to be shocked periodically. More precisely, it is necessary to shock the muscles by striking the central nervous system. Moreover, it must be of such strength and duration that the central nervous system “wants” to give vital energy for muscle growth, i.e. the blow should be “in the gut”. Often this effect can be achieved by increasing training intensity, training time and working weight, as well as various techniques such as changing exercise patterns, protein supplements, etc. However, over time, the rate of muscle tissue growth still slows down.

About progressive load, excitability of the central nervous system, etc. we will talk in our next issues, for now it is enough for us to know that this is one of the powerful (if not the most) “long-lasting” muscle growth factors. We are now more interested in issues of muscle anabolism from the point of view of the processes occurring in the cell. Now, actually, in more detail about it.

What does muscle volume depend on? Growth factors.

In one of our previous articles, we talked about the process of muscle anabolism, which is the other side of catabolism (i.e., their destruction). So, now you know for sure that muscles grow not during training (when they are loaded, torn and destroyed), but after it - when the process of recovery and overcompensation occurs.

Let's take a closer look at what exactly muscle volume depends on and the first thing is...

Number and cross-section of muscle fibers

As we know, muscles consist of two types of fibers: slow-twitch and fast-twitch. The difference between them is significant, and it lies in the fact that fibers of the first type, in principle, will never be able to reach the volumes of fibers of the second type. The volume of the fibers itself depends on the amount of sarcoplasm filling the volume between the myofibrils (a structural element of muscles).

Note:
Sarcoplasm consists of globular proteins, salts and glycogen. 100 grams of muscle contain 3-5 grams of glycogen, and 1 gram of glycogen can be retained 2,5 grams of water.

So, the ability of muscles to store glycogen responds quite well to training.

Another important physiological moment of muscle growth. The thing is that muscle fibers (their bundles) are “packed” in fascia - a kind of case for muscles (a connective membrane covering organs and blood vessels). The potential for muscle growth depends on their rigidity. For example, if the fascia is stiff, then this will inhibit the potential growth (increase in volume) of muscle fibers. In turn, their rigidity depends on the cross-section of the capillaries and their number.

In general, muscles respond to physical stress by increasing their weight and cross-section; in addition, when a muscle works under load, the amount of blood increases (almost 16 times compared to rest) coming to it. All this increases the intensification of metabolic processes in the muscles, and they undergo growth. All of these parameters (muscle blood flow and fascial stiffness) can be easily influenced by high-volume strength training.

So, the following parameters influence muscle volume:

thickness (diameter) of muscle fibers;
fiber type (fast, slow);
their number;
degree of fascia rigidity - packing of muscle fibers;
amount of sarcoplasm;
number and diameter of blood vessels.

These are all the growth points of your muscles that you can influence through quality training. For the latter to be exactly like this, it is also necessary not to forget about:

CNS (central nervous system);
neuromuscular innervation (brain-muscle connection);
metabolism (acceleration of metabolism);
hormones (including anabolic - testosterone, growth hormone - somatotropin);
strength of tendons, ligaments, joints.

For maximum comprehensive impact on all these parameters, it is not enough to have a specific training program (for example, working only with the base or for endurance); it is necessary to combine different types of training, as well as periodically (drastically) change the style of exercises. At the end, we will talk about the correct algorithm for constructing the training process from the point of view of taking into account factors affecting muscle growth.

Bodybuilder VS Powerlifter. Who will win?

You already know that basic exercises (barbell press, squat, deadlift) came to us from a discipline such as powerlifting. So, their approaches to the training process are quite different, which ultimately affects the volume, quality of muscles and, accordingly, the proportions of the body.

So, purely “bodybuilding things” can be called training with: 1) the number of repetitions ( 8-12 ); 2) the weight of the burden is 70% from one-time maximum (RM); 3) rest between approaches ( 1-2 minutes). Such a technique as (maximum blood supply to the muscle) can be considered an extreme expression of the “builder” approach to training. In this case, the weight is reduced to 50% RM, number of repetitions increases to 15-25 , and the pause is shortened to 30-40 sec. In the camp of powerlifters, the following picture can be observed - the one-time lifting of a large weight is important here. Often this is training in the repetition range from 3 before 6 (weight can be 100% RM, but more often located at the mark 80-95% RM), rest with sets 5-7 minutes.

