#sarcoplasmic

Evan Bass Men's Clinic Says Not All Muscle Growth Is Created Equal

If you’ve ever wondered why some training makes your muscles look bigger while other methods make you feel stronger, the answer lies in the type of hypertrophy your body is experiencing. According to Evan Bass Men's Clinic, muscle growth happens through two distinct processes, sarcoplasmic hypertrophy and myofibrillar hypertrophy. Understanding the difference between them can help tailor your training approach and align your workouts with your specific fitness goals.

Both forms of hypertrophy result in muscle enlargement, but they occur for very different reasons at the cellular level. Knowing which one your current routine favors can clarify why your body is responding the way it is and how to adapt for better results.

What Is Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy?

Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy refers to an increase in the volume of sarcoplasm, the semi-fluid substance that surrounds the muscle fibers. This sarcoplasm contains stored glycogen, enzymes and other substrates essential for energy production.

When you perform high-rep, lower-load resistance training, typically 8 to 15 reps per set, your body adapts by expanding this sarcoplasmic volume. The result is fuller-looking muscles with greater endurance capacity, but not necessarily a proportional increase in strength.

This type of hypertrophy is commonly associated with bodybuilding, where aesthetics and muscle size are emphasized. It delivers that pumped, rounded look many athletes seek, especially for physique competitions or visual transformation goals.

What Is Myofibrillar Hypertrophy?

In contrast, myofibrillar hypertrophy is the growth of the myofibrils, the contractile units of the muscle composed of actin and myosin. This type of hypertrophy increases muscle density and strength by adding more contractile fibers, enabling the muscle to generate greater force.

Myofibrillar growth is primarily stimulated by low-rep, high-intensity training, think heavy squats, deadlifts or presses in the 3 to 6 rep range. The goal here is not just to look strong but to be strong. This adaptation is preferred by powerlifters, Olympic lifters and athletes focused on explosive performance.

Blending the Two for Balanced Development

While each type of hypertrophy has its benefits, most well-rounded training programs include both. Alternating between strength-focused cycles and volume-based hypertrophy blocks ensures you're building both size and function.

Periodization, structuring your workouts over time to target different adaptations, allows athletes to reap the benefits of each approach while avoiding plateaus. For example, a lifter might train for myofibrillar hypertrophy for four weeks, then shift to sarcoplasmic work for the next cycle to improve muscle fullness and work capacity.

Choose the Right Path for Your Goals

Whether you're training for aesthetics, strength or a blend of both, understanding the distinction between sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar hypertrophy can fine-tune your approach. Evan Bass Men's Clinic helps men demystify these biological processes and apply them strategically to get better results. With the right knowledge and smart programming, you can train not just harder, but more effectively.

I don’t ever particularly recommend cardio for any sort of mass building because by nature it’s well…cardio.

Here’s some science stuff:

Building muscle mass occurs primarily through an increase in the size of muscle component cells (hypertrophy.)

This is accomplished through sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, which increases the volume of cells and their ability to pool glycogen or myofibrillar hypertrophy, which increases the density of fibers in the muscles.  Bodybuilders, using more reps, tend to end up with more sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. Powerlifters/olympic lifters/strongmen, using lower reps with heavier weights, tend to end up with more myofibrillar hypertrophy.

Making those muscles grow either way usually involves progressively increasing either loads or reps. That’s the stimulus that causes all sorts of things to occur including the adaptation of your nervous system and a variety of biochemical processes and genetic activations.  Within a mere week your body already makes rapid changes to accommodate resistance.

Cardio on the other hand has very little benefit when it comes to hypertrophy.  At best it will regulate your capabilities to process fat and glycogen storage but won’t help you get thicker.

You might attempt putting a stationary bike on the maximum tension or setting it to simulate riding up a hill.  Any sort of added resistance on cardio machines, rather than their base setting might help.

One of my goals while in Chile was to get in shape. My thought process was that I wanted to wow my friends and family with some kind of transformation while I was abroad. To what extent remains to be seen. I do know that I've gained some strength; I'm really happy about that. 

So first off, my workout plan.

I started this workout around the middle of June. At the time I had access to my old high school gym. The name of the workout program is Stronglifts 5x5. Its mantra is basically gain strength, gain muscle; the more muscle, the easier it is to burn fat. It comprises of five exercises done for five sets of five reps. These exercises are the squat, bench press, barbell (pendlay) row, overhead press, and deadlift. The exercises and the program are aptly described on www.stronglifts.com.

There were numerous factors that made me check out Stronglifts 5x5.

First off, I was tired of creating my own workout routine. Those routines were based on tons of readings, and their effectiveness was based on how sore I was the next day or two. If I wasn't sore, I'd get the idea in my head that what I'm doing is AT LEAST going to result in something beneficial, ie. a great bod. Also, my workouts tried to improve all the different types of fitness at once. It was very hard to keep track of it all, and more than likely, I would quit.

Secondly, I never really felt like the old workouts I did helped with my strength. It would be a nice surprise when I did get stronger, but I never got tested for an increase in strength. When you start off, almost all of the exercises are just with the barbell. With each workout, you add weight. Did you just add weight for this workout? BOOM, you're stronger than before. Nothing convinces you more about the efficacy of something than physical evidence.

Thirdly, after some more reading, I convinced myself that I'd rather be "all go, no show" than "no go, all show". Well, I would like to "show" a bit (I'm still a bit superficial), but mainly I want to "go". Confused? Don't be. It's an expression that adequately, but not completely, summarizes the difference between two types of hypertrophy: sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar.

Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is a type of muscle growth that results in a significant increase in size but not in strength. The size is attributed to an increase in sarcoplasmic fluid in the muscles. Think bodybuilder.

Myofibrillar hypertrophy is the other type of muscle growth that results in a significant increase in strength but not in size per se. The size is attributed to an increase in myofibrils or contractile units of muscles. More units, more force. Think powerlifter.

Anyways, long story short, I'd rather BE strong than LOOK LIKE I'm strong. I have my friend Tati to thank for instilling that idea in my head; that it's cooler that I don't look I can do much, but then out of nowhere I beast. At the time, I took it as a compliment, and you should too. >.< By the way, this workout program emphasizes myofibrillar hypertrophy, if you didn't catch that implication.

Lastly, the program was, and still is, free. It's simple and easy to follow. It also appealed to my logic in the sense that the workouts all contain compound movements, ie. you're using many muscles as a whole unit to accomplish some action. When do you need to solely use your biceps? To show off? You're so shallow...:P 

So yea, that's about it. Currently, I can now squat 231 lbs, bench 138 lbs, and deadlift 248 lbs. My bodyweight is 170 lbs. Not bad for someone who only started three months ago?

Also, I like the fact that anyone can do this workout. I'm gonna try to convince my polola to workout w/ me when I get back to the States.

I'll close with this last thing; this workout can cater to whatever your body goal is. If you're an aspiring bodybuilder, this workout will give you a strong foundation to do even more w/ other exercises that emphasize sarcoplasmic hypertrophy (Go bicep curls!). If you want to be stronger and not be bulky, then you're already golden; you'll look more compact and be stronger than ever....ladies.