Hyperplasia vs. Muscle Hypertrophy

In today’s post I want to talk about two terms which are often used in the world of bodybuilding and which may cause some confusion. Both refer to growing the size of your muscles.

The first is Muscle Hyperplasia and the second is Muscle Hypertrophy. I want to go over the difference between these two terms, what they mean, and how they can be achieved

Muscle Hyperplasia

Hyperplasia is a medical terms which describes a condition in which the number of cells in a particular organ increase dramatically. I’m not talking about the size of the cells but the actual number of them.

This can often lead to unwanted results such as swelling, unseemly growths, etc. While hyperplasia is often harmless, such as in the case of post-pregnancy breast tissue, it may have unwanted effects.

Naturally, if you could control hyperplasia and focus its effects on muscle tissue, you may experience an increase in muscle size and strength, which is why so many bodybuilders are infatuated with the idea of muscle hyperplasia.

However, achieving it is not so easy. In fact, up to this point in time I have yet to see any research which shows how it may achieved in humans. Some animal studies do point to various exercises and routines which may induce hyperplasia but the only way in which this can be achieved in humans is through the use of various hormonal supplements, which may carry certain risks.

So, for the moment, the dream of increasing the number of muscle cells at will is still unfulfilled.

Muscle Hypertrophy

This is the regular increase in muscle size and strength which is achieved by weight training and it’s the regular and natural form of muscle building.

Hypertrophy has two types: Myofibrillar Hypertrophy and Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy. Each has its own use when you’re trying to build up muscle and strength.

Myofibrillar Hypertrophy is the strength oriented muscle growth. When you achieve this kind of hypertrophy you increase the density of the muscle cells by adding more fibers to the muscle already there. This improves strength and ability. However, as you’re increasing density, this growth may not be so apparent. It’s more of a toning and shaping sort of muscle growth than one done for size.

This kind of hypertrophy is achieved by working with big weights and low reps. Anywhere from 2 – 6 reps per set will create more density vs. size.

Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy is the size oriented muscle growth. When this is achieved, your muscle cells fill up with sarcoplasm, a fluid like material which makes the cells swell like a balloon. This makes the muscles visually bigger and it is this kind of muscle growth which accounts for the many “untoned” muscle builders that you see in many gyms.

This kind of hypertrophy is achieved by working with high reps, 7 – 12 is a good number.

To achieve a big and ripped body, you need to combine both kinds of muscle hypertrophy, neither is good or bad. You have to be able to play the two together to not get “too big” but be out of shape. A good program which helps you do just that is Visual Impact Muscle Building.

In Conclusion

Muscle hyperplasia may be good in theory but it is not something that you can achieve without resorting to extreme measures. The way to grow muscles is to focus on making the cells bigger and not by fantasizing on what it would be like to have more of them.