Library · Cellular process
Hypertrophy
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Hypertrophy means that a cell grows larger. In skeletal muscle, picture each fiber as a rope: growth happens as the existing ropes thicken with additional structural proteins, not as the muscle fills with entirely new fibers.
The fibers increase in diameter, and muscle mass rises with them. Atrophy moves in the opposite direction. Structural proteins are lost, so the fibers become smaller and the overall mass of the muscle decreases.
In brief
Hypertrophy is an increase in the size of a cell or tissue. In skeletal muscle, mass increases as existing fibers add structural proteins. It does not mean that large numbers of new muscle fibers appear; the fibers already present become larger.
Existing muscle fibers grow thicker.
A muscle fiber grows in diameter by accumulating contractile and supporting components. This is the opposite of atrophy, in which structural proteins are lost and muscle mass decreases.
Sources (1)
- OpenStax, Rice University10.6 Exercise and Muscle PerformancePublished
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