MUSCLE GAIN – JAMIE FARRELL
Muscle gain is generally associated with bodybuilders and athletes, although the benefits of it to general population are often overlooked. Having a more efficient metabolism, injury risk reduced as joint stability is better, co-ordination improvements, requiring less effort for activities and generally feeling better about your self aesthetically are just some of the benefits that having sufficient muscle can bring you. These are all advantages that can greatly enhance quality of life, which is why males and females both need adequate muscle for optimal health.
Considerations like gender, age and current health state are all factors which will determine the rate of muscular development. Females getting too big from weight training is a mindset that needs to be erased, believing that is almost as nonsensical as having the mentality that skipping meals is a sustainable route to weight loss.
So whats the best way to gain muscle? With so many different answers the best place to start is knowing the differences between certain types of training and feeling the full benefit of them by utilising them correctly. Two popular methods used by those seeking an increase in muscle size is hypertrophy and strength training.
The term strength training is thrown around a lot especially in commercial gym classes. Whilst loosely correct, a regimented strength programme is very numbers based with calculated rest, tempo, reps and sets. So whilst jumping around to a catchy soundtrack with heavy weights is going to develop some kind of neural adaption, safer sustainable results can be achieved through periodised training. Developing greater muscle fibre recruitment and an increase in force production are primary goals of any strength programme. Typically low repetitions and heavier weights will be used to attain this result.
In a hypertrophy based programme the objective will be to fill the muscle fibres with as much blood and fluid as possible in order for it to tear and regrow larger. Hypertrophy means the enlargement of an organ or tissue. Medium range repetitions of 12-15 are generally used in these programmes so using a weight that encourages failure within these rep ranges will be best used here.
Periodising these types of training will generate varied stimulus upon the muscle fibres and if used correctly both types of training can compliment each other very well. But in order to attain success in any method of training cutting out common errors like ego lifting or poor nutrition is vital to sustainable results. So plan accordingly and train with purpose, making the most of each workout by adhering to relevant tempo and sensible amounts of weight used with competent technique.
Address any mobility problems and contract the correct muscles. Sit down and develop a plan, keep training records, adapt and develop or hire a competent professional to help you on your journey. It doesn’t always have to the ones who flaunt their bodies around, some good coaches prefer to keep their tops on.
