what exactly creates hypertrophy?

[piehole]

what is it that creates hypertrophy? when arnold would say he trained for the "pump" is that because the "pump" is what causes it?

 

[view]

load/stimulus placed on the muscle is what causes hypertrophy. pump does not necesarilly produce hypertrophy per se.

 

[Tom Treutlein]

Read up on HST. It's the only collection of peer-reviewed science that actually uncovered the mysteries of muscle growth. Don't think of it as a program, but rather a set of principles and fundamentals that should be incorporated into a training program if hypertrophy is the main goal.

The HST FAQ: http://www.hypertrophy-specific.com/cgi-bin/ib3/ikonboard.cgi?;act=SF;f=13

And here is an excerpt from part of that FAQ, on page 2, the topic titled "The basics of HST":

Short summary

In order of importance:

1) Satellite cells must be activated, differentiated, and fuse with existing fibers, donating their nuclei.

2) Mechanical stress must be transmitted to the sarcolemma (mechanotransduction) and contractile protein structures within the sarcomeres. This will trigger focal adhesion kinases (FAK) that in turn initiate the downstream signaling events leading to an increase in the contractile and cytoskeletal protein expression/synthesis.

3) pH and oxidative stress must be acutely increased within the muscle fiber.

Focusing just on the workout, this pretty much sums it up. If #1 doesn’t happen, you will not grow…ever. If number two doesn’t happen, you will grow a little, but you will soon reach the limits of the sarcoplasmic/nuclear ratio and growth will stop. If #3 doesn’t happen, you will still grow quite significantly, but the rate of growth might be enhanced or facilitated if #3 is achieved.

#1 is achieved when a certain level of microtrauma is experienced by the fibers. This is brought about by load, eccentric contractions, and to a much lesser extent, hypoxia (A.K.A. #3) When load, eccentric contractions and #3 occur, each fiber will produce and release muscle specific-IGF-1 (sometimes called mechano-growth factor) The IGF-1 in turn seeps out of leaky sarcolemmas and acts on nescient satellite cells to initiate #1. Microtrauma is rapidly reduced from workout to workout (Repeated bout effect) thereby limiting the effectiveness of any given load to induce further hypertrophy.

#2 is achieved by loading a muscle that is actively contracting.

#3 is achieved by contracting a muscle (doing reps) until you create an oxygen deficit and subsequent hypoxic byproducts (e.g. lactate and oxygen radicals).

The afore mentioned physiological principles of muscle growth are what we follow in order to ensure that 1,2 and 3 happen.

Source Link: http://www.hypertrophy-specific.com/cgi-bin/ib3/ikonboard.cgi?;act=ST;f=13;t=12
There's more in this thread to read, all technical good stuff, if you truly want to understand.

 

[JL_204]

thanks for the good info. I might give HST a try after my 2nd run of the 5x5.

 

[Madcow2]

what is it that creates hypertrophy? when arnold would say he trained for the "pump" is that because the "pump" is what causes it?

If you are inclined to really learn something about training, and know more than Arnold has ever known about the subject in really short order (although there are no guarantees such knowledge will make you a better BBer than him) you'd probably benefit from reading this rather long thread. It's a pretty solid overview of training theory covering all the basics. I will warn you that it's probably going to be a lot more advanced that what you might find in Flex or some such but this is actually true, very valuable and applicable (plus, you won't fall for all the Flex and Weider BBing crap anymore). http://forum.mesomorphosis.com/showthread.php?t=8500