DEMYSTIFYING WEIGHT TRAINING (335 words)

Muscles are perhaps the only tissue that can grow in size throughout the life span, albeit, subject to need (and of course nourishment) as sensed by the existence of external stimulus. This is the underlying principle of weight training. As is evident, the cross sectional area of the muscle mass (with the length being assumed constant in persons of similar height) is the direct measure of strength.

Muscular mass is built this way: the body is staggered and the nervous system stunned through the application of overwhelming and yet liftable weights. This will result in a series of neuro—muscular adaptations that ends with an increased muscle mass, which, as the body understands, was needed for those unbearable weights. Thus the load/resistance and the training intensity are maintained or increased according to the needs of the specific sport or that of the person.

Hypertrophy is the excessive increase in the size of an organ or in general of the body. This takes place due to increase in muscular cell size. Weight training, apart from the Pamela Anderson way, helps to accomplish healthy, useful and attractive body bulk. Advanced weight trainers may witness condition known as hyperplasia, which is the progressive bulk exhibited by a bodily organ (or tissue) due to increase in the number of cells. This active and renewed cell division may be due to the enhanced demand that is placed on them.

Weight training is as destructive as it is effective. Weights yield astounding results and cause debilitating pain as well. Those who are in their forties and beyond and people who only wish to maintain a routine of meaningful exercises must desist from progressive loading. Weight training only teaches you to use your (skeletal) muscles. For this to happen, no weight should be so light so as to allow more than 8-10 repetitions on a particular movement.

Able bodied young men taking up weights must, however, push the limits and graduate to the advanced training forms of Bodybuilding, Power lifting and Weightlifting.