If you time lapsed a growing muscle, how would it develop ??

[joshddutton]

Lets see... I'm looking for some insight on how muscle grows.


I've been working out consistantly for 6 months.

Lets take the bicep developement. But this pretty much applies to every muscle for me just about.

1st Month lifting-------------------
Bicep is all soft

Second Month--------------------------------
I notice bicep is still soft except right near the elbow is starting to get really firm.

Fourth Month---------------------------------
The top of the bicep near the shoulder is firming up and the area near the elbow is really hard and dense feeling.

6th Month------------------------------------
Seems like the center of the bicep is getting as hard as the elbow and top.




Is the majority of size gained after the entire muscle is super hard and dense or would you say its even or .. size first then density.

Over a certain time period, How did your muscles grow in respect to desity/hardness versus size ?

Hopefully you get the idea... :blink:

 

[kwyckemynd00]

It tends to alternate.

At times you'll get more dense and no much bigger in terms of measurements, and at other times you may get bigger while not really gaining strength or density.

Probably has something to do with fascial stretching...just a guess though.

(note: fascia is the tissue that encapsulates the muscle and turns into tendons which attach muscles to bones.)

 

[joshddutton]

Thanks for the reply... I feel like I've gained mostly density and less size ... I'm thinking hopefully when I get dense enough the size will follow by the outer fiber catching up with the inner core ones. Just an idea though. Kinda like how the triceps adapt to support your chest muscles on bench or vice versa

I know everyone is different, but what have you personally noticed about your own growth?

 

[xtraflossy]

I think the density comes fromthe muscle fibers hypertrophing. that will continue for some time because that is your muscle adapting.
Especially when you first start to train, your pumping bmore blood to your muscle then was there beforehand.
Size comes from density. Its not so much one or the other, but think of it like you muscle fibers are taking up more space. and from a beginners standpoint, your also taking up any "free" space (I dont really mean free) you had in your tissue when your fibers hypertroph. And when those fibers get to a certin point, you'll notice that space those fibers take up was more then the size of your original bicept (this would be what you call "size").
But, it is possible to train for strength vs. growth.
Call the hypertrophy process what you like, but your fibers are just getting larger. The process is pretty much the same, but your perception may cause you to think of it as it happening one way or another.
In short,... the density is increased until YOU perceive that the size has changed,.. and your calling that growth. It's always been growth in a way.

 

[joshddutton]

Here's is a little time lapse graphic how I think it grows.

Or mine anyways... red areas are denser .. if the image is full screen shrink the window so it plays faster.


Link