Strength vs Hypertrophy: The Science of Building Muscle

Institute of Human Anatomy
28 Apr 202417:49

Summary

TLDRThis script delves into the fascinating world of muscle growth, exploring the physiology behind hypertrophy and the different types of muscle tissue in the human body. It distinguishes between smooth, cardiac, and skeletal muscles, highlighting their unique characteristics and growth processes. The video also examines training principles for increasing muscle size versus strength, discussing the impact of resistance training and the role of the nervous system in strength development. Additionally, it touches on the role of testosterone in muscle growth and offers insights into hair loss prevention with a sponsored product.

Takeaways

  • πŸ’ͺ There are three types of muscle tissue in the human body: smooth, cardiac, and skeletal muscle, each with unique characteristics and functions.
  • πŸ“ Smooth muscle is found in the walls of organs and tubes in the body and is under involuntary control, unlike skeletal muscle which is under voluntary control.
  • 🀰 The largest mass of smooth muscle in the human body is the uterus, which can undergo significant growth through hyperplasia and hypertrophy.
  • πŸ«€ Cardiac muscle is unique to the heart, has a branching structure, and cannot divide, meaning it grows through hypertrophy alone, not hyperplasia.
  • πŸ‹οΈβ€β™‚οΈ Skeletal muscle, attached to the skeleton, is what people typically focus on when trying to increase muscle size and strength through resistance training.
  • 🚫 Skeletal muscle cells, like cardiac muscle cells, cannot divide, so growth occurs through hypertrophy, an increase in cell size.
  • πŸ‹οΈβ€β™€οΈ Hypertrophy of skeletal muscle is stimulated by forceful, repetitive muscular activity and results in an increase in the contractile protein units within the cells.
  • πŸ’Š Testosterone plays a role in muscle growth but can also contribute to other effects like hair loss, which can be mitigated with devices like the IR restore Elite.
  • πŸ† Training for strength versus hypertrophy requires different routines, with powerlifters focusing on higher intensity and longer rest periods, and bodybuilders on higher volume and shorter rest periods.
  • πŸ”„ Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, an increase in fluid content within muscle cells, is theorized to contribute to muscle size without proportional strength gains, which is more common in bodybuilding routines.
  • 🧬 The physiological adaptations for strength and hypertrophy are not mutually exclusive, but advanced athletes often display a greater manifestation of one over the other based on their training goals.

Q & A

  • What are the three types of muscle tissue in the human body?

    -The three types of muscle tissue in the human body are smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and skeletal muscle. Smooth muscle is found in the walls of organs and is under involuntary control, cardiac muscle is only found in the heart and also under involuntary control, and skeletal muscle is attached to the skeleton and is under voluntary control.

  • How does the structure of smooth muscle differ from that of skeletal muscle?

    -Smooth muscle cells are smaller and have a spindle-like appearance, while skeletal muscle cells are larger and do not branch. Smooth muscle is found in hollow structures and organs, whereas skeletal muscle is attached to bones to facilitate movement.

  • What is the primary function of cardiac muscle?

    -The primary function of cardiac muscle is to contract and pump blood throughout the body. Unlike skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle cells are branched and cannot divide.

  • How does muscle hypertrophy occur in skeletal muscle cells?

    -Muscle hypertrophy in skeletal muscle cells occurs due to an increased production of contractile protein units, such as myofibrils and sarcomeres, within the muscle cell. This increase in contractile units contributes to the muscle cell getting larger and stronger.

  • What is the difference between hypertrophy and hyperplasia?

    -Hypertrophy refers to the increase in size of a cell, while hyperplasia refers to an increase in the number of cells. In the context of muscle, hypertrophy involves muscle cells getting larger, whereas hyperplasia would involve an increase in the number of muscle cells.

  • Why is the heart's inability to regenerate muscle cells a concern in the case of a heart attack?

    -In the case of a heart attack, damaged cardiac muscle cells are replaced with scar tissue because these cells cannot divide and regenerate. This can reduce the heart's efficiency in pumping blood and may lead to complications.

