SCIENCE-BASED MUSCLE BUILDING I — MYOFIBRILLAR, SARCOPLASMIC, AND STRETCH-MEDIATED HYPERTROPHY.

There are THREE MAIN mechanisms for getting bigger muscles AKA HYPERTROPHY, they are MECHANICAL TENSION, METABOLIC STRESS, & STRETCH MEDIATED HYPERTROPHY.

Each mechanism promotes hypertrophy through different pathways, based on your genetics you'll build more muscle through one rather than the other—  *spoiler alert*  stretch-mediated hypertrophy is the best for every genetic makeup BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE— introducing all three of them is what will take your physique to the next level— hence understanding them is IMPERATIVE to break through plateaus, have a sustained progression in muscle building, and reach AWESOME levels of muscularity that'll make every keyboard warrior on Reddit Fitness question your Natty status.

LET'S— FUCKING— GO!!

• MYOFIBRILLAR HYPERTROPHY

Use a weight that allows for 4 to 12 reps tops— moderate rest times of 2 to 4 minutes.

When you use a HEAVY exercise, that applies high levels of MECHANICAL TENSION to the muscle, the muscle is FORCED to conjure its FAST-TWITCH MUSCLE FIBERS to execute the task— BIIIG fibers that are HIGHLY SUCEPTIBLE TO HYPERTROPHY OVERALL and designed to produce high levels of force to generate powerful muscle contractions— these are HIGH THRESHOLD MOTOR UNITS, meaning, they'll only activate and receive the stimulus if the movement is heavy enough to require them— if it reaches a certain threshold— and when they do, you'll experience MYOFIBRILLAR HYPERTROPHY— your muscles get bigger by gathering proteins roaming around the bloodstream and building upon the muscle fiber's sheer physical structure, thickening it, reinforcing it, so it can better handle that heavy work in the future.

To intuitively know if you're introducing sufficient mechanical tension to induce myofibrillar hypertrophy, pay attention to the velocity at which you move the weights.

By the last couple of reps, you should be moving 50% slower or more.

To progress in this rep range is ABSOLUTELY IDIOT PROOF— if you can't do 4 reps, lower the weight; if you can do more than 10 reps, increase the weight.

This training style is IMPERATIVE to achieve an AWESOME physique because the primary concept for a successful hypertrophy program is PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD, lifting heavier and increasing your work capacity over time, and guess what helps you do that for a long time?

More contractile tissue; built via myofibrillar hypertrophy.

Yo, this post is part of a series of articles on SCIENCE-BASED TRAINING that'll give you tools and concepts to optimize your training— it'll be available to free subscribers for 7 days upon launch, then COMPILED into a logical sequence and become MY FIRST BOOK, aiming at turning YOU into your very own expert coach, so you can tailor your training based on your individual needs and circumstances.

Here's what we have in the oven:

SCIENCE-BASED MUSCLE BUILDING I (this one)  — We'll review the concepts of myofibrillar, sarcoplasmic, and stretch-mediated hypertrophy.

SCIENCE-BASED MUSCLE BUILDING II (in production)— We'll review which muscles are more susceptible to each style of training, and how you can identify which one is better for you.

SCIENCE-BASED MUSCLE BUILDING III (in production) — We'll review which exercises are AWESOME to Breally milk the most gainz out of every single mechanism for hypertrophy for each body part.

Future iterations will cover nutrition, hydration, sleep, supplementation, recovery, strength training, programming, periodization, longevity, and how to leverage your training for health in general — You guys know my style, I don't hold back, I assume you're smart motherfucker that'll be able to understand the science, I'll insert all the pertinent broscience as well and do my best to keep it logical and in a progressive sequence, but REST ASSURED this ain't gonna be a cookie-cutter money grabber bullshit— I'll unleash all that I've got.

If you want to fuel this project, please, consider a paid subscription to this Substack, click the button below:

Now let's get back to THAT HYPERTROPHY MY BOYEEE!

• SARCOPLASMIC HYPERTROPHY

Use a weight that allows for at least 12 to 30 repetitions— short rest times of 1 to 2 minutes.

