Definition of Muscle Mass

The Muscle mass is the volume of total body tissue that corresponds to muscle. From the point of view of body composition it corresponds to lean mass, the other two types of components are body fat and water.

There are three types of muscle, the heart muscle that is part of the heart, the smooth muscle that is found in the viscera and the skeletal muscle that is the tissue that we know as muscle itself, this function is to allow us to carry out the different movements and maintain the position.

Muscle is able to respond to increased demand by increasing its mass, which allows it to achieve greater force and resistance. This process originates what is known as muscular hypertrophy, which is nothing more than the increase in the size of the muscle as a result of training and that we can see at its maximum. expression in bodybuilders.

Increasing muscle mass can be achieved through physical training, this will vary depending on the goal you want to achieve. When looking to increase muscular endurance, training focuses on the number of repetitions, while when seeks to increase strength, and therefore muscle size, it is necessary to work with more weight or resistance and less repetitions.

This training must be accompanied by an adequate supply of nutrients, especially those carbohydrates which are the source of Energy most used by muscle tissue, as well as phosphocreatine. The latter is necessary to increase the working capacity of the muscle in anaerobic conditions such as occurs in exercises such as weight lifting, which is achieved by improving muscle performance with a less consumption energetic avoiding fatigue and production of lactic acid product of metabolism of the muscle that is responsible for muscle pain after exercise.

Phosphocreatine is produced from various amino acids in organs such as the liver and pancreas, especially after ingestion of food like meats, eggs, and dairy, it can also be obtained from various supplements.

The opposite extreme of muscle hypertrophy is Sarcopenia, a condition typical of aging characterized by decreased muscle mass that results in symptoms such as weakness and decreased of the strength. This condition occurs in the very lean elderly and can also be seen in cancer patients.