Muscular hypertrophy: what it is, exercises, routine and muscle mass in women - teenflixsports

Muscular hypertrophy: what it is, exercises, routine and muscle mass in women

Every day, more people join to perform muscle hypertrophy . The main objective is to increase muscle mass and maintain a healthy lifestyle. People with more developed muscles are less likely to be injured. This is possible since, by increasing muscle mass , the most delicate area is more protected. Thus, having good muscles supposes a series of healthy advantages for our body. Muscle hypertrophy , since it makes muscle cells grow, contributes to the increase in muscle size.

If you are part of the people who practice physical activities on a daily basis, it is important that you know what muscle hypertrophy is and how it can benefit you. In this article you will also learn how to increase muscle mass , as well as what is the most appropriate exercise routine for you. At the same time, you will be able to discover the impact of muscle hypertrophy on women and what a healthy and balanced diet should be like.

What is muscle hypertrophy?

To train muscle hypertrophy , it is first important to understand what it is . Muscle hypertrophy refers to the enlargement of the muscles, that is, the increase in their volume. This enlargement occurs when resistance exercises are performed that cause slight injuries to muscle tissue. This fact triggers the regeneration and synthesis of new fibers, causing the increase in muscle mass . Now, how is muscle hypertrophy achieved ?

To gain muscle or promote bulking, you must first set the goal you want to achieve. Based on this, you can set an exercise plan and routine with the help of a professional. Depending on the type of muscle hypertrophy you want to achieve, your workouts should be developed with repetitions, weight, strength, and resistance. It is advisable to perform strength exercises with weight loads to which your muscles are not used. In this way, a slight lesion is achieved in the muscle fibers that makes them wider. In addition, nutrition and protein intake are key in this process to achieve better results. A balanced diet will be essential to achieve an increase indesired muscle mass .

It is also important to remember that there are two types of muscle hypertrophy , sarcomeric and sarcoplasmic. On the one hand, the sarcomeric is related to the increase in proteins, such as active and myosin. This type of hypertrophy serves to increase strength. On the other hand, sarcoplasmic has to do with the increase in muscle plasma, which is a substance that surrounds the muscle. This element provides more size and less weight in it.

Benefits of increasing muscle mass

After understanding what muscle hypertrophy is and how to increase muscle mass , we review all its benefits. By exercising and gaining great muscles, you will not only look better, but you will also obtain certain benefits, such as:

• Increased strength.
• Increased resistance.
• Strengthening of the joints.
• Injury prevention.
• Maintain a healthy lifestyle.
• Improved blood circulation.
• Stabilization perfection.
• Improved toning in general.

In order to enjoy these benefits, it is very important to establish a training plan, with some exercises and a very marked routine , as well as an adequate diet. Later, we will break down these concepts, essential to increase muscle mass .

How to gain muscle mass with hypertrophy?

After advancing, previously, how muscle hypertrophy is achieved , in this section we delve into some of the most essential tips.

• Eliminate fat before gaining muscle mass .

Before undergoing this type of exercise , you should be aware of how your body looks and what aspects you should improve in terms of muscle growth. To do this, first make sure you do not have a large amount of fat that does not allow you to appreciate the muscle gained. However, remember that you must maintain a balance where the calories you consume are more than the ones you burn.

• Don't stop training.

Training is a basic factor in this process. Following a good  routine , you will be able to tear the muscle fibers. Later, your body will try to rebuild them by becoming stronger and bigger. For this reason, we recommend that you do not stop training hard and try to distribute the weight with compound exercises . These exercises give you the advantage of being able to use much more force using a single joint in your body, as well as exercising more muscles at the same time.

Importance of nutrition for muscle hypertrophy

• Eat well and rest.

Food is one of the aspects that requires more care and control. Therefore, later we will explain how this diet should be and which diet is the most appropriate for muscle hypertrophy . Also, it is important not to over-fatigue the muscle. Letting it rest for at least 72 hours before resuming the exercises in that area is essential so that it can rebuild.

• Cardio decreases.

Finally, do not plan your routine with cardio-based workouts, unless you are in the first stage of this process, where you should burn your body fat. Cardio exercises are ideal complements to achieve this. However, in this case you need to conserve a good amount of calories than you burn so that the muscle can gain more muscle mass . Therefore, it is only recommended to do cardio for 5 or 10 minutes as a warm-up.

Muscle hypertrophy exercises and routine

The best exercises for muscle hypertrophy will be those that allow you to have mechanical tension in the greatest possible range of motion and, at the same time, progressively increase your loads. We will divide them into three: upper body exercises , lower body exercises , and stretching and irrigation exercises .

• For the upper body: exercises such as parallel funds, push-ups, suspended biceps and triceps, rows, pull-ups, deadlifts and bench press should be highlighted .
• For the lower body: exercises such as squats, deadlifts, lunges and hip thrust should prevail . This last stretch is an exercise to raise the hips, focusing all the effort on the back of the leg.
• Stretching and irrigation : stability exercises , jump rope, bridges, abdominal plates and frog pump should be highlighted . The movement of this last exercise consists of raising and lowering the hips from the ground without lifting the feet, on a mat and with the back facing up.

