Mechanical Tension: Cellular Activation & Biological Performance Systems

In the pursuit of achieving optimal fitness levels, it is crucial to understand the fundamental principles that govern muscular growth and strength development. One such principle is mechanical tension, which plays a pivotal role in driving adaptation and enhancing athletic performance. This paper aims to delve into the concept of mechanical tension and shed light on how it influences muscular development. By understanding the science behind mechanical tension and incorporating appropriate training strategies, fitness enthusiasts can maximize their gains and take their fitness journey to new heights.

Defining Mechanical Tension:

Mechanical tension refers to the force exerted on muscle fibers during physical activity. It occurs when muscles contract against a resistance, such as weights, resistance bands, or bodyweight exercises. The level of mechanical tension experienced by the muscles is a crucial factor in determining the magnitude of the adaptive response. When mechanical tension exceeds the muscles' current capacity, it creates microtrauma within the muscle fibers. This microtrauma triggers a cascade of physiological processes that lead to muscle repair, growth, and strength gains: Protein Synthesis.

Role of Mechanical Tension in Muscle Growth:

Muscle growth is driven by the need to adapt to increased mechanical tension. When muscles are subjected to resistance training, they undergo a process called protein synthesis, where new contractile proteins are produced to repair and strengthen the muscle fibers that experience the microtrauma. Higher mechanical tension during exercise stimulates a greater protein synthesis response, leading to enhanced muscle growth.

To optimize mechanical tension, it is essential to progressively overload the muscles by gradually increasing the training load over time (ex. increasing weights). This progressive overload principle ensures that the muscles are consistently exposed to new and challenging stimuli, encouraging continuous adaptation and growth. Incorporating exercises that allow for full range of motion and maintaining proper form also helps to maximize mechanical tension, as it targets the muscles more effectively.

Strategies to Enhance Mechanical Tension:

a.) Several strategies can be employed to maximize mechanical tension during workouts. First and foremost, focusing on compound exercises is key. Compound exercises, such as squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and pull-ups, involve multiple muscle groups and joints, allowing for the generation of substantial mechanical tension in multiple body parts. These exercises should form the foundation of any training program aimed at increasing muscle growth and overall strength.

b.) Implementing progressive overload is crucial for sustained development. Gradually increasing the weight, repetitions, or volume of training sessions ensures that the muscles are constantly challenged and forced to adapt. This can be achieved by manipulating variables such as sets, reps, intensity, rest periods, or exercise variations.

c.) Arguably by best suggestion, controlling the eccentric (lengthening) phase of an exercise can further enhance mechanical tension. The eccentric phase is associated with higher force production and muscle damage, leading to greater adaptations. By slowing down the eccentric portion of the movement and focusing on the controlled lowering of the weight, more tension is placed on the muscle fibers, promoting microtrauma, and thus growth.

Key Takeaways:

Mechanical tension is a vital component of muscle growth and strength development. By understanding the principles behind mechanical tension and employing appropriate training strategies, fitness enthusiasts can optimize their workouts to achieve remarkable gains. Incorporating compound exercises, progressively overloading the muscles, and emphasizing the eccentric phase are effective ways to enhance mechanical tension. By applying these strategies consistently and with proper technique, individuals can unlock their full fitness potential and realize their goals for a stronger, more muscular physique.

Pick the Right Workout Split to See the Right Results: Here’s How

Importance of Workout Splits

I was 14 years old the first time I went into a gym. I had been instructed by someone who had gym experience to do a couple exercises, and I was under the impression that there were just three muscle groups to train - biceps, triceps, and shoulders. I worked every one of those muscles without any rest or recovery days for a couple of weeks. As you could expect, I became exhausted. I lost motivation after not seeing any results, and I was most perplexed by my lack of development.

The night after I was about to give up, I stumbled upon a video made by Bradley Martyn. The video, if I recall correctly, was about a protein shake. Although it was not necessarily tied to the gym, I realised, with a bit of research, that their was a lot more to weight lifting than I had previously understood.

That's when I started doing my own study and devised a workout regimen that I'd follow. I began by doing a full-body split, this time exercising more than just my arms... I saw progress, gained confidence, and began working on my muscles individually, transitioning to an upper/lower body split. To keep my athletic ability, I eventually went to a PPL split.

But, as cliche as my experience may seem, it demonstrates that I, like many others, most certainly began my fitness journey on the wrong foot. Unfortunately, many people aren't as persistent as I was and have given up on weight lifting entirely. I've chosen to write a short article regarding exercise splits. This is something I wish I had known about before I started, which is why I urge all of you to read this.

To begin, exercise splits are simply the method you split or divide the numerous muscle groups you train, typically over the course of a week. Each workout split is distinct from one another. Choosing the proper one is critical to growth, and as the story above shows, the choice of exercise split may make or break your progress, regardless of how hard you train. Below you will find essential information about which split matches with your goals, as well as the overall advantages and downsides of the top 5 exercise splits I would recommend.

What to Consider When Picking the Right Split?

First and foremost, you need to establish your objectives and availability. Consider the following questions:

• What do I want to take from fitness (mental or physical)?

• How many times per week will I take time out of my day to workout?

• How long can I spend on each workout?

• What are my specific goals?

Once you've grasped the fundamentals, you can move on to learning about the different possible workout splits and how they may be tailored to your specific preferences.

