WEBVTT - How Does Building Muscle Work?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio. Hey brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren Vogelbon here. If you think that getting stronger means

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<v Speaker 1>slinging around a bunch of iron at the local gym,

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<v Speaker 1>I think again. And if you think building muscle is

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<v Speaker 1>only for buff guys and tight tank tops, that think

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<v Speaker 1>again again. Building muscle is for everyone at just about

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<v Speaker 1>every stage of life. It's a critical part of staying healthy.

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<v Speaker 1>And you don't need to pump iron to do it.

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<v Speaker 1>You don't need bulging veins, you don't even need to

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<v Speaker 1>know the difference between a trapezius and a deltoid. Today,

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<v Speaker 1>let's talk about the science of building muscle, also known

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<v Speaker 1>as muscle hypertrophy. For the article of this episode is

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<v Speaker 1>based on how Stuff Works. Spoke with doctor Brad Schoenfeld,

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<v Speaker 1>the graduate director of the Human Performance and Fitness Program

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<v Speaker 1>at Lehman College. He said, it's not only about growing muscle,

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<v Speaker 1>it's losing If you don't resistance train, whereby you're looking

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<v Speaker 1>to build muscle, it's really a static choice because you

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<v Speaker 1>end up losing muscle. Resistance training is just working your

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<v Speaker 1>muscles against some kind of resistance. That resistance can come

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<v Speaker 1>in the form of weight, stretchy bands commonly called resistance

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<v Speaker 1>bans or exercise bands, or even your own body weight.

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<v Speaker 1>If you're doing a push up, you're using your body

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<v Speaker 1>weight to force certain muscles to work, and that counts.

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<v Speaker 1>Schellenfeld said, after about the age of thirty five, the

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<v Speaker 1>average person who's not lifting weights is going to lose

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<v Speaker 1>roughly a half percent of their muscle mass per year,

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<v Speaker 1>and that percentage starts to accelerate when you get into

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<v Speaker 1>your late fifties early sixties, and then it's exponential after that.

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<v Speaker 1>Being physically active, which by definition means building and maintaining

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<v Speaker 1>healthy muscles, does a lot for US humans, including improving

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<v Speaker 1>mental health, lowering the risk of stroke, improving cognitive function

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<v Speaker 1>and sleep, increasing joint flexibility and improving balance, thereby reducing

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<v Speaker 1>the risk of falls and the elderly. Stronger muscles help

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<v Speaker 1>strengthen bones and control blood sugar and cholesterol levels too.

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<v Speaker 1>Muscle hypertrophy is a much research subject because while any

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<v Speaker 1>exercise is better than none, how to go about building

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<v Speaker 1>muscle most efficiently and safely has long been a matter

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<v Speaker 1>of myth and debate. There are a number of factors

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<v Speaker 1>to consider in building a workout, including not just the

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<v Speaker 1>actual level of resistance that is, the weight placed on

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<v Speaker 1>a barbell or the amount of tension in a resistance band.

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<v Speaker 1>You also have to consider the number of repetitions of

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<v Speaker 1>a particular movement in a set and the number of

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<v Speaker 1>those sets done in a session, plus how that movement

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<v Speaker 1>and those sets fit together with other exercises to form

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<v Speaker 1>a balanced program. Schollenfeld said, I think there are misperceptions

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<v Speaker 1>about what actually builds. A lot of times people think

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<v Speaker 1>they have to lift heavy weights to build muscle. There's

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<v Speaker 1>actually a lot of good research showing that muscle growth

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<v Speaker 1>can be developed over a wide array of repetition ranges.

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<v Speaker 1>A debate that's rumbled on for years is about whether

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of resistance and a low number of repetitions

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<v Speaker 1>is better or less resistance and a lot of repetitions.

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<v Speaker 1>The old notion that a lot of us grew up

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<v Speaker 1>with is that big weights build big, strong muscles no

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<v Speaker 1>matter how few times you lift them, whereas smaller weights

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<v Speaker 1>and more reps build lean, toned muscles. What's more important

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<v Speaker 1>than any of the raw numbers you're dealing with is

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<v Speaker 1>paying attention to what your body is telling you during

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<v Speaker 1>the workout. You can get equally full muscles without pushing

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<v Speaker 1>eye bulging amounts of weight. As long as you do

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<v Speaker 1>enough reps that the final ones are challenging to complete,

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<v Speaker 1>you'll start slowing down and eventually your muscles will just

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<v Speaker 1>refuse to do another rep. Important note here you should

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<v Speaker 1>always stop a set while you can still maintain the

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<v Speaker 1>proper posture and movement for the exercise that you're doing.

