Fighting Back Against Diminishing Muscle Gain Over Time
Hey Angels and Alphas,
There’s nothing better than the initial “beginner gains” that one experiences the first few months after going to the gym. But those beginner gains seem to fizzle out a year or two in consistent training, and ultimately, what you’re left with is the fact that gains ineviably slow down. Understanding why this happens and how to adjust your expectations and training strategies is essential for continued progress and long-term success. Let’s talk about it.
The Reality of Muscle Gain
When you first start training, muscle gains come quickly due to the body’s initial adaptation to the new stimulus. These “newbie gains” can last for a year or two, especially when following a structured training program. However, muscle growth is not linear and tends to slow down over time due to several physiological factors.
Reasons for Slowing Muscle Gains
- Capacity Limitations: As muscles grow larger, the body’s ability to repair and nourish them does not scale proportionally. Your gastrointestinal and circulatory systems, which deliver nutrients and oxygen to your muscles, remain relatively the same size. This imbalance slows down the rate of muscle growth.
- Surface Area to Volume Ratio: Muscle fibers increase in volume faster than their surface area, which is where nutrient absorption occurs. This means that as your muscles grow, the efficiency of nutrient uptake diminishes, further slowing muscle growth.
- Myonuclear Domain Ceiling: Muscle cells have a limit to how large they can grow, controlled by the number of nuclei within each cell. When a muscle cell reaches its maximum size, additional growth requires the activation of satellite cells, a process that also has its limits.
- Hormonal Balance: As muscle size increases, the availability of anabolic hormones like testosterone becomes relatively diluted. The same amount of hormone now has to support a larger muscle mass, reducing its effectiveness.
- Systemic Fatigue: Heavier weights and more intense workouts lead to greater overall fatigue. As you lift heavier weights, your body requires more recovery time, reducing the frequency and intensity of your training sessions.
- Genetic Ceiling: Each individual has a genetic potential for muscle growth, influenced by factors such as the myostatin gene, which inhibits excessive muscle growth. This genetic ceiling means that no matter how hard you train, there is a natural limit to how much muscle you can gain.
- Range of Motion Reduction: As muscles grow, the range of motion in certain exercises can decrease, reducing the effectiveness of the workout. Limited range of motion, especially in the stretched position, can hinder muscle growth.
Strategies for Continued Progress
Adjust Expectations: Understand that muscle gains will slow down over time. Instead of aiming for large increases in muscle mass with each phase, set smaller, more realistic goals.
Incremental Progression: Add smaller increments of weight to your lifts as you advance. While you might have added 5-10 pounds each week initially, as you get stronger, adding even 2.5 pounds can be significant.
Focus on Technique: As gains slow, maintaining proper form and technique becomes even more crucial. This ensures that you are effectively targeting the muscles and reducing the risk of injury.
Intelligent Programming: Utilize advanced training techniques like pre-exhaustion methods to maximize muscle fatigue with lighter weights, reducing systemic fatigue while still promoting muscle growth.
Nutrition and Recovery: Prioritize nutrition and recovery. Ensure you are consuming enough protein and calories to support muscle repair and growth, and allow adequate rest between training sessions.
Continuous Learning: Stay informed about the latest sport science research and incorporate evidence-based strategies into your training regimen. This can help you find new methods to stimulate muscle growth.
Bringing it all together…
Muscle growth is a complex process influenced by various physiological and genetic factors. While initial gains come quickly, they inevitably slow down.
By understanding the reasons behind this and adjusting your training and expectations accordingly, you can continue to make progress and achieve your fitness goals. Embrace the journey, set realistic goals, and stay dedicated to your training and nutrition.
