2555: Hypertrophy: The Formula For Optimal Muscle Growth by Emma Hogan of Les Mills on Strength Training

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[00:01:33] Day at Whole Foods Market. This is Optimal Health daily episode 2555. Hypertrophy,

[00:01:39] the formula for optimal muscle growth by Emma Hogan of lesmills.com. And I'm Dr. Neil

[00:01:45] Malik reading you some of the most popular health and fitness blogs out there with

[00:01:49] permission from the websites of course and always with a bit of my commentary at the end.

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[00:02:05] Hypertrophy, the formula for optimal muscle growth by Emma Hogan of lesmills.com.

[00:02:12] Growing muscle is a critical part of any exercise routine. Having the optimal amount of muscle

[00:02:18] makes us stronger and more powerful. When we build muscle it allows us to protect our joints,

[00:02:23] be more active, and even helps us control weight gain by absorbing more calories at rest.

[00:02:30] The types of muscle growth. There are many different ways to grow muscle. At one end

[00:02:35] of the scale there is high repetition, lower weight resistance training, a winning formula for

[00:02:40] boosting strength, fitness, and metabolism. And at the other end of the scale is pure

[00:02:46] strength building which uses hypertrophy to spark significant muscle growth.

[00:02:51] What makes hypertrophy different from traditional strength training?

[00:02:55] Hypertrophy is what occurs when the rate of protein synthesis within the muscle

[00:03:00] is greater than the rate of decay. It's the result of either metabolic stress or muscular

[00:03:05] tension. Metabolic stress is born from exercising at intensity. At high intensity

[00:03:12] we are unable to use our oxygen pathways to deliver the energy required for a set of exercises.

[00:03:18] So we turn to our anaerobic pathways which produce metabolites. These metabolites like

[00:03:24] lactate, hydrogen ions, inorganic phosphate and creatine release muscle building hormones such

[00:03:31] as growth hormone and testosterone. Muscular tension is when resistance training creates

[00:03:38] localized damage to muscle tissue. This myotrauma sparks an acute inflammatory response

[00:03:45] to stimulate repair. This repair process can increase the number of myofibrils and make

[00:03:50] muscles larger. How long does it take for hypertrophy to begin? Traditional thinking

[00:03:56] is that the optimal hypertrophy response comes from doing three to four sets of six to 12 repetitions

[00:04:03] with 60 to 90 seconds of rest between sets. However, research is starting to question this.

[00:04:10] One study split male participants experienced in resistance training into two groups.

[00:04:16] Low load resistance training at 25 to 35 reps and high load resistance training 8 to 12 reps.

[00:04:25] They trained three times a week on non-consecutive days working all the major muscle groups

[00:04:30] with three sets of seven different exercises. After eight weeks, both groups experienced

[00:04:36] significant hypertrophy in the biceps, triceps and quadriceps with no significant difference

[00:04:42] noted between the groups. With this in mind, a mix of repetition ranges with phases of heavier loads

[00:04:49] followed by phases of lighter loads may help maintain training variety and assist in the

[00:04:55] periodization of exercises. Does hypertrophy only happen when you lift heavy weights?

[00:05:01] Many consider performing a set of exercises to the point of failure as ideal for optimizing muscle

[00:05:07] growth. This is because as muscles approach the point of failure, extra motor units are recruited,

[00:05:13] which provides an additional stimulus for the hypertrophy and more fibers.

[00:05:17] But this theory is also being called into question. Studies show you can still see a

[00:05:22] hypertrophic effect with a degree of fatigue, not complete failure. This again indicates that

[00:05:28] a mixed approach may be best. It may also help avoid burnout problems related to consistent training

[00:05:34] at high intensity. How heavy do weights need to be? When you talk about the amount of weight

[00:05:40] you lift, it's called load. Load is most commonly measured as a percentage of your one

[00:05:46] repetition maximum, the maximum amount of weight you can lift for one repetition. These are three basic

[00:05:53] ranges. Low repetition between 1 and 5 reps at 85 to 100% of your one repetition maximum.

[00:06:03] Moderate between 6 and 12 repetitions at 65 to 80% of your one repetition maximum

[00:06:11] and high repetition, 15 or more reps at less than 65% of your one repetition maximum.

[00:06:19] Each of these ranges involves different energy systems and affects the neuromuscular system

[00:06:24] in different ways, impacting the extent of the hypertrophic response.

