Staying in good physical shape implies effort and dedication, since it means exercising regularly. Especially if we have specific goals, such as increasing the volume or strength of the muscles, we must bear in mind that it will be necessary allocate time to train on a daily basis.
However, many people do not have much free time, so it is worth asking if there are methods to reduce the training time required, for example increasing the intensity of the exercises.
A process sustained over time
The truth is that until relatively recently there was a widespread belief that exercise intensity It is the crucial factor in its effectiveness when it comes to gaining muscle mass. However, the most recent evidence indicates that, although important, the fundamental aspect is frequency.
This is due to the very nature of the process by which our body increases its muscle mass. When training, and especially when doing strength exercises, what is happening is that we are causing microscopic lesions in muscle fibers. The body, then, sets in motion mechanisms to repair this damage, building new muscle fiber from amino acids, which are nothing more than the components of proteins (for this reason, it is also key to take care of the amount and types of protein that we consume usually to maximize the effectiveness of training).
The intensity of this exercise (in the case of strength exercises, the weight that the muscle moves) determines the speed at which these microcracks occur and their severity. Thus, a more intense exercise will suppose a greater effort for the body when it comes to restoring the damage caused, and this naturally results in a greater gain in muscle mass. However, if the frequency is not high enough, this difference will not be significant.
question of balance
Thus, it seems that what eventually translates into considerable gains in muscle mass is support this process of muscle reconstruction over time, before intense and intermittent exercise, and provide the body with the necessary materials to carry it out (proteins).
However, it is necessary to point out two things. The first one is that as a muscle gains strength (which, although it is not the same as muscle mass, will happen as we train), it will suffer fewer micro-injuries at the same intensity of exercise, so to sustain the increase in muscle mass we must also increase the intensity of the exercise. exercise.
The second is that in the same way that it is important that the muscle fiber reconstruction process is maintained over time, it is also important to give the body the necessary time to repair the damage suffered during exercise. Therefore, it is necessary to find a bbalance between exercise and rest to avoid serious damage.