How to exercise to make muscles grow. How fast does a straight man grow muscles?

Everywhere you look, there are scandalous claims about how quickly you can gain muscle mass.

One book promises 8 kilograms in just 2 weeks. And there are rumors about one incredibly strong trainer who gained 6 kilograms in just 5 days.

Pick any fitness magazine, and you will lose faith that gaining muscle mass is so easy.

Different sources contradict each other. Who to trust, how long can it take to pump up?

How quickly can you really gain muscle mass?

Honestly, I have no idea. And no one has. The growth rate of muscle mass is different for everyone and it is almost impossible to predict how much you will gain over a given period of time.

Next, I will try to explain to you how this or that factor affects the rate of muscle growth. This will give you a rough idea of ​​what results to expect after a week, month and year of regular training, so you can better understand how much time you can build up.

1. Heredity

There are a number of variables that you can control: your workout program and your nutrition plan. But there is something that has the greatest influence on muscle growth, but cannot be controlled by anyone - heredity.

Whether you like it or not, some people gain muscle mass extremely quickly, with amazing results visible within just a couple of months. The progress of others may be completely invisible. Someone generally stands still, despite all efforts.

Below are the results of a study in which exactly identical people (same diet plan, training history, size, age and initial body weight) did strength training for 12 weeks (raw results were taken from this study).

After analyzing the data, the scientists noted that people who gained more muscle mass (high responsiveness) outperformed those who gained less muscle mass (low responsiveness) by four times.

The researchers then used gene profiling techniques to analyze microRNA obtained from tissue samples from both groups.

MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNA molecules that, among other things, play an important role in protein synthesis (i.e. muscle growth) during resistance strength training.

The scientists noted that there were significant differences between miR-378, miR-29a, miR-26a and miR-451 of both groups. The amount of miR-378, miR-29a, and miR-26a was reduced in respondents with low responsiveness and invariably in respondents with high responsiveness. And microRNA-451 was increased only in subjects with low responsiveness.

MicroRNA also appears to influence the activation of satellite cells. Satellite cells surround muscle fibers and are the main players in muscle growth.

People who tend to gain muscle mass quickly have a large number of satellite cells surrounding the muscle fibers.

Recent research shows that strength gains among people training on exactly the same training programs can differ dramatically.

Respondents were divided into three groups: high responsiveness (increase in strength of 20% or more), medium responsiveness (10-19% strength) and low responsiveness (less than 10%).

On average, the increase in strength was 29% for respondents with high responsiveness, 14% for those with moderate responsiveness, and 3% for those with low responsiveness.

In other words, some achieve results in record time, others make progress, but not as quickly as they would like, for others the process of gaining weight lasts for many months and years.

Yes, this all sounds like an attempt to use “bad genetics” to evade explaining why you have such a hard time gaining muscle mass.

In many cases, the fact that you have been unable to gain even an ounce of muscle mass for years is to blame for an incorrectly selected training and nutrition plan.

But the fact remains that there are genetics beyond our control that affect how quickly you can gain muscle mass and what your maximum limit will be.

The only way to defeat genetics is to agree to participate in the experiments of some crazy scientist, but the result is unlikely to please you.

2. Law of Diminishing Returns

The higher your training experience (i.e. how many years you have been doing strength training), the slower the changes occur.

In many cases, a person who has dedicated 10 years to strength training will take much longer to build muscle mass than someone who has only been in the gym for 10 weeks.

Of course, the main problem with training is that you are expected to maintain a varied training program throughout the years (months, weeks) of training. But let's face it, few people (not even me) change their workout routine.

My respect, dear comrades! This Friday we will talk, and not for the first time, about the most pressing topic - we will find out what makes muscles grow.

After reading, you will learn everything about growth mechanisms/triggers - the most significant factors in composite muscle development.

So, take your seats in the auditorium, it will be tediously interesting.

What makes muscles grow? Encyclopedia of answers

With this article we continue our thematic series “Muscle inside”, in which we talk about the processes occurring inside the muscles, how these processes can be controlled in order to improve the quality of the physique. Currently, the following topics have been discussed: , them , and also . If you are not familiar with them yet, now is the time to do so. We go further and today we’ll talk again about muscle growth factors.

Actually, let's start.

Note:
For a better understanding, all further narration on the topic of what makes muscles grow will be divided into subchapters.