  • What is the role of satellite cells in skeletal muscle?

    -Satellite cells are small stem cells found between mature skeletal muscle cells. They have the capacity to fuse with one another or with damaged muscle cells to help regenerate the muscle tissue. However, their contribution to muscle regeneration is limited and cannot fully compensate for significant muscle damage.

  • How do training principles for strength differ from those for hypertrophy?

    -Training for strength typically involves higher intensity lifts (close to a person's one-rep max), longer rest periods, and a focus on compound exercises. Training for hypertrophy often involves lower intensity lifts with higher rep ranges (8-15 reps), shorter rest periods, and a mix of compound and isolation exercises.

  • What is the significance of the sarcoplasmic reticulum in muscle cells?

    -The sarcoplasmic reticulum is a modified smooth endoplasmic reticulum that stores calcium within muscle cells. Calcium is crucial for muscle contractions, and the development of more sarcoplasmic reticulum is one of the changes that contribute to muscle hypertrophy.

  • Why might a larger muscle not always be proportionally stronger?

    -A larger muscle might not be proportionally stronger due to sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, which is an increase in fluid content within the muscle cells. This can lead to an increase in muscle size without a proportional increase in strength.

  • What is the role of the nervous system in strength training?

    -The nervous system plays a significant role in strength training by improving coordination and recruitment of motor units. This adaptation contributes to the overall increase in strength observed in individuals who engage in strength-based training routines.

Outlines

00:00

πŸ’ͺ Introduction to Muscle Growth and Physiology

This paragraph introduces the common human curiosity about increasing muscle size and the reality that some individuals have achieved significant muscle growth. It sets the stage for a discussion on the physiological principles behind muscle growth and the differences between muscle strength and size. The speaker also introduces the three types of muscle tissue in the human body: smooth, cardiac, and skeletal, explaining that these tissues have distinct characteristics and functions. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of understanding muscle fibers and their role in muscle size and strength increases.

05:00

πŸŒ€ Exploring Smooth and Cardiac Muscle Tissues

This paragraph delves into the specifics of smooth and cardiac muscle tissues. Smooth muscle, found in the walls of organs and tubes within the body, is under involuntary control and can grow through hyperplasia, increasing the number of cells. Cardiac muscle, unique to the heart, is also under involuntary control and cannot divide, but can still increase in size through hypertrophy. The paragraph highlights the importance of understanding these muscle types, especially in terms of their growth and the implications for health and exercise.

10:01

πŸ‹οΈβ€β™‚οΈ Understanding Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy and Training

The focus shifts to skeletal muscle tissue, which is under voluntary control and is the primary type targeted in resistance training for muscle size and strength. The paragraph explains the process of hypertrophy in skeletal muscle cells, which involves an increase in contractile protein units, leading to larger cells capable of generating more force. It also discusses the role of satellite cells in muscle regeneration and the limitations of muscle cell division. The paragraph further explores the differences in training routines for strength versus hypertrophy, including the types of exercises and rep ranges commonly used.

15:01

πŸ“Š The Nuances of Strength and Hypertrophy Training

This paragraph examines the distinctions between strength-based and hypertrophy-based training routines, highlighting the physiological adaptations that occur with each. Powerlifters, who focus on strength, develop more contractile protein units and improved nervous system coordination. Bodybuilders, aiming for hypertrophy, may experience an increase in muscle cell size partly due to sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, which could explain the sometimes disproportionate increase in size without a corresponding jump in strength. The paragraph concludes by emphasizing the need for further research to fully understand these adaptations and encourages viewers to explore more about muscle physiology.

Mindmap

Keywords

πŸ’‘Hypertrophy

Hypertrophy refers to the increase in the size of an organ or in this case, muscle tissue due to the enlargement of its cells. In the context of the video, hypertrophy is the process by which muscle fibers increase in size, which is a key focus of the discussion. The script explains that hypertrophy in skeletal muscles is achieved through resistance training and involves an increase in the production of contractile protein units, contributing to a stronger muscle.

