Athletes are fond of dunking their muscles they just worked into ice baths for 10 minutes or more after a workout. They do this based on the idea that cold water reduces muscle soreness and aids in muscle recovery. However, there is some evidence that doing so may have an unexpected negative impact on muscle recovery and growth.
Both men and women can enjoy the health and fitness benefits that weight training offers. Men have somewhat of an advantage in gaining muscle due to their different hormonal structure, but women can build strength and muscle mass too. How much muscle and strength can a woman develop relative to a man?
It’s frustrating when you reach a plateau in your weight training. You’re training hard but the growth seems to have stalled. Making small tweaks to your routine can help you break through a stubborn plateau. A simple one to try is pause reps.
Glutamine is a non-essential amino acid that some bodybuilders take as a supplement. By taking this supplement, they hope to gain a muscle-building advantage. But does science support this? Find out what research shows about glutamine supplements and whether it can help you get stronger or gain muscle.
It’s easier to build muscle if you have a hormonal environment that favors muscle hypertrophy. Curious as to what hormones play an anabolic, or muscle-building, role in your body? Here are three you should be aware of.
Are you using enough weight to challenge your muscles or has your workout become stagnant? Here are five signs it’s time to increase the resistance you’re using. How many of them apply to you?
Sure, it’s important to stay hydrated, especially if you’re doing endurance exercise. But, what about strength training? Can hydration impact muscle hypertrophy gains?
Stretching – we do it for a number of reasons, but to cause the muscle to grow in size isn’t one of them. However, there is some evidence that stretching aids in muscle hypertrophy. Find out how.
Have you ever wondered why muscles grow slower for some people than for others? Here are the four main factors that impact how quickly you see gains in muscle size when you weight train.
When we weight train, we want our muscles gain strength and size. We know that muscles need a stimulus to grow and one of those is mechanical tension. What role does mechanical tension play in helping you get more defined muscles?
The optimal amount of protein needed for optimal muscle growth is a contentious topic. Some experts believe the typical American diet supplies enough protein, even for athletes. However, a new study suggests that more may be better.
Hypertrophy Training – You might think that training more will lead to greater gains – but that’s not necessarily true. Muscles need rest and recovery time to grow. Here’s why training more doesn’t always lead to greater strength and hypertrophy gains.
