By: Matt Fleekop

What promotes muscle growth?  Mechanical Tension- intensity (amount of load/resistance) and time and under tension (duration/volume of lifting the load). This recruits the most motor units, increasing in a muscle’s cross sectional area which leads to muscle growth. . Muscle Damage- caused by resistance training causing an inflammatory response, leading to the productions myokines. Myokines release a variety of growth factors that regulate cell proliferation (growth/increase) and differentiation (separates/isolates).  Metabolic Stress- again caused by resistance training, mainly through anaerobic glycolysis. ATP is produced and this ATP releases other metabolites. These metabolites promote an anabolic effect through hormones. (IGF-1, testosterone, and GH).

Training Techniques  Forced Repetitions  Drop Sets  Supersets  Heavy Negatives

Forced Repetitions  “assisted reps”  The spotter helps the lifter perform additional reps after failure is reached  Break the “sticking point”  Stimulates motor unit fatigue and metabolic stress  Study shows: significant increases in GH in exercisers who performed 12 FORCED REPS over those performing a 12 REP MAX. Forced Reps help enhance the growth of type I and type II muscle fibers, leading to muscle hypertrophy.  Forced Repetition Example Forced Repetition Example

Drop Sets  “descending sets”  Train the muscle until failure with a given load, then immediately reduce load, and again train until failure.  Spotter is not necessary, lifter has full control of weight being loaded.  Induces great muscular unit fatigue.  Increased time under tension will enhance metabolic stress and stimulate anabolism.  Study shows: after assessing a low intensity drop set (50% 1RM) immediately following a high intensity set, studies show a significant spike in GH. Further studies conclude that the addition of a drop set to a standard strength training protocol will result in a significant increase in the muscle’s cross sectional area as opposed to the strength training program alone. Increase cross sectional area = hypertrophy.  Drop Set Example Drop Set Example

Supersets  “paired sets”  2 exercises performed back to back without rest.  The reduced rest between sets increases muscle fatigue and metabolic stress, which may lead to hypertrophy.  Usually performed with an agonist and antagonist muscle.  Study shows: supersets allow for a greater number of reps in a shorter time, without reducing the intensity of the training. Increased training density leads to increased muscle fatigue, which will contribute to hypertrophy.  Superset Example Superset Example

Heavy Negatives  “supramaximal loaded eccentric training”  Perform eccentric contractions with a resistance greater ( %) than your 1RM.  Spotter is necessary to raise the weight in the concentric phase, while the lifter slowly (2-3 second tempo) performs eccentric reps.  This type of training again leads to motor unit fatigue, increasing hypertrophy.  Study shows: greater gains in lean muscle are associated with ECCENTRIC EXERCISE as opposed to CONCENTRIC or ISOMETRIC EXERCISE. Maximal muscle hypertrophy is not attained unless eccentric actions are performed.  Eccentric actions rapidly increase protein synthesis and enhance the activity of IGF-1.

Contd…….  Greater muscular damage leading to hypertrophy.  Recruits a large amount of fast twitch muscle fibers and inactive motor units. This yields for an increase in mechanical tension in type II fibers, which leads to muscular growth.  Also causes metabolic stress. Lactate gets built up and anabolic hormone levels begin to rise.  Heavy Negative Example Heavy Negative Example