Questions tagged [muscle-mass]
The muscle-mass tag has no usage guidance.
198
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Why do sprinters have muscular arms?
I would like to know why all Olympic sprinters have muscular arms. They probably have muscular arms to help them sprint, but the reason is unclear. These are the two paradoxes I cannot fathom:
Heavy ...
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3
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Why is muscle size not proportional to strength?
This guy claims that Olympic powerlifters working in the 1-6 rep range can increase strength without increasing muscle size.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/topicoftheweek8.htm
Trained Olympic ...
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votes
4
answers
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If I can't get plenty of sleep, should I be doing anything different when trying to put on mass?
Getting plenty of sleep is really important for putting on size - something I am very aware of.
Unfortunately, various circumstances lead to me not being able to get to the gym until about 9:30PM at ...
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3
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Is there a benefit to weightlifting without pushing yourself?
Sometimes when I'm at the gym, I am not motivated enough or I don't feel energetic enough to really push myself and force myself to really struggle with those last 2-3 reps in each set. Times like ...
- 1,926
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6
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Is increasing resistance the only possibility to build more muscle mass?
I've often read and heard that you can only build more muscle-mass (get stronger), if you continuously increase the resistance weights (e.g. here).
But for me, it's the case that I'm often not able ...
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1
answer
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Gyming does not add bulk to my body, it only puts my body into good shape
I am a 23 year old, 5 foot 5 inches tall, 52 kg male. Judging by my BMI, I'm not underweight, but I still look skinny. I am not weak (I think) as I can do 60 push ups (20-20-20), 10-12 pulls ups and ...
user4853
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Does muscle mass help or hurt for powerlifting and other strength sports?
When training for powerlifting, olympic lifting, strongman events, etc., the majority of training cycles in an overall program would be focused on strength (myofibular hypertrophy) and perhaps power.
...
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Why do compound exercises build more mass than isolation exercises?
I've heard this a million times:
If you want to get massive, you have to do compound exercises, not
isolation exercises.
A specific example is the Hodge twins suggesting to do chin-ups rather ...
- 7,247
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3
answers
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How can I gain weight and muscle weight?
I'm a 15 year old teenager, I am terribly underweighted due tot he fact when I was smaller I had nutrition issues (Skipping breakfast on most days, not eating consistent food, eating junk food, etc). ...
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7
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Is it possible to effectively build muscle mass using resistance bands?
I will be living in Africa for the next year, with little access to a gym. I was thinking about purchasing a portable gym resistance band set, but I'm skeptical of the efficacy of resistance bands in ...
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Is the strain on your heart the same if you are overweight due to muscle or fat?
I believe there is increased strain on your heart if you are overweight due to body fat. However I am overweight due to my muscle mass. Since I started training my BMI has gone from the middle of ...
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How do I know if I’m losing fat or muscle mass?
If I work out and do treadmill to become fitter with the goal of losing weight, how do I know if I’m losing muscle mass or fat if I’m losing weight? Thanks.
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How does muscle build up when we exercise?
I want to put on some muscles, so I thought the best way to get started is to learn how the process of muscle build up works. I want to start from the basics to get good results.
So, how exactly do ...
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What does academic research say about the relationship between squats and hGH/Testoterone?
I hear a lot of advocacy of squats as a method for producing testosterone and human growth hormone as part of exercise-induced muscle hypertrophy.
I cannot, however, find any academic research on ...
- 553
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Best timing and amount of protein intake for building mass
I'm 18 years old and started bodybuilding two years ago. To build muscle mass, I want to optimize my diet/nutrition.
I know that 2g of protein per 1kg body mass would be a good choice and one doesn't ...
- 304
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votes
4
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Losing muscle despite doing exercise
I'm on a diet for more than two months. It is variant of ketogenic, but high in protein instead of fat. I cut off the carbs but use a reasonable amount of healthy fats, and the rest is mostly protein (...
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I seem to lose muscle size quickly if not working out for some time. Why?
Not months of lay off but no more than 10 days takes my muscles, especially of my arms, from looking big and feeling hard to something that doesn't make me look like I lift serious weight. It stays in ...
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To add mass to my legs, should i lift heavy with few reps or lighter with 12-15 reps?
To add mass to my legs, should i lift heavy with few reps or lighter with 12-15 reps?
For legs I did 5 sts of 5 reps:
Squats
Leg Press
Straight Legged Dead Lift
Leg Extension
Leg Curl
Every 5th ...
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votes
1
answer
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Rationale behind Rep Range recommendations - Strength vs Hypertrophy
It makes no sense to me why the rep range for “hypertrophy” and body builders is according to NSCA and many other sources is 3 sets and 10-12 reps.
At the most basic level cross bridges formation ...
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When does maximum muscle repair and growth take place after a strength workout?
Every strength routine includes rest days between workouts, so that the natural processes of tissue repair and muscle growth are allowed.
I guess this process of repair and growth happens mostly ...
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2
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Is stretching more difficult once the muscle mass is bigger?
I was wondering if, assuming one gains lots of muscle while not stretching regularly, the process of stretching is more difficult or at least more painful after.
This isn't about the benefits of ...
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3
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How long does it take for muscles to recover?
I lift weights to get stronger and to look better, I wonder how long does it take for muscle to recover after workout. I do typical workout routine for every muscle group, I work out every muscle ...
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Is it effective to do 2 sets for size and 2 sets for strength?
I've read a lot about size gains vs strength gains, where the difference is substantial and where size is certainly not linear to strength.
Strength appears to come from low reps with very heavy ...
- 1,926
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1
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What's the relationship between gaining muscle mass and strength? How do I increase in strength without increasing in mass?
This question is a follow on from https://fitness.stackexchange.com/a/11884/5376.
