A Deep Dive Into How to Create Muscle Hypertrophy
So you want to bulk up. How much weight should you lift and how frequently should you train? Some trainers recommend three days per week, while others recommend five. In the fitness field, the subject of "how often should I lift weights to grow muscle" is hotly debated. To be honest, there is no definitive solution. It all depends on where you begin and as Physiotherapists, we actually get asked this a lot. But to be honest, were not really the best people to ask.
Fortunately for us, we have an in-house Exercise Physiology team - and they are the experts, and know the science like the back of their hands.
If you're new to weight training and want to improve your visual appeal, the first thing you should realise is that training for size is a game of patience. Here comes hypertrophy.
Let's see what the Exercise Physiology team at Aevum Health had to say, about the various stages of lifting weights, volume, strength, physical adaptation, and how frequently you should participate in resistance training.
What Muscle Types Can You Build?
Before we go into hypertrophy training, let's discuss muscle and what it is. To achieve hypertrophy, you'll need a basic understanding of the tissues and how they work.
When training to build muscle, it's critical to understand what muscles are and how they perform. These are connective tissues that run throughout our bodies. Muscles are classified into three categories:
Heart cardiac muscle
Skeletal muscle
Vascular smooth muscle
Skeletal muscle
Skeletal muscle is precisely what it sounds like. This kind of muscle protects our bones and allows us to move. One muscle on the right side of our body has an exact duplicate on the left side. They are the muscles that move as a result of our conscious decision to move a section of our body.
Vascular smooth muscle
Smooth muscles, unlike skeletal muscles, are not voluntary. They are the muscles that assist our organs and bodies in functioning. These muscles, for example, assist the body in performing tasks such as digestion and blood circulation.
Heart cardiac muscle
Cardiac muscles, like smooth muscles, move without conscious control. These are the muscles that contract the heart, as the name implies.
Big versus Small
Our bodies also have diverse muscle groups of different sizes known as giant muscles and small muscles. Upper legs, back, and chest are examples of larger muscular groups. Arms, shoulders, and calves are examples of minor muscles.
Understanding the difference can aid you on your training path because larger muscles show the effects of hypertrophy more clearly. This collection of muscles provides a stronger foundation for full-body training and movements such as squats, deadlifts, and bench presses.
Strength vs. Hypertrophy Training
There are two sorts of weight training when it comes to targeting your muscles: strength training and hypertrophy training. While both have significant fitness benefits, the goals of each training approach are vastly different.
What exactly is strength training?
Strength training is defined as training with the goal of increasing strength.
When you train to develop your strength, the goal is simply to be able to move more weight more efficiently. You'll be more concerned with improving your movement patterns under tension than with growing a specific muscle or muscle group.
Consider someone who is attempting to improve their bench press or deadlift. Their goal is to lift more weight, not necessarily to gain muscle.
Strength training can undoubtedly assist you in building and sculpting your body into a new appearance. This form of training will strengthen you and allow you to pick up weight more readily. Consider powerlifters and their goals. They are aiming to improve their physical ability to lift heavy goods more efficiently.
What exactly is Hypertrophy Training?
Training with the goal of increasing muscular growth or mass is known as hypertrophy training.
Hypertrophy, which is likely familiar to long-time lifters or bodybuilders, is muscle growth caused by muscles overcoming external stress.
Weights are commonly used in workout to provide that force. Exercise with dumbbells, barbells, medicine balls, or machines will result in muscular gain.
Workout selection is an important component of training, but there are additional elements that contribute to enhanced muscle size.
Differences Between Techniques
While strength training can occasionally result in muscular growth or increases, it is not always the case.
Beginners can grow muscle with almost any strength programme, including bodyweight exercises. You most likely witnessed fantastic results at first! This was due to your body adapting to new ways of working under tension with resistance exercise. But, when you become a more seasoned or advanced lifter, your gains will necessitate a more deliberate approach, often known as hypertrophy training.
Also, while you may see improved strength, the purpose of hypertrophy training is not pure strength. Consider bodybuilders: they train for the aesthetic goal of larger, more defined muscles, not for a higher one-rep max.
