For example, a man who works out three times a week gains 5 lbs of lean muscle mass in 3 months.
Would that mean someone who worked out only once a week reach the same 5 lbs of lean muscle in 9 months?
or perhaps there is a benefit to frequency that I’m not understanding?
thanks
In: 1
Frequency is definitely important.
Because your body only builds muscle when the muscles are frequently getting pushed beyond their limits. Like lifting something heavy one time isn’t going to cause your body to really build up muscle the next day.
So someone lifting more infrequently is less likely to see the same progress.
Frequency is definitely important.
Because your body only builds muscle when the muscles are frequently getting pushed beyond their limits. Like lifting something heavy one time isn’t going to cause your body to really build up muscle the next day.
So someone lifting more infrequently is less likely to see the same progress.
Hypertrophy (building muscle) is a function of a few factors – protein and calorie intake, burn, genetics, etc – but mostly of mechanical stress.
You’re body is smart enough to use what it has. It’s not going to build new muscle if it can do what you’re asking of it with the muscle it currently has. This is what folks mean when they say you have to lift to failure.
So, can those two timelines get you the same results? Probably not. Because the first case induced greater mechanical stress on your muscles. The shorter time span means that you’re actively elevating the baseline. You’re body will respond to the greater level of stress.
But this is a broad generalization. There are lots of studies on hypertrophy and it’s far from being 100% confirmed.
Hypertrophy (building muscle) is a function of a few factors – protein and calorie intake, burn, genetics, etc – but mostly of mechanical stress.
You’re body is smart enough to use what it has. It’s not going to build new muscle if it can do what you’re asking of it with the muscle it currently has. This is what folks mean when they say you have to lift to failure.
So, can those two timelines get you the same results? Probably not. Because the first case induced greater mechanical stress on your muscles. The shorter time span means that you’re actively elevating the baseline. You’re body will respond to the greater level of stress.
But this is a broad generalization. There are lots of studies on hypertrophy and it’s far from being 100% confirmed.
Working out frequently build muscle mass faster. There is a lower bound of frequency/intensity below which there is no significant muscle gain. Everyone is constantly using their muscles, but people don’t automatically become stronger as they go through life (just the opposite, in fact!) There is also an upper bound where pushing harder does not significantly increase gains and may lead to injury.
A separate issue is that muscle growth is faster for someone who has just started working out than for someone who has been working out for a long time. The man who gained 5 lb of muscle mass in 3 months should expect to gain less in the next 3 months.
Working out frequently build muscle mass faster. There is a lower bound of frequency/intensity below which there is no significant muscle gain. Everyone is constantly using their muscles, but people don’t automatically become stronger as they go through life (just the opposite, in fact!) There is also an upper bound where pushing harder does not significantly increase gains and may lead to injury.
A separate issue is that muscle growth is faster for someone who has just started working out than for someone who has been working out for a long time. The man who gained 5 lb of muscle mass in 3 months should expect to gain less in the next 3 months.
there’s definitely some limit to this –
working out every 2 weeks, and you might not see any results, not even in 18 months
there’s definitely some limit to this –
working out every 2 weeks, and you might not see any results, not even in 18 months
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