Muscle hypertrophy - rules for training for muscle mass and volume. Types of muscle hypertrophy and its role in the growth of strength and mass of athletes Mixed muscle hypertrophy develops when

Hoff's disease or lipoarthritis is the degeneration of adipose tissue (Hoff's fat bodies) located around knee joint. Its manifestation is loss of normal joint mobility, constant crunching, discomfort, swelling, pain in the knee area and lameness. According to statistics, this disease most often occurs in women over 45 years of age.

The frequency and severity of lipoarthritis is indicated by the fact that among all cases of severe abnormalities in the functioning of the legs, the proportion of disorders caused by this disease is about 12%. With this disease, the inflammatory process develops against the background of the growth of fatty tissue.

Hoffa's disease of the knee joint photo

Causes

With this pathology, there is often a violation of the integrity of fat body in the area of ​​the so-called pterygoid folds. Most often, this painful condition occurs with various knee injuries, which result in pinching and destruction of fat lobules, as well as hemorrhage and swelling of the tissue. At the same time, Hoffa bodies lose their elasticity and elasticity. The damaged area exhibits fibrous tissue growth and scarring. However, it is not able to perform the functions that adipose tissue performs. There are various causes and factors that can lead to the development of Hoffa's disease. The most common ones are:

changes in hormone levels in the body, for example, during menopause in women; progression of knee arthrosis; mechanical damage to the knee joint; inflammation of the knee area; pressure on the anterior area of ​​the knee joint for an extended period of time.

Symptoms of Hoffa's disease

As a rule, diagnosing this disease does not present any particular difficulties. It has a characteristic clinical picture. So, with this disease the following general symptoms are noted:

decreased function of the head of the quadriceps femoris muscle; pain and discomfort in the knee; swelling in the lower anterior part of the knee joint; incomplete extension of the leg; limited mobility; true and false joint blockades; malnutrition (protein-energy deficiency); creping formations on both sides of the patellar ligament; joint instability.

This disease becomes chronic with constant injury to the synovial bursa. The course of Hoffa's disease is most often long-term. Each stage has its own symptoms. So in the acute period the following are noted:

the appearance of pain in the knee; the appearance of growing edema; incomplete extension of the knee joint.

After 1-3 months from the moment of damage to the adipose tissue, the following symptoms appear:

night pain in the knee joint; creping formations that make cracking sounds when pressed; blockade of the knee joint, expressed in the inability to lean on the affected limb; the function of the quadriceps femoris muscle is impaired; joint instability appears.

Diagnostics

To establish a diagnosis, an instrumental examination is performed. In this case, Hoffa's disease is differentiated from a number of other joint diseases that have similar symptoms. In the chronic form, its symptoms are not always easily identified. In this case, to establish a diagnosis, the specialist prescribes an additional examination. It can be performed using magnetic resonance or computed tomography. Often, as a result of hyperplasia of the fat body, fibrosis of the synovial membrane of the knee joint occurs. X-ray examination often reveals signs of the initial stages of development of arthrosis of the knee joint. This pathology makes it difficult to differentiate these diseases and establish an accurate diagnosis. X-rays can also reveal calculous bursitis, which is often localized in the area of ​​the pterygoid folds. In Hoffa's disease, arthropneumograms help to establish the presence of disorders characteristic of this disease. These include:

Reduction of the knee joint. An upward change in the size of the posterior volvulus, accompanied by the appearance of a hernial formation called a Becker cyst. Rigidity (hardness, inelasticity) of the upper turn; Increase in size and mass (hypertrophy) of fatty tissue.

Possible complications

Without proper treatment, Hoffa's disease can lead to the following complications:

The adipose tissue around the knee ceases to function as an anatomical buffer, which leads to a chronic course of the disease. In some cases, lipoarthritis transforms into arthrosis of the knee, which is accompanied by many years of incessant pain in the joint and dysfunction.

