Muscle mass grows only when training, nutrition and hormones work together as one team. In my opinion, the biggest problem in natural bodybuilding is that a large share of people wreck their very good training with extremely poor nutrition. Below are the basic principles worth thinking about at length — all of them determine whether hard work in the gym actually shows up in your physique.
Why nutrition determines muscle mass growth
Most trainees do plenty of work in the gym to stimulate growth. But for that stimulus from the weights to actually turn into muscle, you have to eat just as dedicatedly and thoughtfully 24/7. If you simply don’t consider it important or can’t pull yourself together when it comes to nutrition, you may as well stay away from the gym — the work you’ve done won’t pay off. Honestly, I see this picture very often: the training plan is flawless, but nobody pays attention to mealtimes.
The three S’s, or the keys to muscle mass
The key to muscle growth is three S’s: STIMULATE, SUPPLY and SIGNAL. Training stimulates growth, eating gives us the materials for the building work, and the level of anabolic hormones is what signals the whole process. The muscle growth we can experience can be attributed 1/3 to hormones, 1/3 to nutrition and 1/3 to training. Combined, these three components create a synergistic effect — the absence of one holds back the other two.
Hormones and their role in building muscle mass
How powerful is the anabolic effect on its own? In one study, subjects were given testosterone for 20 weeks without doing any training. During that time their muscle mass increased by an average of 8 kg. Another example is puberty: during puberty the average man gains about 18 kg of muscle mass without training, purely because of the rise in anabolic hormone concentrations.
If you are no longer in puberty and want to experience anything even close to that — and naturally — you need to start using your head in good time. In short: you have to know what you’re doing, why you’re doing it and how it should be done properly.
Nutrition timing determines the direction of muscle mass
The timing and distribution of nutrients very directly determine what becomes of your calories. If you consume more calories than your body expends — do they go into muscle or into fat cells? The more inadequately and haphazardly you plan your nutrition, the more of the weight you gain is fat. The more deliberately you time it, the greater the share of calories that goes toward muscle growth. Genetics and metabolic type of course also play a part.
How powerful is the effect of eating itself? In one study, subjects were given 1000 extra kilocalories every day for 100 days, and again no training was done. Despite the lack of physical activity, 35% of the total weight they gained was pure muscle.
Body composition and the anabolic environment
A natural trainee can maximize effectiveness by choosing the right training load, frequency and type of training. In addition: eat enough, time your meals, sleep sufficiently, keep stress under control and keep your body composition within the normal range.
The most favorable hormonal environment for muscle mass growth arises when men’s body fat percentage is 10–17% and women’s is 12–20%. If body fat percentage drops below 10%, the anabolic environment is disrupted (unless, of course, you were born so that in ordinary condition you carry only 5% body fat). The anabolic hormonal environment is also no longer favorable when body fat percentage starts to exceed normal limits — then the sensitivity to the various anabolic hormones dulls.
Genetic limits and muscle mass
Genetic limits define how much muscle mass someone is able to carry at a certain body fat percentage — not how much muscle someone is able to build overall. Your natural limit at 6% body fat may be 90 kg, but if you eat properly, train and take your body weight up to, say, 120 kg, your body fat percentage will indeed be higher, but the share of muscle mass has also grown.
This is also why the biggest sumo wrestlers do nothing but eat. They are very fat, yet even at that high body fat percentage they carry, for example, more muscle mass than the biggest bodybuilders. Such senseless eating is of course not a recommendation — it’s simply a reality that shows how energy balance and the anabolic hormonal environment work together.
FAQ on muscle building
Can you build muscle mass without 24/7 dedication? To a small extent, yes, but continuous gains require that nutrition, sleep and stress levels are in order too. Going to the gym alone isn’t enough.
What body fat percentage best supports muscle mass growth? 10–17% for men and 12–20% for women. Below that, the anabolic environment is held back; above it, hormone sensitivity declines.
Does a high calorie intake automatically mean gaining fat? No. Timing, macro distribution and training stimulus determine whether excess calories go into muscle or into fat tissue.
to be continued…
Translated by: Janar Rückenberg
Source:Turg.Fitness.ee
Come and train! ArtGym
