HOW DOES A MUSCLE GROW? First of all, we must all know that during exercise or maybe during any normal activity, there is the lengthening of the muscle as well as the shortening of the muscles. The shortening of the muscles is called the contraction and the lengthening is called the eccentric part of the motion. Now, we should know that the skeletal muscle is made up of muscle fiber bundles and these have long cylindrical cells that can contract or relax as soon as it gets signals from the nervous system through the neurons to the neuromuscular junction. Each of these fibers is constituted of sub fibers called myofibril. These individual constituents consist of a thick and thin filament that can move backward and forward if any kind of contraction is done on the muscle. During this entire process of contraction, ATP ( Adenosine triphosphate) is needed, which is the main source of energy and that we get from the food we consume. After the contraction is complete and we reach the fatigue point, the muscle fiber increases by then because of the accumulation of the thick and the thin filament in the muscle fiber. Hence we can say that muscles grow because of some heavy stress. For example, when someone is trying to lift heavy, the muscle undergoes tremendous stress and as a result, the size of the muscle grows. If we see at a molecular level, there are many micro-tears of those fibers and as we lift the weight, we get lots and lots of little tears just like a dough when we stretch it. Now when we give our body proper rest and food, all the repairs are done as the reattaching of the muscle fibers is done along with the attachment of few extra muscle fibers and this, as a result, will make the muscle grow.

DEADLIFT: This is one of the most powerful exercises one must do to stimulate muscle growth in the body. This exercise must be done in the 3-6 rep range. During this exercise, the maximum number of muscle fibers are activated, and hence as a result of proper diet and rest, the person doing it frequently gains muscles and gets stronger. Although, one very important point to keep in mind is that, the deadlift is a very injury-prone exercise and that is the reason why this exercise must be given proper time to learn and must be executed with proper technique. The proper size of bars must be used and a person must be fully focused while doing this exercise. There are many benefits of this exercise starting from muscle growth, stronger back, stronger hamstrings, stronger quadriceps and glutes( in the case of a sumo deadlift), etc. Deadlifts also help in the rectification of body shape as well.

SQUATS: By squats, we should mean the barbell squats. Squats are referred to as the king of lifts. Squats increase strength in almost the entire body. It helps in muscle growth to a great level. Although people think that squat is a lower-body dominated exercise but that is a wrong notion. It indirectly trains the muscles of the upper body as well. Improved blood circulation is a direct consequence of a properly executed barbell squat. It increases joint health and improves flexibility as well. It also improves core strength as well. The level of testosterone is highly increased by this exercise. This exercise must also be performed with a good amount of safety. Squats primarily train the quadriceps, glutes, abductor muscles although secondarily, all are trained.

MILITARY BARBELL PRESS: This is one of the best compound lifts of the upper body. Mainly, the muscle groups near the shoulder region are trained by this exercise. Not only that, but it also helps in the growth of the upper chest and tricep muscles. Also, it helps in increase the bench press capacity of a person as well. Apart from this, the shoulder press also hits the trains the lats in terms of heavy eccentric loading and uses the legs as stabilizers and of course, the core strength is also increased. The proper development of the deltoid muscles is done using this exercise.

BARBELL BENCH PRESS: In simple terms, the chest region of a person is divided into 3 parts, i.e the upper chest, the lower chest, and the mid-chest. The flat bench barbell press is a compound exercise that is responsible for the training of all these 3 regions of the chest. Although there are separate exercises for the separate parts but barbell bench press trains the overall chest. As it is a compound exercise, hence it helps in hitting the shoulder as well as the tricep muscles as well. This exercise is a must for all beginners who want to gain muscle.

BARBELL ROWING: The barbell rowing exercise which trains our back. The main muscles trained in this exercise are the latissimus dorsi(lats), the trap muscles, and the rhomboid muscles. This exercise is a compound lift that also engages the glute muscles and legs to stabilize the body too. Also, one of the best muscle-building exercises as well. A proper hinge of the back is very necessary for this exercise.