Strength training and muscle growth training have certain parallels, but their ultimate goals are different.
However, the actions and equipment used in both types of training, such as barbells and dumbbells, are similar, but volume distinguishes them.
Strength regimens require fewer reps and sets per week, but the load is larger. If you're exercising for strength, for example, you'll complete 2-6 sets of 6 reps or less.
When training for size, the programme will include more reps and sets, resulting in increased volume. The more reps and sets you complete, the closer you will be to training for muscle growth rather than pure strength.
Muscle Growth Types
Simply told, hypertrophy training is the most effective strategy for stimulating muscle cell growth.
There are two types of hypertrophy training:
Myofibrillar
Sarcoplasmic
Sarcoplasmic
Have you heard of the term "the pump"? If so, you've probably heard of sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. This occurs when fluid causes the muscles to swell and expand in size.
Consider bodybuilders before they take the stage for a show. Backstage, they will work out to make themselves appear larger before going out for judgement. While this is a type of hypertrophy, it is only transitory.
Myofibrillar
If you're reading this, you're probably looking for long-term aesthetic development. You want to do more myofibrillar training as someone who wants to bulk up their muscles. The goal of this form of hypertrophy is to increase the physical size of the muscle cells.
It requires consistency, time, and patience to develop this type of hypertrophy.
How to Do Effective Hypertrophy Training?
Here's your go-to beginner's guide on hypertrophy training for muscular growth or gains:
Lifters that are just starting off:
Hypertrophy is harder to accomplish for a rookie lifter. The body is making neuronal adjustments throughout the early phases of training. Yet, as you go through your workout regimen, you will be able to concentrate on muscle growth.
Time Under Stress (Volume)
When it comes to training to improve muscle size, volume is essential. Volume in training is the number of reps and sets you complete of an exercise.
When you initially begin training, the program's volume may appear light. This is to give your body time to adjust. Your volume will increase as the training programme advances.
Volume, as opposed to building strength or the intensity of your motions, is more crucial in this programme. Volume helps you to enhance the metabolic load placed on your body. Exercising with volume in mind increases the potential for muscle fibre growth.
Volume triumphs over intensity in hypertrophy
Volume is a contributing factor to muscle size, according to a study conducted by the University of New Mexico. They looked through the Journal of Applied Physiology, where a 2019 study found that participants who did high-volume exercise had a larger gain in muscle size than those who did low-volume training. (2)
Hence, when developing your training program, make sure to include increased exercise volume over time. In no time, you'll be on your way to hypertrophy-specific training (HST).
Another factor to consider throughout your training sessions is the speed of your reps. There's a reason you've possibly heard the term time under tension (TUT) in the context of bodybuilding.
Doing reps at a controlled pace—a few seconds on the way down, stop, and a few seconds on the way up—places additional stress on muscles to help them grow and improves connective tissue stability.
It's a win-win situation.
How Much Weight Should You Lift?
As you begin your road to size, this is a reasonable question to ask. Because there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
Begin with approximately 75% of your one-rep max for a specific movement. Your max lifts will grow as your strength improves. Gradually increase the weight to ensure you're remaining within 75-85% of your one-rep max.
Since bodybuilders have been attempting to develop increased muscles since the beginning of strength sports, a great deal of study has been conducted to determine the optimal number of sets and reps to achieve hypertrophy.
Again, everyone is different, but in general, working in moderate rep ranges (6-12 reps) at 75 to 85 per cent of your one-rep max is the way to go. Don't know what your one-rep max is? You're better off testing it or estimating it.
How Often Should You Lift weights?
Let's speak about how frequently you should lift weights. The frequency with which you work different muscle groups is a crucial factor in this training. The more regularly you can deal with various groups under stress, the closer you'll come to your goal.
Once you've passed the adaption phase, aim to train a muscle group every 48 hours.
How Frequently Should You Take a Break?
Rest is an often ignored but equally crucial component of appropriate training. This applies to both rest periods during workouts and rest periods between sessions. Even the best athletes schedule rest days into their training.
