Muscles are spread around our bodies and their purpose is to allow movement. While our bones provide structure, we are capable of movement when our muscles contract.
There are over 600 muscles in our bodies, and they all play an important part in how we function. Not only do muscles allow movement, but they’re also responsible for:
- Mobility
- Stability
- Circulation
- Respiration
- Digestion
- Vision
Additionally, strong muscles are a sign of good health and wellbeing.
Muscles make up between one third and one half of our bodyweight and they bind us together, hold us up and help us move. The way your treat your muscles on a daily basis determines whether they’ll wither or they’ll grow.
Countless people aim to grow their muscles every year, but what makes muscles grow? Find out below.
What makes muscles grow?
Key points from the video:
- When you apply stress to your muscles fibres they experience microscopic damage.
- This damage is a good thing, because inflammatory molecules are released which signal to the immune system it should repair the injury.
- During this process – the cycle of damage and repair – muscles eventually become bigger and stronger. The muscle-growing process is known as hypertrophy.
- Our muscles adapt to progressively greater demands, so to grow them our cells need to be exposed to higher workloads than they are used to.
- If you don’t continuously expose your muscles to some resistance, they will shrink.
- Muscles rely on more than just activity to grow. Nutrition, hormones, and rest also play a huge role in helping our muscles grow.
- Gender and age affect muscle growth, and genetics can play a role too.
- To create the conditions to grow your muscles you need to: tear your muscles up, eat, rest, and repeat.
Read more: Understanding Hypertrophy: How to Build a Better Physique and Improve Performance
All about muscle further reading:
- What is Muscle Contraction And Why is it Important?
- Muscle Strain: Everything An Athlete Needs to Know
- Muscle Weakness – Common Causes and Comprehensive Cures
- What Causes Muscle Cramps and How Can You Prevent Them?
- What are Muscle Spindles and How do They Work?
- What is the Iliacus Muscle and What Does it Do?
- What is the Supinator Muscle and what Does it Do?
- What is the Digastric Muscle and What Does it Do?
- What is the Tfl Muscle and What Does it Do?
- What is the Gracilis Muscle and What Does it Do?
- What is the Infraspinatus Muscle and What does it Do?
- Lats Muscle: Building A Powerful Foundation for Upper-Body Strength
- What are the Abductor Muscle Groups and What do they Do?
- Everything you Need to Know about The Oblique Muscle Groups
Image Sources
- Build-Muscle-Adrian-and-Sara: Photos Courtesy of CrossFit Inc
- what makes muscles grow: Alora Griffiths on Unsplash