Myofibrillar/Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy And Purpose
Not all increases in the circumference of one’s arms and legs are created equal. This is due to the fact that there are two types of muscle growth. One, where the size of the contractile fibers increases is called myofibrillar hypertrophy. The other is where the fluid between all the fibers increases in volume called sarcoplasmic hypertrophy.
In one, you have a smaller bag but more chips, and in the other, you have fewer chips but a larger bag.
Just like with the chip bag every one of us can be fooled by the appearance that’s on the outside. There’s this phrase that to this day drives me up the wall and that is, “Perception is reality.” Sometimes it is, but often it's best to withhold your judgments and observe. I still believe that this framework breeds laziness and lack of discernment. In terms of fitness and health, this leads one to look at a bodybuilder as the perfect specimen. Although it took a great deal of dedication and focus to get where they are we should ask a couple of things…
How much time is spent developing and maintaining such a body?
How much money is spent?
How much gut-busting food do they need to eat?
Can they run around in the woods with a pack and a rifle as good as a special forces operator?
Are they a better Neighbor, Brother, Son, or Father after such training?
Can they wrestle a professional who weighs 50 to 70 pounds less and pin them successfully?
Can they discern when those in power are commanding them to partake in questionable things?
Life is all about purpose and self-improvement. The spare time we have and our ability to focus will shape how efficiently we can approach these two aspects. I love some escapism and hobbies like the next guy but in these times we are living in I believe our lives can be better served finding balance in the things that matter. I believe overall health, strength, and performance matter. Size comes last to all of these in my opinion. For most who are involved in resistance training or bodyweight training after a while, you will grow but the question is how much of it is contractile muscle? In addition to this, what are the benefits of the different types of growth?
Keep in mind hypertrophy simply means the increase in the volume of an organ or tissue.
Sarcoplasmic Growth & Benefits
Sarcoplasm is the fluid in between the various bundles of muscle fibers that are themselves controlled by, “Motor units.” This fluid contains several things.
Glycogen(A stored form of glucose for fuel)
Creatine Phosphate (Regenerates ATP from ADP)
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) (Required for Muscle Contraction and Blood Flow)
Within the sarcoplasm, you have the molecules for fuel as well as the ability to turn that fuel into usable energy. Therefore, the larger the sarcoplasm the more work you can do.
The main benefits of this form of hypertrophy are a higher work capacity(endurance) as well as getting to buy larger shirts because, in a sense, your limbs are growing in size. However, I should add that this does little for strength and if you're not training frequently enough this store of fluid will depart as quickly as it came based on some research.
Scour the youtube calisthenics community long enough and you will stumble on the concept of, “Prison Style Push-Ups.” These are push-ups performed in the lengthened position only meaning that the only movement occurring is between when your chest is touching the ground to when your arms are bent at a little more than 90 degrees. Some of these dudes definitely have size and they can probably do a great many push-ups. Depending on their weight this might transfer over to a good bench press. However, this comes at a price because this training needs to be at a high frequency every week(apparently it won’t make you as sore) and the time needed to complete such workouts with 100s of reps might be hard to fit in. Without this, you will tend to lose the size or, “pump.” If you have the time, however, get after it and tell me what you think.
Myofibrillar Growth & Benefits
“And there is a third, and it seems to me an ideal way, which not only brings a muscle to its maximum size and greatest beauty of outline but also gives it enormous contractile power.” (p 89 Liederman Secrets of Strength)
Couldn’t have said it better myself. It's not the fluid that’s increasing but the contractile elements themselves. This will gift a person with greater strength but not as much size as sarcoplasmic. You will be as strong as you look. In order to accomplish this sets and reps need to be kept low but not low enough to where it’s just a pure strength feat. Anywhere between 5 and 15 reps is ideal and add a little more you’ll be bringing some sarcoplasmic hypertrophy along with you.
One that has developed this form of hypertrophy will be without the abundance of elements in the sarcoplasmic fluid like ATP, Creatine, and Glucose which contribute to work capacity. However, I do believe that there’s a point where through strength and improved muscular efficiency it’s as if your endurance increases anyway which I talk about here.
Training in such a fashion will also get you closer to Central Nervous System(CNS) Fatigue if one isn’t careful. That’s why it's important to space out your workouts. It's not how much you train but how much you improve.
Additionally, and this could be a plus or a minus, you will not need to keep buying new clothes due to you outgrowing them.
Look
“Furthermore, the strength exercises produce an entirely different kind of muscle. Repeated strength-exercises create the maximum of size, and bring out the full beauty of outline; while the lighter exercises only produce muscles of moderate size, which will have but little strength and less shape.” (p 158 Liedeman Secrets of Strength)
The look between these two sides of the coin that is hypertrophy is a puffy look versus a dense look. I believe a hairless chimpanzee is one of the best examples of the dense musculature look. Not huge but it looks tough.
Calisthenics
With progressive calisthenics, it will help you to stay more on the center path. Instead of doing light weights for high reps you will be moving your body. As you add sets and reps your body will adapt and grow larger. An individual at 170 pounds that can perform a max of 10 Muscle-ups will be stronger than one at 150 that can perform the same amount. But It will be important that you progress in the movements you are able to pull off. There are dudes on YouTube with impressive physiques that do just bodyweight. Their lengthened partials of push-ups for high reps will stimulate sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. If they continue with this, get larger, and stick with their pull-up and squat work there will be some strength gain but not as much as with progressive calisthenics. Keeping your set/reps low and progressing to more difficult variations after two sets of 15(at the most) is a more time-efficient and myofibrillar-stimulating way.
Overcoming Isometrics
“A consistent finding in all three of the training regimes studied, and in the study of Horber, Scheidegger, Griunig & Frey (1985), was that the radiological density of the muscle showed a small but consistent increase. This could occur for a number of reasons: a decrease in the fat content of the muscle, an increase in the packing of the contractile elements or an increase in the connective tissue content. A consequence of the former two possibilities would be an increase in the force per unit area.” (D. A. Jones and O. M. Rutherford)
The above quote is from a study looking at the effects of various forms of training(Concentric, eccentric, & isometric) on muscle growth. Although not a huge increase intense isometrics does bring about that myofibrillar form of hypertrophy. The force generation period for the overcoming isometrics in this study where only four seconds and it was repeated a few times. Multiple reps of longer durations( 6 - 12s) will most likely yield better results.
Protein Requirments
Unfortunately, I can’t locate studies talking about if there are differences in the protein requirement between sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar hypertrophy. I believe there is. My only guess is that the latter will require someone to be more on their game with accounting for the amount of protein they are consuming each day. I only bring this up because there are dudes on YouTube in the calisthenics realm who rave about veganism. Because that’s what our overlords want for the rest of us plebians their videos will gain views at a faster rate influencing more to travel down that route. My body doesn’t do stellar on a largely plant-based diet but theirs does. Without going into genetics which I’m not fond of for various reasons, the important thing I have to remember is that our training is different. Most of these dudes have crazy stamina from high reps of calisthenics aka sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. Therefore, not as much protein is needed for the growth of their arms or legs. What is needed is fluid which their plant-based diet supplies. You can still get protein from a plant-based diet but the concern is not only the amount but the quality as well. Therefore, if you’re training in a more myofibrillar way be weary of your protein intake.
Wrap Up
Mass and no strength or strength and no mass. However, there is always another way. With all the things that are going on these days and given my background, I’m more of the type of guy to focus on how I function and move through space and time. Size isn’t all bad but it could be a distraction from other things in life. Whatever you do, have a plan.
Thank you for making it to the end and comments are below.