πŸ’‘Muscle Fibers

Muscle fibers, synonymous with muscle cells in the script, are the basic contractile units that make up muscles. They are essential to the video's theme as they are the building blocks of muscle tissue. The script mentions that the biceps, for example, is composed of thousands of muscle fibers, and understanding them is crucial for grasping how muscles grow and function.

πŸ’‘Smooth Muscle

Smooth muscle is a type of muscle tissue found in the walls of organs and tubes within the body, such as the digestive tract and blood vessels. The video script explains that smooth muscle is under involuntary control and is involved in processes like peristalsis in the digestive system. It is highlighted as an important type of muscle tissue that grows through hyperplasia and hypertrophy, as seen in the uterus during pregnancy.

πŸ’‘Cardiac Muscle

Cardiac muscle is a specialized muscle tissue found exclusively in the heart. The script describes cardiac muscle cells as being larger and branching, unlike skeletal muscle cells. This type of muscle is also under involuntary control and has its own pacemaker. The video emphasizes that cardiac muscle cells cannot divide, which is a critical point when discussing how the heart adapts to exercise and maintains strength without cell division.

πŸ’‘Skeletal Muscle

Skeletal muscle is the type of muscle tissue attached to the skeleton and is responsible for body movement. The script focuses on this type of muscle when discussing exercise-induced hypertrophy, as it is the primary muscle type targeted in resistance training. Skeletal muscle growth is limited to hypertrophy since the cells cannot divide, and the script explains how this muscle type adapts to training to increase in size and strength.

πŸ’‘Muscle Tissue

Muscle tissue is one of the three main types of tissues in the body, responsible for contraction and movement. The video script delves into the different types of muscle tissue, including smooth, cardiac, and skeletal, each with unique characteristics and functions. Understanding muscle tissue is fundamental to the video's exploration of muscle growth and strength.

πŸ’‘Myofibrils

Myofibrils are thread-like structures within muscle cells that are composed of the proteins actin and myosin, which are essential for muscle contraction. The script mentions myofibrils as part of the contractile units that increase in number during hypertrophy, contributing to the muscle's ability to generate force.

πŸ’‘Hyperplasia

Hyperplasia is the increase in the number of cells within a tissue. The video script contrasts hyperplasia with hypertrophy, noting that smooth muscle can grow through hyperplasia, which involves cell division. This is an important distinction when discussing the growth of different types of muscle tissue.

πŸ’‘Resistance Training

Resistance training, also known as strength training, is a form of exercise that involves working against an external force to build muscle strength and size. The script explains that resistance training is a primary method for inducing hypertrophy in skeletal muscles, which is a central theme of the video.

πŸ’‘Powerlifting Routines

Powerlifting routines are specialized exercise programs designed to maximize strength gains. The script contrasts powerlifting routines with bodybuilding routines, noting that powerlifters focus on high-intensity lifts with longer rest periods and prioritize compound exercises over isolation exercises to build strength.

πŸ’‘Bodybuilding Routines

Bodybuilding routines are training programs aimed at developing muscle size and aesthetic appearance. The script explains that bodybuilders often incorporate a mix of compound and isolation exercises, with a focus on higher rep ranges and shorter rest periods to stimulate muscle hypertrophy.

Highlights

The human body contains three different types of muscle tissue: smooth, cardiac, and skeletal.

Smooth muscle is found in the walls of organs and is under involuntary control.

Smooth muscle can grow through hyperplasia, increasing the number of cells.

Cardiac muscle is found only in the heart and has a unique branching structure.

Cardiac muscle cells cannot divide, making the heart's strength gains different from other muscles.

Skeletal muscle attaches to the skeleton and is under voluntary control.

Skeletal muscle cells also cannot divide but increase in size through hypertrophy.

Hypertrophy is the increase in size of muscle cells, involving more contractile protein units.

Different training principles are used for strength versus hypertrophy.

Powerlifters focus on high-intensity, compound exercises for strength gains.

Bodybuilders use a mix of compound and isolation exercises for muscle size and aesthetics.

The nervous system plays a role in strength gains by improving motor unit recruitment.