Treatment of Hoffa's disease of the knee joint

With timely diagnosis and proper therapy, the patient recovers almost completely. There are 2 types of treatment for Hoffa disease:

Conservative, during which the diseased joint is provided with rest, movements are limited, and activities are stopped physical culture and labor. For therapy, mud and paraffin-ozokerite applications, irradiation with a Sollux lamp, inductometry, microwave therapy, laser therapy and oxygen therapy (oxygen treatment) are used. The doctor prescribes anti-inflammatory treatment. At an early stage of Hoff's disease, they are used hormonal drugs(corticosteroids) long-acting. They are inserted into the cavity of the diseased knee joint. Additionally, electrical stimulation, massage and physiotherapy are used to strengthen the lower leg muscles. Surgical, which is the surgical removal of strangulated fragments of Hoffa bodies and fibrous (connective tissue) formations. After the operation, full-fledged fatty tissue with normal buffering capacity develops from the remaining fat lobules over the course of 2-3 weeks. The prognosis after surgery is favorable. After it, the functions of the knee joint are completely restored.

Treatment of this disease is carried out in stages. It is aimed at:

restoration of supporting and motor function lower limb; elimination of joint inflammation; normalization of leg muscle function.

After such therapy, the patient must undergo a rehabilitation course. As a rule, after therapeutic massage, electrical stimulation and physiotherapy, the functions of the knee are completely restored. Massage is especially important for atrophy of the quadriceps femoris muscle. The following types of manipulations are most often used:

stroking with the base of the palm; vibrating rubbing.

Massage relieves pain, prevents muscle atrophy, increases blood circulation, and improves lymph flow. If the disease relapses, the course of therapy is repeated.

Such complex treatment in rare cases may not be effective enough. To prevent further progression of the disease, surgical intervention is performed. During the operation, resection (removal) of damaged adipose tissue is performed. In some cases, arthroscopy is also prescribed, during which fibrous and damaged tissue is removed using an endoscope inserted under the skin. After this surgical intervention Very small scars are left as the endoscope is inserted through micro-incisions. During the rehabilitation period, it is recommended to take radon, iodine-bromine and sulfide baths. Visiting balneological resorts significantly speeds up the recovery process.

Hoffa's disease of the knee joint: treatment with folk remedies

Some people prefer scientific medicine folk recipes. At the same time, they place vain hopes on them, since with Hoff’s disease folk remedies Only pain is relieved, and the inflammatory process progresses further. The most popular methods of treating this disease at home are mud compresses made from green or blue clay. A compress made of glycerin, ammonia, iodine, natural honey and medical bile will help relieve pain.

Lipoarthritis is dangerous because, in the absence of timely treatment, it can transform into arthrosis of the knee, which will lead to constant joint pain. This is why it is so important to immediately contact a specialist if you suspect Hoffa’s disease.

From this article you will learn what myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy are, as well as the features of training for efficient growth muscle mass.

How to achieve hypertrophy faster and easier? There is no universal recipe here. For each of the two types of hypertrophy, different training programs have been developed.

Myofibrillar hypertrophy

Myofibrils are muscle fibers collected in bundles (myofilaments) that contract muscles and generate tension in them. Myofibrils are the basis of any muscle tissue body.

Myofibrillar hypertrophy occurs due to excessive muscle stimulation (by lifting more weight than the body is used to) and microtrauma to individual muscle fibers. By restoring microtraumas at the muscle fiber level, our body increases the density and volume of myofibrils to prevent similar injuries in the future.

This is why muscles need to be overloaded to achieve success.

Read also:

Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy

Sarcoplasm - a fluid and source of energy that surrounds and nourishes the myofibrils in the muscles. It contains ATP, glycogen, creatine phosphate and water. An increase in the size of the blood vessels that provide blood flow to the muscles may also be associated with sarcoplasmic hypertrophy.

This process occurs in almost the same way as myofibrillar hypertrophy: during recovery, the body tries to compensate for the energy reserve that was completely consumed during training. As a result, muscle stores of ATP and glycogen increase to prevent exhaustion during exercise.

