A Molecular Response To Training....mTOR
Life Sciences and Molecular Cellular Biology are going to have a tremendous impact on strength coaches and their thought.
Muscle training experts are beginning to wear very thick glasses and have spindly arms and many never strength train.
The mTOR pathway is one of several molecular pathways you should get use to knowing even if your not a scientist.
It is still said, when you lift weights you tear the muscles down so they get stronger.
It is true muscles repair themselves after training, but there is nothing in the repair process itself that causes muscular growth.
musAfter a strength training session muscle repair is needed and also after injury. After injury even though repair has occurred you are left weaker. Nothing in the repair process made you stronger.
Only the training session increases muscular strength. In every scientific model of muscle hypertrophy the first response to strength training is an increase of protein synthesis.
If synthesis is more than the increase in muscle breakdown or the needed repair the muscle will get bigger and stronger, if the synthesis is less the muscle will not.
The key regulator of muscle protein synthesis after training is mTOR or said another way the mammalian target of rapamycin.
The load (intensity,load and tension are the same words) on the muscle is directly related to activation of mTOR.
With heavy weight there is more activation of protein synthesis. This also means that you should train with high tension, high intensity or high load, which will be low energy cost or low ATP in the cell.
mTOR pathway is influenced by the intracellular concentration of ATP. The best way to decrease ATP consumption is not work very long.
jake
Training should be around 60 seconds, which is the amount of high energy phosphate stored in muscle. This makes you think of repetitons differently.
In gross body movements, like a squat or a step up, not all the musculature is getting heavy work or the same tension during the movement. This causes the lifter to have to do higher reps to effectively target specific areas.
Food (protein synthesis) for thought to GET STRONG.