[00:06:29] What are the best exercises for hypertrophy? Multi-joint free weight exercises like squats

[00:06:36] are always a winner as they recruit more muscles and have been shown to create a larger response

[00:06:41] of anabolic hormones such as growth hormone and testosterone. A squat can recruit a whopping 200

[00:06:48] muscles so it creates a metabolic demand much greater than with a single joint leg extension.

[00:06:54] Single-joint exercises can also be valuable. These exercises such as bicep curls can be useful

[00:07:00] to focus on underdeveloped areas which may be dominated by other muscles and multi-joint exercises.

[00:07:07] Optimal muscle growth relies on exercise variety according to Bryce Hastings,

[00:07:11] Les Mills head of research. Quote, a mix of multi-planar and multi-angled exercises

[00:07:18] will ensure maximal stimulation of muscle fibers. End quote. He adds that varying the

[00:07:25] angle of pull generates different activation patterns and varied input from muscle synergists

[00:07:31] which is important for uniformed muscle growth. A common misconception is that hypertrophy training

[00:07:37] is the domain of blokes and bodybuilders. It's not. The power of hypertrophy is relevant for all

[00:07:43] exercises. A meta-analysis published in 2020 compared the effects of resistance training on

[00:07:49] males and females and found that both groups had a similar capacity for hypertrophy and improvements

[00:07:55] in strength. What type of weights to use for hypertrophy training? Les Mills equipment has been

[00:08:01] uniquely designed for progressive weight training. The versatile weight system has been engineered

[00:08:06] to help increase muscle activation and enables fast and smooth transition so you can

[00:08:10] effectively build your strength. Workout plans to maximize hypertrophy.

[00:08:16] Splitting your training and doing legs one day followed by upper body the next

[00:08:20] can be a good thing since it makes it easier to do multiple sets. It also allows for longer rest

[00:08:25] periods and more time for the anabolic response. As a result, your muscles can be fresher which

[00:08:31] would help you lift heavier loads and create more mechanical tension. Hastings explains,

[00:08:37] quote, targeting specific muscle groups can definitely be more potent but for most people

[00:08:42] a total body workout is the most time efficient form of training. End quote.

[00:08:48] Rather than focusing on different muscle groups, experts recommend maximizing the hypertrophy

[00:08:53] response by focusing on different phases. This means after a phase of moderate training,

[00:08:59] shifting to an overreaching phase where you increase metabolic demands and muscular

[00:09:04] tension to reach myofalior and maximize the muscular response. This is followed by

[00:09:11] a taper phase of lighter weights which allows the muscle units to recover and synthesize

[00:09:16] the new myofibrils. You just listened to the post titled hypertrophy, the formula for optimal

[00:09:25] muscle growth by Emma Hogan of lesmills.com and I'll be right back with my commentary.

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[00:11:14] Now if the idea of muscle hypertrophy or basically training your body so that your

[00:11:19] muscles get bigger scares you a bit please don't let it in my experience. Clients will tell me

[00:11:25] that they're afraid to get into resistance training because they don't want to get too big

[00:11:30] and look like a bodybuilder. I've ranted about this before it takes a lot of work and dedication to

[00:11:37] get quote unquote too muscular. This is not something that happens to the average person

[00:11:42] that's just working out to improve their fitness but let's entertain this fantasy for a second.

[00:11:48] Let's say we did live in an alternate reality where the average person that performs resistance

[00:11:54] training twice a week was able to look like a bodybuilder with just this level of training.

[00:12:00] We'd probably end up with a lot more people walking around at the grocery store or at the beach

[00:12:06] or at work looking extremely muscular. Everybody would be looking like a bodybuilder

[00:12:11] or let's try this let's get back to the real world and walk up to someone that looks like

[00:12:16] they're in great shape with large defined muscles as you walk up to them say to them

[00:12:23] hey I could look like you and I bet it wouldn't take much time either. You do what like two days of

[00:12:28] strength training a week? See how that conversation goes. So that's not the reality

[00:12:35] instead if we use the suggestions that today's author Emma mentioned in today's article

[00:12:40] please know it will not lead you to getting too big or too muscular instead these suggestions

[00:12:46] will help you live better plain and simple. Alright that'll do it for today I'll be back

[00:12:52] here tomorrow for our usual Friday Q&A so stay tuned for that where your optimal life awaits.