You should not rest for more than 60 seconds between sets throughout a workout. This allows your muscles to recoup, but not all, of their energy reserves before the next set.
How to Develop Your Ultimate Training Strategy
When creating your action plan, you should be aware of the phases of increasing muscular definition.
The training phases are adaptation, hypertrophy specific training (hst), and maintenance.
Each training level has roughly the same recommended number of weight training days per week.
The little adjustment in frequency and what you should be doing during each phase is critical to muscle tissue development.
Now that we've covered the science of muscle growth, the distinction between strength-focused and volume-focused training, and the necessity of volume, let's put everything together!
Phase of Muscle Adaptation (4-6 Weeks)
If you want to bulk up, your body will need to get used to lifting heavier weights for multiple repetitions. Your joints and muscles must be prepared for hypertrophy training so that each exercise may be done safely across its entire range of motion.
Moving Is Important
When you first begin your training period, it's critical to concentrate on how your body moves during each activity. Pay special attention to how your body moves under tension as your strength and volume grow. This is a key reason why we promote some of the best Exercise Physiology trainers in the Sutherland Shire for this. They’re pedantic, you want pedantic.
Are you performing the repetitions and sets correctly? It's all too easy to forsake form in order to "finish" the set. Nevertheless, this does not adequately work the muscles. You will not only forego muscular or muscle group growth, but you will also expose yourself to everyone's least favourite word: injury.
Tracking your motions will help you prepare for and improve your long-term performance while lowering your chance of injury. If you're wounded, you won't be able to exercise, which no one desires.
Exercise your patience not just your muscles
Weight training should be done three to four times per week throughout the adaption phase. This stage can be psychologically taxing and lasts 4-6 weeks.
Be prepared to feel a little sore. The physiological response of your body when adapting to this type of workout might be rather uncomfortable. Your body will most likely be sore and achy for many days as it adjusts to muscle fibres breaking down and mending. This is a common sensation throughout this stage.
The most patience is required during the acclimation phase.
The goal is to recover and gain strength. Yep, you read that right.
As previously said, in order to observe growth, you must adapt to constantly training under stress.
We understand that this is difficult for many individuals to accept. That is why it is important to be aware of the existence of this stage. You are now ready to face it head on. Remember, this is what every other athlete has done before you.
First and foremost, adaptation. The following step is hypertrophy.
How to Make the Most of the Adaptation Stage?
To perform, recuperate, and transition through this phase successfully, practise doing 15-20 reps of each exercise and allow yourself plenty of rest time (60-90 seconds in between sets). This will allow your energy stores to recover before your next set.
Prefer simple, single-movement workouts over complicated movements. Choose 2-3 solitary exercises that target various muscles within each muscle group.
You may, for example, begin with a few sets of bicep curls. After you've finished your reps and set, switch to tricep extensions. Your body will require 48 to 72 hours to recuperate. Start pounding the heavy iron if you don't notice any soreness within two days. If your body requires an extra day of recuperation, give it another 24 hours before working out again.
During the adaptation phase, the goal is to decrease the number of reps and raise the weight while decreasing the rest times. This is the procedure for entering the hypertrophy phase (muscle building stage).
When your body adjusts to the healing process, the secondary goal is to eventually train each muscle group within a 48-hour window. With a proper diet and enough sleep, the muscle fibres should be able to train and lift to their full ability.
Use the following workout plan for the first half of the adaption phase (1-3 weeks of training). But please keep in mind these plans are generically designed and may not be perfect for everyone.
3-4 light-weight workouts each week.
Work out each muscle group at least 48 hours apart.
Do 20 reps of activity with 90 seconds of rest between sets. Aim for two to three sets.
Keep track of how many sets you've done of each exercise per week to establish a baseline for your improvement.
Try the following to complete the adaption period (weeks 3-6 of training).
4-5 moderate-weight workouts each week.
Work out each muscle group separately 48 hours apart.
Do 15 reps of an activity, resting 60 seconds between sets. Aim for three sets.
