Looking to get bigger?
This is week two of a series of articles that speak to just that. We will continue to touch on all things related to growing—both bigger and stronger.
This week the topic is: breaking down muscle. Below are various methods to accomplish muscle breakdown.
Catabolism
“Muscle growth is not determined by the degree of motor unit recruitment but by the mechanical loading experienced by each muscle fiber.”
This can be achieved in two ways:
- Lifting heavy weights: greater than 70% of your 1RM
- Lifting lighter weights to muscular failure
Eccentric Loading
During the eccentric portion (usually the lowering to the ground) of a lift is when majority of muscle damage occurs. This leads to sarcoplasmic hypertrophy which is the enlargement of the muscle fibers.
Max Physical Potential
Known as the novice effect for people who experience rapid increases in strength, muscle gain, fat loss, etc. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the intermediate to advance client may see very minimal improvement for years.
A coach needs to understand where a client sits on this spectrum to gain insight to how much muscle mass they are actually able to grow.
High Lactate Production
A high lactate production will create a favorable environment for muscle growth. An easy example to think about is doing a superset or triset of bicep curls. Upon completion you have trouble extending your arms - this is from the high lactate production.
Train Less
There is too much breakdown relative to the ability to recover and rebuild the muscle.
A series of in-office testing that all Central Athlete coaches conduct in each client's initial consultation will shed light on which method(s) are best for you. If you’re tired of spinning your wheels or you want to know which method will serve you best, then click the link below to schedule a FREE strategy session with one of our health and fitness consultants.