Hypertrophy training may lead to sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, increasing fluid content in muscle cells.

Testosterone contributes to muscle growth but can also lead to hair loss in some individuals.

The IR restore Elite device is a low-level laser therapy option for hair loss.

Muscle tissue characteristics and training principles are crucial for understanding muscle growth and strength.

Muscle fibers, or cells, make up the whole muscle and can be referred to interchangeably.

The largest smooth muscle mass in the human body is the uterus.

Transcripts

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most of us at some point have probably

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wondered what it would be like to have

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bigger muscles and some have worked to

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turn that Wonder into a reality as there

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are people that have developed

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incredible increases in the size of

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their muscles but what is actually going

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on when you increase the size of a

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muscle and what are some important

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training principles to stimulate muscle

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growth well today we're going to discuss

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these training principles and for even

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more fun we're going to dive into the

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physiology of muscle and talk about some

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of the characteristics of muscle tissue

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that allows for these amazing size and

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strength increases plus we'll discuss if

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there's an actual difference between

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increasing strength versus increasing

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the size of a muscle it's going to be a

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hypertrophic one so let's do

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this as we get into this discussion

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about increasing muscular size did you

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know there are actually three different

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types of muscle tissue in the human body

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and I'm not talking about fiber types

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here like fast twitch or slow twitch I'm

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talking about actual different types of

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muscle tissue and I think going over

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these different types of muscle tissue

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will give us an even greater

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understanding on not only how we

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increase muscular size but also what's

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going on at the cellular level plus it's

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just really cool to know the differences

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in muscle tissue now as we talk about

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the muscles I do want to say that often

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you hear the phrase muscle fibers and

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these are actually the muscle cells that

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make up the whole muscle like the biceps

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is made up of thousands and thousands of

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muscle cells but just know know that if

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I ever say muscle cells or muscle fibers

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I'm talking about the same thing but on

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to the different types of muscle tissue

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and these are non- stried or smooth

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muscle stried cardiac muscle and stried

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skeletal muscle striad refers to this

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strip likee pattern these dark and light

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alternating bands that can be seen under

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the microscope but from here on out

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we'll just simply refer to them as

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smooth cardiac and skeletal muscle

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tissue now all three of these different

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types of muscle tissue have this amazing

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ability to contract but they also have

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some major differences like where you

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find it in the body how it's hooked up

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to the nervous system differences in

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architecture and structure and of course

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differences in how muscle tissue grows

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and gets bigger and stronger with smooth

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muscle tissue the muscle cells are

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smaller and have this spindle likee

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appearance and you find smooth muscle

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lining the walls of your organs I often

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will tell students if it's a tube or a

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hollow structure it's likely going to

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have smooth muscle built into the wall

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now that may sound a little bit funny at

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first but we have a lot of tubes inside

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of us our digestive tract is a tube we

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have respiratory tubes blood vessels

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urinary tubes and many genital

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structures are tubes and all these have

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smooth muscle built into the wall that

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will contract to move along and or

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influence the flow of what's ever inside

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the tube now smooth muscle is under

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involuntary control it can work

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reflexively and is controlled by your

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autonomic nervous system so luckily you

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don't have to think about it but could

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you imagine if you did have to think

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about Contracting all the smooth muscle

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in your body

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like if you ate a cookie you might have

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to pause stop what you're doing and

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think about Contracting the muscles of

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the digestive tract and maybe even

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include some Shimmy Shake maneuver to

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move that nutritious cookie around one

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of the bends of your dunum and your

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intestines are over 20 ft long so that

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would be quite the distraction during

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your already busy day but luckily you

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don't have to do that because your

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autonomic nervous system does this for

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you automatically but I do think that we

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should be grateful or at least have a

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moment of silence or moment of gratitude

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that the very very beginning and the

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very very end of your digestive tract is

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skeletal muscle which is under voluntary

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control I mean could you imagine if your

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external anal sphincter was smooth

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muscle and it just opened and closed

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whenever it wanted to that would be a

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disaster literally and here's a little

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quiz question for you do you know what

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the largest smooth muscle mass is in the

