Muscle Building Information

What Causes Muscle Growth?


In order for muscles to grow, three things are required:

1. Stimulus - exercise is needed to make the muscles work, use energy and cause microscopic damage to the fibers.

2. Nutrition - after intense exercise the muscles need to replenish their stores of fuel.

3. Rest - it is during the rest or recovery phase that the muscles repair the microscopic damage and grow.

Muscle size increases due to hypertrophic adaptation and an increase in the cross section area of individual muscle fibers. Intensive exercise impacts more on the strength influencing fast twitch type II fibers, therefore the increase in muscle size is accompanied by greater strength.

This will deplete the muscle's energy stores and cause microscopic damage to the muscle tissue. During recovery, these stores of glycogen and phosphocreatine will replenish from carbohydrates and creatine ingested as food or supplements. Amino acids supplied in the diet will trigger the protein synthesis that repairs the damaged muscle and lead to the creation of bigger muscle fibers.

To achieve continuous improvement you will need to keep reaching for higher levels of training intensity otherwise the improvement process will grind to a halt. Fortunately, this is relatively easy to plan for provided certain basic principles and rules are clearly followed. Subsequent articles in this series will examine these principles in detail.

In the meantime you can find out more about building muscle by visiting the site listed below.

Richard Mitchell is the creator of the bodybuildingadvisor.com website that provides guidance and information to athletes at all levels of bodybuilding experience. Go to Bodybuilding Advice to learn more about the issues covered in this article.


MORE RESOURCES:

Diabetes: A Blessing in Disguise
American Profile, TN - 3 hours ago
“If you’re eating a diet high in fiber, low in saturated fats, and throw in exercise, the body can metabolize the food and build muscle,” Byrne says. ...


Everyone's Favorite Dawg
BamaMag.com - 17 hours ago
While most of his workouts during the season are designed to keep him flexible and maintain strength rather than to build muscle, his bench press max is up ...


Boston Globe

Just the right moves
Boston Globe, United States - Nov 21, 2008
Parkinson's is a disease that can be cruel," said Rudman, who takes 20 pills a day plus protein shakes to build muscle. To further research, he initially ...


Don't Eat Breakfast First - Drink Water
News10.net, CA - Nov 21, 2008
Make sure you are sleeping well as your body needs to repair and rebuild in order to burn fat and build muscle. Relax at your mealtimes, make your plate ...


Jamaica Gleaner

doctor's advice:
Jamaica Gleaner, Jamaica - Nov 21, 2008
Get one of the coaches or trainers to put you on a programme to build muscle. If you follow that plan, working out every day for the next six months, ...


Pill Helps Elderly Bulk Up
Discovery Channel - Nov 20, 2008
The drug increases human growth hormone levels, which makes people grow taller, build muscle, and strengthen bones, among other myriad effects. ...


Cheney Soccer Club Wins National got milk?(R) Refuel Your School ...
MarketWatch - Oct 27, 2008
Milk contains nine essential nutrients, including calcium and vitamin D to maintain bone strength, and high-quality protein that helps build muscle when ...


Keeping Joe 6-Pack's Belly Flat During the Thanksgiving Holiday
NewsBlaze (press release), CA - Nov 12, 2008
The answer lies in eating testosterone-rich foods that crank up their metabolism and help their build muscle at the same time," said Levinson. ...


KFYR-TV

Choosing a Workout for You
KFYR-TV, ND - Nov 19, 2008
Whether you`re trying to build muscle or shed a few pounds, going to the gym can become monotonous. It doesn`t necessarily take weights and a treadmill to ...


Blake Shelton "Fires" Up New CD
Great American Country, TN - Nov 18, 2008
... in a rural been-there-done-that context; and "Country Strong" laughs off gym memberships in favor of farm chores as an honest way to build muscle. ...

Build-Muscle - Google News

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