How Could Exercise Help Muscles Grow Larger And Stronger?

It's a common fact that exercise is the key to building muscle, but how could exercise help muscles grow larger and stronger? The mechanism of exercise supports the type of environment that allows for more muscle mass and strength. To understand the role of exercise in helping muscles become larger and stronger, the physiological and chemical workings of muscles must be reviewed.

Muscle cells go through a systemic cycle that continually builds up and breaks down muscle, commonly referred to as the turnover. This action is responsible for maintaining the muscle mass that the person already has and maintains a specific rate. The amount of muscle broken down is equal to the amount built up. Exercise helps muscles grow larger and stronger by changing the pace of the turnover process, which creates an imbalance in the cycle. Therefore, exercise increases muscle mass and strength by raising the anabolic, (building up) portion of the turnover process.

While exercising may speed up the processes that help muscles grow larger and stronger, there is another important role that it may play. Optimum resistance is crucial when attempting to build muscle. In other words, the body will typically increase muscle mass in a fairly quickly manner and the exertion of the exercise must be increased for muscles to continue growing larger and stronger. In contrast, if exercise is decreased, muscle cells will break down more quickly than they are built up and muscle mass will be lost.

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Resistance Training