{"id":19036,"date":"2020-12-04T21:08:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-05T01:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=19036"},"modified":"2020-12-07T17:07:16","modified_gmt":"2020-12-07T21:07:16","slug":"understanding-muscles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/understanding-muscles\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Muscles Can Help You Build Strength"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What do you know about your muscles? Why is understanding muscles<\/a> important for body recomposition?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 4-Hour Body<\/em> discusses the idea of body recomposition, or working to reshape what your body is made of. Understanding muscles is one of the first steps if you’re trying to lose fat and build muscle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading for a better understanding of muscles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Understanding Muscles<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Muscle fibers are made of two pieces:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Myofibrils are filaments that contract muscles. Myofibrillar growth (adding more filaments) increases the strength of muscles and makes them a little larger. This growth is caused by doing a few reps (1-5) with a lot of weight (80-90% of the heaviest weight you can lift once).<\/li>
  2. Sarcoplasm is the liquid around the myofibrils that stores energy. Sarcoplasmic growth (increasing the volume of fluid) increases the size of muscles and makes them a little stronger. This growth is caused by doing more reps (8-12) with lighter weight (60-80% of the heaviest weight you can lift once). (Bonus: This kind of training also creates more capillaries, which help the body deliver nutrients more efficiently.)<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Both myofibrils and sarcoplasm are important. Some people deprioritize the sarcoplasm because it\u2019s \u201cjust water,\u201d but water helps promote protein production and dehydration decreases muscle endurance. Finally, the size of sarcoplasm is important because when the sarcoplasm grows, its potential for energy storage increases as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Supplements: PAGG<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    The third recomp factor is supplements. The author recommends taking a combination of supplements with the acronym PAGG<\/a> to aid fat loss:<\/p>\n\n\n\n