All strength training is based upon the simple premise that muscles are a mutable form of tissue. They change and grow and sometimes--if left to disrepute--dissipate. It's advantageous that we can become stronger, of course, but not all muscles can be changed. Cardiac muscles, for instance, are fairly static. But skeletal muscles have unique properties that allow for growth.
Definition
Skeletal muscles are anchored to the bones through a connecting tendon. When they contract, they allow the bones to move. This is a voluntary movement controlled by conscious action. There are 640 total skeletal muscles in a human body. They are a dense tissue, comprising approximately half your total body weight. However, this percentage can change depending upon the thickness of your muscles.
Types
Skeletal muscles form layers across the bones like large sheets. There are generally two types of skeletal muscles. Superficial muscles are those closest to the skin. Deep muscles, on the other hand, are closer to the bone; these are generally the hardest to reach and as a corollary the hardest to build up.
Features
Skeletal muscles are composed of large bundles called fascicles. Within these fascicles are smaller muscle fibers, which can be further broken down into constituent agents known as myofibrils that perform a contraction. Muscle fibers are elastic. They contract by pulling inward. There are a few different kinds of muscle fibers: slow twitch and fast twitch. Slow twitch fibers are built for endurance, containing many mitochondria, which are the energy-producing parts of the cells, but these fibers have very little mass. Fast twitch fibers, on the other hand, tire easily but have greater power.
Stress
Most increases in muscle mass come from the stimulation and growth of fast twitch muscle fibers. Stress placed on the muscles cause small tears to appear in the fibers and connective tissue. With sufficient rest your body will rebuild these fibers but also add strength to prevent further deterioration from equal amounts of stress in the future. This is a process known as hypertrophy--literally meaning enlargement and growth.
Muscle Growth
According to the paper "How Do Muscles Grow?" by Young sub Kwon and Dr. Len Kravitz, new protein muscle strands are formed when "satellite cells" on the outside of muscle fibers fuse to the top layer of the muscle fibers. Repairing and adding muscle fiber keeps your body active, so this requires extra energy. The consumption of protein is particularly important for muscle growth because the amino acids within are needed to synthesize new protein in the muscles.
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