All these differences in training processes lead to the fact that the body gives strong feedback in the form of a hormonal response specifically from the “builder” style. More densely intense training with reduced rest time using m/s approaches leads to an increase in the level and release of somatotropin into the blood. Techniques such as trisets and supersets lead to an increased release of growth factors into the blood.

“Lifters” undergo completely different processes - the level of testosterone (during training) not only increases, it even falls, but the level of the catabolic hormone increases noticeably - which destroys proteins and promotes the accumulation. Of course, all this happens over a fairly short period of time, then everything returns to normal and even increases. So this type of training is good for protein synthesis. It is worth saying that the clear advantage of the “builder” approach to training is that you can train much more often than the “lifter” approach and the central nervous system practically does not get tired - this means stronger muscle growth. In powerlifting, the central nervous system undergoes more significant stress, and often does not have time to recover, because it takes about 7 days. Maybe that’s why the “lifters” are so gloomy :).

Then it turns out that to each his own?

No matter how it is. It turns out that sometimes you need to give your training process a shake-up precisely from the point of view of switching to another type of training, i.e. you need to play tag: you were a “builder”, now be a “lifter”. This change in activity shocks the central nervous system and involves more muscle fibers in the work. In other words, the more weight on the barbell, the more “safe” you are to lie down under it, the harder your brain works, and the more fibers you need to include in the work so that there is no wet spot left from you :).

Note:
Beginners should not forget that at first they do not yet have a well-developed “brain-muscle” nerve impulse transmission channel, so you should not hang exorbitant weights on the barbell in the hope that “what if it slips through”!

On average, ordinary gym users (and this includes almost everyone with less than 2-3 years) is involved in work up to 35% muscle fibers, while the “luminaries” of the gym (experience 3-5 years) this figure can reach 45-50% .

The moral of this story is this - if you are a classic representative of bodybuilding, then sometimes you should take a closer look at the training programs of your fellow lifters. This will help you involve more fibers in the work in order to develop greater traction and increase the desired volumes. You can use not only the classic “lifter” training scheme, for example, the method ( 5x5, 6x6, five/six hikes of five/six repetitions) is quite an option. You can also recruit additional fibers not only through training the “brain-muscle” channel, but also with a technique such as a drop set - (we will consider it in the next issues) is also a good idea.

Hypertrophy and hyperplasia

It is no secret that the more muscle fibers receive microtrauma, the stronger the return in the form of muscles built by the body will be. However, a process without problematic initial growth is the lot of only beginners in bodybuilding, while the “luminaries” of the gym (or beginners with more than 1 year) it is worth knowing about the structural and biochemical transformations that occur in the muscle cell. All these processes are directly related to phenomena such as hypertrophy and hyperplasia.

What are these processes and what is their difference?

So, hypertrophy is the process of increasing the size of a specific muscle cell, while hyperplasia is an increase in the number of muscle fibers. This is their fundamental difference. Those. It turns out that in the first case we “inflate” only one cell. The resulting sum of several muscle cells will always give a much greater increase in volume than any one (even large) muscle cell. It turns out that a necessary condition for gaining weight is the body’s ability to “multiply” the number of muscle fibers.

Note:
The muscles of strength athletes (weightlifters, powerlifters) have much fewer muscle cells than bodybuilders, but they are larger in size. All this suggests a completely different hormonal response of the body depending on the types of training.

Because training processes are directly related to hormonal ones, therefore it is believed that growth hormone, especially insulin-like growth factor, plays a significant role in the reproduction of muscle cells ( IGF-1). It turns out that alternating (or combining) two different types of training can affect both the growth (number) of muscle fibers – “builder” types, and the thickness of fibers – “lifter” types. It will also help you to know that fibers can reach their maximum thickness (the limit of growth in width) in an average of two years. However, the latter does not mean at all that we need to quickly increase the number of muscle fibers first, and then (over the course of 2 years) to carry out work only on their thickening.

The easiest thing to do in this case is to combine the “lifting” and “building” types of training, periodically addressing each in turn. Let's say we take a month and divide it into 4 weeks and two weeks we do one program (for the number of fibers), then bam - and for the next two weeks we switch to another program (for the quality of fibers).

