By John Valentik, MS, CSCS, NASM-PES, FMS

Hypertrophy training is a term often heard in the fitness community while common misconceptions have many people assuming it should be reserved for body builders and athletes. Simply put, hypertrophy refers to the increase in muscle size. This type of training focuses on exercises and techniques designed to stimulate muscle growth. Let’s explore why this style of training should be included in your program no matter what age or fitness level you are.

Hypertrophy training involves resistance exercises aimed at increasing the size of muscle fibers. This is achieved through a combination of resistance training, proper nutrition, and rest. An important factor to remember with resistance training is that this does not need to be heavy free weights. You can include machines, TRX suspension trainers, resistance bands, and your own body weight. Check back to our article for additional references.

During hypertrophy training we are actually creating micro-tears in the muscle fibers, which then repair and grow back larger and stronger. Let’s review some of the other benefits.

• Improved Metabolism: More muscle mass can lead to a higher resting metabolic rate. This helps you burn more calories at rest which is vital for anyone looking to maintain or lose weight.
• Enhanced Strength and Endurance: While hypertrophy training primarily targets muscle size, it also contributes to overall strength and endurance.
• Better Bone Health: On top of having more muscle to take excess pressure off your joints, resistance training can improve bone density, reducing the risk of osteoporosis and fractures.
• Functional Fitness: Stronger muscles make everyday tasks easier, from lifting groceries to climbing stairs, which makes it suitable for all populations.
• Mental Health Benefits: Regular exercise, including hypertrophy training, can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, and improve overall mood.

With all of these benefits, it’s unfortunate that there are so many misconceptions around hypertrophy training. First, as mentioned, many people hear increase muscle and think this is only appropriate for body builders. While this is very important for that population, muscle mass as referenced above, is vital for all walks of life.

Another misconception is the only way to build muscle is through heavy and dangerous weight training. There are many avenues to induce a hypertrophy stimulus. According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association, hypertrophy training can be accomplished with 3-6 sets of 6-12 repetitions and rest periods of 45-90 seconds. Intensity can be tricky as it varies between 67-85% of the one rep max of a movement, which many people don’t know in the first place. The key is to be deliberate with your training where you are doing enough volume to stimulate muscle growth, even if it involves only doing 2 sets to begin. Rest time is the other very important factor as many people jump on their phones or talk with a friend and all of the sudden 5 minutes have passed. Intensity can be selecting weights that feel challenging by reps 10, 11, and 12, but still doable with good form.

The last big misconception is that people don’t want to get too bulky because of the ‘increase’ in muscle mass. While this reason is more popular in females, to set the record straight, a weight loss person and weight gain person could both be successful with their goals and hypertrophy training. The missing link…nutrition. You will not get bulky if you don’t eat at a caloric surplus, and you will not lose weight if you do not create a caloric deficit.

Now that we’ve covered the benefits and misconceptions, let’s wrap it up with how you can begin to safely implement hypertrophy training into your routine. Happy lifting my friends!

• Start with a Plan: Structure a workout or have a trainer structure a workout for you that targets the appropriate exercises, sets, reps, and frequency. Don’t forget about rest time as we referenced above!
• Focus on Form: Not only is proper form crucial to preventing injury, it maximizes your gains by activating the proper muscle groups during a given exercise.
• Progress Gradually: As stated above, the last few reps of an exercise should be challenging but not impossible, especially if you are a beginner. You can’t get in shape overnight, nor can you get out of shape overnight.
• Address Major Muscle Groups: Compound movements that move multiple joints (squats, deadlifts, pushups, rows, step-ups, lunges) are the biggest bang for your buck movements. Bicep curls are great but they work much smaller areas of the body. Compound lifts get you stronger, are more functional for sport and everyday life, and address many more muscles at the same time.
• Rest and Recover: Muscle growth doesn’t happen in the gym, it’s actually muscle breakdown. The growth portion happens while you rest, and in particular, while you sleep. Get consistent sleep (6-8 hours) and give yourself at least a day to recover before taxing the same muscle groups.
• Nutrition: This is where the macros matter, in particular protein. Review Paige’s post for a refresher!