There are lots of jargon-y words in the fitness industry. From “delayed onset muscle soreness” to describe post-workout strain to “excess post-exercise oxygen consumption” to describe the afterburn effect. “Hypertrophy” is no different. Simply: it describes muscle building.
Building muscle is a fantastic fitness goal to strive towards. It makes you feel strong and confident, plus it boosts your longevity. It’s an all-around win.
But why is it referred to as hypertrophy? And what actually is hypertrophy? We’re covering all of this and more, gleaming helpful insights from obé health and fitness guru Melody D.
WTF is Hypertrophy?
“Muscular hypertrophy is the increase in size of muscle fibers and cells,” explains Melody. Seems simple enough, but how can you go about increasing the size of your muscles? “Hypertrophy is triggered by physical activity, specifically, resistance training.”
Here at obé Fitness, we love resistance training, aka strength training. From Simply Strong to the fan-favorite BodyComp workout programs—lifting weights is kind of our thing. When you work against resistance (weights), your muscles are stressed. It’s this stress that acts as a stimulus for your muscles to get stronger and bigger.
When Does Hypertrophy Happen?
Hypertrophy is a complex physiological process that requires certain variables in order to take place. What that means is you won’t accidentally build muscle. In fact, it’s pretty hard to do. And it takes a long time!
But if that is your goal, how can you go about achieving it? Melody explains: “Hypertrophy occurs when a targeted and recruited muscle is exposed to a stressor.”
So when you squat, for instance, you predominantly recruit your quads, glutes, and hamstring muscles. When you do, let’s say, 3 sets of 10 reps while holding dumbbells, you’re working against your body weight plus an additional weight. That creates added resistance that your muscles find hard to keep up with.
This triggers three major physiological processes:
- Mechanical tension: The strain when your muscle contracts.
- Muscle damage: Micro-tears to the muscle fibers caused by the stress.
- Metabolic stress: The build-up of metabolic by-products like lactate.
“When any of these three processes occur, it triggers a damage and repair cycle,” says Melody.
You have to damage the muscle (through exercise) to tell your muscles to get stronger and more resilient so that next time they’re not as easily damaged by the same stimuli. This is sometimes called the Stimulus, Recovery, and Adaptation (SRA) curve:
Source: Bret Contreras, PhD.
But hypertrophy isn’t a linear process. It’s not a case of “the more muscle damage, the better.” As you can see in the SRA graph, hypertrophy takes place once you’ve given your body the chance to recover. That’s the “adaptation” or muscle growth phase.
The Best Way to Train For Hypertrophy, According to an Expert
Melody breaks it down:
- Stick to strength training: Especially a program that uses the progressive overload structure (exposing your muscles to progressively more stress). Pro tip: The Elevate (goal: gain strength), Definition (goal: build muscle) Transformation (goal: lose weight) obé workout programs are designed with this principle.
- Focus on compound, functional movements: We’re talking squats, deadlifts, and bench presses for instance, with some targeted isolation exercises added in.
- Rep range matters: Typically, a hypertrophy split trains muscles in the rep range of 8-12 reps, for 2-5 sets. This has been shown in research to elicit the most muscle damage.
- Recovery time matters: It’s not just about post-workout recovery; you’ve also got to recover between sets. Aim for 30 to 90 seconds—a longer rest if you’ve done fewer reps with heavier sets.
- Hit each major muscle group: The aim is to target all major muscle groups for a minimum of 10 sets per week, or up to 20 sets for larger muscle groups. (That’s why a lot of hypertrophy training programs utilize a body part “split” so that you can train upper body while the lower body is recovering, and vice versa!).
“Additionally, women with an active menstrual cycle may want to consider adjusting their training in line with their cycle,” Melody adds. “While you can absolutely strength train throughout your cycle, you may feel more inclined to adjust the load (the size of your weights!) at certain points in the month.”
“Some women prefer to lift heavier for fewer reps in their follicular phase, and slightly lighter loads for more reps when in the luteal phase.” The aim is to do what feels right for your body, always. (For a full guide on cycle syncing your workouts, read this.)
The Greatest Hypertrophy Myth
As you can tell, training for hypertrophy can get quite technical. That’s why, Melody says, the common assumption that women will get “bulky” when they lift weights is very far from the truth.
“Building a substantial amount of muscle is extremely difficult to achieve,” says Melody. “Not only would you have to have an extremely high training volume, you’d have to have an excess caloric intake to match the training demands.”
In reality: “Hypertrophy training facilitates a ‘toned’ and ‘lean’ physique.” But the benefits go way beyond aesthetics—learn more below.
8 Reasons Why You Should Care About Hypertrophy
So now you know what it is, why should you care? We hear you! Let’s explain the benefits of hypertrophy, and why you might want to incorporate it into your training regimen.
1. Build Strength, Boost Confidence
Ever wonder how you can lift heavier, run faster, and move like a ninja? Hypertrophy. By focusing on muscle growth, you build strength that translates into all areas of your life. Plus, who doesn’t love feeling strong and confident?
2. Improve Your Metabolism
Lifting weights and building muscle might just be the cure for a sluggish metabolism. “The more muscle we have, the more metabolically active we will be,” says Melody. “Being metabolically active means you’re better able to regulate glucose (blood sugar), manage insulin, and use fat stores.” What’s more: you’re going to feel better overall.
3. Feel Better as You Age
“Muscle mass continuously declines as we age if we don’t continue to train for hypertrophy,” Melody warns. The truth is that women start losing bone and muscle faster than men—declining after the age of 30.
When you lose bone and muscle mass (known as sarcopenia), you’re more prone to diseases like osteoporosis, musculoskeletal injuries, and limited mobility. “Think of getting up from a chair — that requires muscle. When you lose that muscle, daily tasks become difficult,” says Melody.
But don’t worry. You’re not powerless! Strength training is the secret ingredient to longevity. Strength training counteracts this natural wearing down of bone and muscle by fortifying your muscles and increasing mobility. And all it takes is 12-20 minutes, 3 times a week. Sign me UP!
4. Get that Happy Glow
Exercise makes you feel better, period. But strength training (that promotes hypertrophy) is particularly effective for mental health.
A 2018 study found that starting a strength training program significantly reduced depressive symptoms among adults regardless of health status or improvements in strength. Even if you don’t feel like you’re getting physically stronger, you are mentally.
5. Enjoy More Energy
Stronger muscles improve the efficiency of your body’s energy production systems aka mitochondria. Without getting too technical, mitochondria produce the primary energy currency of the body, ATP (adenosine triphosphate). Strong healthy muscles mean you produce energy more effectively to sustain physical activity for longer periods and reduce overall fatigue.
7. It Lowers Your Risk of Disease
Studies have found that people with more muscle have a lower prevalence of other risk factors for cardiovascular issues, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or obesity. Your body thrives when it’s challenged to get stronger.
8. It’s Fun?!
When was the last time you showed yourself how much of a badass you are? One thing we always hear from obé members is how much fun they’re having. Sure, dripping in sweat and pushing yourself to do one last rep may not sound like your idea of fun from the outset, but give it a try. You’re capable of amazing things, and the endorphin release you get from proving that will make you addicted.
Need some more convincing? Check out these 5 reasons why all women should strength train.
💪 Ready to get stronger? Check out obé’s on-demand strength-training classes, try a strength-based, progressive training program based on your fitness goals, or start with hypertrophy-focused training series like Elevateor Transformation.
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