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Muscle Breakdown and Repair - Avoiding the Pitfalls

Gaining Muscle seems like a straightforward process at first glance. You go to the Gym, lift some weights and your muscles grow. However, the complicated science of muscle growth, and the dangers of muscle breakdown and degradation mean that careful consideration should be given to how we work out, what we eat to recover and what are fitness goals are.

Understanding What’s Happening

When we work out, we are causing muscle breakdown. In the aftermath of the workout, our body makes repairs to this muscle tissue. However, the kind of workout we do, influences what kind of muscle is rebuilt. For example, aerobic exercise such as jogging tells our body we need smaller leaner muscle fibers that are more aerobically efficient. So if our goal is to gain muscle size, the muscle breakdown and repair caused by aerobic workouts will not help us reach this goal.

Give Your Body Repair Materials

Our body needs carbohydrates and protein in order to cope with muscle breakdown and make the proper repairs. If we work out on an empty stomach, are body releases a hormone called Cortisol, which is very damaging to our muscles. This is the “emergency energy” chemical in the body. We may have energy but we are getting it at the cost of muscle growth. Before a weight training session, we should take some carbohydrates to keep our body’s energy reserve high. After a workout, an intake of protein makes sure that the body has what it needs to repair these fibers. Working out on an empty stomach and not eating afterwards does not cause your body to burn fat. It releases Cortisol and tells your body to get protein from wherever it can; your muscles. Starting your workout with a carbohydrate and glycogen rich drink will make sure we are burning good energy and not releasing Cortisol.

Too Much Muscle Breakdown is Bad

Some people think that the more they workout, the more gains they are going to see. But unfortunately, working out too much can actually cause a loss of muscle size and actually cancel out the time you spend working out. Research shows that the first set we do with the heaviest weights, has the most gains, swapping quantity for quality will not result in bigger gains.

Understanding Muscle Breakdown and how it will affect the development of your muscles cannot be underestimated. Make sure the time you spend working out is really leading you to successful gains.