Recommendations for your exercise routine

To create your exercise routine and gain muscle mass you need to consider the following factors: training volume, intensity, frequency and rest time between series. So, to begin with, you must know how many days a week you can train  according to your availability and recovery capacity. The next thing you have to take into account is to design the routine based on your physique. Finally, you must know what material and facilities you have in order to work properly. With all this you can design a macrocycle focused on developing your muscles. As everyone should plan their own routine Based on the above elements, we want to give you some advice so that you can carry out adequate training.

• Beat adaptation: Muscle is designed to adapt to the environment. So, so that your body does not always have to face the same thing, it is important that your routine is progressive week by week.
• Rest to gain muscle mass : muscle regeneration occurs mainly at night. If you don't sleep well, you won't repair myofiber tears, and your muscle won't grow or gain strength.
• Do not train more than recommended: it is just as important not to over train as it is to cover all your needs to gain strength, aerobic endurance, flexibility and power.
• Support the muscle that needs more stimulation: It is very common that there is always a muscle that you think is lacking stimulation.

In the next section, we will focus on muscle hypertrophy in women , their body differences with men, and what exercises you can do to increase your muscle mass .

How to increase muscle mass in women?

Nowadays, more and more women are encouraged to go to the gym to get in shape and gain strength. However, it is more difficult for them to develop muscle due to the low levels of testosterone that they secrete, a hormone responsible for increasing muscle mass . If you want to increase your muscle mass , you must be aware of your goals. The process to gain muscle could be summarized in two phases: muscle growth and its definition. When a woman seeks to develop muscular hypertrophy , she is recommended to be at a weight that she feels comfortable with. In addition, resting well is as important as nutrition and hydration. Thus, these three pillars are essential for the routine has the desired effect.

The principles of muscle hypertrophy  training are the same for everyone, that is, there is no difference between men and women . It depends on the body weight of each one. Thus, to carry out a hypertrophic training, you will have to gradually increase your loads, from moderate to heavy. It must also be taken into account that muscle hypertrophy training in both sexes requires a large volume. Therefore, it is advisable to start with basic exercises as the basis of training, such as barbell and plate squats. In any case, it is important to rest between 30 and 90 seconds between sets so that energy reserves can recover.

When it comes to strength training, gaining muscle mass is not easy, especially for women . However, if you train correctly and eat properly, all of them can benefit from this training. In summary, the exercises that a woman has to do do not have to be very different from those that a man has to do.

Diet to gain muscle mass (hypertrophy muscles)

In previous sections, when talking about how to increase muscle mass in women , we have stated that eating an adequate diet is essential. So, if what you are looking for is to train muscle hypertrophy , in addition to exercising and following a routine , we recommend you take these tips into account for your diet .

Three basic nutrients to increase muscle mass

• The most important thing is that there is no lack of calories in your diet.

For any process of creating new structures in the body, it is key that calories are sufficient. Therefore, it is recommended to add 200 Kcal every day to your muscle hypertrophy diet . If you lack this nutrient you will never be able to use protein to build muscle, as the body will simply embark on maintaining what it already has.

• Add quality protein.

The increase in muscle increases the need for protein. For one thing, you can get them from animal foods that offer all the amino acids , such as white meat or beef. On the other hand, you can get them from plant foods such as legumes, cereals, seeds and nuts.

In addition to quality, quantity is also important. It is estimated that the protein needs for people seeking to gain muscle mass are between 1.2 and 2.0 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. Higher amounts are generally not good for building muscle tissue.

• The intake of hydrates must be adequate.

When we want to gain muscle mass , a common mistake is to neglect the rest of the macronutrients. Therefore, you must take enough carbohydrates to ensure significant weight gain. These nutrients stimulate the release of insulin in the body, a hormone that favors the construction of new structures. In this way, carbohydrates (natural sugar) and good fats such as avocado, coconut oil, olive oil and nuts will be your best complements in daily meals.

Other nutrients for muscle hypertrophy

• Choose omega 3 fatty acids.

Omega 3 fatty acid is considered a good stimulus to increase muscle mass . Therefore, fatty fish, nuts, chia seeds or fish oil are good ingredients to add quality fats to your muscle hypertrophy diet .

• Antioxidants, vitamins and minerals cannot be missing.

It is very common that, when wanting to gain muscle mass, we focus on the consumption of pasta, meat, eggs and cereals. However, fruits and vegetables should be present at every meal because they are the main source of  antioxidants, vitamins (vitamin D) and minerals (calcium).

• Avoid alcohol or reduce your intake to the maximum.

Alcohol alters hormones that can hinder the increase in muscle mass . Therefore, avoid it whenever possible, as you will not get any benefit from its consumption.

Amino acids and supplements for a muscle hypertrophy routine

In relation to the basic muscle hypertrophy diet , it is also very important to include amino acids. They are organic compounds found in foods of animal and vegetable origin and supplements. Its main function is to form proteins that help your body repair body tissues.

One of the most practical ways to add them to your muscle hypertrophy routine is with a homemade shake. As they contribute to the muscle fiber regeneration process that begins at the end of your exercises , this is a good option. We recommend making the shake with one of the macronutrients with the highest percentage of protein: the egg.

If your diet is insufficient, you can resort to supplements. Its main function is to supply what your diet does not offer. Among the supplements you can consider from vitamins and minerals to amino acids, proteins and carbohydrates. However, we first recommend trying just the basic muscle hypertrophy diet . If that's not enough, seek professional help to really know if taking supplements is necessary or not.