The Most Underrated Muscle Building Principle

Fascinating science

All illustrations by the author

When training to put on muscle mass, there are a few principles that help you understand why training a certain way produces the results it does.

In this article, we’ll go through one underrated and less known principle: neuromechanical matching, which has implications for what exercises you may want to select in a regime designed for developing muscle mass.

To grasp neuromechanical matching, it’s first worth understanding its cousin, Henneman’s size principle.

There’s a good chance you’re aware of Henneman’s size principle, at least in its simplest form.

Namely, as you use progressively heavier and heavier weights, or as you fatigue while performing repetitions with a lightweight, more and more muscle fibers get recruited.

It’s worth diving into this principle more, as not only is it highly fascinating, but it somewhat relates to neuromechanical matching.

Part 1: Henneman’s Size Principle: Many Weights Build the Same Muscle?

Henneman’s size principle says motor units are recruited in sequential order.

A motor unit refers to a single motor neuron that branches out and supplies…