Whether we’re running a couple of laps on the treadmill or pumping iron on the gym floor, some form of small- or large-scale muscle development occurs within our body every time we exercise. Advertisements sometimes associate the muscle growth process with buff people lifting heavy weights. But, in all actuality, muscle growth is a byproduct of any continuous exercise mixed with careful planning. In other words, lifting that 150 pound weight bar won’t mean anything unless you do it often. Don’t get us wrong, though — you’ll want to keep adding weight to your sets to get buff. With that being said, how are muscles formed when we work out?
The science behind muscle development is very unique. Although exercise is the key contributor, there are some additional factors at play when growing any muscle in our body. In this article, we’ll look at how muscles are formed to help you streamline your muscle growth process.
Three Contributors Toward Muscle Development
As we previously mentioned, building muscle requires you to practice consistent effort and slowly increase the weight you pick up, the reps you do or both. While you’re working out, there will be a reaction to your muscles that determines how much they grow over time. But aside from the exercise itself, muscle development also relies heavily on taking proper care of yourself. This means giving your body and mind some additional attention that is focused less on fitness and more on overall health and wellness. Here are three factors that are involved in the muscle growth process:
Muscle Stress
Leaving the gym feeling sweaty, exhausted and sore isn’t always a sign of overexertion — it’s an indicator that your muscles are responding well to your workouts. Placing stress on your muscles triggers them to react a specific way, and after some time you’ll begin to see and feel tremendous muscle development. There are three types of stress that can positively impact your muscle growth process:
- Metabolic stress
- Muscle tension
- Muscle damage
Metabolic stress involves a swelling of the muscle cells and often feels like a burning sensation when working out. When the cells begin to expand, this is due to a sudden buildup of hydrogen ions and lactate, and after a while, the muscles begin to look much bigger. However, muscle growth from metabolic stress doesn’t entail any strength improvement.
Muscle tension, on the other hand, does lead to increased strength. This is because the tension is a direct result of lifting massive amounts of weight over time. This progress leads your muscles to gradually change their composition to help you adapt to the extra workload. And, when your muscle chemistry evolves, you will feel noticeable improvement in your strength.
Lastly, muscle damage is exactly what it sounds like. The soreness you experience after working out is caused by muscle damage, and while it’s very unpleasant, it actually works in your favor. Ultimately, muscle damage sends a signal to your body to activate cells in the immune system, as well as other molecules.
Rest
No matter how hard you push yourself in the gym, none of that will matter toward your muscle development if you can’t learn to take a break. Some people do, in fact, get addicted to working out every day. Although they may believe that this is a good method to practice staying physically fit, overloading your calendar with nonstop exercise is extremely counterproductive. Not only will this cause burnout, but you also won’t make a lot of progress as it can take your muscles as long as two full days of recovery to properly grow. If you’re unsure of the amount of times you should frequent the gym, we recommend that you speak with a personal trainer. This will allow them to learn more about your schedule, workout routine and diet to gauge the best days or hours to get fit while adhering to your busy calendar.
Diet and Hormones
Speaking of your diet, what you put in your body also controls what happens during the muscle growth process. Everybody has a recommended daily caloric intake that’s based on their weight, exercise routine and metabolism, and consuming a significant number of calories is essential in keeping their body from turning their muscles into energy. That’s why you see bodybuilders eat massive amounts of food filled with carbohydrates and protein during the day — if they eat more than the amount of calories they burn daily, they’ll store that excess protein and carbs. These stored nutrients work within the body to provide energy and build muscle tissue or repair it where needed.
Additionally, hormones are hard at work when it comes to your muscle development. Some hormones such as glucagon or cortisol help with strength training by making glucose more accessible within the body. However, other hormones that include testosterone and insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) are produced to trigger muscle growth. For example, testosterone works directly with the nervous system to cause changes to the size of one’s muscles. If you’re not producing enough of one or more hormones, this will hinder your muscle growth process and potentially cause other unwanted health problems.
Order Supplements for Muscle Development
Everybody’s fitness journey does not look the same. Some people have astounding metabolisms that make it difficult for them to grow muscles even when they eat a lot of food. Others may have some form of hormonal imbalance that prevents their muscles from receiving the benefits of one type of hormone. To put it bluntly, you can still come up short even with proper exercise, diet and rest. Because of this, people use muscle growth supplements to aid the process. From Blackstone Labs’ Apex Male supplements that can be used to produce testosterone to the Pro IGF-1 by Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals that regulates fat and more, there are plenty of options to choose from to receive that necessary extra boost to your workout and improve your muscle development.
Regardless of whether you require workout supplements to boost your muscle mass, you must continue to exercise frequently, aim for a full 8 hours of sleep and eat a well-balanced diet to ensure that your muscle growth improves. If you prioritize one of these three factors over the other, all of your hard work will be for nothing. And if you do find yourself taking all of these necessary steps and you’re still coming up short on your results, be sure to check out Icon Supp Store for the best selection of muscle growth products. Browse our inventory today or contact us if you have any questions. We look forward to working with you!
Find Pills for Muscle Development at Icon Supp Store
As a leading supplier of innovative fitness supplements, we pride ourselves on our selection of highly effective products for muscle development. See how our supplements can properly aid in your muscle growth process!
Leave a Comment