Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio. Hey brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbon here. If you think that getting stronger means slinging around a bunch of iron at the local gym, I think again. And if you think building muscle is only for buff guys and tight tank tops, that think again again. Building muscle is for everyone at just about every stage of life. It's a critical part of staying healthy. And you don't need to pump iron to do it. You don't need bulging veins, you don't even need to
know the difference between a trapezius and a deltoid. Today, let's talk about the science of building muscle, also known as muscle hypertrophy. For the article of this episode is based on how Stuff Works. Spoke with doctor Brad Schoenfeld, the graduate director of the Human Performance and Fitness Program at Lehman College. He said, it's not only about growing muscle, it's losing If you don't resistance train, whereby you're looking to build muscle, it's really a static choice because you
end up losing muscle. Resistance training is just working your muscles against some kind of resistance. That resistance can come in the form of weight, stretchy bands commonly called resistance bans or exercise bands, or even your own body weight. If you're doing a push up, you're using your body weight to force certain muscles to work, and that counts.
Schellenfeld said, after about the age of thirty five, the average person who's not lifting weights is going to lose roughly a half percent of their muscle mass per year, and that percentage starts to accelerate when you get into your late fifties early sixties, and then it's exponential after that.
Being physically active, which by definition means building and maintaining healthy muscles, does a lot for US humans, including improving mental health, lowering the risk of stroke, improving cognitive function and sleep, increasing joint flexibility and improving balance, thereby reducing the risk of falls and the elderly. Stronger muscles help strengthen bones and control blood sugar and cholesterol levels too.
Muscle hypertrophy is a much research subject because while any exercise is better than none, how to go about building muscle most efficiently and safely has long been a matter of myth and debate. There are a number of factors to consider in building a workout, including not just the actual level of resistance that is, the weight placed on a barbell or the amount of tension in a resistance band.
You also have to consider the number of repetitions of a particular movement in a set and the number of those sets done in a session, plus how that movement and those sets fit together with other exercises to form a balanced program. Schollenfeld said, I think there are misperceptions about what actually builds. A lot of times people think
they have to lift heavy weights to build muscle. There's actually a lot of good research showing that muscle growth can be developed over a wide array of repetition ranges. A debate that's rumbled on for years is about whether a lot of resistance and a low number of repetitions is better or less resistance and a lot of repetitions. The old notion that a lot of us grew up with is that big weights build big, strong muscles no matter how few times you lift them, whereas smaller weights
and more reps build lean, toned muscles. What's more important than any of the raw numbers you're dealing with is paying attention to what your body is telling you during the workout. You can get equally full muscles without pushing eye bulging amounts of weight. As long as you do enough reps that the final ones are challenging to complete, you'll start slowing down and eventually your muscles will just
refuse to do another rep. Important note here you should always stop a set while you can still maintain the proper posture and movement for the exercise that you're doing. You risk injury if you continue past that point. One benefit of using less weight is that it's easier to realize when you're approaching your limit. In the end, the goal is to literally, on a cellular level, build more muscle.
Oh When muscles are exercised enough, cellular level damage occurs, triggering a process in which proteins are dispatched to repair or replace the damaged cells. That process builds on existing structures, and over time a bigger muscle is born, which, yes, can help you look better in a favorite shirt, or keep your blood sugar in check, or just get down
the stairs without taking a tumble. The National Institute on Aging suggests a strength building exercise session two or more days a week without working the same muscle group two days in a row. If you don't have a set of weights or gym membership, you can start with one thing you're guaranteed to have sitting around at home, your own body. Body Weight exercises are ones that use the resistance of your own weight to work your muscles, things
like squats, lunges, and toe stands. Schowenfeld said using weights is one of the best ways to do it. The way that you're going to ultimately over time build muscle is by consistently challenging your body, But you can just do push ups and other body weight exercises that will at least early on have positive effects on strength and muscle growth. Over time, it gets harder to challenge your muscles, but there's ways if you're inventive, that you can just
use body weight or resistance bans. There are lots and lots of guides online for getting started. Taking a few classes or talking with a licensed personal trainer can also help you make sure that your form is on point and not likely to lead to accidental injury. And of course,
building muscle goes hand in hand with good nutrition. Trends are really pushing high protein diets these days, but carbohydrates and fat are also important for maintaining your hard earned muscles, keeping your energy up, and keeping your brain and other organs functioning. A varied diet with lots of colorful vegetables, whole grains, and leaner proteins is a good starting place, and a dietitian or other medical professional can help you
home in on goals from there. Everybody's body is different, which is part of why it's so hard to nail down a single most efficient diet and exercise regimen. It can take trial and error to find a routine that works for you physically and keeps you entertained. But the overall message on muscle hypertrophy is clear, and it's not something reserved for gym rats and wanna be schwarzeneggers. Building muscle is crucial to good health and aging well for
all of us. Today's episode is based on the article the Science and Smarts behind Hypertrophy and Getting Ripped on how Stuffworks dot Com, written by John Donovan. Brain Stuff is production of iHeartRadio in partnership with how Stuffworks dot Com and is produced by Tyler Plang. Four more podcasts from iHeartRadio visit the iHeartRadio app Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.