I assumed that as I get stronger, my muscles will get bigger, but it seems that this is not a strictly linear ...
user5376
7
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1
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List of muscles by volume in average man
Is there any research-based list of muscles and muscle groups by their volume or mass, in average men (or even any subset of healthy human population)?
It's easy to find statements like gluteus ...
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General advice for continuing my weight training effectively
I've been going to the gym 5 days per week rarely missing a day for the last 4 months now, with the aim to put on as much muscle mass as possible. Until about 3 weeks ago I have been able to increase ...
- 1,926
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1
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Good clean bulking meals
I've been clean bulking for a long while but after eating the same things for a long while it gets hard to keep eating it every day. Do you guys have any advice on meals with many complex carbs, ...
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What are you views on progress between rep range vs. fixed reps?
Assuming the goal is to progress in size and strength using weight training, what are you thoughts on a routine that either:
1) Uses a rep range of 5-8 (for example), where you start workout day 1 ...
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Are drop sets effective?
A very commonly performed action in bodybuilding is the drop set. In which, you do your working sets. Then on the last set, you go to failure, drop the weight, go to failure, drop the weight, go to ...
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How many reps are ideal for increasing muscle mass?
Research
In Ultimate Bodybuilding: The Master Blaster's Principles of Training and Nutrition Joe Weider says the following:
I learned that the best repetition range for building muscle mass is
5-...
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4
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Home weight gaining exercise list
I want to gain some more weight with a better shape. But unfortunately I don't have enough time to go to a gym. I am trying to some push ups (3 sets) and some free hand exercises at home.
I am not ...
user861
5
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5
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Training your forearms with weights?
I found a lot of forearms exercises and most of the times I barely feel them actually doing something ,so I want to ask the community about some forearms exercises for building mass and muscle (...
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Are there advantages to breaking up a workout?
For instance, say you're doing an HST (Hypertrophy-Specific Training) routine, and you can choose between Routine 1 ad Routine 2. In Routine 1 you would be doing 3 full-body sessions per week, and in ...
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Getting in shape after age 30+
I was thinking to start working out to get a nice muscular body, but is it worth it considering I'm 32 years old already? Is it too late?
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How do I gain lean muscle mass as a vegetarian or vegan?
I am a vegetarian and interested in gaining muscle, bone weight, and other non-fat mass. I do eat eggs but I plan to stop eating that too and turn to complete veganism. If I exercise less and eat more ...
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How Much Protein Do I Need To Build Mass?
I am a female. 113 pounds. I am going to start working out because I want my butt to get bigger. I have whey protein. These are the questions I have:
How much protein do I need overall in order to ...
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How can I change my diet and exercise routine to look like Daniel Craig?
I started going to the gym around June/July, and so far not doing too badly.
I'm 5'7" and currently weigh 12 and a half stone (175 lbs). Not too fat or not too skinny.
Here is my current workout:
...
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Average Muscle breakdown by percentage (by weight) of the total
One often hears lower body accounts for 40% of total muscles mass. Going a step further, would it be possible to estimate for an average body, a given muscle group percentage of the total?
Is there ...
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Are supersets an effective way to gain size?
Following is my Chest and Back split:
3 supersets of flat barbell bench press/flat dumbbell flyes (10-12
Reps)
3 supersets of incline barbell bench press/decline dumbbell flyes (7-9
Reps)
...
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Will doing heavy deadlifts once a week increase muscle size?
Because of time problems due to school, I only go to the gym once a week. On that day I do heavy deadlifts to get stronger (one of my goals), triceps, and calves.
I'm small, and am wondering if this ...
5
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3
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How to influence the pace of muscle memory?
Muscle memory is a reality more than ever.
I'm getting back to training after a long period of inactivity that made me lose all adaptation in terms of size, strength and conditioning.
I've been ...
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What are realistic rates of muscle growth?
As a preface, there are obviously several factors that go into such a consideration. Therefore simply assume that we are looking at a genetically average individual who has gone through puberty and is ...
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Strength without size [duplicate]
What exercises can I try for building strength without mass? I am 15, 130 lb, and 5'7. Also take note that I don't have equipment and am not able to go to the gym. Could you please give a detailed ...
user27022
4
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2
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How long does muscle growth from a workout actually take?
If one does a single workout and measures the size of the muscle both immediately before it and a week afterward, then presumably it would be bigger after than before. But what if the second ...
4
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1
answer
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Are protein powders unhealthy for a teen athlete? [closed]
I startet working out 5 months ago. Until now i havent used anything that didnt come from my kitchen table. Yesterday i ordered from bodybuilding.com a 5 lbs gold protein and 15 quest protein bars. Im ...
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How can a vegetarian ectomorph put on lean muscle mass?
I know there has already been a question relating protein to vegetarianism, but the answers mostly speculated on whether it was possible for vegetarians to get enough protein.
Which kind of diet ...
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Walking in order to burn fat
I am currently reading Biochemistry for Sport and Exercise Metabolism, and there is an interesting chart that shows how if your exercise pace is low (e.g. walking), human body is primarily using body ...
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increasing muscle size / mass and protein intake
I have a mild chronic kidney disease, through which I have an elevated creatinine level and decreased kidney function. Due to this, I cannot take good amounts of protein, and need to follow a ...
4
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2
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Is there good scientific evidence on the effectiveness of rest days for building mass?
I'm wondering if there is any study that compares two groups doing identical exercises, except that one group has fewer rest days than the other.
I have seen a lot of conflicting evidence on the ...
- 553
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Weight training advice for ectomorph female?
I am pretty active,but nursing injuries now. I haven't started lifting heavy yet.
I have come across many sites that suggest ectomorphs to train with compound moves only while a few others opine that ...