Published Jun 19, 2024

Why Muscle Matters & How to Build Muscle | Perform with Dr. Andy Galpin

Dr. Andy Galpin dives deep into the critical importance of skeletal muscle, discussing its role in health, longevity, and performance. He covers the differences between fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle fibers, the significance of muscle mass and quality, and provides actionable insights for optimizing muscle health.
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Episode Highlights

  • Health Benefits

    emphasizes the critical role of muscle mass in overall health and performance. He explains that lean body mass, which includes muscle, bone, and water, is essential for physical function and disease prevention. For instance, elite powerlifters like Ray Williams demonstrate the human potential for muscle mass, achieving an FFMI score of 41 1. Andy also highlights that excessive muscle mass, when gained through exercise, is not detrimental to health and can enhance both health and performance 2.

    Excessive amount of muscle mass on its surface is only going to aid in both your health and performance.

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    He underscores the importance of muscle asymmetry, noting that a difference of more than 10% between muscle groups could indicate potential issues 2.

       

    Building Muscle

    Building muscle mass involves a combination of resistance training and proper nutrition. explains that muscle fibers contract to move bones, and the number of muscle fibers varies significantly among individuals 3. He emphasizes that resistance exercise is the most effective stimulus for muscle growth, with nutrition playing a supportive role. Consuming sufficient calories and protein, around 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight, is crucial for muscle development 4.

    Resistance exercise is by far the greater stimuli of muscle growth relative to nutrition.

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    Andy advises focusing on large muscle groups and maintaining overall muscle balance to ensure joint integrity and posture 4.

       

    Muscle Assessment

    Assessing muscle mass accurately is vital for understanding one's health and fitness levels. discusses various methods, including Dexa scans and MRI, to measure body composition and muscle quantity 5. He explains that while MRI offers high precision, it is costly and not widely accessible. Dexa scans provide a more affordable alternative, measuring body fat percentage and lean body mass 6.

    The gold standard here in research would be to use something like an MRI or an ultrasound to get a high resolution cross sectional image of an individual muscle or muscle groups.

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    Andy also mentions the use of the Fat-Free Mass Index (FFMI) as a widely accepted metric for assessing muscle mass 5.

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