What is Hypertrophy
If you’re interested in strength training, you’re probably familiar with the concept of hypertrophy. Hypertrophy is when muscle cells increase in size, or more specifically, you get more contractile proteins (1).
Imagine you’re participating in a tug-of-war competition. The more people who pull on the rope, the greater the force the team can generate. This is exactly what happens in your muscles when we train; more contractile proteins can contribute to generating greater force/speed across the joint the muscle works on.
Mechanisms That Stimulate Muscle Growth
1. Mechanical Tension
Mechanical tension refers to the amount of force that muscles and tendons are exposed to. When we train with heavy weights, the muscles are subjected to a higher mechanical tension compared to lighter weights.
2. Metabolic Stress
Metabolic stress, on the other hand, is achieved by increasing the time the muscle is under tension or by reducing rest periods between sets. You’ve probably experienced the “pump” feeling when strength training? That’s a good indication that you’ve reached high metabolic stress in the muscles.
Let’s illustrate this further:
Heavy strength training (1-4 repetitions) is characterized by lifting heavy weights (around 85-100% of your maximum) with relatively long rest periods between sets (3-5 minutes). The heavy weights contribute to a high mechanical tension, but heavy strength training with long rest periods doesn’t lead to much metabolic stress. However, if you choose slightly lighter weights (70-85% of your max), you’ll be able to perform around 6-12 repetitions.
Combining this resistance with relatively short rest periods (1-2 minutes) will significantly increase metabolic stress. The combination of high mechanical tension and high metabolic stress is what characterizes “hypertrophy training.”
Now, while you can achieve hypertrophy with both heavy and light weights, the combination of these two factors seems to be most effective. When training with lighter weights (12-20 repetitions), it’s crucial to lift close to failure.
How to Train for Hypertrophy:
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Choose a resistance that allows you to complete between 6-12 repetitions.
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Perform each repetition at a constant speed.
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Keep rest periods short between sets (1-2 minutes).
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Train multiple exercises per muscle group, but if you’re a beginner, we recommend training the same muscle group multiple times a week.
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Combine compound exercises (e.g., bench press) with isolation exercises (e.g., flies).
Other Methods for Muscle Growth:
The methods below aren’t necessarily better than traditional strength training, but they can often help increase metabolic stress during an exercise.
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Superset:
Supersets involve performing two exercises back-to-back without resting in between. You can combine, for example, press and pull exercises or pair a compound exercise with an isolation exercise targeting nearby muscle groups. Follow the guidelines above for resistance and rest periods between supersets. -
Forced Reps:
Forced reps are a technique where your training partner helps you with the last 1-3 repetitions so you can complete more reps than you would be able to do on your own. Choose a resistance that allows you to complete 6-10 reps on your own before getting help from your partner. -
Super Slow Training:
This method involves performing each repetition slowly, both in the concentric (lifting) and eccentric (lowering) phases. Aim for around 4-8 seconds for both phases of the lift.
Good luck with your training!
Reference:
Raastad, T., Paulsen, G., Refsnes, P. E., Rønnestad, B. R., & Wisnes, A. R. (2010) Strength Training – Theory and Practice. Gyldendal Publishing.