Mel Siff talks hypertrophy in this extract from his textbook Supertraining, as taken from physical condition.groups.yahoo.com/group/supertraining - of which the best posts are listed at melsiff.com

HYPERTROPHY & STRENGTH

OPTIMUM, NOT MAXIMUM, HYPERTROPHY

In both Olympic lifting and powerlifting, optimal and not maximal hypertrophy

is a central feature of the game, unlike bodybuilding where it doesn't

matter whether one is actually comparatively weak or strong with regard to one's

bodymass. Everything matters is well-defined, symmetrical muscle bulk in

bodybuilding, but in the lifting sports, your size and impressiveness of

appearance get you scant respect - specifically what counts precisely what you improve.

Optimal hypertrophy means continuing to develop building muscle only extended as

as that extra bulk continues to deliver you with significant increases in

strength and power. Content articles add 10kg to your bodymass your total

increases by only 5kg in a slightly higher bodymass division, then your relative

strength has decreased and that added hypertrophy is wasted on you actually.

This is really a serious overuse injury in contact sports such as football the common

belief may be virtually any kind of added mass is nice for the game

(especially defensive players), whereas in reality it possible a lot better

if the added bulk was mainly solid, functional muscle which added strength,

power, agility and speed.

DIFFERENT Varieties of HYPERTROPHY

Research from Russia even suggests presently there are two different types of

muscle hypertrophy: sarcomere hypertrophy (of specific contractile

components) and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy (of non-contractile proteins and

semifluid plasma between the muscles fibres), with the latter regarding

hypertrophy being more in evidence in bodybuilding (Siff M C 'Supertraining',

2000, Ch 1.13).

MUSCLE GROWTH & PERFORMANCE

To provide some more relevant about this important and controversial

topic, I've included this fairly lengthy extract from 'Supertraining' (pp

67-69) for people who may be interested:

Other numerous found that hypertrophied muscle fibres need a

significantly larger tissue volume to perform a given regarding work. With

the developing on non-functional muscle bulk (sarcoplasmic hypertrophy), the

increase in muscle mass outstrips growth of the circulatory system,

resulting in decreased nutrition and oxygenation of the muscle, slowing down

the metabolic processes your muscle and fewer efficient disposal of

metabolic waste products from the musculoskeletal system (Zalessky &

Burkhanov Legkaya Atletika 1981: 1-7).

Furthermore, adaptation occurs more slowly in ligament (such as

tendons and ligaments) than in muscle and then any increased tension made possible

in the musculotendinous complexes by the increased muscle mass can cause

damage to the structures (Zalessky & Burkhanov, 1981). Thus, excessive

hypertrophy usually leads to slower muscle recovery after exercise,

deterioration in speed, speed-strength and speed, as well as an enhanced

incidence of injury.

THE ENERGY COSTS OF TOO MUCH HYPERTROPHY

This might suggest seems muscle fibre hypertrophy lowers work position.

Hypertrophy is an adaptive response to physical stress and has the

benefit of increased mitochondrial surface area, which provides for more

efficient energy processes than would increasing your number of mitochondria.

With a fast increase in loading, nevertheless . of the mitochondria carries on to

increase markedly, but their number decreases and the concentration of ATP

drops, thereby diminishing the partial level of the contractile myofibrils.

The resulting energy deficit soon inhibits the formation of new structures

and the decreased amount of ATP stimulates various destructive processes

associated with decrease inside the number of myofibrils. Method is

referred to as irrational adaptation.

Growth any specific living structure is related with the balance between its volume

and its surface position. When muscle hypertrophy occurs, the surface of the

fibres grows more slowly than their volume and, this imbalance causes the

fibres to disintegrate and restructure within a way which preserves their

original metabolic state (Nikituk & Samoilov, 1990).

It would seem that light and medium increases in loading require less

energy, facilitate cell repair, minimise the appearance of destructive

processes and stimulate the synthesis of new, non-hypertrophied cellular

structures. Medium loads applied with a medium rate of increasing amount of loading

produce intense muscular development, the process in this case being referred

to as rational adaptation.

The notion that conventional isometric training improves performance in static,

rather than dynamic, exercise may be due towards different structural effects

of isometric training on the muscle fibres, muscle cells, connective tissues

and blood capillaries.

MORE ON OPTIMAL HYPERTROPHY

This work seems to corroborate the hypothesis known earlier right now there

may be an optimum size for muscle fibres undergoing hypertrophy (MacDougall

et al, 1982; Tesch & Larsson, 1982). Value of building of prescribing

resistance training regimes which produce the suitable balance between

hypertrophy and specific strength then becomes obvious. Thus, it is not only

prolonged cardiovascular training which may be be detrimental to the acquisition

of strength, but multiple fairly high repetition teams of heavy bodybuilding

or circuit training routines to the particular of failure may also inhibit the

formation of contractile muscle fibres.

Therefore, that vital observe regularly variations in muscular structure and

function alongside changes in dimension and expansive. In most cases the taking of

biopsies isn't possible or financially practical, so that indirect

assessment from the adaptive processes is need be. Increase in hypertrophy

of a particular muscle zone may be assessed from muscle girth and skinfold

thicknesses at this site, while factors like relative strength, maximal

strength along with the strength deficit (see 'Supertraining', Ch 1) serve as useful

indicators of functional speed.

INDISCRIMINATE Resistance training

Bosco (1982a) cautions through the indiscriminate regarding resistance training

that typifies much for this 'cross training' prescribed with weights and

circuits by Western fitness coaches and motor coaches. He emphasizes that,

although heavy resistance training serves as a powerful stimulus for the

development and hypertrophy of both ST and FT fibres, the invaluable role

played by FT development can be impaired through accompanying involving ST

fibres, the latter frequently provoke a damping impact FT

contraction during fast routine.

This arrives to the fact that, during high speed shortening of muscle, the

sliding velocity of ST fibres can be too slow and therefore, may exert a

significant damping effect regarding the overall muscle contraction. He concludes

that the central role played the particular storage and release of elastic energy by

the connective tissues with the muscle complex should not be ignored in sport

specific training programmes.Dr Mel Siff

Author of Supertraining + Facts and Fallacies of Fitness

http://www.melsiff.com