[qweasd]

whats the idea of doing 10 or 8 reps is ideal for muscle growth what makes it bigger than man doing 2 or 3 ,, what happens in the muscle and also whas the relation between pump AND FEELING of satisfaction ?

[G O R T]

It's not that simple.

To attain growth (sarcoplasmic hypertrophy), you must deplete the energy stores of your muscles in a relitively short amount of time. To do this you must keep lifting for a large percentage of the workout period. This usualy works out to doing multiple sets of 8-12 reps with little rest between them. The type II muscle fibers use ATP as fuel to produce strong anerobic muscle contractions. As you exercise the mitochondria in the muscle generate more ATP from local glycogen stores. This produces lactic acid waste which causes both a burning sensation and a reduced muscle contracting ability. Repeated bouts of this type of exercise result in the production of extra mitochondria to allow more ATP to be produced. These new mitochondria bring with them additional glycogen stores and fluids that make the muscle bigger.

This is somewhat at odds with strength training. The heavier weights used in strength training cause more muscle tissue damage. That damage causes satellite cells to repair and strengthen the muscle fibers, resulting in stronger muscles with little additional size. The heavier weights used for the most part prohibit you from sufficiently taxing the glycogen-to-ATP metabolic pathway that produces good growth.


This is why Periodization is king!

[qweasd]

good points but i want u clarify if pain in training is only due to lactic acid only and why some times i can do one more rep when i feel extreme pain.. also if i overcome that pain that maY HURT muscles or not

[G O R T]

Yes, the pain to work through is lactic acid buildup.

Pain during heavy sets is different. It is caused by muscle strain and/or damage to tendons and attachment to bone. Training through this will get you hurt. Don't know how many times I have heard "my pecs felt bad, a little funny, but I kept pushing and that's when it ripped!"

Bad times!

[qweasd]

u mean going through pain sometimes (like heavy lifts )is nt good ,, also what about inhibitory signals that r with contractions of muscles .. that prevent injuries i suppose..

[purenatural]

Pump is just lactic acid producing and making blood flow through the muscle, doesn't mean your muscles are growing. Within the exercise lifting low reps with descent volume example 4x6 is good for mass building.

[MaKaVeLi]

if you wanna know about periodization heres a good link - http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/keats2.htm

[qweasd]

why i feel im in hell in last reps? that feeling cant be expressed without using hell

[G O R T]

Originally Posted by qweasd

why i feel im in hell in last reps? that feeling cant be expressed without using hell

Nothing wrong with that. Look at some pictures of the greats doing that last rep. Looks like their head should explode! To me, it feels like a bad cramp setting in. When I was a kid I had night leg cramps bad. They were hours of torture with knotted muscles that would not relax. That is what my last rep feels like.

Skeletal muscle uses a calcium ion pump to move ATP from the sarcoplasm into the muscle fiber at a higher elecrtical potential (part of the Krebs cycle). The system slows down when used heavily and eventually is unable to supply energy to make contractions. Exactly why this becomes painfull is not known but it is normal if you push the muscles to that point. Again, this is fine, in fact it is what you want for sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. This pain goes away quickly when you quit contracting the muscle and bloodflow brings oxygen to the area.

[qweasd]

thnk u man u seem to study science very well.. im in medecine faculity but i forgot that biochemistry from 3 years ago .. again thanx

[tim290280]

Originally Posted by G O R T

It's not that simple.

To attain growth (sarcoplasmic hypertrophy), you must deplete the energy stores of your muscles in a relitively short amount of time. To do this you must keep lifting for a large percentage of the workout period. This usualy works out to doing multiple sets of 8-12 reps with little rest between them. The type II muscle fibers use ATP as fuel to produce strong anerobic muscle contractions. As you exercise the mitochondria in the muscle generate more ATP from local glycogen stores. This produces lactic acid waste which causes both a burning sensation and a reduced muscle contracting ability. Repeated bouts of this type of exercise result in the production of extra mitochondria to allow more ATP to be produced. These new mitochondria bring with them additional glycogen stores and fluids that make the muscle bigger.

This is somewhat at odds with strength training. The heavier weights used in strength training cause more muscle tissue damage. That damage causes satellite cells to repair and strengthen the muscle fibers, resulting in stronger muscles with little additional size. The heavier weights used for the most part prohibit you from sufficiently taxing the glycogen-to-ATP metabolic pathway that produces good growth.


This is why Periodization is king!

There is also the idea that its not the reps per set but the reps per body part. If you perform 3 sets of 8-10 you have performed 24-30 reps for that exercise/bodypart. You can achieve the same volume for the muscle using less reps (thus more weight) but more sets e.g. 10 sets of 3.

[purenatural]

Originally Posted by tim290280

There is also the idea that its not the reps per set but the reps per body part. If you perform 3 sets of 8-10 you have performed 24-30 reps for that exercise/bodypart. You can achieve the same volume for the muscle using less reps (thus more weight) but more sets e.g. 10 sets of 3.

That is true