If you think that getting stronger means slinging around a bunch of iron at the local gym, think again. If you think building muscle is only for buff guys in tight tank tops, think again. And if you think the term hypertrophy is too science-y and scary to even say, for your own health and well-being, you need to think again.
Hypertrophy — it's pronounced hi-PER-tro-fee, not something that sounds like an overexcited sports award — is a scientific term, true. But it's not all that scary. From the medical dictionary on The Free Dictionary:
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increase in volume of a tissue or organ produced entirely by enlargement of existing cells.
For our purposes, hypertrophy is an increase of muscle tissue; in other words, building muscle.
Don't back away. Don't shake your head and mutter, "That's not for me." Building muscle is for everyone, at just about every stage of life. It's a critical part of staying healthy. And you don't need to pump iron to do it. You don't need bulging veins. You don't even need to know the difference between a trapezius and a deltoid.
You just need to work your muscles.
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