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human body here's a little hint I don't

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have it

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it's actually the uterus now I grew up

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with three sisters and they definitely

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had some very interesting ways to

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describe how the smooth muscle making up

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the uterus was not under voluntary

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control during menstrual cramping this

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thing just contracts however and

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whenever it wants to right and I

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shouldn't laugh because I can't really

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experience that but even during labor

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it's involuntary Contracting so as

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another FYI when everybody in the

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delivery room is saying okay give me a

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push it's not like mom has the ability

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to contract the uterus during labor more

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forcefully mom is actually Contracting

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the abdominal muscles which will

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increase the intraabdominal pressure

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which will assist the uterus in pushing

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a baby out but one last point I want to

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make about smooth muscle and we can also

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relate this to skeletal muscle growth

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and this is that smooth muscle can also

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grow and get larger and it does this

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through a process called hyperplasia

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which is an increase in the number of

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cells and keep that in mind when we talk

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about cardiac and skeletal muscle

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there's going to be an important

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difference there and so think about the

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uterus again when pregnancy occurs the

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uterus goes through dramatic changes and

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gets huge and part of the reason for

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this is that the smooth muscle cells

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will divide and therefore increase the

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overall number of smooth muscle cells

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making the uterus bigger plus those

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smooth muscle cells can also just get

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larger which when a cell gets larger we

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call that hypertrophy so two processes

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can contribute to the overall increase

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in size of the smooth muscle hyperplasia

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and hypertrophy but let's see how this

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works with the heart and skeletal muscle

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tissue cardiac muscle tissue as the name

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implies is only going to be found in the

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heart and under the microscope these

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cells are longer and larger than smooth

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muscle cells and the cardiac muscle

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cells branch which we'll see is

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different than the skeletal muscle cells

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now obviously these cardiac muscle cells

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will contract and make the heartbeat

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pumping the blood throughout the body

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and as you may have guessed cardiac

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muscle tissue is under involuntary

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control it has its own built-in

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Pacemaker and it is is also hooked up to

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the autonomic nervous system now I have

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had some students occasionally argue the

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point that their cardiac muscle tissue

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is voluntary for some reason and then I

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usually look them in the eye and I say

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something like make your heart beat it

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52 beats per minute now go we don't have

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that kind of direct control over our

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heart we obviously know that our heart

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rate will increase if we go running down

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the street or if we relax and do deep

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breathing generally our heart rate will

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go down but again this is not a direct

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precise control over our heart rate now

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something that I hinted to earlier that

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is important for us to consider with

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cardiac muscle is that cardiac muscle

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cells cannot divide and that's different

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than what we learned with smooth muscle

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and let's think about this from two

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different perspectives from a clinical

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perspective and an exercise perspective

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from a clinical perspective if you kill

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any of those cardiac muscle cells you

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can't really replace them and that's why

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something like a heart attack also known

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as a myocardial infarction can be so

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detrimental if you have heart attack

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that kills a lot of these cardiac muscle

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cells they get replaced with scar tissue

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and then the heart will not be able to

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contract as efficiently as it did before

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but from an exercise perspective if the

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cardiac muscle cells can't divide how

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does the heart get stronger well let's

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answer that question and keep it in the

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back of our minds after we get into a

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little bit more detail with skeletal

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muscle tissue now if you've spent much

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time thinking about muscle you may have

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also thought about testosterone and its

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contribution to building muscle but

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sometimes test testosterone contributes

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to other things like in some of us

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testosterone can get converted to

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dihydrotestosterone or DHT in the hair

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follicles of the scalp and this is one

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of the factors that can result in hair

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loss luckily if you're one of those that

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is concerned about hair loss there are

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we'll also include that information in

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the description below skeletal muscle

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tissue as its name implies attaches to

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and moves the skeleton there are a few

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exceptions to this like the muscles a

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facial expression actually attached to

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and move your facial skin so you can

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show emotions and make all sorts of

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funny faces and expressions of people

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the skeletal muscle is what we typically

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think about when we are working out and

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increasing the size of our muscles

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mostly through resistance training

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skeletal muscles are under voluntary

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control and for the most part we can

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contract them whenever we want to but

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again here's something that's very

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important similar to cardiac muscle

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cells skeletal muscle cells cannot

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divide now for all the physiology nerds

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out there I do need to mention satellite

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cells satellite cells are these small

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stem cells embedded between the larger

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mature non-dividing skeletal muscle

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cells but these satellite cells retain

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the capacity to fuse with one another or

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with damaged skeletal muscle cells that

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can help regenerate these damaged muscle

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cells however the number of new skeletal

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muscle cells that can be formed by

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satellite cells is not enough to

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compensate for significant skeletal

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muscle damage or degeneration and so

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skeletal muscle tissue that has been

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damaged significantly will still be

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replaced by Scar Tissue and therefore

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any regeneration of skeletal muscle

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tissue is greatly limited so again with

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mature skeletal muscle cells not being

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able to divide and the limitations we

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just discussed with these satellite

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cells how do do our skeletal muscles get

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bigger and stronger well you've probably

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seen this coming and hopefully you

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learned some cool stuff along the way

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but the skeletal muscle cells that you

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already have just get bigger and when

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cells get bigger as we've already

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mentioned we call this hypertrophy and

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even though we're going to focus the

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remainder of our discussion on skeletal

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muscles and talk about what's actually

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going on during hypertrophy I do want to

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just mention that this is also how

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cardiac muscle gets bigger and stronger

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the cardiac muscle cells that you do

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have just get bigger and they undergo

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hypertrophy as well but what exactly

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happens when our skeletal muscle fibers

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or skeletal muscle cells undergo

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hypertrophy hypertrophy is due to an

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increased production of the contractile

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protein units within a skeletal muscle

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cell maybe you've heard of these

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contractile units before like myof fial

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and sarir and we have a video coming

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soon going into the amazing details of

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the myof fibral and sarir but for today

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know that these myof fibral and the

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sarir within them generate the force

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inside the skeletal muscle cell and the

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increased production of these units is

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one of the major contributors to the

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muscle cell getting bigger but other

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changes also contribute to hypertrophy

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such as the development of more

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mitochondria and other organel within

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the muscle cell for example the

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sarcoplasmic reticulum which is a

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modified smooth endoplasmic reticulum

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that stores calcium within the muscle

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cell and as an FYI calcium is extremely

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important for muscle cell contractions

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increased fluid content within the

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muscle cell can also contribute to high

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hypertrophy and we're going to discuss

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that in a little bit more detail in just

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a minute but hypertrophy results or is

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stimulated I should say from forceful

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repetitive muscular activity which is

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often done through resistance training

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and because hypertrophied muscles often

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contain more myofibrils and therefore

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sarer in general a larger muscle with a

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greater cross-sectional area is capable

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of producing more force or in other

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words is stronger but obviously an

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important part of this video is what

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exactly is meant by forceful repetitive

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muscular contractions what does this

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mean for the specifics of an exercise

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routine well this does depend a little

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bit on the person because for example

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almost anyone that is just starting with

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resistance training and lifts relatively

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heavy weights will increase strength and

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muscular size with a variety of

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different rep and set schemes but as

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people get more advanced you start to

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diverge more into is your main goal

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strength or is your main goal

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hypertrophy because as you get more

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advanced you will start to train a bit

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differently for those two goals and you

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start to get more into powerlifting

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routines versus bodybuilding routine in

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general those that have strength as a

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main goal follow more of a powerlifting

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routine and the lifts tend to be higher

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in intensity so a higher percentage of a

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person's one rep max these would be

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loads or weights that someone may only

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be able to lift one to five times and

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because of the higher intensity the rest

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period is typically longer with people

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resting about 3 minutes sometimes even

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up to 5 minutes in between sets

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they also tend to make compound

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exercises the staple of their routines

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and often don't include a lot of

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isolation exercises and just to be clear

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a compound exercise would would involve

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multiple joints and multiple muscle

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groups like a squat or a bench press

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whereas an isolation exercise would

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typically involve one muscle group and

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one joint like a biceps curl now for

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those that are more concerned with

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hypertrophy you start to follow more of

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a bodybuilding routine compound

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exercises are often a part of this

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routine but they tend to do a greater

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amount of isolation movements than those

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that are more concerned purely with

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strength and if hypertrophy is the main

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goal then there obviously is some

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interest in how the muscles look

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aesthetically and so these isolation

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movements can allow for more specific

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targeting of certain muscles to really

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get that balanced look in physique and

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in general the loads are a lower

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percentage of a one rep max compared to

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that which powerlifters use this doesn't

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mean the routines are easy the weights

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are still somewhat heavy but with higher

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reps common rep numbers would be

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something they could lift 8 to 15 times

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there are routines that work for

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hypertrophy and bodybuilding that can

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have higher reps and even sometimes

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lower but in general that 8 to 15 is a

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good place to start and due to the

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weight of each lift generally being

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lower than in powerlifting the rest

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periods are often shorter from about 60

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to 90 seconds and the overall lifting

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volume per session and even throughout

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the week is typically higher and this

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training strategy tends to be a greater

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stimulus for hypertrophy more so so than

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strength but you might be thinking wait

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a minute Jonathan you told us earlier

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that a big part of what causes

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hypertrophy is an increase in the

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production of the contractile protein

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subunits within a skeletal muscle so

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isn't a bigger muscle a stronger muscle

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well in general yes but again as you get

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more and more advanced you start to see

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more of a Divergence between

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strength-based routines versus

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hypertrophy based routines and therefore

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this results in differences in the main

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physiological adaptations that occur now

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clearly these two adaptations strength

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versus hypertrophy don't exist

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completely in their own little bubbles

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because if you look at powerlifters

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whose main goal is strength they

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obviously have large muscles and if you

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look at bodybuilders whose main goal is

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muscular size and hypertrophy they

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obviously are still quite strong so in a

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way all we are seeing is a greater

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manifestation of one of these two

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adaptations if you're mostly concerned

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with strength and you are following more

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of a powerlifting routine you're going

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to get a greater manifestation or

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development of more of those contractile

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protein units the myof fibral and the

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sarir which as we already learned are

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what produces the force within the

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muscle cell plus there's a major

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contribution from the nervous system the

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nervous system will get better at

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coordination and recruitment of more

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motor units with strength-based training

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and therefore this nervous system

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adaptation is going to be something else

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that contributes to the greater strength

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that you can see in powerlifters if

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you're more concerned with hypertrophy

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and following more of a bodybuilding

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routine yes you are going to get

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increases in the contractile protein

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units but part of that increase in size

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is theorized to come from an increase in

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the fluid content within the muscle

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cells and this is referred to as

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sarcoplasmic hypertrophy which is kind

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of this disproportionate increase of the

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sarcoplasmic fluid compared to the

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increase in the number of myof fibral

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giving us a theory as to why people may

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not see a proportional increase in

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strength with their increases in

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muscular size as they get more advanced

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in their bodybuilding routines now just

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to be clear the sarcoplasm is just the

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cytoplasm or the inside fluid containing

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area of a muscle cell and again

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increasing the fluid within the

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sarcoplasm will give an overall increase

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in the size of the muscle cell now as

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I've hinted we don't exactly know all

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the reasons why this cop plasmic

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adaptation occurs but we do see the

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differences between bodybuilders and the

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powerlifters so hopefully more answers

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to come with further research in the

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future but hopefully this did give you

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some useful information about the basics

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of different training methodologies of

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strength versus hypertrophy and

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hopefully you enjoyed learning more

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about the different types of muscle

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tissue found in your body and if you're

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interested in learning more about

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muscles as we age we'll link some videos

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on screen here and thanks for supporting

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the channel let me know what muscle

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tissue you think is the coolest in the

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comments and we'll see you soon

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Muscle GrowthHypertrophyStrength TrainingPhysiologyMuscle TypesExercise RoutineBodybuildingPowerliftingMuscle FibersHealth Education