Someone explain how hypertrophy works please :D

[jmcali]

Hypertrophy means 3x12 or 6-8 Reps and is supposed to be the best rep count for muscle growth.

But I do not really feel my muscles burning after like 6-8 Reps.

Now you would say, put on more weight. Makes sense, but with more weight, I feel like uncomfortable joint pain or the tendon hurt afterwards etc. (Maybe im just a mega pussy if thats supposed to happen)

Instead I train with rather heavy weight, clean form and as many Reps as possible untiol my muscles is close to a cramp.And usually from 5-10 sets per mashine.

Im ofcourse natural, some would argue its for juiced bodybuilders, cuz they got better regeneration.

Feel free, to tell me how oyu guys train, what works best for you etc.

Have a nice day!

 

[michael67]

@jmcali There is actually a lot of different theories on what puts on muscle. I'll use to my knowledge what is the most up to date science, but if anyone wants to correct me or use additional evidence please feel free to add in.

The main driver of muscle hypertrophy is Mechanical Tension. Mechanical Tension is a hard concept to explain and quantify. But to keep it simple mechanical tension is your muscles proximity to failure. So the closer your muscles get to failure the more likely you are to reap effective reps and maximize mechanical tension.

That burning sensation is caused by a build of metabolites in the muscle. We previously thought metabolic stress (that burning) was a driver of hypertrophy but through a recently rep study. It doesn't look like metabolic stress creates hypertrophy.

The best rep range for muscle growth is 5-30, any set in this range when brought to a similar RPE creates about the same growth. Since proximity to failure is all that matters and not the reps itself, using lower reps and higher loads might make more sense since it creates less fatigue.

When it comes to sets there's a ton of disagreements that show up in every corner of the fitness space. So I will mention some general guidelines, but I also have biases so take what I say with a grain of salt.

Frequency doesn't matter when volume is equated, so hitting a muscle 2-3x a week and 1x a week is not going to create noticeable differences in muscle size, if you are recovering. Certain muscles are more likely to be damaged, and might benefit better from 1x a week frequency (Chest, triceps, biceps). Other muscles are very resistant to muscle damage and could recover fairly quickly and it could potentially make more sense to train multiple times a week (Quads, Glutes, Calves).

The general rule on sets is the closer you are to failure with your sets the less sets you should do. If you are going balls to the walls failure you could see great growth with 6-8 sets a week but you might die if you trained 20+ sets a week with that same intensity. If you are training at an RPE 6-7 you could probably tolerate 20 sets a week. Some muscles respond better to higher volumes and some to lower volumes. Some exercises create more damage so you can't do as much sets with. There are studies that show you could even grow with even one set taken to failure.

Personally I like 6-8 sets a week per muscle. I like training very hard and I love training with lower rep sets of 5-8.

 

[betsieblue]

@michael67 Thanks for the write up, it was nice of you to take the time. Do you have any links to further reading? What does RPE stand for?

 

[turretin]

@betsieblue RPE is rate of perceived exertion. Basically how hard the set was. It’s a 1-10 scale with 1 being nothing and 10 being the hardest possible.

 

[betsieblue]

@turretin Thanks!

 

[michael67]

@betsieblue If I had to recommend a source for learning about hypertrophy training. I love specifically Chris Beardsley's content. He is a Hypertrophy Researcher who is able to break down fairly advanced training principles and ideas into easier to digest content. I highly recommend him.

 

[mrspanter]

@michael67 Only 6-8 sets a week. So if you did arms 2 times a week you would only do like 4 sets that day ?

 

[gr3mlin]

@jmcali The hypertrophy range is anywhere between 5-30 reps. The 6-12 rep range is probably the most commonly used and is what Eric Helms recommends. I enjoy pairing that with the 10-15 rep range, especially if I've already hit that specific muscle group in the 6-12 rep range at least once in the workout.

Also, chasing a 'cramping' feeling isn't really the best way to gauge hypertrophy. Follow double progression or dynamic double progression instead.

 

[jmcali]

@gr3mlin tyvm

 

[sisi]

@jmcali Anything from 6-30 reps will suffice for hypertrophy if you are taking the sets to a close proximity to failure.

Muscle burn is a build up of lactic acid. A burning feeling is not conclusive of muscular stimulus.

Feeling joint pain is not normal. Make sure you are performing reps with proper form.

Your muscle should not cramp, it should instead feel fatigued. 10 sets per exercise likely means that you aren’t performing a high enough intensity every set.

What works best is sticking to a program and progressively overloading. Over time lift heavier weights and eat enough to grow.

 

[jmcali]

@sisi if the burning is lactic acid, how do I know I really hit the muscle? I usually Rep the weight until it feels like my muscle is about to rip off.

 

[gennadi]

@jmcali Lactic acid buildup is a discredited theory that was debunked like 20-30 years ago. Today the dominant theory is that DOMS (muscle soreness) is the byproduct of tiny tears in the muscle fibers, though there's still a lot about it we don't know

 

[sugarcookies]

@gennadi The other guy didn't really say that DOMS were caused by lactic acid, but rather that the burning feeling in muscles was, which is accurate.

As for DOMS being caused by muscle damage, that seems to have poor correlation.

 

[davidbrainerd]

@jmcali If youre getting stronger youre doing something right

 

[sinnersavedbyfaith]

@sisi Sometimes you will just have joint pain because you have bad biomechanics for that certain movement especially as you add more weight to it. You should then pick a different variation or a different movement altogether to target whatever muscle you're hitting.

 

[sisi]

@sinnersavedbyfaith Bad biomechanics for an exercise may cause improper form. That improper form is what causes joint pain.

 

[honoringintimates]

@jmcali

• You do not have to feel your muscles burning for hypertrophy to happen. You need to progressively add more reps and at some point add more weight.
• No one will say just "add more weight". You add weight when you maxed your target rep range.
• 5-10 sets per machine is absurd. Try 2 or 3 sets and switch. Your muscles benefit from variety on a wide range of exercises.
• Find a proper program and stick to it.

 

[lakusa]

@jmcali Two very important factors that everyone forgets is that you have adequate calories/ protein available to build mass and that you're prioritizing recovery in between workouts. If you're not eating and sleeping right all the reps in the world won't matter much