What are the optimal ways to achieve the two types of hypertrophy described? To answer this question, you must first understand the following important rule.

Choose weight for reps, not reps for weight.

Progressive resistance training, or progressive overload as it is also called, means continually increasing the load on your muscles. This is the only way they will become stronger or more resilient. That is, to overcome resistance, you need to choose the weight and number of repetitions and approaches.

You must determine the weight that you are able to lift the desired number of times. Don't use too much heavy weight, otherwise you may not be able to complete all the planned repetitions. But too much a light weight, which allows you to do more repetitions, is of no use to you. In other words, for 12 repetitions of the exercise, choose a weight with which you can do exactly these 12 repetitions. No more and no less.

Training for myofibrillar hypertrophy

Strength training adding 80% of the weight to your one-rep max and 3-8 reps with 2-4 minutes of rest produces the greatest changes in myofiber volume and density. Therefore, if you want to achieve myofibrillar hypertrophy, you need to work with weights. The more weight you lift, the more muscle fibers you increase and damage. However, it is recommended to stick to 3-5 repetitions to allow for neuromuscular adaptation to improve the overall strength and endurance of the athlete rather than achieve myofibrillar hypertrophy alone.

Maximum growth comes from low reps.

Read also:

Training program for sarcoplasmic hypertrophy

Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is achieved through exhaustive or fatigue training. This is a more intense workout with a weight of about 75% of your one-rep maximum and reps in the 10-15 range, followed by short rest periods of 45-90 seconds. This technique is called fatigue training because in this way the energy stored in the body is quickly consumed. muscle cells, and skeletal muscle fatigue is achieved.

When choosing the number of sets for your workouts, you must take time into account muscle tension or time under load. There is a minimum time under load sufficient for muscle hypertrophy. Because of this, usually exhaustive workouts contain more sets of the same exercise than repetitions.

Fatigue training is designed to ensure that the time under tension exceeds the amount of energy available in the muscles. Energy is drawn from the reserves of ATP and creatine phosphate available in the muscles. But these sources are only enough for 7–10 seconds. Next, the body breaks down glycogen to obtain energy, resulting in a burning sensation in tense muscles (it is at this moment that they produce lactic acid). Therefore, in fatigue training, the time of muscle tension or time under load should be more than 10 seconds. This explains the effectiveness of slow repetitions, supersets and .

Why shouldn't you train in one rep range?

There are a number of repetition ranges through which myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy occurs:

• 1–5 reps ― leads to maximum increase relative strength and increase in myofibrils;
• 6–8 reps ― best average between myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy;
• 9–12 reps ― increase sarcoplasmic hypertrophy to the maximum;
• >15 reps ― moving into the muscular endurance range where hypertrophy occurs slowly.

It is not easy to damage myofibrils with more than 12 repetitions, but it is still possible, although to a lesser extent and with fewer muscle fibers than with lower repetitions.

But why train at rep ranges that are ineffective for sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar hypertrophy? You can train in other ranges that give maximum height. We will talk about this further.

So, myofibrillar hypertrophy is best achieved by strength training, and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy― through fatigue training. How to ensure in both cases maximum effect?

Periodization

Periodization - This is a way to achieve certain specific goals using cycles. Periods can be divided into 3 main types:

• microcycle: Very short term, usually about a week;
• mesocycle: long-term cycle, usually several weeks;
• macrocycle: Long-term cycles over several months or even years.

Today, the most popular are mesocycles, in which strength training programs are developed for 8–12 weeks. Then the plan changes, and the next 8-12 weeks of training are aimed at developing speed and strength. As a result, certain results appear in one direction, and in another― disappear. Yes, and maintaining a high training pace and heavy loads for several weeks or months is quite difficult.

You can use microcycles by setting several different goals at the same time. For example:

• week 1: strength training and weight training;
• week 2: training to develop strength and speed.