By and large, all of the above information concerns “fast” (white) muscle fibers; slow (red) muscle fibers have limited growth potential. However, they can also be “stirred up” by hammering them until they turn red:) with light weight (i.e., do a large number of repetitions - from 30 to 60, depending on). Thus, it turns out that working with large weights is the path to hyperplasia of the “fast” fibers, and with small weights – to the hyperplasia of the “slow” ones. It is conventionally accepted to divide fibers of the second type (white) into: IIa and IIb (see table, clickable).

So, in the process of hyperplasia, the newly created fibers will be of type IIb, they, in turn, under the influence of constant load on the muscles, are transformed into type IIa.

Note:
The process of converting type IIb fibers to type IIa fibers takes about 6 weeks

It turns out that you need to focus your training (including) on type IIb muscle fibers, and the optimal solution that will have the greatest possible impact on this type of fiber is training with elements of plyometrics. This is a special type of training aimed at increasing the explosive power of an athlete. Examples of exercises include: push-ups with a clap/on balls, jumping up with a barbell on your shoulders, “power-up” on the bar. Along with plyometrics, you can use “explosive” presses/pull-ups and barbell rows to work out IIb fibers. The whole point of these exercises is: maintaining a very high tempo of performing the exercises, weights (no more than 50% PM) and explosive (continuous) work of specific muscle groups.

Muscle density and striations

Muscle density - everything is simple here, the better the fascia (muscle sheaths) are filled, the denser the muscles. As a result of the processes of hyperplasia occurring in the muscle fibers, the fascia can stretch beyond measure (leaving space for possible filling with new fibers) - this creates the impression of “loose” muscles filled with air. Their density increases due to: 1) hypertrophy of newly formed fibers; 2) filling muscle sheaths with new capillaries; 3) increasing the cross-section of existing blood vessels.

Note:
It happens that muscle density is achieved through pharmacology (chemicals, steroids), i.e. they retain a large amount of water and visually the muscles look large and full. In fact, this density is “water” and is worth little.

Muscle striation or striation - this term is more applicable to competitive (performing) bodybuilders and indicates the degree of striation (separation of muscles into individual fibers). To put it simply, it’s whether you can find (feel) all the known muscle groups on your body, and in general, how pronounced they are. Definition – it is more connected and manifests itself under the influence of hyperplasia processes. Those. we can say that these are purely “bodybuilding” things - muscle fibers should not be too large (swollen), otherwise the body will look like one solid monolith of muscles.

Blood filling

Pumping type training (from the English pumping - pumping) is what the doctor ordered for those who have recently come to the gym. It increases the “capillarization” of muscles (increases the cross-section and number of blood vessels feeding it), and also promotes the release of growth factors into the blood. All this helps the muscles seriously increase in volume.

Now let's talk about...

Work exactly on target

What else is this? - you ask.

We know (at least I have already talked about this) that the human muscle corset includes both large (quadriceps, back) and small (biceps, triceps, calves) groups. Of course, their training is different from each other. For example, the corresponding large muscle groups take on a lot of weight. Some often try to load small groups with exorbitant weight (like so that they grow faster) and begin by hook or by crook to “drag” this weight with their whole body, making some incomprehensible movements with their whole body.

So, you shouldn’t do this, i.e. for hypertrophy of small groups it is not at all necessary to “lift” the weight above your head. You just need to work with a comfortable weight that allows you to load the muscle well and follow the correct technique. In other words, the weight of the weight when working small muscle groups is not important, but what is important is to hit (correctly direct it to the area being worked) with this weight exactly on target. And here, as an option, either working the muscle in full amplitude with a comfortable, correct weight, or a reduced amplitude, with a slightly increased weight of the burden, may be suitable.

Actually, the main part seems to be over, phew, I’m even a little tired :), but oh well, there’s still a little bit left, conclusions, so to speak.

FAQ on muscle growth or building the correct training algorithm

Because article conclusions have become our tradition, and it is customary to honor them, then I decided to somewhat formalize all the information voiced here and derive a certain (even if very conditional) algorithm that will be aimed specifically at the training process, taking into account the factors influencing muscle growth.

