By the healthiergang writer , medical student.
3 Tips for Muscle Growth
Almost anyone who trains does not get results despite training hard. Sooner or later every athlete has to experience this frustration situation.
The reasons can be varied: it can range from way we train to what let's eat. Not necessarily what we eat is not enough, rather it is ours need for proteins, carbohydrates and fats are not satisfied by our diet.
But it can also happen to not feel the muscle work when you are training it. This article aims to address the latter case.
# 1 Mind Muscle Connection
In English it is called mind muscle connection and it is a necessary prerogative if you want to stimulate your muscle fibers. It will have happened to anyone to perform an exercise for a certain muscle but not feel at all that this did a jobon the contrary, another muscle group other than the one you wanted to recruit felt fatigued.
This is a frequent situation especially for those who tend to focusing too much on how much weight is capable of lifting. You lose sight of the end in order to focus on the means by which you want to reach it. The amount of cast iron that is lifted is just a means by which to stimulate the muscle.
With this I don't want to deny the benefit that comes from use high loads, absolutely a greater weight corresponds to a greater stimulus, but there is something that comes before this. Heavy weights can also be lifted but not getting adequate muscle stimulation.
Body building teaches that you have to first of all focus on what is happening in our muscle, focus on the contraction of this. Feel what the muscle is doing, feel it do the job. To do this, you need to step back and use lower loads than you are tempted to use.
This is a step back which, however, allows us to take three steps forward: automatically the technique of the exercise has improved and you will notice a better stimulus despite using lower loads. Your joints will thank you too.
#2 The Importance of Running Time
Another often underestimated aspect is the time with which the repetitions are performed. In every exercise we can recognize 3 distinct phases.
1. Concentric phase
Also called positive. This is the phase in which the muscle contracts to make the movement, to shift the weight. This is the time to focus on muscle contraction that you want to stimulate.
You don't just have to move the bar from point A to point B; it is necessary voluntarily contract the muscle to make the movement from the starting point to the end point looking for a strong contraction at the end point.
This contraction it must be explosive in order to recruit the greatest number of muscle fibers, consequently also the movement must be explosive while maintaining weight control.
2. Isometric phase
Often this is nothing, it is not done. It's time to transition from the concentric phase to the next, the eccentric. It can help, however, to take a second to this portion of the movement if you want to create a solid connection between mind and muscle.
For example, when you are doing dumbbell rowing it can make a big difference to maintain your position maximum contraction for a second looking for a strong contraction of the dorsal. Certainly you will not be able to use the same weights but, as previously mentioned, the weight is only a means to obtain a stimulus.
3. Eccentric phase
Also said negative phase. This is the phase of resisting the weight while returning to the starting position of the movement. Studies show that the eccentric phase is the one capable of bringing the greatest amount of micro trauma to the muscle fibers, inducing a greater hypertrophy response.
It is of utmost importance therefore make an effort to withstand the weight being dragged down. In order to focus on this part of the movement it must be slow for a duration of about 3 or 4 seconds. If done correctly you will feel the muscle burn after just a few repetitions.
# 3 High Reps Series
Finally to create a solid capacity for voluntary recruitment of muscle fibers It can be of great help to do sets with a high number of repetitions. These can be entered at the end of your training session. The purpose of these sets is to feel your muscle contract during each repetition. It is necessary to use low loads, focus on contraction and also do sets of 20 repetitions.
I conclude by emphasizing the importance of feel the muscle do the work during each repetition: the training session is made up of series each of which is made up of repetitions. At the end of the workout, if the muscle has not been felt to do the work, it is very likely that it has not been stimulated adequately and consequently time will have been wasted.