Pros and Cons of My Top 5 Recommended Workout Splits

1. Full Body Split

Advantages:

• Forces you to commit to compound lifts (fastest way to get stronger, and helps with functionality)

• Flexibility in terms of schedule

• Easy for variation

• Great for beginners

Disadvantages:

• Focus on compound lifts, can lead to lack of precision lifting

• Each muscle is trained less frequently

2. Lower/Upper Body Split

Advantages:

• Can be used as strength or hypertrophy training

• Flexibility (can vary the amount of weekly sessions)

• Simplicity

• Great for beginners

Disadvantages:

• Recover time can easily be neglected

3. Push-Pull-Legs Split

Advantages:

• Great for athletes (strengthens and develops athletic movements)

• The split structure allows for faster recovery

• Good feeling of balance (motions aren’t overlapped)

• Relative flexibility and volume training

Disadvantages:

• Can become repetitive (can lead to lack of motivation)

4. Bro Split

Advantages:

• Very long recovery periods

• Focus on certain muscle groups more than others

• Heavily strength bed

Disadvantages:

• Low frequency training of each muscle group (not ideal for muscle growth)

• Very long recovery periods (Yes, it’s also a disadvantage. Long recovery periods can hinder progress and prevent maximum performance as the Muscle Protein Synthesis Process (‘MPS’) deteriorates 36 hours after training.)

• Less flexibility

5. Arnold Split

Advantages:

• Great to focus on strength training (agonist/antagonist training)

• A lot of focus on each muscle group (helpful for imbalances)

• Very high-volume

Disadvantages:

• Less flexibility

• Requires a lot of time + energy to commit to every training session

What Now?

Hopefully, after reading over each of my proposed splits, you have a better idea of which split you want to go with. Each split is equally good, thus choosing your split is ultimately determined by your specific goals.

If I were you, I would read through the questions just above again to acquaint yourself with your objectives, and then make a selection.

Your next step is to design your own program. This was the most difficult thing for me to complete in all the years I've been weight lifting. I had no idea which exercise was the best, and I had no idea how many sets or reps each exercise required. Fortunately, HustleNow has set up a page just for you. Visit the 'Create Your Program' tab to get a customised training program made especially for you!

The Hype Behind a Push-Pull-Legs Workout Split

What is a Push-Pull-Legs Split?

Push-Pull-Legs, abbreviated as 'PPL,' is a popular split among athletes. The split divides the muscle groups that are exercised depending on the primary movements that are done to target the muscle. The push day, for example, targets the pushing muscles which are the chest, shoulders, and triceps. The pull day, targets the primary pulling muscles which are the back and biceps, and lastly leg day, aims to target each leg muscle.

A PPL split may look something like this:

Monday: Push (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps)

Tuesday: Pull (Back, Biceps)

Wednesday: Legs (Hamstrings, Glutes, Hip Flexors focus)

Thursday: Push (Chest, Shoulders Triceps)

Friday: Pull (Back, Biceps)

Saturday: Legs (Quads, Calves focus)

Sunday: *Rest Day

OR

Monday: Push (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps)

Tuesday: *Rest Day

Wednesday: Pull (Back, Biceps)

Thursday: *Rest Day

Friday: Legs

Saturday: *Rest Day

Sunday: *Rest Day

* Rest days can be interspersed with core training, aerobic exercises, or anything else that will benefit from an active rest day.

Pros & Cons of a PPL Split

A PPL split is most widely utilised by athletes because similar movement patterns contribute in the development of mobility and athletic performance. In contrast, a Bro Split, or an Upper/Lower Body Split, is designed to rapidly develop muscle mass, which has a negative impact on other athletic elements like agility, and coordination.

A significant advantage of a PPL split is the high volume of training. The split allows each muscle group to be exercised about twice a week, allowing for maximal muscular growth while also being excellent for muscle recovery. Furthermore, because the split is centered on movement rather than muscle groups, users of the split feel better recovered and can thus perform better due to the limited overlap of motions done during the various exercises. The balance between high volume training, and decent recovery periods, is what makes the PPL split so unique and balanced.

The PPL split is highly adaptable, and the training frequency may frequently be modified based on personal preference. PPL is usually either a three-day or six-day regimen, as seen above, which provides for a higher training frequency than most other splits. If properly managed, the rotation can also be modified to four training-day weeks, adding on to the flexibility of the split.

An example of a 4-day training week can be seen below:

Week 1:

Monday: Push

Tuesday: Pull

Thursday: Legs

Friday: Push

Week 2:

Monday: Pull

Tuesday: Legs

Thursday: Push

Friday: Pull

Week 3:

Monday: Legs

Tuesday: Push

Thursday: Pull

Friday: Legs

Repeat.

Meanwhile, a PPL split may grow monotonous, especially if you do the same identical push/pull/leg workout twice in the same week. Repetitiveness can lead to boredom and a loss of motivation, which is the opposite of what should be done while exercising. A variety of workouts can be difficult to come by*, but if done correctly, lack of motivation shouldn't be a worry. A PPL split is highly useful, and one of the best splits I've used for muscle strength and growth.

Key Takeaways

One of the most important components of working out is properly selecting your split. A PPL split balances the volume of training as well as the rest time your body needs. Maintaining discipline is essential for any sort of workout split, but it is more important when following a PPL split due to the nature of the repetitiveness. The additional flexibility assists people with variable outside schedules and has supplementary athletic benefits for hybrid athletes. If I say so myself, I would see this as one of the best splits, if not the best!

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