The Hypertrophy Period (2-6 Months)
After you've passed the adaptation phase, you'll have mild soreness and aches after using each muscle group, if any. Welcome to the world of volume! Prepare to lift heavier, perform fewer reps, and rest less. During this stage, you'll increase the number of sets you do every week and possibly the weight you lift with.
This is the muscle-building stage, often known as hypertrophy.
Hypertrophy is the process by which we cause minute tears in our muscle fibres as a result of repetitive muscle activation.
This phase is best accomplished by executing 8-12 reps of the highest weight possible from a single weight training exercise.
When a muscle is injured and broken down, it recovers and expands with correct nutrition and sleep. It takes about 2-6 months of intense lifting to create and grow muscle at this stage. The duration of time varies entirely on your muscle-building objectives. Targeting muscle areas within this rep range, you'll want to master three sets at the current volume before increasing weight in modest increments. As you proceed through this workout routine, you'll notice your muscles growing and your body composition improving. Within 4-8 weeks, your body will normally respond to hypertrophy in this manner.
Modifications to Your Physique
During this period, you should concentrate on doing 1-4 heavy lifting exercises on each muscle group. These workouts should be slightly modified each week. This causes the muscle fibres to break down more effectively, allowing them to continue to develop and mend. Remember how we talked about the importance of volume? This is where it begins to pick up.
To grow to its full potential, each muscle group must be trained within 48 hours.
Training should occur 5-6 times a week.
Rest periods between exercises should be no more than one minute. If you work out four times per week, you should train every muscle group in each session to ensure that you stay within the 48-hour timeframe.
Muscle Group Division
You can afford to separate workouts if you train five or more times per week.
Focusing on specific muscle parts one day, then others the next, can help you attain your muscle-building goals. For example, on Monday, work on your chest and back; on Tuesday, work on your legs and shoulders; and on Wednesday and Thursday, repeat the process. You will observe superior cosmetic growth of your physique between 8 and 16 weeks.
Suggested Workout Plan: Try the following when beginning your muscle-building phase (months 2-4 of training).
5-6 weeks of moderate-to-heavy weight training every week.
Work out each muscle group separately 48 hours apart.
Do 8-12 reps of an exercise, resting for 60 seconds between sets, and aiming for three sets.
Do the following to end your muscle-building phase (months 4-6 of training).
5-6 hard weight sessions each week.
Work out each muscle group separately 48 hours apart.
Do 8-12 reps of an exercise, resting for 60 seconds between sets.
Keep introducing fresh sets of exercises while increasing the load.
The Upkeep Phase (6+ Months)
In the maintenance stage, we want to preserve that bulk while getting lean. Take a little edge off the build, be a little more compact, and see more definition by altering our body composition.
There are a few efficient methods for accomplishing this without depleting our earnings. To begin, you should avoid excessive steady-state or extended aerobic exertion. Excessive physical exercise depletes our muscle tissue.
To maintain your progress, you'll need to continue lifting roughly the same weight on each muscle group. Starting with sets of compound movements, high muscular endurance workouts, and high-intensity cardio drills are the ideal solution.
Compound actions engage two muscular groups at the same time. Using a few sets of these activities in your workouts can assist keep your workouts efficient without interfering with your improvements.
This keeps the muscles working while also burning calories. Bodyweight exercises will have the same impact. HIIT cardio activities are excellent for quickly burning energy and working your core without losing muscle gains.
Suggested Workout Plan: Do the following to keep your hard-earned muscular mass.
4-6 heavy-weight workouts each week.
Work out each muscle group separately 48 hours apart.
Do 8-12 repetitions of an exercise, resting for 60 seconds between sets. Make three sets. Concentrate on solitary exercises. 2-4 heavy weight exercises each week.
Work out each muscle group separately for 48 hours.
Do 8-15 repetitions of an exercise, resting for 60 seconds between sets. Make three sets. Concentrate on complex workouts.
Well, that pretty much wraps it all up. A lot to take on board but who said getting buff was easy? With so many gyms and excellent trainers in the Sutherland Shire, now you don't have any excuses and you can always have a consultation with the Aevum Health Exercise Physiology team to talk about a tailored program for you. Contact Aevum Health today!