The alternation of such microcycles can be carried out for several months in a row with minor changes. This approach causes frequent overloads, since it is much more difficult for the body to adapt to rapid changes in the training program.

To achieve maximum hypertrophy, the most effective will be alternating 2-3 week microcycles:

• week 1: strength training, 4th day split;
• week 2: fatigue training, 5th day split;
• week 3: recovery, 2nd day split for the whole body.

You can also use even shorter intracycles, for example, starting with upper body strength exercises and repetitions in the 2-6 range for 5-6 sets, then increasing the intensity to 8-15 repetitions and shortening the workout itself to 3-4 exercises. A good example of such training― alternating minimum repetitions with maximum effort with more intense performance of the same exercise with a large number of repetitions, i.e. for fatigue.

If you decide to develop just such a program, you can easily be convinced of what you are doing in the first place. power load and do your best. This is necessary to warm up the nervous system before performing additional exercises. With the help of several strength sets you will effectively warm up and thus prepare nervous system to further stress on fatigue.

The training process based on periodization is on average 10% more effective than a linear training plan. Moreover, the maximum effect is achieved by short-term cycles alternating strength training and high-intensity training. training programs for fatigue.

Have you ever thought about what does your strength depend on?? And what kind of training should be aimed at maximizing the development of strength?
In fact, the quality of your muscles is influenced by a combination of many factors. Some of these factors are genetic. We inherit them from our ancestors and, alas, they do not depend on us. These are the “genetic factors”:

• Muscle attachment site;
• Position of fibers relative to each other;
• Ratio of fast and slow fibers. Do you want to know the truth about your muscles? Take the test
• Somatotype (fold type ) generally
  - this is something we cannot influence.

With regular training you can increase the amount Adenosine triphosphate(ATP) and Creatine phosphate(“working” form of creatine) in muscle fibers, as well as muscle volume. Moreover, last factor, namely muscle volume, is of significant importance for increasing strength.

You don’t need to be an expert to understand: the more muscle mass, the stronger you are..
To pump up muscles, you need to perform repetitions ranging from 6 to 20 per set. With such training, muscle volume and, accordingly, muscle strength increase. It seems that everything is simple and obvious. But...

Do you know that lifters are much stronger than bodybuilders?? And this despite the fact that “builders” have mountains of “puffy” muscles (no, we are not talking about “chemists”)! It is noteworthy that in lifting training small numbers of repetitions per approach are used (up to one). What is the conclusion? Hmm, it turns out there is some other factor influencing muscle strength and subject to development.

Muscle hypertrophy: a little physiology

Hypertrophy occurs in two ways, as a result of which it is divided into two types.

Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy

This type of hypertrophy occurs due to an increase in sarcoplasm in the muscles.. As a result, not only an increase in muscle volume, but also an increase in energy reserves in the muscles. This means that during the recovery period, sarcoplasm will compensate for what was spent with a reserve and subsequently prevent rapid muscle depletion. This hypertrophy develops when working in the middle and moderate power zone. Simply put, when a relatively small weight is lifted many times.

Another type of hypertrophy is associated with an increase in the contractile strands of muscle fibers.

Myofibrillar hypertrophy

At restoration, the body compensates for the resulting “trauma” with a reserve. The volume and density of myofibrils increases with reserve in order to prevent possible damage in the future. At the same time, the muscle volume either does not increase at all or increases slightly. However, muscle strength increases noticeably (hello lifters!), due to the development of contractility. Such hypertrophy manifests itself at extreme muscle contractions with a small number of repetitions.

In general terms, this is how the process of pumping muscles happens.

But, although we looked at two types of hypertrophy, it should be noted that they do not occur in isolation!

• Body-building focuses on sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. Hence the gigantic volume.
• Powerlifting more focused on myofibrillar hypertrophy - hence the strength.

Only with the parallel development of both types of hypertrophy, the muscles will become exactly what you want - as strong and pumped as possible: two in one.