So, the step-by-step algorithm is:

Beginners who have recently started going to the gym should pay attention to this type of training such as pumping. Those. heavy weights – “on the side” (you shouldn’t follow the principle: take more - throw further), we work with a small weight of the apparatus and the number of repetitions in the exercise is in the range of 15 before 20 . This type of training will allow you not only to increase capillarization (blood filling) of the muscles and maximize the branching of the network of blood vessels, but also to feel the correct technique for performing the exercises. In total, we set up the correct technique and work to “pump” the muscles with blood, using light weights.
Do not forget about the innervation of muscle fibers, i.e. about the “brain-muscle” channel. Feel the tension in your entire body while doing the exercise - nerve impulses should literally run from your head to your muscles. Tips from the article will help you.
Hyperplasia is one of the keys to success in achieving the coveted volumes. Try alternating high-volume intensive training (including basic exercises) with pumping. There will certainly be an effect.
You have increased the number of muscle fibers, now work on their quality, i.e. it’s time to take on hypertrophy. Here we do not forget about “explosive” presses, push-ups coupled with plyometrics.
Next, calmly move on to the usual type of bodybuilder strength training - this means working in the range 6-8 repetitions (select the weight intuitively to perform a given number of times, usually this 70-80% RM). It's best to start with 6 repetitions and gradually bring them to 8 . Then set a new bar and start the circle again with 6 before 8 . Monitor the frequency of training - you should at least do the volume of the previous one at each subsequent training session; if not, remove one training session from your weekly schedule.
Well, then in a circle - “hyperplasia - hypertrophy, hyperplasia - hypertrophy...”, alternate, combine, in general, work until the bitter end! (not yours, but in the sense of the result, otherwise who will read me :)).

Something like that.

Afterword

Today we have fully tried to answer the question - due to what and how muscles grow, and this was only the technical side of the process; we will also devote a separate delicious article to protein and food intake (i.e. nutritional issues) that help build our muscles . Our story has come to an end, I tried to collect for you all the most valuable information on muscle growth and fit it into this article, I’m sure it will be useful to you more than once.

Master it, dear readers, share it with your loved ones and remember - everything is done for you, because you are the best! That’s all, I was glad to spend this time with you, until we contact you on the pages of the project “”.

PS. Don't forget about the comments, they are always open to expressing their thoughts, ideas, considerations, questions and other miscellaneous things.

In this article we will look at several important aspects regarding muscle growth in athletes. It is extremely important to understand what a muscle is, why it grows, and what it needs to grow.

Any professional bodybuilder will tell you: in order to build muscle mass, you need to understand the process itself, its nature! Only then can positive results be achieved in the future.

Muscle is the most economical part of our body. She tries to lose as little of the substances she needs as possible and, accordingly, gain as much as possible.

Also in the human body there is a mechanism for ideal weight. Your body itself determines for itself the peak at which it should stop when gaining weight, so as not to create problems for itself. If you are not satisfied with this pick, then you need to have a “fight” with it to change the situation.

Every person has a certain amount of fiber from birth, genetically, the quantity of which you cannot increase, but the quality is no problem. Muscle grows by increasing the thickness of the fiber structure. This means that all you have to do is make it (the fiber) grow.

Operating principle

During training, your fibers are partially destroyed (torn), and during rest, the muscle recovers and strives to exceed the limit that was initially set. This process also got its name – “super compensation”.

The process of fiber thickening is accompanied by the synthesis of myofibrils (protein filaments). They absorb nutrients that you eat through food.

The more you train, the more protein threads there will be, the better the blood supply to the muscles. It follows from this that if you do not supply your body with the necessary substances (proteins, calories, minerals, vitamins and much more), then development is out of the question. There is no way your muscles will get bigger, and the fact becomes clear: training without proper nutrition leads to zero effect.

What is muscle fiber hypertrophy?

During exercise, your muscle becomes engorged with blood, which causes it to enlarge, as noted above. This process in bodybuilding is defined by the term “pumping”.

Hypertrophy, in essence, is a disease of your muscle, its non-standard and unusual state. The fiber increases in size due to an increase in the number of myofibrils. The level of protein in the muscle increases.

The Role of Protein Synthesis in Muscle Gain

Each cell in the human body contains only one nucleus, while muscles have a large number, which allows them to synthesize new, high-quality proteins that consist of a certain amount of amino acids. The nuclei of muscle cells signal the ribosomes to synthesize the required type of protein.

