Rapid Increase in Muscle Mass & Strength
Published: Sun, 05/19/13
The Cycling Principle is the key to consistent and
rapid increases
in muscle mass and strength for the
bodybuilder.
This principle
states that in order for the body to
respond optimally, it cannot
be trained in the same
manner all the time and that the best way
to make
the body respond is through the correct variation
of exercises,
volume (number of sets times number
of reps), intensity (how heavy
the weight is), and
rest periods between sets.
The Active Recovery Phase
The Active Recovery Phase has three main functions:
- First, according to leading strength expert Tudor
Bompa, Ph.D., "you are trying to adapt the anatomy
of the body to the upcoming training so that you can
create, or produce an injury free environment".
Essentially, your tendons and ligaments should be
strong enough to support the stressful periods that
will follow.
- Second, this phase is a great time to address any
strength imbalance that your body might have. This
is the reason why mostly dumbbell work will be
used during this phase.
- Finally, this phase will act as a great time in which
the body will re-charge its energy stores and allow
for complete physical and mental recuperation.
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The Loading Phase
During the Loading Phase the body is stressed with an
increasing
high volume of work that if kept for too
long will eventually
result in overtraining and injury.
During this phase, three
things will happen:
- The growth hormone output goes through the roof
due to the short rest interval between sets and the high volume.
- Hypertrophy (muscle growth) occurs by the body increasing
the levels of creatine, water and carbohydrates inside the muscle
cell. This phenomenon is called muscle voluminization.
- The body's recuperation capabilities are upgraded in
response
to the stress imposed by the increasing volume of work
coupled with short rest intervals.
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The Growth Phase
During the Growth Phase the body is not stressed by volume.
This
time the stimuli are heavy weights. If this phase would be kept
for too long eventually the body would stop making strength gains
and you would plateau. This is the reason why you always need
to
go back to a Loading Phase.
During this phase the following
three things will happen:
- The testosterone levels go through the roof in response to
the
longer rest in between sets and the heavier weights.
- Hypertrophy (muscle growth) occurs by the body increasing
the actual diameter of the myofiber (the muscle fiber size)
through increased protein synthesis (Note: protein synthesis
is creating protein strands through DNA and RNA and it takes
place in the cytoplasm of the cell.)
- Since your body's recuperation abilities were built
up to the
maximum by the previous phase and the volume has gone
down dramatically, these extra recuperation abilities are used
to increase strength and build more muscle mass. The reason
the body does this is in order to be prepared for another stressful
period like the one it just went through. This adaptation mechanism
is the one that ensures the survival of the species.
- Even if you are training for fat loss, your main goal should
always be to stimulate growth. Otherwise, if you were to
drastically reduce training poundage in order to perform a lot
of high reps, there would be no reason for the body to keep
the muscle around. Because of this, you should always train
with muscle growth in mind and let the nutrition and the
cardiovascular exercise take care of reducing your body fat levels.