Physiology of muscle growth. What happens to muscles after training?

Classes in the gym and exercises are all the practical side of the pumping process. However, if you do not know in theory how muscles can grow, then the results will leave much to be desired. In turn, the “theory + practice” combination can produce qualitatively different “fruits”. Well, let's start growing them.

Working in the gym (and not only), a person acts on skeletal muscles, which consist of thread-like myofibrils and sarcomeres that form muscle fiber (MF) and are the main contractile units.

On average, the human body carries 650 skeletal muscles. They contract when they receive signals from motor neurons that fire from a part of the cell called the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Motor neurons “talk” to muscles (through signals - sent nerve impulses) contract, and the better the athlete receives and delivers these signals to the muscles, the stronger he becomes in the future.

Note:

The strength of a particular person does not depend on the number of muscles in his body, but on how developed the ability of his body (CNS) is to activate motor neurons and better compress muscles. As for direct muscle growth, it tends to occur more steadily after the initial period of “strength gain”, i.e. The foundation of muscle mass is built on strength training.

After completing your workout, your body repairs (or replaces) damaged muscle fibers through a cellular process that joins them together to form new muscle protein filaments/myofibrils. These restored myofibrils increase in thickness and number, thereby creating muscle hypertrophy (growth).

Muscle growth occurs whenever the rate of muscle protein synthesis is greater than the rate of muscle protein breakdown. This adaptation does not occur immediately when you lift the weight, it occurs during the rest phase. Moreover, rest means not only the complete completion of training (no load), but also a short rest after the set.

How does the process of “adding” muscles to muscle cells occur?

And it happens due to satellite cells, which act as stem cells for your muscles. When activated, they help add more nuclei to muscle cells and therefore directly affect the growth of myofibers. The activation of these satellite cells varies from person to person, and it is this fact that allows someone to build muscle quite quickly, and someone to fight for every kilogram of mass (ectomorph).

Conclusion: The more satellite cells a person can activate, the more he can grow volumetrically. In theory (and in practice), there are three mechanisms for activating satellite cells.

What makes muscles grow: growth triggers

Natural muscle growth is based on its ability to constantly overcome increasing tension/load. This stress is a major factor involved in muscle development and it disrupts homeostasis in the body. Stress and subsequent disruption of homeostasis trigger three primary mechanisms that stimulate muscle growth.

No. 1. Muscle tension

To increase muscle growth, you must apply a load greater than what your body has adapted to. How to do it? The main way is to lift heavier weights. This additional stress causes changes in muscle chemistry that allow for growth factors that include activation of mTOR and satellite cells. Muscle tension has the greatest effect on the connection of motor units to muscle cells.

No. 2. Muscle damage

With respect and gratitude, Dmitry Protasov.

Many people ask this question. How to build muscle mass, how to lose weight and at the same time sculpt your body. To understand this issue, you need to delve into human anatomy. Human muscles are partly made of protein, the other part is water. Muscle fiber consists of special cells - myofibrils.

How do muscles grow after training?

After exercise, the body begins to replace damaged muscle fibers through a cellular process. New muscle protein filaments are formed. In the process of restoration of these very threads (myofibrils), an increase in thickness occurs. Muscles begin to grow when the rate of muscle protein synthesis becomes greater than the rate of muscle protein breakdown.

How to make muscles grow faster?

The answer is simple, give physical activity and gradually increase it. But the key word is gradually. Otherwise, you may get injured and will not be able to exercise for a long time. Fast and painless restoration of muscle fiber is facilitated by the consumption of protein foods and amino acids. The muscle fiber gradually adapts to a certain type of load. Physical activity can and should be alternated and gradually increased.

How do you know that muscles are growing?

It is not at all necessary to feel severe muscle pain after training and be glad that your muscles will grow faster. Any load must be systematic. It is easier for a man to achieve muscle growth. It is a fact. Hormones affect the growth of muscle tissue. The hormone testosterone is to blame. It helps increase protein synthesis in the body and stimulates the production of anabolic hormones. Women naturally have less of this hormone. Therefore, women should not be afraid of muscle growth when going to a fitness club. We should not forget that muscles need rest. After training, muscles recover within 48 hours. Recovery for professional athletes is much faster. But you should remember about rest and nutrition.

Professional athletes use sports nutrition. If you do not resort to special nutrition, then remember that for muscle growth you need to eat large amounts of protein and complex carbohydrates.

Complex carbohydrates include various cereals and cereals.

Slow-acting protein should be eaten after training and at night. This includes casein. These could be curd products. You need to consume fast-acting protein throughout the day. Chicken breast, fish, lean meat are suitable.

Which muscles grow the fastest?

Many newbies ask this question. It all depends on your body type, body shape, and age. Some athletes manage to increase the volume of their chest in a short time by growing the pectoral muscle. Some athletes who prefer leg exercises and squats achieve success in the growth of the quadriceps and gluteal muscles. It all depends on persistence in achieving goals. It is important to have motivation. Athletes who go to the gym once a week are unlikely to achieve success, unlike people who work out at least 3 times a week.

The abdominal muscles also lend themselves well to training. But to see beautiful cubes, you will have to lose a couple of extra pounds using diets.

Vitamins should not be neglected during intense physical activity, as the body is under stress and needs to be restored. Experienced athletes use special sports vitamins purchased in sports stores. The dosage of vitamins there is increased and is specially designed for heavy physical activity.

Comparative analysis of some indicators of popular vitamin complexes taken by athletes:

Building muscle by next Friday is the secret desire of many guys. Needless to say, slow progress is the scourge of everyone who presses iron or likes to hang out on the horizontal bar. Is it possible to somehow accelerate muscle growth?

Of course - and here are five secrets that make muscles grow faster. But first, secret number zero (which is not a secret at all) - you need to eat well. And now - to the point.

Rule 1. Press quickly

Working at a slow pace is good for developing strength and honing technique. But here's the problem - muscles grow better from fast, explosive movements. Speed ​​mobilizes the entire body: the brain understands that the muscles are under stress and gives them the go-ahead to grow.

Of course, the working weight will have to be reduced a little. But the explosive style fills literally every muscle with blood - it will be immediately visible!

Rule 2. Do unilateral exercises

Never heard of these? Unilateral movements are the secret weapon of advanced athletes. The point is to load only one side of the body: for example, squat not with both legs, but only with the right or left. Or bend one leg instead of two in the simulator.

It is known that one hand can take more load than in the usual - two-handed - style of execution. Trainers claim that this is a great way to shake up muscles that are accustomed to routine.

So, analyze the exercises you do and decide whether they can be made one-sided.

Rule 3. Mega warm-up

You don't forget to warm up, do you? Good job. Now let's make it much more useful - for example, include several sets of isolated exercises.

For example, you decided to bench press well today. This is a difficult exercise, and it is better to do it at the beginning of the workout so as not to lose strength. But we will go the other way - first we will lightly press with a narrow grip to pump up the triceps, and then we will proceed to the bench press.

This stimulation of individual muscles before the main, basic exercise is a kind of super warm-up that not only warms up, but also pumps up the muscles at the same time. Just don't chase the record - the weights should fly!

Rule 4. Magic touch

It's very simple - touch your muscles more often, stretching them and stroking them. Touch is a signal to the brain to activate work with this muscle, which makes it recover and grow faster.

Scientifically, this fact is nothing, but many people use touch even without prompting. A muscle is damaged during training, and in nature, massage of the damaged area is the first “first aid”.

Rule 5. More work in less time

During the previous workout, were you able to do 4 sets of 12 pull-ups? Wait to add load. Try to do the same thing, doing it not in 40 minutes, but in 30. Here, all methods are good - either speed up the style of execution (see rule 1) or shorten the break between approaches.

If you couldn’t do it in half an hour, try it next time - and everything will definitely work out!

Naturally, with proper training and proper nutrition, muscles grow by 10 kg in the first year, by 5 kg in the second year and by 2 kg in a year.

How many days does a muscle grow?

Workouts can be light or hard, short or long. From light and short workouts, muscles grow in 12 hours, from heavy and long ones up to 10 days.

How to eat to grow muscles?

The main rule of nutrition for muscle growth is to eat until you are full. And it’s better to do it according to the regime. If your appetite is suppressed by unfavorable environmental factors, such as partying, then your perception of satiety will be greatly distorted and you will unnoticeably eat less than you need for muscle growth.

When do muscles start to grow?

Muscles begin to grow immediately after training if you give your body water, food and rest.

