While engaging in bodybuilding, some notice a sufficient increase in muscle mass, while others, despite exhausting exercise and a protein diet, cannot build muscle in any way. Dry muscle tissue consists of 80% protein, and the structure of muscle fibers consists of several types of protein and enzymes. And depending on their content in human tissues, muscle growth is carried out.
Analyzing the reasons why muscles grow, it is possible to highlight the activation of protein synthesis in the body, as well as a decrease in the rate at which it breaks down. Regular intense training, which activates catabolism, promotes the accumulation of proteins in various muscle groups, and the process of its synthesis in muscle tissue can be illustrated by the example of the following diagram. Inside the nucleus of a muscle cell there is a DNA molecule, where data on the structure of the body's proteins are "recorded". At the same time, a clear sequence of amino acids in various proteins that directly affect muscle mass is fixed in the DNA. If a certain protein is synthesized in the cell, then the protein amino acids are combined into one molecule. The RNA molecule itself, when synthesizing proteins by the body, is more likely not a "consumable", but a kind of "construction plan". Since most of the genes in the muscle cells of the body remain inactive, each RNA molecule can trigger the synthesis of many protein molecules. They contain only one or a few variations of the amino acid sequence on which the type of enzyme or protein depends, so when considering how muscle grows, it is possible to link protein synthesis with an increase in muscle mass. Experiments show that increased protein synthesis is observed several hours after the end of training, when the muscular system is still experiencing the effects of stress. And yet why does muscle grow - through a protein diet, amino acid synthesis, or exercise? Scientists argue that even with the right diet for building muscle mass, training is indispensable, since protein synthesis by RNA molecules is enhanced only in cases where the muscles are under intense physical exertion. Do anabolic steroids containing the hormone testosterone affect muscle growth? The use of doping allows athletes to achieve accelerated muscle growth and the formation of dense muscle mass much faster than with regular training and a protein diet without the use of steroids. At the same time, in the muscle fibers themselves, the number of nuclei increases significantly, in each of which protein synthesis occurs. Some bodybuilding athletes use injections of growth hormone, a growth hormone that accelerates the process of cell division, thereby increasing muscle mass as quickly as possible.
