Hypertrophy Your Capabilities!
The goal for most of us (when exercising) is to strengthen, add shape to, enlarge or simply maintain our muscle(s) and their capabilities. Increasing muscle size and capability happens through a process known as hypertrophy and is simply a muscle cell increasing in size and strength due to an increased demand we place on it.
The various types of muscle fibers will increase their capabilities depending on how we work them whether slow and long durations, or shorter, more powerful bursts when working them.
Example: sprinting vs. jogging or using a set of 5 lb. dumbbells vs. 20 lb.
Short durations (less repetitions) with heavier weights (or other forms of resistance) produce more strength and size while less weight and sets with longer durations has less strengthening effect but a more cardiovascular effect and benefit.
Our bone density, along with muscle, heart and lung strength responds in proportion with what we ask of it. Atrophy (shrinkage) whether in our muscle or our bones is oft times caused simply by a lack of use. Our body is not working purposely against us by shrinking our muscles and decreasing our bone density, it’s just sizing us down to match us with our daily surroundings and what is required of it.
A very neat thing about our body though, is that it can rapidly pump up shrunken un-toned muscle that we used to have once we start using it in ways it used to be used. Muscle cells that used to be in good condition do not take long to come back. This is why after about 1–2 weeks you can see and feel muscle tone coming back in the areas that you exercise, if you don’t believe it, try exercising only one bicep and watch what happens.
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Many of our arthritic conditions can be remedied by building muscle strength around these areas. If we looked at the different components of our musculoskeletal system (muscle, bones, ligaments, tendons, joints and bursa) as partners that rely on each other to carry out their individual duties and when the muscle side isn’t strong enough to carry its own weight properly, it causes our weight to sag and hang from our skeletal structure. This causes more pressure on our tendon and ligament areas and if this continues, we will have pain from chronic inflammation around our joint areas. Our muscle is a partner with our skeletal system and if it doesn’t carry its share of the weight, it’s going to upset the bones, joints, bursa, tendons and ligaments!
Hypertrophy/muscle conditioning helps:
1. Strengthen skeletal movement and capabilities
2. Helps give our body shape
3. Increases metabolism (toned muscle burns lots of calories)
4. Increased bone density, (our muscles tugging action on our bones, increases bone density)
5. Helps strengthen internal organs and other internal physiological processes
6. Helps shield and protect vulnerable areas such as the nerves in our spinal cord.
7. Can help relieve the load on weight bearing joints and the list goes on and on!
The two primary ways to offset physical atrophy is through activity/exercise and dietary intake!
Atrophy = shrinking of muscle, tone and decrease physical capabilities.
Hypertrophy = increased muscle and physical capabilities.
We have the capability to strengthen or to weaken our body’s God given capabilities by our own action or inaction!
