What Is Hypertrophy And Should You Be Doing It?

Hypertrophy refers to the increase and growth of your muscle cells, per Byrdie. This occurs when muscle protein synthesis exceeds muscle protein breakdown, which causes your muscles to increase in size and volume. Muscular hypertrophy can be achieved through strength or resistance training with free weights. However, you can also engage in calisthenics, like squats, push-ups, and crunches, for four sets of 8 to 15 reps. By stimulating your muscles, muscle fibers will get damaged and repair themselves, becoming larger and stronger in the process.

Generally speaking, you can expect to see results within eight weeks of implementing these exercises into your workout routine. You don't want to push yourself too hard, however. This could lead to injury. That's why it's important to take some time to rest and recover between workouts. "Make sure you're maybe doing some lighter movements or stretches throughout the day and definitely try to walk/move as much as possible," Katie Kollath, a certified personal trainer and co-founder of Barpath Fitness, told Byrdie.

Hypertrophy is associated with a number of important health and fitness benefits, according to Live Science. Since hypertrophy builds muscle mass and increases the overall size of your muscles, it can help make you stronger. Beyond that, however, it can increase your basal metabolic rate and help you burn more calories. This means that the more muscle tissue you build, the more calories you'll burn. In other words, hypertrophy can potentially lead to weight loss, depending on the length and intensity of your workout.

Increasing your muscle mass can also promote bone health and help increase your bone density. As it turns out, your muscles pull on your bones when they contract, which can let your body know that it needs to deposit more minerals to help strengthen your bones. Unless you have an underlying orthopedic condition, anyone can safely engage in and benefit from hypertrophy to a certain extent.