Wanting a perfect physique is nothing more than just wishful thinking.It is actually something you have to relentlessly strive to reach, it just won’t happen overnight. This is no easy endeavor, it takes a lot of sweat and effort to sculpt your body into something that suits your aesthetic needs, expectations as well as health. It is a time-consuming process where your perseverance, consistency and nerves will be put to the test; and that is something that should not be taken lightly.So, if you’ve decided to take matters into your own hands, to be responsible and mentally prepared for all of the trials and tribulations, remember to do your homework first, long before starting this entire journey, because it can help you understand how your body grows and how it reacts to such self-imposed physical changes.
If you think about it, what can we do with our bodies is simply amazing! How we feed ourselves, how we stimulate, develop and sustain ourselves, even how we heal and reconstruct ourselves – this tells us what kind of organic system are we and how we function under certain conditions. There is a vast range of metabolic processes that take place inside of us every day, constantly working to keep everything sound and intact.
Contractions and Muscle Memory
With about 650 muscles in a human body, keep in mind that every one of them is triggered by motor neurons that our brain commands by sending signals, prompting us to act, or move. So if your head is telling you that now you want to lift weights and expose parts of your body to a certain level of stress, the most important thing to focus on is just building muscle memory. By repeating certain activities, you slowly begin to learn how to perform them without conscious effort, decreasing the need for attention and thus maximizing efficiency within the motor and memory systems. In time, muscles will be able to grow at a steady, controlled rate because contractions will naturally become an easier and quicker thing to perform.
Protein Diet
Creating proteins, or protein synthesis should be a result of a healthy and balanced diet suited for gaining muscle mass. Prioritizing your nutrition is essential, no matter what your agenda is, but considering that the process of body strengthening and growth demands more macronutrients than we can naturally produce, it’s best to add supplements in your entire diet regime. Whey protein for instance is perfect for providing your body with necessary energy, giving you that extra surge of power also needed for conquering the gym. If you don’t develop a proper diet, you’ll eventually hit a wall, results will stagnate, or even diminish, so remember to focus on what you eat, too, consult a nutritionist and check what else can benefit your body.
Hormones
Testosterone is the primary hormonal component that stimulates the production of protein. This is why men can naturally gain more muscle mass than women, but there are ways to increase levels of testosterone no matter what sex you are. Nutrients like vitamins B and C, certain amount of fat (optimal intake should be around 20-25% of daily calories) and zinc can substantially help with the natural production of testosterone.On the other hand, resistance training sessions with short rest periods as well as compound exercises can also show a rise in testosterone level. Human growth hormone, too, is beneficial for synthesizing protein which is particularly good for recovering the body, repairing inflicted muscle damage, metabolizing fat and strengthening bones. There are two occasions when HGH is secreted – either during the resistance training, or while you sleep. Remember, resting and sleeping are an essential part of this entire process, so if any stressful complications like insomnia, or sleep apnea occur, focus on adapting your diet to combat such ailments, or consult your doctor for a more professional solution.
Muscle Hypertrophy
There are two ways you can increase your physical size and power – strength training (myofibrillar hypertrophy) and muscle growth (sarcoplasmic hypertrophy). The first low-intensity type refers to an increase in muscle fibers, a process that can be slow and won’t make you that much bigger, but it provides you with a great increase of strength, nevertheless. The second type – sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, which occurs during high tensity training, increases the volume of your muscle cell’s fluid, which makes up to 30% of your muscle’s size.
When stress is applied to muscles, you can either cause damage, tension, or metabolic stress, which crucial for muscle growth in all three cases. Muscle damage usually happens after 24 hours after a rigorous workout that has exposed you to your limits. Body’s natural response is the release of inflammatory molecules, immune system cells and cytokines, which in turn provides an anabolic environment for muscle growth. However, if that delayed onset muscle soreness lasts too long, that probably means that your nutrition is inadequate, which slows down your process of recovery. As far as muscle tension goes, you simply have to provide stress to your muscles that they can hardly handle. Through weight-lifting, drop sets, supersets and other various exercises, a process called mechanotransduction stimulates a chemical activity that promotes anabolic pathways. Finally, metabolic stress is the buildup of lactate in your muscles, which also causes cellular pumping and oxygen deprivation. This is when testosterone, growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1 is being secreted, which, once again, is necessary for triggering hypertrophy and making you look amazing.