2.2 Debunking the “Triad” of Hypertrophy Myths
For many years, textbooks and educational materials have taught that three primary mechanisms drive muscle hypertrophy: mechanical tension, metabolic stress, and muscle damage. This “triad” model has been enormously influential in shaping training programs that chase the “burn,” the “pump,” and post-workout soreness as if they were causative drivers of growth. However, as the mechanistic understanding of mechanotransduction has advanced, it has become clear that only one of these factors—mechanical tension—has a direct and causal link to the activation of mTORC1 and the subsequent accretion of contractile proteins. The other two are, at best, correlates that often coincide with growth-producing training and, at worst, red herrings that lead lifters down counterproductive paths.
