Hypertrophy Training: 4 Benefits of Hypertrophy Training

Hypertrophy is the increase of muscle cells, which promotes muscle growth. In contrast, atrophy is the decrease in the size of a body part. Hypertrophy training is a weightlifting term that refers to weight training to build muscle mass, particularly within the skeletal muscles, also known as skeletal muscle hypertrophy. Due to the focus being on muscle aesthetics, hypertrophy training is popular among weightlifters, powerlifters, and bodybuilders.

Strength training and hypertrophy training are resistance training programs that depend on placing muscles under tension. This tension tears muscles and builds them back stronger, also known as progressive overload. Yet there are key differences between these strength-training programs, and many weightlifters mix both types of exercises in their routine:

• Goals: Hypertrophy focuses on making specific muscles look a certain way by growing them. Strength training is about moving as much heavy weight as possible, lifting heavier weights, and building muscle strength.
• Volume: Hypertrophy training includes doing weightlifting exercises for many reps, thus increasing the training volume. The exercises have lower rep ranges, usually six reps or fewer, and between two to six sets with strength training. Strength training is a lower training volume practice.
• Weight: Hypertrophy training requires you to move weight that is seventy-five percent to eighty-five percent of your one-rep max (1RM), the maximum amount of weight you can lift in one repetition. Generally, you use a lower weight for hypertrophy training than strength training. Strength training requires you to move heavy weight that is eighty-five percent or more of your 1RM, making it a high-intensity workout.
• Rest: You rest for longer between strength training sets, typically two minutes or more, to give your muscles time to recover before moving a large amount of weight again.

On the muscular level, hypertrophy occurs in two ways.The two types of hypertrophy are myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic:

1. 1. Myofibrillar: Myofibrillar hypertrophy refers to the growth of myofibrils, the muscle strands responsible for pulling. During myofibrillar hypertrophy, the body responds to muscle injury by increasing the volume and density of the myofibrils.
2. 2. Sarcoplasmic: Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy refers to the growth of sarcoplasmic fluids around the myofibrils. The fluids contain energy that propels the muscles during a workout. Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy refers to an increase in these energy stores.

Studies show that both of these types of hypertrophy occur together to grow muscles and increase endurance.

Hypertrophy training works the same way that strength training does: by placing your muscle tissue under metabolic stress and mechanical tension causes them to tear at the cellular level causing muscle damage. The muscles then repair during rest through protein synthesis, adding more muscle fibers to the damaged area and increasing muscle growth. The muscle gain enables you to lift heavier weights. Every time you do a particular exercise, add slightly more weight to stimulate hypertrophic gains.

Hypertrophy training has the following benefits:

1. 1. Aesthetics: If you want to build bigger muscles in certain parts of your body, or promote a certain body composition, then hypertrophy training may be for you.
2. 2. Strength: Hypertrophy training for certain muscle groups can lead to stronger muscles that can lift more weight.
3. 3. Lower body fat: Like a strength training program, training for muscular hypertrophy can lower body fat. Research shows that muscles burn more calories at rest, so the more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn, resulting in excess fat loss.
4. 4. Variety: For long-time weightlifters looking to add variety to their routine and to make more gains on their lifts, adding hypertrophy exercises can stimulate their muscle cells in new ways. In addition, growing muscles can help experienced lifters add more weight to their lifts and create strength gains.

Hypertrophy training focuses on increasing tissue size, which builds muscle mass. You can do hypertrophy training using a barbell and weights, dumbbells, or gym machines, or with bodyweight exercises. Follow these steps to add hypertrophy training into your training plan:

1. 1. Split training sessions by muscle groups. Devote each training session to working out one muscle group to promote growth in that area. For example, on leg day, you might perform two to three exercises that target leg muscles. The following training sessions can focus on your chest, arms, etc. This allows you to work out five to six times a week while giving certain muscle groups rest. Alternatively, you can devote one training session to lower body workouts, another to upper body workouts.
2. 2. Determine your exercise selection. When training for hypertrophy, choose weightlifting exercises that target a specific muscle, known as isolation exercises. Isolation exercises include tricep extensions or leg presses. You can also incorporate compound exercises that train multiple muscle groups simultaneously, such as deadlifts, lunges, or bench presses. If you are looking to grow a specific muscle, an isolation exercise will help you reach your goal faster.
3. 3. Complete three to four sets of exercises. Hypertrophy includes performing weightlifting exercises for a large number of reps, with rep ranges from six to twenty reps per set or until your muscles are close to failure. Try to complete three to four sets.
4. 4. Choose a weight according to your 1RM. Select a weight that is seventy-five percent to eighty-five percent of your 1RM, one rep max. You should be able to move the weight for the required number of reps and sets. Master every rep and set at the current weight before increasing the weight.
5. 5. Build in short rest periods. When training for hypertrophy, rest for a minute to a minute and a half between sets.

If you have a previous or pre-existing health condition, consult your physician before beginning an exercise program. Proper exercise technique is essential to ensure the safety and effectiveness of an exercise program, but you may need to modify each exercise to attain optimal results based on your individual needs. Always select a weight that allows you to have full control of your body throughout the movement. When performing any exercise, pay close attention to your body, and stop immediately if you note pain or discomfort.

In order to see continual progress and build body strength, incorporate proper warm-ups, rest, and nutrition into your exercise program. Your results will ultimately be based on your ability to adequately recover from your workouts. Rest for 24 to 48 hours before training the same muscle groups to allow sufficient recovery.

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