Science and Development of Muscle Hypertrophy (Book Review)

Muscle hypertrophy is primarily a function of synthesising more muscle proteins than you break down. Over 9-chapters, using an extensive range of literature, Brad Schoenfeld delves deep into the evidence and practical implications of everything you need to know about muscle hypertrophy. The first two chapters, discuss underlying physiological factors and mechanisms of hypertrophy. Chapter 1 and 2 alone, contain 257 and 308 references, respectively. Chapter 3, a new chapter, evaluates the methods employed to measure muscle growth. Chapter 4 remains by far the largest and a particular favourite of mine. It addresses the training variables that you can manipulate to maximise hypertrophy. Chapter 5 is another new chapter, that appraises advanced training practices often used to enhance hypertrophy (e.g., supersets). As many of us engage in both aerobic and resistance exercise; Chapter 6, despite being the shortest remains an important discussion of how aerobic exercise affects muscle growth. Chapter 7 provides an overview of genetics, age, sex, and training experience in relation to building muscle. Chapter 8 illustrates how to design training programmes, while Chapter 9 provides nutrition recommendations. Forget the shirtless influencer on Instagram, this is the most comprehensive resource to understand how to maximise hypertrophy.