From the Guidelines
Muscular mass can increase through a process called muscle hypertrophy, which is best achieved through resistance training, as evidenced by the most recent and highest quality study 1.
Key Points to Consider
- Resistance training is essential for increasing muscular strength and mass, and it is considered important for adults to promote healthy aging 1.
- To build muscle effectively, engage in progressive resistance training 2-4 times weekly, targeting major muscle groups with exercises like squats, deadlifts, bench press, and rows.
- Consume 1.6-2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily, spread throughout the day, to support muscle growth.
- Ensure sufficient calories to support growth, adequate sleep (7-9 hours nightly), and rest days between training sessions for the same muscle groups.
- The optimal resistance training prescription for patients involves 1 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions, undertaken on 2 to 3 days each week, with initial loads equivalent to 60 to 70% of the one repetition maximum 1.
- Resistance training has greater potential to improve muscle mass and strength than endurance training, and it elicits a reduced cardiorespiratory response compared to endurance exercise, making it an attractive option for individuals with advanced lung disease or comorbidities 1.
Benefits of Resistance Training
- Increases muscular strength and mass
- Improves bone mineral density
- Enhances exercise capacity and health status
- Reduces cardiorespiratory response and dyspnea
- Improves functional capacity and quality of life
Important Considerations
- Age, genetics, and hormonal factors affect how quickly and significantly muscles can grow, but nearly everyone can achieve some degree of muscular development with consistent training.
- The combination of constant-load/interval and strength training improves outcome to a greater degree than either strategy alone in individuals with chronic respiratory disease 1.
From the Research
Muscular Mass Increase
- Muscular mass can increase through resistance training (RT) and proper nutrition 2, 3, 4.
- Resistance training is the only non-pharmacological intervention known to consistently improve skeletal muscle mass, strength, and power 2.
- Muscle protein synthesis (MPS) is more sensitive to changes in protein feeding and loading, making it the primary determinant of gains in muscle mass 3, 5.
- The consumption of protein after resistance exercise can lead to an augmentation of MPS and, over time, can result in muscle hypertrophy 3, 4.
- Creatine supplementation has been shown to increase lean muscle mass and exercise capacity when used with short-duration, high-intensity exercise 6.
Factors Influencing Muscular Mass Increase
- The dose of protein, source of protein, and timing of post-exercise protein ingestion can influence the magnitude of the resistance exercise-induced increase in MPS 3.
- Resistance exercise variables such as frequency of sessions, time under tension, volume, and training status play roles in regulating MPS 3.
- Adequate nutritional support is necessary to support muscle growth and hypertrophy 4, 5.
- The dynamic balance between the synthesis and degradation of myofibrillar proteins in muscle is the metabolic basis for muscle hypertrophy 5.