Do muscles grow during exercise?

The swelling of muscles during training is their filling with blood. After training, this blood leaves the muscles and the muscles become smaller because they have depleted the nutritional reserves that were stored inside the muscle cells. That is why, for urgent muscle recovery, the body needs to be nourished with water, food and given rest.

Do muscles grow in your sleep?

The main muscle growth occurs during sleep, when the body restarts all its systems and carries out reforms in all organs and tissues.

Do muscles grow during the day?

Muscles grow during the day, if you have eaten well and are in a light sleep, nothing and no one bothers you. As long as you are excited and stressed at work in the office or at home, your muscles continue to sag.

How do you know that muscles are growing?

If you wake up in the morning with a pleasant presence in the muscles that you worked out, then they are growing.

If muscles hurt, does that mean they are growing?

Pain is the highest form of pleasant muscle release after exercise. Such happiness becomes more and more difficult to achieve with time and experience.

Do muscles grow if they don't hurt?

With proper training, your muscles should not hurt. Muscles ache from rare training, which is carried out using the “cavalry charge” method. The best muscle growth is achieved by people who train without long breaks and slowly increase the load.

Muscles grow in a week

Over a week, muscles grow from 50 to 200 grams, depending on the length of training. It is impossible to track such growth in everyday conditions using a centimeter tape.

The muscles stopped growing!

Unfortunately, slow muscle growth or its absence can only be observed over a period of 3 months. Every 3 months you need to take measurements and watch how your body circumference changes.

In the first three months you can increase 3. This is approximately 1-2 cm in the circumference of the biceps. This is a noticeable and good muscle gain.

Does protein make muscles grow?

Protein helps muscle growth when it is part of a well-thought-out protein intake plan. Protein intake alone may not be beneficial if it is not coordinated with a nutritional and training plan.

What to drink to grow muscles?

To grow muscles you need to eat food and drink water. And it is better to do this in a timely manner and in the right quantity, according to body weight, volume and intensity of training.

How much protein do you need to grow muscles?

Typically, two grams of protein per kilogram of dry weight is enough. If an athlete has 80 kilograms of dry mass, then 160 grams of protein is enough. However, don't confuse your scale readings with your lean body mass.

Muscles grow, but fat doesn't go away

To prevent fat from growing, you need to limit its dietary intake. Usually it is 70-90 grams. But many people, in pursuit of weight, consume up to 300 grams of fat, so they gain fat. Check your dietary fat intake.

How to exercise to grow muscles?

To grow muscles, you need to spend 3 hours a week training in the first year, 4 in the second, and 5 in the third. For a conventional training hour, you need to do at least 25 approaches with an intensity of at least 50 percent.

Do you grow muscles at home?

Muscles grow in any environment: at home, on the street or in the gym. It's not where you do it that matters, but what you do.

Do push-ups make muscles grow?

If you have reached the lactate threshold, your muscles will respond with growth. Stepping beyond the lactate threshold with push-ups is as easy as shelling pears, which means the muscles grow from push-ups.

Do running muscles grow?

Running promotes muscle growth when done in addition to strength training. Running improves muscle trophism and promotes muscle hypertrophy, that is, growth.

How long does it take for muscles to grow?

Muscles grow as long as you have a normal endocrine system and normal production of anabolic hormones, the most important of which is testosterone. If you are still tormented by an erection in the morning, then your muscles will grow from strength training.

Many men, even at 70 years old, prove that everything is fine with their endocrine system.

Why do muscles grow fast?

If a person’s muscles grow unnaturally quickly, not from year to year, but from week to week. If 10 kilograms stick to the body in a few weeks, it means the person has started taking anabolic muscle growth stimulants.

How long does it take for muscles to grow?

The most noticeable muscle growth occurs in the first three years, and then muscle growth proceeds very imperceptibly and slowly until it stops completely. Usually this stop occurs after 7 years. Natural bodybuilder has been growing for 7 years.

Muscles grow unevenly

This usually comes from uneven planning of training different muscles. For example, if you do 30 sets of push-ups and 15 sets of pull-ups in a week, your chest will grow faster than your lats. The imbalance in the volume and intensity of training is the main reason for the uneven development of favorite and unloved muscles.

Mr. Universe 1998 according to the Russian version in the village of Odintsovo

Let's be friends