If you don't supply your muscles with the necessary building material, they simply won't be able to grow. Once again, as you can see, it all comes down to nutrition.

Muscle tension and its effect on muscles

The tension created by the muscle during exercise is another critical element. It is responsible for launching the protein synthesis mechanism, signaling the muscle cells to feed the “affected” fibers.

Thanks to this, new tissue appears, muscle mass and volume increase. Receptors in cells are very sensitive to maximum loads and high voltage. This is why all professional bodybuilders advise exercising as long as your strength allows.

It is necessary to cross the pain threshold to start the process of protein synthesis and supercompensation.

The role of hormones in the training process

Muscle growth is built on 3 “pillars”:

Testosterone
Insulin
A growth hormone

Each of these hormones has a powerful effect on muscle cells. Insulin speeds up the process of delivering protein to the muscles. The potassium-sodium pump carries out the process of transferring amino acids to muscle tissue. The other two hormones, on the contrary, act on muscle fibers and cause them to disintegrate. This whole process is only possible under powerful loads.

The role of amino acids

An amino acid is a protein particle. The necessary protein is built from them. 1 type of protein contains several types of amino acids. Your weight gain results depend entirely on how much protein you consume in your diet.

The required amount of protein is determined by the intensity level of the training process. Also, in addition to protein, calories play an important role, which supply the necessary energy for complex physical exercises.

Cycles of muscle growth and loss

In bodybuilding, any bodybuilder must remember 2 important processes:

Anabolic cycle (constant muscle growth if all training conditions are met + proper nutrition)
Catabolic cycle (insufficient nutrition, resulting in decreased muscle growth and fatigue)

Necessary conditions for muscle growth

If you decide to build muscle mass, then you need to follow 3 main components:

Powerful loads and a properly structured training process.
Proper and regular nutrition that will supply your muscles with all the necessary substances.
Complete rest.

It is important

It must be remembered that our body is “smart”; it gets used to a certain load, which is repeated for a long time. You should “surprise” him with new exercises, changing loads, training durations and many other tricks.

For full muscle growth, it is optimal for you to develop not only fast fibers, but also slow ones. That is, sometimes alternate loads (strength and weight). Proportional growth depends on this.

What affects muscle volume?

The compaction and thickening of muscle fiber is influenced by factors such as:

Fiber thickness
Number of blood vessels
Sarcoplasma
Number of fibers
What fibers are developed?
Fascia

In this article, we discussed the most important points regarding building muscle mass. Remember, in order to gain quality mass, you need to study this process.

Of course, there are mandatory conditions that every bodybuilder must comply with, but everyone has their own muscle building exercises, and the program should also be individually suitable for you. If you have the opportunity to consult with a specialist, then do not miss it.

Try making a few programs and see how they affect you. And what about nutrition, everything is simple here: if there is no full supply of all the necessary substances, there will be no mass.

Watch a video about how muscles grow and how you can influence the growth of muscle mass.

And the second video is how to speed up the growth of muscle fibers

Good luck! Everything depends on you.

Lack of muscle growth is a common problem that not only athletes, but also ordinary people try to solve. However, it takes time to achieve certain results. And to figure out how to speed up muscle growth, you should take into account the reasons that slow down this process.

Too much cardio

If muscle size is not the main thing for a person, then it is best to avoid too frequent cardio exercises. Experts recommend alternating cardio and resistance training for 10 weeks. This will double your fat burning but cut your strength gains in half when compared to strength training alone. While this isn't a reason to avoid cardio altogether, it's best to improve your fitness with fat-shedding circuit training rather than steady-state cardio. Thus, the muscles will work more intensely.

Improper exercise

The most important point is the correct technique for performing exercises during training, using only such weight that can be squeezed without the risk of injury. Exercises performed with a full range of motion will help achieve 10% more muscle growth when compared to partial movements. Even a small change in technique when performing exercises can lead to significant results.

Neglecting to track progress

It is worth paying attention to the fact that unplanned fasting days can cause fat gain. Many people don't notice this. Just like regularly checking the status of your financial account, monitoring the results of your diet and the readings of the scales allows a person to understand whether he is strictly following the plan. Thanks to this, you can also achieve better results in the fight against excess weight. Therefore, you need to write down all your indicators in a notebook.

