Hypertrophy Formula

[Saturday Fever]

1: The fundamental stimulus to increase in all strength and tissue hypertrophy quite simply is physical loading.

2: The physical loading must not exceed the mechanical strength of the tissues involved to ensure safety and efficiency.

3: Increase in strength and hypertrophy is not instantaneous, but occurs predominantly during a certain recovery period after loading.

4: All muscle groups and other tissues do not hypertrophy or strengthen at the same rate or to the same degree.

5: Strength and hypertrophy is minimal unless a certain minimal threshold load is imposed regularly.

6: The minimal threshold is not fixed, but increases with level of adaptation and level of experience, which ensures that rate of progress slows down or ceases.

7: The concept of tension time on its own is rather meaningless, since loading even for very prolonged periods may have no effects of strength and hypertrophy if the tension does not exceed this minimum threshold

8: The effects of tension on tissue depend not only on the magnitude or duration of the tension, but the way in which the tension is produced or maintained. For example, one can use high or low Rates of Tension Development, and one can increase tension by use of a large, slowly accelerated load or a smaller, rapidly accelerated load (in accordance with Newton II: Force = Mass x Acceleration).

9: Long periods of muscle 'time under tension' as imposed by cyclical activities such as endurance running, cycling and swimming are not known generally to produce significant increases in strength or hypertrophy.

10: Continued increase in strength and hypertrophy is a consequence of
progressive gradual increase in loading (principle of progressive overload).

11: Changes in strength and hypertrophy are not linear or continuous, something that is emerging from research into ‘non-linear dynamics’ (NLD) or ‘chaotic’ processes. For example, a 10% increase in load does not necessarily produce a 10% increase in strength or size. Some changes may be delayed, diminished or very pronounced at certain stages.

12: Muscles rarely are able to produce 100% of their maximum potential, due to a variety of reasons such as protective inhibition by certain reflexes and mental motivation.

13: Increase in strength and hypertrophy may or may not be associated with some form of fatigue; muscle strength and hypertrophy can also depend on working periodically to the point of non-fatiguing 1RM failure.

14: It is difficult to distinguish between the limitations imposed by short-term fatigue and those imposed by reflex inhibition of maximal force production, fear of pain or injury, or lack of motivation.

15: Fatigue is not a single discrete factor, but a multifaceted process involving phenomena such as central and peripheral fatigue, slow and fast fatigue, and short-term and long-term fatigue.

15: Muscle tension is not constant during any movement, but varies between zero and a certain maximum as joint angles change

16: Muscle tension is not produced under the same conditions throughout any movement, but changes between concentric, eccentric and isometric modes of action

18: Muscles comprise smaller groups of fibers which exhibit different rates of fatigue, fatigue-resistance and ability to generate force (e.g. so-called slow and fast twitch fibers).

19: All muscle tension and patterns of muscle recruitment are a consequence of nervous activity, so that increase in strength and hypertrophy ultimately are the result of specific patterns of nervous excitation.

20: Increase in strength is not necessarily associated with increase in hypertrophy or vice versa.

21: Strength and hypertrophy diminish if physical loading is not imposed regularly at certain intervals.

22: Strength and hypertrophy increase may be stimulated by active muscle contraction, passive stretching, vibrational oscillation or external electrical stimulation.

23. Loaded flexibility exercises can also enhance hypertrophy and strength
of muscles and connective tissues.

24: Mental factors can also play a vital role in stimulating progress; there should not only be "concentration curls", but every exercise should be done with intense concentration.

25: It is not necessarily quantity of exercise which determines best results; quality of each exercise is often of equal or greater importance.

26. Muscle hypertrophy and strength are determined not only by what happens during exercise, but in the rest or restoration periods between exercises and training sessions.

27. Intermittent ballistic and explosive methods of training (of optimal intensity to ensure safety of the individual) may also increase strength and hypertrophy because they can increase muscle tension above that produced by normal voluntary methods - many weightlifters train predominantly in this way and still develop impressive muscularity and exceptional strength.

Originally created by Dr. Siff

[fixationdarknes]

What's a minimal threshhold level?

[Saturday Fever]

That depends on you. It's just stating that you can't take a light weight and do a bunch of reps with it and expect results.

[fixationdarknes]

Alright, yeah that makes sense. So, is that saying that doing pushups everyday won't make you big? Unless you add weight?

[Saturday Fever]

Exactly. It may work at first, but eventually the resistance won't be enough and you either have to increase the resistance or stop growing.

[hooligan_media]

VERY informative. I just wish it were in 'layman' terms, some of it. I understand it, but ya know...im slow sometimes.

[jww13]

While reading it, I was constantly reminded of HST principles. Thanks for the informative post.

[FortifiedIron]

Like money

Kc

[Spiderman]

What's a minimal threshhold level?

In theory there is a minimum threshold level (i.e. 60% of your 1 rep max) below which you won't make any gains.

[FortifiedIron]

In theory there is a minimum threshold level (i.e. 60% of your 1 rep max) below which you won't make any gains.

Where did that come from?

Kc

[KingAdRock]

Percentage of 1RM is deceptive because training styles will hinder someone's ability to know their true 1RM. (Example being folks who train specifically in the 6-10 rep ranges.)

