MUSCLE DAMAGE = GROWTH?

USCLE DAMAGE = GROWTH?⭕️⁣⁣⁣⁣
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The idea around muscle damage-induced hypertrophy comes from the old correlation beteen the damage that results from strength training, and (1) the greater protein synthesis that follows, (2)as well as the greater satellite cells activity that could theoretically contribute to an increase in number of muscle fibers.
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Yet even when protein synthesis is at its highest, there is no actual hypertrophic response. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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Satellite cells located in the outer layer of the muscle fiber are capable of increasing the number of myofibril, therefore the increased activity that occurs after muscle-damaging workouts could theoretically suggest an increase in the number of muscle fibers after repair. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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Yet, this does not seem to occur, and quite in fact, even the significant increased activity of the SC seems to be related to the repairing (and not hypertrophic) processes of the muscle fibers’ ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣structure. In fact, the increased SC content does not result in increased myonuclear content, rather iit is more likely that it’s working to support extracellular matrix remodelling and maintenance of myonuclei content within muscle fibres.
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Interestingly, when muscle damage is avoided/reduced during long-term strength training, this seems to have no negative effects on the muscle gains that result, and when muscle damage is produced by means other than through exercise, this does not seem to cause hypertrophy in it self. ⁣⁣⁣

All in all, while muscle damage can be experienced with simultaneous hypertrophy, following muscle-damaging workouts, it doesn’t seem to be an independent cause of hypertrophy, contrary to mechanical tension, which seems to be the main driver of growth.