In this blog I will go into the details of hypertrophy. Hypertrophy is defined as an increase and growth of muscular cells. It refers to an increase in muscular size achieved through exercise. Whether your goal is to become more toned or improve muscle mass/definition, lifting weights is the most common way to increase hypertrophy.
Benefits of resistance/hypertrophy training:
Physiological:
Improved cardiovascular efficiency.
Increased bone density.
Decrease in body fat.
Decrease in physiological stress.
Performance:
Increased strength.
Increased power.
Increased endurance
Psychological:
Improved mood.
Improved self esteem.
Reduces stress which is a big factor in avoiding mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.
In the above text you can clearly see the significant benefits of resistance and hypertrophy training. I wanted to clearly portray this early in this blog as both myself and many of my clients have felt so many of the above benefits over the years of participating in hypertrophy training.
What is a hypertrophy workout and what does it consist of?
A hypertrophy workout consists of exercises utilizing low to intermediate repetition ranges with progressive overload. An example of this is 3 sets of 12 repetitions, performing the back squat at 75-85% of the one repetition max(1rm) with a rest period of 1-2 minutes.
Conclusion: In conclusion muscular hypertrophy is nothing more than a physiological adaptation to imposed physical and metabolic demands. In other words we put stress on our bodies through lifting weights and exercising. This in turn creates an environment to build and recover and after this process is complete we grow. Finally results will not happen overnight. Hypertrophy training must be done correctly and in line with a healthy balanced diet in order to optimise results. The key, as with many other endeavours, is consistency.
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