- NEW: Ask Lani Forum
- Feature Article: Taking the Mystery Out Of How Muscles Are Made
Hi ,
Ah, crisp apples! One of the wonders of winter. I'm having at least my one-a-day. This morning it was a fuji, chopped over our bowl of steaming whole oats that I'd cooked up fresh in our rice cooker. Yumm!
Did you know that your muscles are biochemically
POISED for growth? Yup, they are just waiting for you to challenge
them and are ready to JUMP at the chance to make themselves stronger
and more beautiful. Read all about it in today's Feature Article.
On to news. New Year, new projects! It is with great pleasure that I announce my new position as Fitness Expert for Dr. McDougall's Health and Medical Center. Be sure to come by and say hi in the "Ask Lani" forum.
Fit Quickies #1 (and #2!) will be ready in days. Can't wait to share these new nuggets with you!
Hearts, hugs and stars 
 Taking the Mystery Out of How Muscles Are Made by Lani Muelrath, M.A.
We all talk about building muscle, keeping muscle mass, and wanting to have good shape to our muscle.
But how is muscle really "made"?
How do our workout efforts translate to shapelier, stronger muscle?
You've no doubt heard that muscle growth is a result of damage, or slight tears, to the muscle. This is true, so you've got the starting point.
Yet the physiological phenomenon of making muscles is actually a fascinating process, worthy of awe and respect. So why not take a closer look?
Your body is always poised to make muscle.
Skeletal muscle - to differentiate from other muscle, such as the cardiac muscle and smooth muscle - is actually the single most adaptable tissue in the human body.
Let's hear it for the satellite cells!
Located on the periphery of your muscle fibers are what are known as satellite cells. These cells are poised to act on a moments notice to respond to muscle trauma, such as the slight tearing of fiber that occurs during challenge to the muscle.
That's right, when the resistance load - or the weight you are lifting - becomes too much for the muscle to manage it its current condition, these satellite cells scramble into action to build you some fine, new muscle.
We call it muscle hypertrophy, literally meaning increase in size.
Satellite cell fusion
In the effort to repair or replace damaged muscle fibers, the satellite cells fuse both to each other and to the existing muscle fibers. This leads to an increase in the muscle fiber cross-sectional area.
As the satellite cells multiply, most of them undergo a rather rapid maturity process which readies them for fusion to existing muscle fibers to form NEW muscle protein strands. They also work to repair damaged or torn muscle tissue.
Voila! Increased thickness and number of the myofibrils of the muscle cells.
Muscle building in a nutshell
Here's a recap of the muscle-building process. Simplified.
1. Resistance training that overloads the current capacity of a muscle to contract with the amount of resistance leads to trauma or injury of the cellular proteins in muscle.
2. Satellite cells are signaled to begin muscle growth and repair.
3. Adaptive change to the muscle in response to #1 - overload stress of resistance exercise - begins immediately upon the incidence of muscle overload, resulting in muscle growth, or hypertrophy.
Muscle building may start right away, but we must be patient - and persistent!
targeted body shapers under 5 minutes!
Join dozens of other women February 2010...
Take 10 Weeks And Change Your Life....
Next session: 2010
Holistic Fitness Lifestyle Coach Lani Muelrath, M.A., specializes in helping women succeed in their w*eight and body shaping dreams by transforming their relationship with their body, eating, and exercise. Rewriting behaviors and patterns into those that are consistent with the fitness, health, mental outlook and positive energy we desire is her forte!
With over 30 years of experience as a teacher, coach, and trainer, Lani is a Guest Lecturer in Kinesiology at San Francisco State University, and is recipient of the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Instruction. She created and starred in her own CBS TV show, and is the Healthy Living Examiner at examiner.com. She has some exciting and effective programs for women who want to move forward in their fitness - and lives. Her compassionate and knowledgeable approach combined with expertise in fitness as well as inner transformation and tools for mastery make it possible.
Lani overcame her own lifetime struggle with w*eight over 10 years ago when she lost 50 lbs, which she has maintained easily with the tools that she now teaches in her signature program, Woman's Fitness BluePrint: An Action Plan for Success.
SlimPerfect
SlimPerfect, Inc. was listed as "Best Brands" for swimwear in an article titled "Best Bathing Suit For Any Body (Yes, We Mean Yours)" for "Sizes 12 & Up" and "To Take Inches Off" in the May issue of O Magazine at Oprah.com.
Zen At The Push Of A Button. Improve mental clarity, equanimity, and reduce stress with this simple, scientifically proven system. See Right Sidebar on Blog Homepage for link for a FREE sample.
Establish optimal alignment, build muscle and a strong core, and create overall wellness without jumping or the use of weights.
For Women:Using weight training exercise and interval training to burn f*at and build muscle.
will question everything you've ever been told about eating for fat loss. Brad's book turns the industry upside down and shows you how to eat normally, while making one slight, easy change that could be the missing link in your fat loss nutrition program.
You may absolutely share this newsletter with people you think may enjoy it. When doing so, please forward it in its entirety, including our contact and copyright information.
FitDream Ezine is written by Lani Muelrath:
© 2009 Lani Muelrath Fitness International
All Rights Reserved |
