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**What REALLY Stimulates Resistance Training-Induced Hypertrophy? 💪**

When it comes to building muscle, what actually causes hypertrophy through resistance training? 🤔 Science has come a long way in breaking down this complex process (PMID: 37382939, 32148775, 35389932), and here’s what you need to know:

🔹 Mechanical Tension: The #1 driver of muscle growth. It’s all about applying force to the muscle fibers. When muscles experience tension, it signals them to grow. Both *intensity* (load/effort) and *volume* of the load matter! What this doesn’t mean is that heavier is better since we know load doesn’t drive growth (PMID: 37414459, 35015560). In fact, fatigue, however, induced, is the great equalizer. But fatigue is merely sufficient and not necessary for growth (PMID: 33497853)

🔹 Muscle Damage: While muscle soreness often follows intense workouts, it’s not the main trigger for growth. Damage can help build resilience, but damage is not the trigger nor is it a big contributor. Relying solely on soreness for growth?

🔹 Metabolite accumulation: I don’t think anybody really believes this anymore, but to assuage any doubt, the evidence that metabolite accumulation is playing a role in hypertrophy is (very) thin.

🔹 The pump: That “pump” you feel after a tough set? It’s short-lived, and mechanistically, it’s hard to imagine how the pump creates any strategic advantage. Several studies have shown enhanced flow and little to no effect on growth.

🔹 Hormones: C’mon… you’re not still believing in leprechauns, are you? PMID: 32218059, https://sportrxiv.org/index.php/server/preprint/view/400, and https://journals.lww.com/acsm-essr/fulltext/2024/10000/hormones,_hypertrophy,_and_hype__an.2.aspx (lots more)

🔹 RT variables: Load for strength (entirely consistent with principle of specificity – practice what you want), Volume for growth. After those? Mostly small tweaks and marginal gains. Effective reps?

🔹 In Summary: 📝 Hypertrophy happens best when we blend mechanical tension with consistency of practice. To see real results, focus on progressive overload, balanced volume, and lifting with proper form. Stay tuned for some great up

“Research shows that having good muscle mass may improve your cancer prognosis, while helping you withstand some side effects of cancer treatments.

Even if you don’t begin muscle-building exercises until after you’ve been diagnosed, exercise may still be the most recommended treatment for cancer cachexia, a muscle-wasting disease for which there is no approved treatment drug in the United States.“

Strength Training and Cancer: Importance of Building Muscle Strength training and cancer go hand-in-hand, because building muscle may help during recovery and improve outcomes. Learn about exercising during treatment.

Even in your 90’s you can get stronger and healthier from High Intensity Training (HIT) like we do at Vertex Fitness.

TikTok · JoeCannonMS 121 likes, 8 comments. “My favorite wxercise study strength training in older adults as old as 96 years look what happened after just TWO months of lifting weights! ”

“Strength training helps reduce certain fat cells, which put out signals to the body that increase inflammation," explains Dr. Edward Phillips, associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School and Whole Health medical director at VA Boston Healthcare System.

Chronic inflammation — the persistent activation of the immune system — is associated with heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other chronic diseases.

The 2022 review suggests that 30 to 60 minutes of weekly strength training leads to the highest amount of benefits.”

Use strength training to help ward off chronic disease - Harvard Health Strength training triggers many body reactions that protect people against chronic disease. For example, strengthening muscles helps reduce blood sugar, lower blood pressure, burn calories, and dis...

Strength training is effective to prevent Cardiovascular Disease.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3-751eJRxh/?igsh=MXUwaW00ZTR0aXp0cA==

The four most important takeaways from this paper include: 1. Resistance training is a safe and effective means for mitigating cardiovascular disease factors for people with and without cardiovascular disease. As I’ve said for almost two decades, the number one reason we should lift weights is to improve our cardiovascular health. 2. Resistance training is just as effective as aerobic exercise in reducing cardiovascular disease risk factors (from my experience, very few people are aware of this). However, combining resistance training and aerobic training provides statistically more risk protection than resistance or aerobic training by themselves. 3. Very few adults engage in strength training. “Despite the well documented benefits, only 28% of US adults report participating in 2 days per week of resistance training as recommended.” What’s worse is that as we age, we are less likely to strength train. 34% of 24-34 year old’s report strength training twice per week, while only 19% of adults over 65 years report engaging in twice per week strength training. The irony is, strength training is far more effective and valuable for us the older we get. 4. We don’t need very much of it. 30 to 60 minutes of strength training per week is associated with the maximum risk reduction benefit for all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease. More is NOT better. The authors conclude, “RT programs need not be time-consuming to be efficacious, requiring only 30 to 60 minutes per week. In general, a single set of 8 to 12 repetitions to volitional fatigue… for 8 to 10 different exercises involving major muscle groups, performed twice per week are highly effective.” This sounds familiar. #cardio #strengthtraining #hearthealth #exerciseforhealth #exerciseforhearthealth #americanheartassociation #heartdisease #heartdiseaseprevention

Resistance (exercise) is far from futile: The unheralded benefits of weight training.

Resistance (exercise) is far from futile: The unheralded benefits of weight training It’s time for aerobics to share the spotlight with weightlifting as a form of exercise that promotes health and may be de rigueur as we age.

It’s never too late to lift weights: Older bodies can still build muscle.

It’s never too late to lift weights: Older bodies can still build muscle The new study of resistance exercise and the elderly found that even people in their 80s and 90s — who had never lifted weights before — showed significant gains

Strength Training versus Stretching for Improving Range of Motion: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

It is great to see the research is supporting what we have been saying for years.

Strength Training versus Stretching for Improving Range of Motion: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis - PubMed (1) Background: Stretching is known to improve range of motion (ROM), and evidence has suggested that strength training (ST) is effective too. However, it is unclear whether its efficacy is comparable to stretching. The goal was to systematically review and meta-analyze randomized controlled trials....