[bighit]

My professor in my Masters program in exercise physiology had a simple laymans formula. If you cant do 3 reps it's too heavy, If you can do more than 7 reps it's too light. The main problem with progressive resistance is that most people try to go from 7 reps at 180 to 190 when they should go to 185. He felt that the most important weights in a gym were 2.5s for that matter. People try to move up too fast and fail so they just move back down and settle in to a comfort zone. Her is a simple example of his advancement based on bench.

mon : 180 x max reps=7 or less reps
wed: 180 x max reps= 7 or less reps
fri : 185 x max reps = 3-5 reps reps
next week start at 185 and move up to 190 on friday if possible. Obviuosly the improvement curve will be much steeper in young or untrained athletes but the basic premise is to try to establish a new max about once a week. For highly traine athletes this would probably equate to more like once a month.

[KingAdRock]

That's a splendid idea if you don't have any specific goals, other than "I want to lift more than I lifted last week." Which is a fine goal. But if you want to lift specifically for 1RM, 2 reps isn't 'too heavy' at all. Likewise, the amount of weight you lift doesn't directly correlate to gains in hypertrophy. You could sit there and do the same weight and same rep for arguably WEEKS on end before ever having to ponder increasing.

Then there's the whole Time/Tension issue with regards to hypertrophy. Less time under tension is fine as long as the tension DURING that time is increased. And the reverse holds true. Less tension is fine as long as the time under that lesser tension is increased. This, with regards to hypertrophy, is where the "minimal threshold" comes in, as discussed above. It may be fine to do sets of 6 with 185 for a month or two, but it has to increase as your strength in general will be increasing. And by 'strength in general' I mean to say that if you lift for a specific rep range, your strength IN THAT REP RANGE will increase. It doesn't mean that your 1RM will see an increase necessarily, or that you can now lift more weight for 12 reps.

Anyways, I've rambled on enough.

[FortifiedIron]

That's a splendid idea if you don't have any specific goals, other than "I want to lift more than I lifted last week." Which is a fine goal. But if you want to lift specifically for 1RM, 2 reps isn't 'too heavy' at all. Likewise, the amount of weight you lift doesn't directly correlate to gains in hypertrophy. You could sit there and do the same weight and same rep for arguably WEEKS on end before ever having to ponder increasing.

Then there's the whole Time/Tension issue with regards to hypertrophy. Less time under tension is fine as long as the tension DURING that time is increased. And the reverse holds true. Less tension is fine as long as the time under that lesser tension is increased. This, with regards to hypertrophy, is where the "minimal threshold" comes in, as discussed above. It may be fine to do sets of 6 with 185 for a month or two, but it has to increase as your strength in general will be increasing. And by 'strength in general' I mean to say that if you lift for a specific rep range, your strength IN THAT REP RANGE will increase. It doesn't mean that your 1RM will see an increase necessarily, or that you can now lift more weight for 12 reps.

Anyways, I've rambled on enough.

Dynamic movement creates more peak tension.

3 reps is not to heavy for hypertrophy either. We can all sit here and agree that the main stimuli for hypertrophy is overload. However if you measure your overload based on tonage:

Max deadlift: 500
3x8 w/ 375 (75% 1rep max) total tonage: (sets*reps*weight) 9000
8x3 w/ 425 (85% 1rep max) total tonage: 10200

Now with that little maxtrix based on tonage and mechanical loading add some neat little tricks with it such as supersetting or short rest periods.

6-8 reps does work well for hypertrophy nobody here is going to dispute that, however so does what I just explained and it is nothing more then a simple tool of trade. Organize your program effectivly you can impliment and maniuplate your training to do anything. What stops you from doing supersets, training 1-3 reps, training to failure, doing eccentrics or isometrics in one session? Nothing!

Kc

[Beast]

Who is Dr. Siff?

[debussy]

wow that was pointless... i didnt learn a single new thing. why is the author of that making it sound so complicated when it really isnt. i can use big words to sound important too.

[maverick9614]

Debussy> Don't know about you, but I found it rather informative and confirms some things I was iffy on. Maybe I'm not as informed as you.

[British Pimp]

6: The minimal threshold is not fixed, but increases with level of adaptation and level of experience, which ensures that rate of progress slows down or ceases.


Originally created by Dr. Siff

I have a question with this.

Which of these two has a bigger effect and to what extent, on the above point: length of training or how close you are to genetic potential?

In other words, if you've trained for 6 years but have not gained 1 lb of muscle due to terrible training/nutrition, could you reasonably expect to gain at the same rate as a newbie if you were finally put on a good training and nutritional program?

The reason I ask is, I've seen guys who have trained for a number of years and suddenly blown up when they start eating and training well. It seems length of training doesn't have as much a bearing, as how close you are to your genetic potential.

[SirRepAlot]

I am all for overload .. ALL FOR, you aint training if you aint overloading (that be intenisty volume or even density), however, if you're going to tell people to overload, you gotta explain concepts of deloads and deconditioning as well, otherwise they'll be thinking "of course ill add weight ... when i get stronger ill add weight" ... and thats not the message right ? :o)

[KingAdRock]

The idea to #6 is that you can't lift one weight forever and continue to grow. Your body adapts to what you're lifting. Otherwise we'd all sit at the gym curling 10lb dumbbells and sport 19" arms.

[Saint Patrick]

Who is Dr. Siff?

Mel Siff, PHD. (see: Supertraining)

[Canadian Crippler]

If anyone has something similar to this but simpler, could they post it please?

[BigE54]

:withstupi

[Big Bas]

If anyone has something similar to this but simpler, could they post it please?

i think most of the points are pretty simple. But, how about if there are specific points you DONT understand, mention them and see if someone can clear them up for u. that might be helpful for everyone

[Canadian Crippler]

It's just not flowing for me, it's like 30 points that all flow together but I don't understand half of them so I don't understand this.

Things like "Intermittent ballistic" are really confusing me.