Training guidelines for emphasizing muscular hypertrophy:
Ideal repetitions maximum for muscular hypertrophy of the thighs:
A study evaluated the response of 21 sessions of squat training for the resulting enlargement in muscle size. Body weight, thigh girth, net thigh girth, and quadriceps (is a large muscle group that includes the four prevailing muscles on the front of the thigh) and hamstring thickness. Ultrasound was used to measure muscle size in 4 groups of 38 men of 21.1 years of age. The groups performed 4 sets of multiple repetitions maximum (RM): group I, 3-5 RM; group II, 13-15 RM; and group III, 23-25 RM. A control (C) group did not perform physical training. Results found that body weight and hamstring thickness were similar in all groups after training. However, thigh girth was greater in groups II (mean:1.42) and III (1.35) than in group C (0.24). Net thigh girth was greater in groups II (1.33) and III (1.40) than in group C (0.10). Quadriceps femoris thickness was greater in all 3 training groups (I, 0.61; II, 0.43; III, 0.55) than in group C (0.05). The study found that 4 sets of squats done with the subject’s maximum amount of weight able to be lifted in a variable range of 13-25 times all resulted in enlargement of the thigh muscles. (3)