1. Although Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy and Myofibrillar hypertrophy can never be
completely separated, an individual can focus training on one over another. The theory
behind Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is that by forcing the muscle fibers to exert force to a
certain level of exhaustion, it conditions the body to compel the muscles to increase the
storage of necessary nutrients in order to maintain the required levels of energy to sustain
the needed levels of force. Increases in stored levels of glycogen, ATP, Calcium, CHOs,
CP, etc., lends to the increase in the size of the Sarcomere, without a corresponding
increase in contractile proteins. Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy also alters the osmotic gradient
across the cell, that is, fluid flows into the cell to reestablish it. In turn, the cells swell,
thereby increasing total muscle size.
One of the most productive means to induce Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is eccentric
training. It is known that if the same force is exerted during the concentric phase of the
lift as in the eccentric phase, fewer muscle fibers are activated while the muscle
lengthens. Because of this, eccentric contractions allow greater overall force production
in addition to less fiber recruitment, which means the fibers are stressed more.
Because of this difference in fiber activation and utilization, a typical pyramid loading
method may not be the most effective in the development of muscle. The torque
generated by the eccentric load is greater than during the concentric contraction. In
regards to typical resistance training, both types of contractions are involved, and,
therefore, the concentric contraction limits the performance of the muscle; hence the
amount of load that can be used is also limited. Similarly, since the intensity of exercise
is reliant on the magnitude of the load relative to maximum capabilities, it is logical to
assume that the concentric phase is the variable that experiences the greater stress, and
therefore the greater adaptation (Hortobagyi and Katch 1990).
Eccentric contractions are generally believed to induce greater gains by providing a
greater training stimulus because there are greater forces associated with them. This fact
may lead someone to believe that training eccentrically exclusively would be the best
choice for the best gains. This, however, is not the total case. The size of the force
relative to the maximum is what determines training stimulus, not the absolute force.
Many studies show that concentric-only and eccentric-only programs yield similar gains
in strength and work capacity. It seems that programs that include both provide the
greatest results, rather than programs that are exclusive of one or the other (Dudley, et al
1991; Colliander and Tesch 1990; Godard, et al 1998). Alternatively, some studies have
shown that an increase in peak torque in a concentric/eccentric exercise is greater after
training with eccentric-only contractions (Higbie, et al 1996). These seemingly
contradictive characteristics of eccentric contractions can be attributed to the following
characteristics:
1. Cross-Bridge Activity: The high amount of stresses associate with eccentric training
may actually lead to a mechanical disruption of the chemical actin/myosin bond in
contrast to the systematic binding of ATP. Because there are less total number of
contractile proteins during eccentric movements, as well as the amount of overlapping
among sarcomeres, the maximum force that each sarcomere can exert varies along the

2. length of a muscle. Therefore, each sarcomere is stretched and then popped as it reaches
its stress limit during the lengthening of a muscle, that is, the eccentric motion (Morgan
1990; Morgan and Allen 1999).
2. Motor Unit Activity: Synchronization among motor units is increased during eccentric
movements, and the proportion of common input to pairs of motor units is greater as well
(Semmler, et al 2000).
3. Maximality of Activation: Muscle force is greater during a voluntary eccentric phase;
however, EMG is substantially less than during concentric. This implies that an
individual is unable to maximally activate a muscle during an eccentric phase (Higbie, et
al 1996; Nakazawa, et al 1993; Kellis and Baltzopoulos 1998; Pasquet, et al 2000; Tesch,
et al 1990; Webber and Kriellaars 1997; Westing, et al 1991).
4. Hypertrophy: Eccentric movements may be a more effective stimulus for hypertrophy,
which might be mediated by a differential control (transcription verses translation) of
protein synthesis (Booth and Baldwin 1996; Williams and Neufer 1996; Wong and Booth
1990).
We can see by this research that an effective training method could be developed as
followed: In order to facilitate intracellular fluid depletion, total volume is more
important than volume per set. In a concentric/eccentric movement, the load should be
about 80% 1RM, and 60-80 total reps per body part. Remember, we are not going for
complete and total failure of the muscle tissue.
After this, it is necessary to condition the body to increase the levels of intracellular fluid
storage by increasing the demand of these substrates, as mentioned before. This is done
with an eccentric-only phase; the load for this segment should be about 100-140% 1RM,
and reps should stay between 3-5 reps per set.
This type of training, however, can be very intense, and serious injury can result if it is
not done properly by an experienced lifter with a coach or a reliable training partner
present. Also, proper diet and nutrition is of vital importance if an athlete is to increase
and maintain the levels of the intracellular substrates, thereby increasing and maintaining
the size of the sarcomeres.