Strength training is an essential element for health and wellness. There are many ways to improve and increase strength. Almost all methods of strength training require muscular development. Different strategies are employed for promoting and maximizing muscle growth.
Development
There are two different ways in which muscles can develop. The first is aerobically, in which oxygen is used as a catalyst to provide energy for the strength training. For this reason, most aerobic exercise requires an increased breathing load during training and focuses on developing endurance, coordination and stamina. Anaerobic muscle training differs from aerobic training in that it summons energy drawn from nutrients already stored in the body's fat and muscle tissues. Most anaerobic training does not require deep breathing or respiratory fatigue. Most maximum muscle growth strategies involve varying strategies of anaerobic training. Maximizing muscle growth is an evolving process that requires a dynamic and changing balance of training, nutrition and rest.
Physiology
Muscles consist of three types of fibers: slow-twitch, fast-twitch "a" and fast-twitch "b." Slow twitch fibers are generally less strong than fast-twitch fibers, but have greater endurance and stamina. Most maximum muscle development focuses on strategies that develop both slow and fast-twitch muscle fibers towards a greater load capacity, with a primary focus on fast-twitch fiber development.
Hypertrophism
Intense stress upon muscles instigates growth. Under unusual stress, muscle tears extend through the fibers and connective tissues. As an immune response, the body rebuilds the muscle cells larger and stronger than before to handle similar stress in the future. This process is called hypertrophy. A state of extreme hypertrophism reflects the physiques of most professional bodybuilders.
There are two types of hypertrophism: sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar. In sarcoplasmic hypertrophism, or muscle growth, the volume of the cell's sarcoplasmic fluid (thus size) is increased without increasing muscle. This is indicative of the physique most bodybuilders work to attain. Myofibrillar muscle growth increases the protein count, thus the size and strength, of muscle cells. Myofibrillar hypertrophism reflects the bodies of most professional weightlifters.
Strategies
The basic approach to peak strength training arises from a concept called progressive overload. This means as trainees reach thresholds in resistance, they must consistently push and sometimes shock the body constantly past its limits, as the muscles try to compensate before they are shocked again into growth. While there are many strategies for maximizing hypertrophic muscle growth, most combine basic elements of nutrition, rest and progressive overload.
Under intense versions of progressive overload, training for muscle growth is optimal in a short window of 45 to 90 minutes. For maximum muscle growth, it is advised to use a regimen that allows you to fully stress a muscle group and allow a couple of days for the muscle group to rest. This may equate to a "three-on, one-off" regimen, in which different muscle groups are worked different days, with one day used for a total body rest. Appropriate nutrition is also necessary during this period, requiring 2,500 to 4,000 calories to replenish the energy used to build the muscle. Without proper nutrition and protein, new muscle cannot grow, regardless the intensity of the workout.
Overtraining
While it is important to maintain short rest periods and a consistent routine, over-training can be not only counterproductive but dangerous. It is important to consult with an experienced strength trainer as a beginner developing a training routine, and also to regulate dietary habits.
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