Hey everyone,
before i ask my question i just wanted to introuduce myself first because i have lurking around for sometime, picking up the info i am getting here, but havent really posted yet. Anyways, I am 15 year old highschool freshman. Now before you just pass my question up, i will tell you i am not some zit faced teenager looking to get HYOOOOOG!!! I read bodyopus, one of charles poliquins training books, i forgot which one, and Lyle Macdonald’s book when i was in 7th grade and that pretty much started this interest of mine with bodybuilding and nutrition. At the moment I am 190 lbs and at 10% body fat. I am in the middle of a carb-up right now, but I have been cutting for the last few weeks with a modified CKD and I am almost at my goal of 6-7% bodyfat. This site is great I love this stuff, it is pretty much what i am doin all the time is reading articles or some biology books, eating, training, or more reading. So i can keep up with the best of them, even though i am 15. I really appreciate what everyone on this forum contributes because just when i think I have got something down, someone comes in and expands on a subject! Anyways, i decided to ask this question that i have had on my mind for a while. Since I am still growing and I am in puberty still my hormones at increasing levels. GH is all ove the place, plenty of testosterone, my insulin sensitvity is good, but then there is my training. When i am making gains in mass I am wondering if since I am still putting out lots of GH and I am still in puberty are the mass gains i am making hypertrophy from satellite cells combining with my already exist muscle fibers or am I actually making more muscle fibers? I only question whether or not it is hypertrophy because I am still growing and my growth hormone is at different levels then someone older then myself. I am 5’11 at the moment. Any insight to my question would be greatly appreciated, and thanks for taking the time to read my intro.
Sup man? I’m a sixteen year old sophmore in highschool, and it’s nice to know other people around my age are into this stuff as much as I am. I too spend a lot of my time reading articles, and expanding my knowledge on all that is related to improving my body, and health. My parents think I’m obsessed, and/or have mental problems because I will not eat fast food when they pick it up, and I spend my cash on protein powder. They tell me I’m too young to be worrying about what I eat. But anyway, just wanted to let you know you’re not alone. -D
I’m 18, freshman in college (for once, I’m feeling kinda old on this board).
I’m really not sure about this, but my (admittedly ignorant) impression is that your muscle fibers DO get bigger, but I’m not sure how. I know that fat cells can split when they get too big, but I don’t know about muscle cells.
BTW Freaky genetics (190 at 5’11 at 15 is INCREDIBLE) + T-mag info? Make sure you get some sport training too… the NBA or NFL will be calling you when you get older.
WOW, awesome to know that there are some guys out there my age who have the same obsession, because thats what it is! I too spend all my money on protein powder and supplements and I had to learn how to cook, which comes in handy. Good luck to the young guys!
Young T-men. Guys, you are way ahead of the game than anyone. Just keep it all in focus or you risk social isolation, and becoming one of the dudes we laugh at. Just keep it all in check, remember to have fun outside of the dinner table and weightroom. To answer the original question, hyperplasia is a hot topic. That I believe is genetically controlled but influencable, to a point. Nearly all growth is hypertrophy. Damn, if I could go back and do it all again…
thats great man… youre on almost the exact path I was on. I just turned 18 and I am 245 15% bodyfat. I was 190 when I turned 16 with about 10% bodyfat. I was mostly doing it for football and wrestling. Its a healthy thing to do instead of drinking and smoking weed or other crap! The whole thing with hyperplaysia is that it doesnt happen after youre born if i learned right. Thats because of the whole myostatin thing. Have you read the myostatin project by time patterson or the myostatin roundtable a week or so ago? If not those should help. But when you get bigger, its because of hypertrophy in your muscles. Thats why the whole wyostat thing is supposed to be awesome because you can make more muscle fibers and make them bigger. It gets pretty deep but Im just trying to simplifying it. but anyways good luck at whatever you do!
Glad to hear that you are educating yourself so early in the game. You are set for a lifetime of success in the iron game. As for your initial question, you may experience more hyperplasia than others, but the vast majority of your growth will come from hypertrophy. It’s been a while since I’ve read through my Growth and Development notes, but I just checked them and the number of muscle cells is set in the womb. So, while some muscle cell hyperplasia can take place, the vast majority comes from hypertrophy.
Yes the myostat project does explain things quiet well but for some reason i had read somewhere that through time the satelite cells would fuse to the already present fibers and make new fibers but i was not so sure of the validaty. I think my question has been answered here now, thanks. My reasoning was that I read about these guys taking GH instead of anabolics to promote new fiber growth opposed hypertrophy. I know bodybuilders will take GH for fat loss too, but it seemed logical to me since i am still growing and i am secreting a lot of GH that some new fiber growth was occuring, but after going through the myostat project again and listeing to your answers i think i got what i was looking for. Thanks a lot, and it is cool seeing the other young t-men out there.
Hey jack,
At the moment i am in a cutting cycle so my supplement differ from time to time, but now it looks like this
3 servings of designer whey protien one in the morning and 1 before and after workout
4 capsules twinlab Ocuguard Plus lutein
I orignally got this because i wanted to ass some antioxidants, but it turns out that it is almost like a very good multi vitamin with high doses of Vitamin E, C, and Beta Carotene, plus flavonoids.
1 gram alpha lipoic acid divided into three doses through out the day.
5 grams glutamine in the morning and after workout.
3 grams of fisol enetric coated fish oil
Ester-c plus quercetin
4 week cycle of echinacea
1500 mg potassium
1000 mg calcium Make sure you drink plenty of water
During a carb up i will usually take some creatine to maximize the muscle uptake because i am storing a lot of glycogen
This is my basic stuff, it will vary depending on what my training is looking like. I will probably incorporate some ZMA soon. Supplement are exactly what they are called, supplements to a kick ass eating plan. Train hard, eat well
How in god’s name do you afford all that? I can barely afford cheap protein and creatine at my age. I’d probably be able to afford more if I actually had a job, but injury prevents me from doing that. Do you work at 15?! Or, do your parents actually support your hobby(obsession)? I wish mine did!
Yea, the supplement do add up quickly, and my parents do support my obsession, but when you think about it, there are worse things i could ask for, and i dont ask for many other things besides my supplement and my food so it kind of balances out. All of those supps are not extremely necessary but they are pretty basic for me and i definitely feel that the antioxidants help me recover and keep from gettin sick after hard training.