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<v Speaker 1>You risk injury if you continue past that point. One

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<v Speaker 1>benefit of using less weight is that it's easier to

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<v Speaker 1>realize when you're approaching your limit. In the end, the

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<v Speaker 1>goal is to literally, on a cellular level, build more muscle.

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<v Speaker 1>Oh When muscles are exercised enough, cellular level damage occurs,

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<v Speaker 1>triggering a process in which proteins are dispatched to repair

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<v Speaker 1>or replace the damaged cells. That process builds on existing structures,

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<v Speaker 1>and over time a bigger muscle is born, which, yes,

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<v Speaker 1>can help you look better in a favorite shirt, or

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<v Speaker 1>keep your blood sugar in check, or just get down

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<v Speaker 1>the stairs without taking a tumble. The National Institute on

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<v Speaker 1>Aging suggests a strength building exercise session two or more

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<v Speaker 1>days a week without working the same muscle group two

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<v Speaker 1>days in a row. If you don't have a set

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<v Speaker 1>of weights or gym membership, you can start with one

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<v Speaker 1>thing you're guaranteed to have sitting around at home, your

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<v Speaker 1>own body. Body Weight exercises are ones that use the

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<v Speaker 1>resistance of your own weight to work your muscles, things

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<v Speaker 1>like squats, lunges, and toe stands. Schowenfeld said using weights

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<v Speaker 1>is one of the best ways to do it. The

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<v Speaker 1>way that you're going to ultimately over time build muscle

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<v Speaker 1>is by consistently challenging your body, But you can just

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<v Speaker 1>do push ups and other body weight exercises that will

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<v Speaker 1>at least early on have positive effects on strength and

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<v Speaker 1>muscle growth. Over time, it gets harder to challenge your muscles,

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<v Speaker 1>but there's ways if you're inventive, that you can just

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<v Speaker 1>use body weight or resistance bans. There are lots and

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<v Speaker 1>lots of guides online for getting started. Taking a few

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<v Speaker 1>classes or talking with a licensed personal trainer can also

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<v Speaker 1>help you make sure that your form is on point

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<v Speaker 1>and not likely to lead to accidental injury. And of course,

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<v Speaker 1>building muscle goes hand in hand with good nutrition. Trends

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<v Speaker 1>are really pushing high protein diets these days, but carbohydrates

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<v Speaker 1>and fat are also important for maintaining your hard earned muscles,

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<v Speaker 1>keeping your energy up, and keeping your brain and other

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<v Speaker 1>organs functioning. A varied diet with lots of colorful vegetables,

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<v Speaker 1>whole grains, and leaner proteins is a good starting place,

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<v Speaker 1>and a dietitian or other medical professional can help you

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<v Speaker 1>home in on goals from there. Everybody's body is different,

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<v Speaker 1>which is part of why it's so hard to nail

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<v Speaker 1>down a single most efficient diet and exercise regimen. It

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<v Speaker 1>can take trial and error to find a routine that

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<v Speaker 1>works for you physically and keeps you entertained. But the

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<v Speaker 1>overall message on muscle hypertrophy is clear, and it's not

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<v Speaker 1>something reserved for gym rats and wanna be schwarzeneggers. Building

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<v Speaker 1>muscle is crucial to good health and aging well for

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<v Speaker 1>all of us. Today's episode is based on the article

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<v Speaker 1>the Science and Smarts behind Hypertrophy and Getting Ripped on

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<v Speaker 1>how Stuffworks dot Com, written by John Donovan. Brain Stuff

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<v Speaker 1>is production of iHeartRadio in partnership with how Stuffworks dot

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<v Speaker 1>Com and is produced by Tyler Plang. Four more podcasts

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<v Speaker 1>from iHeartRadio visit the iHeartRadio app Apple podcasts, or wherever

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<v Speaker 1>you listen to your favorite shows.