Over eight weeks, people new to weight training can build muscle in their biceps and triceps by doing exercises with either strict technique or controlled momentum, as long as they push to the point...
Mechanism
Synthesis from 1 study
Your muscles grow when you push them so hard they can't move anymore — whether you lift slowly or use a little swing to finish. The key is the intense pull on the muscle fibers at the end, which tells them to make more protein and get bigger over time.
Most probable mechanism
When you push your muscles until they can't move anymore, the fibers stretch and contract under heavy load, which sends chemical signals that tell the muscle to build more protein and get bigger, no matter if you lift slowly or use a little swing to finish the last reps.
Muscle fibers are subjected to high mechanical tension during maximal effort contractions, regardless of movement speed or external momentum.
This tension activates mechanosensitive pathways within muscle cells, leading to increased intracellular calcium flux and activation of mTOR signaling.
mTOR signaling stimulates ribosomal biogenesis and protein synthesis, resulting in net accumulation of contractile proteins within muscle fibers.
The cumulative effect of repeated daily tension events over eight weeks leads to measurable increases in muscle fiber cross-sectional area.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
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Do Cheaters Prosper? Effect of Externally Supplied Momentum During Resistance Training on Measures of Upper Body Muscle Hypertrophy
Contradicting (0)
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