What is Size Principle? How our muscles work

The Size Principle is a little-known principle in bodybuilding. If you want to understand more about how muscles work, let’s find out what the Size Principle is.

What is the Size Principle?

Size Principle (fully written as Henneman’s size principle) is a principle of muscle mobilization proposed by neurophysiologist Elwood Henneman (he specializes in studying the characteristics of motor neurons of mammals). backbone.)

The Size Principle describes the relationship between the properties of motor neurons and the muscle fibers they control and control, which we often call motor units.

The number of muscle motor units recruited will depend on the pressure you are under. Small muscle fibers will be required first to ensure proper use of muscle function.

As we know, the body has two types of muscles: fast twitch and slow twitch. Fast-twitch muscle fibers are capable of generating great force, but they are less durable and fatigue very quickly, whereas slow-twitch muscle fibers produce smaller force but are more durable and fatigue longer.

To put it more simply, light but long-lasting tasks such as walking will need to recruit many slow-twitch muscle fibers. On the contrary, when lifting a heavy object (such as lifting weights or lifting a 20-liter water bottle), you must mobilize fast-twitch muscles to respond to the pressure of that heavy object.

So what are the benefits of this principle of muscle mobilization?

Size Principle has a lot of effects on our biology.

First, it helps your body tire less by using only pre-resistance muscle fibers for daily activities and only requiring less endurance but stronger muscle fibers for power-intensive activities. when necessary.

The second is the relative change in force produced when you call more motor units, the greater the force you produce. For example, each unit we consider to have the same power point is 10 points. When you need to mobilize 100 force points to lift a 20 liter water bottle, you only need to mobilize 10 motor units, there is no need to call on all force units to participate.

You can imagine that when you sit and draw, you don’t need to brace your whole body to sit and draw. It will be very difficult, right? Thanks to the principle of mobilizing the body’s muscles, you will be able to Painting is easier when you just mobilize as much force as you need.

That’s why when you exercise, your muscles may not get bigger but you can still lift stronger and stronger than when you first started.

This also explains why strongman athletes who lift weights don’t look like they have much muscle, but their ability to lift heavy objects is not ordinary at all.

Therefore, in weightlifting competitions, you will need to learn how to mobilize as many motor units as possible in your muscles. For this reason, weightlifting athletes rarely practice muscle growth by breaking down muscles to avoid interference as well as affecting muscle force production.

Reality has proven this quite clearly: a weightlifter of the same weight class can lift much heavier weight than a bodybuilder.

See more: Does the more muscle you destroy, the faster your muscles will grow?