Stress

Many people are already accustomed to the stress that arises during their work. At the same time, your hands begin to actively sweat and your heart rate increases. However, muscles can also be included in this list. Scientists say that stress can lead to an increase in cortisol levels, as well as a decrease in testosterone. And this contributes to the deposition of fat reserves at the waist, as well as a reduction in the rate of increase in muscle mass. Therefore, it is necessary to use all available ways to relieve stress.

Insufficient vegetable consumption

If you consume large amounts of protein without the right system, you can harm your health. Vegetables will help neutralize it. Spinach and broccoli, for example, are high in folic acid, which can help counteract the negative cardiovascular effects of exercise. These foods also help produce red blood cells and build muscle mass. Cabbage contains a large amount of useful substances. The iron contained in spinach helps relieve fatigue after workouts. Therefore, experts recommend consuming various vitamins, minerals and antioxidants as much as possible - from five different vegetables and fruits per day along with a serving of chicken breast. All foods in the diet should be in moderation.

Overtraining

One of the signs of a job well done after training is the soreness the next day. However, if you do not give your muscles enough time to recover, this can negatively affect their growth. This suggests that results may suffer. The so-called overtraining syndrome can provoke chronic fatigue, the development of inflammation and a general decrease in performance.

Foods that accelerate muscle growth

Many foods have anabolic potential. In general, all food is divided into those that promote accelerated muscle growth, and those that interfere with this action. Therefore, your diet should be reconsidered. Speaking of how to accelerate muscle growth without chemicals, you should include the following products in your daily menu:

mackerel fish;
beets;
yogurt;
sardines;
sauerkraut;
chocolate milk;
almond;
vinegar;
avocado;
pea protein;
raspberries;
kefir;
broccoli;
quinoa;
lentils

Drugs that accelerate muscle growth

The main drug that promotes muscle growth is the so-called “methane” - methandrostenolone. How to accelerate muscle growth with this anabolic steroid? It is used internally. Initially, methandrostenolone was produced only for women to increase tone, but over time, athletes began to use it everywhere to quickly build muscle mass. "Methane" is considered one of the best anabolic steroids, the active properties of which, in comparison with the known testosterone, are more than 200%. This product is also low in cost and can be easily purchased at a pharmacy.

When considering how to accelerate muscle growth with the help of drugs, you should also note the use of a gainer. It is a carbohydrate-protein mixture that contains a large amount of nutrients necessary for gaining muscle mass. It is best to use the gainer for athletes who have an ectomorphic body type. As a rule, such people gain muscle mass very poorly due to their high metabolic rate. Such supplements are quite high in calories, so athletes who are prone to gaining excess weight should pay attention to other supplements, such as creatine or protein.

How to speed up muscle growth using supplements? Amino acids, which are nutritional elements that make up protein, will help with this. Amino acids are used by the human body to restore, grow, strengthen and independently produce antibodies and hormones. Amino acid complexes are muscle-enhancing drugs. They are able to regulate recovery processes, catabolism, as well as intellectual activity of the brain. In bodybuilding, the most popular amino acid complex is BCAA. This complex contains three essential amino acids: valine, leucine, isoleucine. makes up 35% of all amino acids that are concentrated in the muscles, it actively affects recovery after exercise and anabolic processes.

Anyone who wants to build muscle mass is concerned with the question, how do muscles grow? Why do some look like “bulls”, others like “skinny deer”, although the only one working hard in the gym? To influence the process of muscle growth, you need to know physiology and properly organize training and rest.

A little physiology

Muscles are made up of slow-twitch and fast-twitch fibers. Muscles grow not while training occurs, but after it. During training, muscles are injured, strained and partially torn. After classes, a recovery process occurs. It is during the recovery process that muscle growth is observed. Healthy cells replace destroyed ones, and in increased numbers.

During training in the gym, a person trains skeletal muscles, consisting of myofibrils and sarcomeres. Together they form muscle fiber. A person has 650 skeletal muscles. They contract when a command is received from the motor neurons. Through nerve impulses, motor neurons “tell” the muscles that they need to contract. The better this connection is established, the more active the muscle fibers contract.

Interesting! A person’s physical power does not depend on the volume and mass of muscles, but on the body’s ability to stimulate motor neurons and better compress muscle fibers.