This is a big question mark for a lot of people and I hope I can shed some light on it for those who read this post. Any kind of resistance training is going to add a certain amount of muscle, but it really just depends what your goals happen to be. Different reps and sets dictate what kind of muscle growth happens and they also are a big factor in the rate that you gain muscle as well.
(Photo: daily sunny)
[ No doubt this guy is popular with the ladies because he has very low bodyfat and the right amount of muscle. This look is available to anyone willing to work for it, not just male models ]
Two Main Types of Muscle Growth
Sarcoplasmic: This kind of growth is fluid ( sarcoplasm ) inside the muscle cell. This will quickly increase the size of a muscle, but it wont make you a lot stronger overall.
Myofibrillar: This is the growth of the actual muscle fiber which has the ability to contract and can make you much stronger. Although this kind of growth is extremely slow because it’s making the muscle more dense and not adding to the cell fluid.
The Amount of Reps Needed
1-3 reps: Purely for strength and muscle definition and density.
4-5 reps: Still mainly strength with a small amount of muscle size added.
6-10 reps: This is a half way point for both types of muscle growth.
12-15 reps: All muscle building here without much to show for strength gains.
Rep Tempo, Breaks and Volume
If your goal is adding size quickly your going to want to do more sets and higher amounts of reps to fatigue the muscle as much as you can. You will want to take shorter breaks between sets and really tire out the muscle.
If your goal is strength, density and definition you will want to do the opposite of the above. Less reps, heavier weights and long rest periods in between sets.
Unless you already have built up a good amount of muscle I would suggest doing some Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy and then some Myofibrillar while leaning out to get that hard ripped body. Everyones goals are different, but you can cater things to suit your ultimate goal be it size, strength or definition.
Visual Impact Muscle Building
This is a great program by Rusty Moore where he talks about the different types of muscle you build and how to create that ideal athletic body everyone wants to have.
Visual Impact Muscle Building program
Rusty is a guy who walks the talk and somehow still manages to give amazing customer service. I highly recommended you check out his program if it fits your goals.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
You made some excellent points there. I did a search about the subject and hardly got any specific details on other sites, but then great to be here, seriously, thanks.
- Lucas
@Lucas – No problem. Good luck with your training.