Find out why during training you destroy your muscle fibers and only during the recovery phase does the active phase of anabolism begin. Chemically speaking, muscle growth is the production of protein compounds in muscle tissue. More specifically, muscle growth is possible when the rate of protein production exceeds protein breakdown. It is important to remember that muscle growth involves the creation of new fibers and the breakdown of old ones.
Within a day, about 2 percent of muscle tissue is renewed in any person. If you do not play sports, the catabolic and anabolic backgrounds are equal and muscle mass does not increase. Strength training shifts this balance towards protein production. However, in the body of bodybuilders, the rate of synthesis of protein compounds does not always exceed decay. At certain points, muscle growth is more pronounced, and sometimes a balance is maintained between synthesis and decay. Now we will talk about when muscles grow in bodybuilding, or, in other words, the balance shifts towards the production of protein compounds.
A scientific look at muscle growth
Scientists have discovered the following patterns:
- The production of protein compounds is accelerated immediately after the completion of the training.
- About four hours after training, 50 percent more protein is produced compared to the pre-workout period.
- The maximum synthesis rate is observed a day after training and is maintained for 36 hours.
This information came from a study in which subjects trained their biceps in 12 sets with 6-10 reps each.
There is also data from another experiment that showed that within three hours after completing a session, the rate of protein synthesis increases to 110 percent and is maintained for two days. In a study, athletes trained their leg muscles in eight sets with a similar number of reps each. The weights were 80 percent of the maximum.
As you can see, there are some inconsistencies in the results of these studies. This fact was also noted by scientists, who say that the training system and the type of muscles influenced the results. Also, do not forget about such parameters as nutrition, the peculiarities of the hormonal system, genetics, etc. It is also worth mentioning that along with the acceleration of protein synthesis, the rate of their breakdown also increased.
Supercompensation
It is generally accepted that muscle growth consists of several phases:
- The stage of rapid recovery (glycogen reserves, ATP, creatine phosphate are replenished) - the duration is a day or a little more.
- The stage of slow recovery (the rate of protein synthesis rises to the normal level).
- The stage of supercompensation (protein synthesis exceeds normal) occurs 2–4 days after exercise and lasts several days.
Here you can find another contradiction with the above research results, which say that the synthesis of protein compounds is accelerated almost immediately after training.
Nutrition program
The need to consume carbohydrates immediately after the end of the lesson is being actively discussed. As you should have noticed, during the rapid recovery phase, the body strives to replenish its energy reserves as quickly as possible. This explains the recommendations to take carbohydrates after training. Scientists suggest that for this reason, the "carbohydrate window" is open immediately after training, and the "protein" window appears only after a couple of days.
But research suggests that the rate of protein production increases almost immediately, and at this point, you should eat foods containing protein compounds with a full amino acid profile. The opening of the "carbohydrate window" today also raises no doubts, which has been confirmed by a number of experiments. After the training, the subjects ate food containing protein compounds and carbohydrates, which contributed to the acceleration of proteins in muscle tissues. Moreover, this process was more active in comparison with the use of carbohydrates alone.
Training frequency
According to research, the maximum rate of production of protein compounds is reached within the first 24 hours after training, after which it begins to decline. This may indicate that you can train each muscle group more often than once a week. Based on practical experience, we can say that in this case it makes sense to alternate the load of different intensity.
In other words, you should do heavy and light training for each muscle group during the week. As a result, it turns out that between heavy training there will be a stage of muscle supercompensation, as well as super-recovery of all body systems that have experienced stress during exercise.
Why can muscles grow poorly?
We have already said that the speed of all muscle growth processes is an individual indicator and one should not rely on research results. In one athlete, after training, the rate of protein production may be one hundred percent or even more, while in another it will reach only 50 percent. The situation is similar with the duration of the period of rapid production of protein compounds.
This is what explains the different rate of progress of athletes training according to the same program. You are probably wondering what caused these differences? It's very simple, because each person has a unique anabolic background. It depends on several factors, for example, the work of the endocrine system, nutrition and stress.
It's time to summarize some of the results of today's conversation. First of all, you should remember that muscle growth accelerates immediately after training and its peak occurs on the first day after training. The duration of the stage of active muscle growth is from 36 to 48 hours and the intensity, as well as the duration of this phase, is individual.
For more on supercompensation in bodybuilding, see this video:
