Right now, there are a few questions about hardgainers and muscular hypertrophy, lactic acid and delayed-onset muscle soreness, as well as protein intake for muscle growth.
Q. I think about myself a hardgainer because I have a very hard time gaining muscle. Do you have any kind of approaches for me that will deliver results?
A. If you need a uncomplicated suggestion for mass, an overall total of thirty to sixty reps per muscle group twice per week will result in mass gains in almost all hardgainers. Using the barbell bench press by way of example, if you’re using an upper-lower split routine, you could do 5 heavy sets of five reps, and then a back-off set of 10 (5 x 5 + 10 = 35 total repetitions) on Monday and then 4 lighter sets of ten repetitions (4 x 10 = 40 reps) on the Thursday. Most hardgainer workouts need to be based on this proven mass-building tenet.
Q. What is your opinion on the concept that lactic acid causes muscle soreness?
A. Truth is, far from being a waste product, lactic acid is actually a supply of energy for your muscles. Actually, one of the reasons that intense training helps you exercise harder and longer is that it makes your muscles better at utilizing lactic acid. The notion that lactic acid is bad is among the classic errors in the history of science.
Lactic acid has absolutely nothing to do with post-exercise muscle soreness. In fact, a lot of the lactic acid is gone from your muscles soon after exercise.
Why is it that your muscles get sore a day or two after training?
A bout of unaccustomed or unusually rigorous exercise brings about inflammation – the exact same natural protection system that triggers the redness, swelling and pain if you cut your skin.
Inflammation is the body’s response to damage so helping to commence the process of repair and healing. And one of the steps in this process is a rise in the production of immune cells, which hit a high 24-48 hours after training.
These cells then manufacture chemical substances that make pain receptors within your body – which are to blame for the transmission of dull, aching pain signals – more sensitive.
The outcome?
When you move, these pain receptors are stimulated. Since they will be a lot more responsive to pain than usual, you wind up feeling sore.
Q. Exactly how much protein is needed for putting on muscle mass? I have come across advice covering anything from 1 to 2.5 grams of protein per pound of weight, and I’ve also seen some individuals point out that no extra protein is needed? Who’s right?
A. Protein specialist Dr. Peter Lemon advises 1.6-1.7 grams of protein per kilo of weight per day for anyone involved in muscle building. Therefore, a seventy kilogram man would consume around 136 grams of protein on a daily basis. The majority of bodybuilders will strive for a somewhat larger number – around 2.2 grams every kilogram (1 gram per pound) – which will give our 70-kg guy 154 grams of protein daily.
The larger amount stated (2.5 grams per pound) is just too high. Surplus protein will be burned to supply energy, used for ureagenesis or converted into sugar, and will not be transformed into additional muscle.
