Muscle Hypertrophy: What Is It?

Do you pay enough attention to your muscles while exercising? Today we want to explain to you what muscle hypertrophy is and what causes it.

In today’s article we want to give you some information about occlusal training and muscle hypertrophy. Maybe you have heard of it already?

So that you get the maximum benefit from your training and thus best achieve your personal fitness goals, you should know which exercises are the most effective in each case. If you’re not sure what types of training there are and what they do, just read on.

What is muscle hypertrophy?

Muscle hypertrophy describes the increase in the size of your muscle fibers as well as your body mass through exercise and a specific diet. Depending on your personal training goals, hypertrophy can be either sarcomere or sarcoplasmic.

Sarcomere muscle hypertrophy

Sarcomere muscle hypertrophy occurs when the number of actin and myosin proteins in your muscle fibers increases. The result is a significant gain in your muscles.

This muscle growth also has a decisive influence on your strength. Because of these properties, this form is also called functional hypertrophy.

However , if you want to achieve this goal, you have to stick to a strict training plan very consistently : a few repetitions with high intensity and a lot of weight in each case.

Usually that’s about 80% of the weight you can lift. In order to achieve the desired effect of muscle growth, you should continuously increase the weight you use with increasing training.

It is also important that you take at least 48 hours of rest  between each workout for a specific muscle group before you work out again.

In addition, you should know that this form of training causes damage to your muscles, which are responsible for the growth of your muscle fibers. This is why it is so important that you absolutely keep the rest phases for your body and your muscles.

Sarcoplasmic muscle hypertrophy

This type of hypertrophy is caused by an increase in your muscle sarcoplasm, the fluid that covers your muscle fibers.

For this reason, you will not notice a significant increase in strength in yourself. Since many bodybuilders strive for this muscle growth, it is also referred to as aesthetic hypertrophy.

The importance and importance of training

If you want to achieve this type of muscle growth, then you should repeat your exercises frequently: between 6 and 12 reps per set. You should also train with little weight.

To prevent injuries, you should also take a break of 1 to 2 minutes between each training set. In addition, an adequate rest period after training is strongly recommended.

There are also some physical activities that encourage this type of muscle growth.

An example of this is occlusion training, often also called kaatsu. This technique reduces blood flow during exercise.

• To achieve this effect, you use an artery binder (tourniquet) with an elastic bandage and attach it to the part of your body that you want to exercise.

• The pressure you apply by setting it decreases your blood flow and that is exactly the intended effect. You are causing local hypoxia or, to put it another way, the oxygen content is reduced in this area of ​​your body .
• The lack of oxygen causes stress in your body. This also increases the production of growth hormones. Subsequently , the protein synthesis in your body accelerates strongly. All of this ultimately leads to an accelerated growth of new muscle fibers in your body.

Why should you try occlusion training?

The advantage of occlusion training is that your training becomes easier overall. You have to train with less weight and you get even better results.

Although you put your body under a lot of stress during exercise, you compensate for this with the weight loss that you will achieve as a result. If you weigh less, the stress on your joints will be less and you will also reduce the risk of injuries.

• To use this technique correctly, it is important that you use an elastic band that is no wider than four inches.
• You should also know that this technique can only be used to train the lower or upper extremities.
• If you are exercising the upper extremities, then you should place the band as close to the armpit as possible. If you want to train your legs, bring it as close to the groin as possible.
• In addition, it is very important that you make sure that you only want to decrease the blood flow with this exercise . In any case, be careful not to interrupt him completely.

You should also make sure that you do not leave the bandage on your body for a long time during training :

• If you are doing a low-intensity workout, you should use this technique for a maximum of 20 minutes.
• When exercising at medium intensity, it is advisable to do this for a maximum of 10 minutes.

This technique has been shown to improve muscle tone in athletes. Occlusion training is also highly recommended for weightlifters aiming for muscle hypertrophy. But even if you should do physiotherapy, this training is also suitable for the regeneration of muscle fibers .