When you engage in an exercise that demands SUSTAINED APPLICATION OF STRENGTH, your muscles are saturated by sheer METABOLIC STRESS—glycogen being burned and fermented inside the muscle increasing its acidity and generating DAMAGE— to counteract that acidity and prevent damage the muscle cell gets filled with METABOLITES— lactate, hydrogen ions, and inorganic phosphates— it's A WILD metabolic dance that specifically calls upon the SLOW-TWITCH MUSCLE FIBERS— fibers that are optimized for SUSTAINED ACTIVITY— These are LOW THRESHOLD MOTOR UNITS, meaning, if shit ain't that heavy, they're the dudes responsible for getting the job done— BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE, THEY DO GET STRONGER & BIGGER TOO— The type of strength that ROCK CLIMBERS & GRAPPLERS have— motherfuckers that when they grab a hold of something, ain't no way in hell they're letting it go— and when the muscles are subjected to this persistent burn and fatigue, what follows is SARCOPLASMIC HYPERTROPHY— all those metabolites occupy space within the cell, the glycogen stores burned also get increased over time to improve upon your sheer ability to generate more and more contractions— giving your muscles that PUMPED, FULL look. 

To intuitively know if you're introducing sufficient metabolic stress to induce sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, pay attention to the feeling of the muscle.

You need to FEEL IT CONTRACT, feel it burn, or experience a great pump in the muscle, signifying that the actual blood volume in the area was increased.

To progress in this rep range is trickier.

Doing more and more reps will challenge your mind like crazy.

Increasing weights is super hard.

So focus on the mind-muscle connection, and be ready to GRIND through a GNARLY PUMP.

• STRETCH-MEDIATED HYPERTROPHY

MODERATE WEIGHTS just heavy enough for you to feel them, but still allow for good technique— 5-15 rep range — short rest times of 1 to 2 minutes.

Stretch-mediated hypertrophy is ALL ABOUT PROPER TECHNIQUE, delving DEEP into SLOW ECCENTRICS and ensuring a FULL RANGE OF MOTION with EVERY SINGLE REP.

NO HALF-ASSED REPS—  it's all about the stretch, you need to feel it, the elongation, the STRETCH-UNDER-LOAD— picture the meticulous descent in a deep FULL ROM squat or the deliberate, stretched phase of a dumbbell fly.

As you stretch that muscle under load, you're sending signals within the MUSCLE SPINDLES— specialized sensors within the muscle fibers that make you feel that stretch and send rapid-fire signals to the CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM, as this happens, BOTH your FAST and SLOW-TWITCH MUSCLE FIBERS get a wake-up call— especially those FAST-TWITCH giants which are more susceptible to experience growth— the myofilaments within each muscle fiber that compose the muscle fiber, experience a change in their overlap, adjusting to the elongated state and leading to the potential addition of new sarcomeres in series making stretch mediated hypertrophy THE MOST POWERFUL type of stimulus for hypertrophy REGARDLESS OF YOUR GENETIC MAKE-UP.

To truly tap into this gold mine, be deeply attuned to the stretch:

Every movement must be executed with MILITARY PRECISION, leveraging FULL RANGE OF MOTION, and emphasizing those SLOW ECCENTRICS— it’s about CONTROL— about feeling every fiber elongate, about savoring the stretch. Proper form, slow descent, and maximum elongation without compromising safety are your tickets to success.

Progression is an art form here— YOU'LL NEVER experience wild jumps in weight here— your game plan is all about refining that technique, sinking deeper into that stretch, and prolonging the eccentric phase. 

Every rep is a masterclass in CONTROL, DEPTH, and TECHNIQUE.

By engaging in this mindful, technique-oriented stretch, you’re unlocking the doors to STRETCH-MEDIATED HYPERTROPHY— a response that heralds the addition of new sarcomeres, heightening flexibility, enhancing muscle functionality, making you look DOPE, but most importantly keeping your musculoskeletal system nimble, strong, mobile, and HEALTHY!

I truly hope you've benefited from reading this piece, MY BRUDDAH!

And I'm looking forward to your opinion on this project.

STAY ON THE IRON PATH!

Big KISS

THE POTATO MAN