What actually makes muscles grow??? The Science behind your GAINS

Part 2 of Ebook 'Periodized Hypertophy Training': Strength, Tension, and Intensity (STI)

A Comprehensive Program for Year Round Muscle Growth

‘TIME UNDER TENSION’ refers to the total amount of time a muscle spends under tension during a workout. Many relate this to a cadence or controlled speed style of lifting, and the most notable pioneer behind inducing muscle tension for extended periods of time is Arthur Jones from the 1970’s who is also the founder of the Nautilus. A research study done by Dr. Goldberg at the University of London back in the 1970’s which has become popular today has shown that inducing stretch and tension (due to eccentric contractions) led to muscle growth without the presence of hormones (the rats were castrated and had their pituitary removed). Now this is not to say that hormones have no relationship with muscle growth, any anabolic steroid user can certainly show you other wise. However, what this reveals to those who do not use these drugs is that muscle growth is still possible independent of artificially elevated hormones. This also shows that steroid use alone will do nothing without proper training (which is why respect is still given to the physiques achieved in bodybuilding), professional bodybuilders put themselves through more physical torment in the gym than any recreational lifter. The key principle to keep in mind is that of tension overload. The rats were taken with no previous ‘training’ on record and were put under large amounts of tension which caused their muscles to respond with growth.

Definitions

Training volume- the total training load you are undergoing, sets X reps X weight.
Eccentric- the lowering portion of a lift
Hypertrophy- increase in muscle cross sectional area/size.
Periodization- organized approach to training that incorporates progressive cycles of various aspects of training for specific goals.

Dr. Goldberg’s study was not done with the intention to prove that optimizing hormone levels for hypertrophy is only a piece to the puzzle; the goal was to show that tension, especially eccentric contractions, were important for hypertrophy. So when removing factors like testosterone and short rest periods during exercise from the equation for hypertrophy, the key growth factors to focus on are myostatin (inhibits muscle growth) and IGF-1 (insulin like growth factor). Stretch combined with muscle contractions is an important principle in the STI training system and will be discussed later on along with proper form. What was found is that it produces the greatest increase in IGF-1 (especially eccentric contractions) which increases independent of testosterone. It promotes growth in almost every cell in the body and has the highest correlation with hypertrophy. It is a growth factor that was of great interest to Dr. Goldberg. Also, another important aspect of eccentric contractions is its ability to reduce myostatin expression.

The time under tension principle while key, is only one important aspect to the STI training system. Many exercise and weight training systems are founded upon one principle and have many flaws because of it. However the career success of the fitness expert/bodybuilder/guru who is the face of that system quickly makes up for the flaws in training principles. The error is not necessarily in the training style that is taught but in the lack of PERIODIZATION that is incorporated. As discussed earlier in Dr. Goldberg’s study, OVERLOAD is a key factor in eliciting muscle growth. When it comes to gaining muscle naturally, you’re looking at a program that encompasses a year of progressing and tracking; whereas with drug use, you may be only looking at 3-6 months depending on your training history (the longer you’ve been training, the harder it is to grow more muscle). The inability of many popular training programs and styles to present a long term, realistic plan is what makes them ineffective for plausible application. Many experienced lifters can tell you about the 4 weeks they tried one training style, the 3 weeks with something they read in a magazine and 6 weeks with something they saw their favorite bodybuilder do. Training this way will work early on for some, but without specificity or set goals it is not the answer may gym goers who want to grow are looking for.

Excerpt from the Ebook: Periodized Hypertophy Training: Strength, Tension, and Intensity (STI)

A Comprehensive Program for Year Round Muscle Growth