What makes a muscle shrink?

[Fadi]

If you’ve answered low protein, congratulation; you are in the majority. But majority does not necessarily mean correct. If you’ve said low calories, again you’ll be in the company of many. So what is it that really makes a muscle shrink then?

Lack of usage, that’s what. Of course there are other factors too. Extremely low calories or an injury could have you seeing your muscles disappear in front of your very eyes. Don’t believe me? Then check out the man who lives at MacDonald and looks huge and fat, only to have a puny looking arm, leg or whatever he has in a sling or a cast at the time. That’s lack of use for you. Another reason why I can’t stand giving a muscle 8 days to recover from a direct training session. (I leave that subject for another article soon to come).

Some folks would like to equate everything with age. "I’m older now, therefore I can’t be like those young blokes", you hear the “old” man of 50 say. Really?
I say you can be 50 or 60 and look better than a young man of 20 if he doesn’t use his muscles. It’s what you do with what you have that makes all the difference in the long run. So with that, I say...

Use, feed, recover, and grow! (Or at minimum maintain).


Fadi.

 

[howzit]

Very true.

I appreciate your posts Fadi, very informative.

 

[Morgan]

Me too Fadi, I'm VERY keen to listen to what you have to say, your posts are great.

 

[Fadi]

Luke and Morgan, thank you both gentlemen for your appreciation. Although I was stating what I thought would be the obvious, you'd be surprised at how many people who'd quickly reach for a scientific book on the subject.

Like hey, get off your back side and do something Jack; and possibly surprise yourself!


Fadi.

 

[PowerBuilder]

sometimes you've got to be Cap'in obvious & say it like it is. Great post. Use it or lose it.


I've heard of gym rat's who have an arm in plaster & keep training, while the arm in the plaster manages to maintain a good bit of strength &/or size, tho it's not being used. What's the deal with that?

 

[howzit]

I went to the gym today, did back and bis, and this guy was doing bis the whole time since I got there. About an hour and 15 mins of different bi workouts, then he wonders why he looks like a twig.

 

[Kyle Aaron]

That's less "the muscle shrank" and more "it never got to grow in the first place."

I have those guys at my gym, too!

 

[PowerBuilder]

i did floor presses on saturday arvo. this guy, who always benches (arms like pipe cleaners) whispered to his friend, that i dont know how to bench press

 

[Fadi]

I've heard of gym rat's who have an arm in plaster & keep training, while the arm in the plaster manages to maintain a good bit of strength &/or size, tho it's not being used. What's the deal with that?

A muscle that is placed in a cast and is prevented from contracting will atrophy and may eventually die.

Scientist may want to show some results of how if you train one arm but not the other; the one that is not trained still receives "something" through some neurological pathway! I can't remember when I read something along those lines but it doesn't take an Einstein to realise that these scientist were desperate to find a way by hook or by crook to prove their case of "stimulate the nerves through some electrical charges and save yourself a trip to the gym." Funny enough, I saw this electrical "suckers" you place on a bodypart and they suppose to stimulate your muscles to grow and or get toned; they were been advertise on those morning TV commercial shows a while back now (with scientific backing of course!!!).

Just think, I could have saved myself 29 years of sweat and tears had someone giving me these "suckers" for a birthday present or something!


I say it's all a bit of a mambo jumbo if you ask me and therefore my first sentence stands.


Fadi.

 

[PowerBuilder]

that's what i figured.

Use it or lose it. Not using it...and it GROWS or maintains size / strength sounds lovely...and fairly unrealistic

 

[modo]

That's less "the muscle shrank" and more "it never got to grow in the first place."

sounds like me...

 

[domo87]

I went to the gym today, did back and bis, and this guy was doing bis the whole time since I got there. About an hour and 15 mins of different bi workouts, then he wonders why he looks like a twig.

rofl, i hope you are not talking about me as i probably spent 45 mins in the gym doing back and bi's but my last excercises are preacher curls, reverse preacher curls and concentrated curls, thus if you went to the gym when i was at the second half of my workout it would look like i was just working on my bi's

 

[DKD]

So what is it that really makes a muscle shrink then?

Lack of usage, that’s what. Of course there are other factors too. Extremely low calories or an injury could have you seeing your muscles disappear in front of your very eyes. Don’t believe me? Then check out the man who lives at MacDonald and looks huge and fat, only to have a puny looking arm, leg or whatever he has in a sling or a cast at the time. That’s lack of use for you. Another reason why I can’t stand giving a muscle 8 days to recover from a direct training session. (I leave that subject for another article soon to come).

Some folks would like to equate everything with age. "I’m older now, therefore I can’t be like those young blokes", you hear the “old” man of 50 say. Really? I say you can be 50 or 60 and look better than a young man of 20 if he doesn’t use his muscles. It’s what you do with what you have that makes all the difference in the long run.

Spot on Fadi, you've nailed a couple of things which have proved to be true for me personally. I started lifting at age 41.5. I had an 'average Joe' build in my 20s, same level of muscles as any average untrained guy. As I got less and less physically active over the next 2 decades I could feel that whatever muscle strength I had as a 20yo was deteriorating, really noticed it around mid-30s. By the time I started weight training the muscle strength was pretty terrible really. That goes to your point of lack of usage - 20 yrs of it.

My physique atm is by no means awesome, but it's definitely getting better (delts coming along pretty well, I'm getting bigger and wider there for sure). I'm in the best shape, physique-wise, that I've ever been in my life, after 9 months of consistent lifting.

Your other point of hating to work a muscle only every 8 days has also proved to be true for me. I spent the first 6-7 months or so doing a body part once-a-week split routine and thought I was making steady progress physique wise. I've increased frequency to 2-3 times per week for various muscle groups and have noticed it's working better.

 

[DKD]

Oops. I accessed this thread from a link in another thread and thought the posts were August this year.

Anyway,

BUMP

 

[PowerBuilder]

Oops. I accessed this thread from a link in another thread and thought the posts were August this year.

Anyway,

BUMP

no worries mate. it's a great thread hey

 

[Fadi]

Oops. I accessed this thread from a link in another thread and thought the posts were August this year.

Anyway,

BUMP

Well thank you DKD for bringing this thread back to life again Sir (or it would have been a case of losing it [the thread] through not using it) !

Fadi.

 

[John555]

Wow dang! ....