A person’s entire life is accompanied by movement and varying degrees of stress. This may be the specifics of professional activity, sports or other stresses that occur in various areas of life. During muscle work, they increase due to the fact that the fibers that make up the muscle tissue grow. This fiber can be of different lengths: longer or shorter than the length of the muscle itself.

Muscle fiber is made up of small units called myofibrils, which contract when the muscle is used. Inside each particle there are even smaller myofiaments: actin and myosin, which contribute to muscle contraction. If physical impact occurs regularly, muscle fibers increase, which is called muscle hypertrophy, i.e. increase in muscle mass.

There are two types of muscle fiber hypertrophy: true or false. The latter is characterized by a negative external increase in volume due to the formation subcutaneous fat. Such formation indicates obesity.

True muscle hypertrophy is the manifestation for which people sacrifice strength and financial resources. With the help of strength exercises, muscle mass and muscle cells increase.

Myofibrillar type

One type of muscle hypertrophy is the myofibrillar type, which is characterized by dry muscles. This type occurs due to an increase in the number and size of muscle fibers, as well as an increase in the density of small tissue components.

Along with the growth of muscle tissue and its volume, muscle power, strength and endurance also increase. This type of hypertrophy is typical for weightlifting athletes, arm wrestlers, and powerlifters. This type of hypertrophy is characteristic of high-speed action fibers, which quickly carry out work, but get tired in this short period of time.

When performing strength exercises aimed at developing this type of hypertrophy, it is necessary to take short breaks between approaches for several minutes. It is better to use the minimum number of repetitions, but with the most optimal weight for each person. The workout is built over an hour, no longer, and targets specific muscle groups to give them rest after intense exercise.

To prevent muscle tissue from adapting to certain loads, classes are combined with training with lighter weights and a higher number of sets and repetitions. Thus, the muscles will not get used to the monotonous load.

Sarcoplasmic type

Sarcoplasmic muscle hypertrophy is characterized by a less dense muscle structure and with less volume. It can be achieved through more saturated nutrition of muscle fibers.

During the exercises they accelerate metabolic processes inside muscle cells, blood flow increases, so muscle mass and volume grow.

Hypertrophy of this type is characterized by the participation of only certain muscle fibers that are capable of performing long and slow loads. This is what causes the slight weight gain. But with the help of this type of hypertrophy, muscle endurance and relief develops, which cannot be achieved in any other way.

During the training, light weights and small loads are used, but the high tempo and duration of the training do their job. Classes last from an hour to two, there should be at least 10 approaches, short rest between approaches.

Causes of hypertrophy

Muscle hypertrophy is caused by physical force, provided that it is regular and intense.

But the volume of muscle mass and its growth directly depends on the amount of calories consumed and the correct ratio of their consumption during the day. If the number of calories you consume is insufficient, the benefits of strength training will be little or no.

There are basic principles with which you can achieve results. If you follow them regularly and follow all the recommendations, muscle fiber hypertrophy will be present. To do this you need:

• regular exercise of all muscle groups that need to be increased in volume and made denser;
• the work must be structured correctly, the training program must be scheduled;
• concentration and calmness during exercise are necessary so as not to deplete the nervous system;
• listen to the body’s signals and choose the time and duration of exercise individually, based on own characteristics and the capabilities of the body and organism;
• You shouldn’t give your all so much that you don’t have the strength or desire to continue;
• Beginners may initially experience muscle pain after exercise, but there is no need to be scared and stop training, this is a normal muscle adaptation;
• adequate nutrition and maintenance water balance are also very important.

Proper construction of the training program

There is no need to be afraid of muscle hypertrophy, because this is a normal adaptive reaction of muscle fibers to physical exercise intense form. Long-term adaptation occurs only in some cases under certain conditions:

• regular loads without alternating with lighter impacts;
• repeated repetition;
• increasing the intensity of the impact, or gradually increasing the volume of the load.

Repetition

What training frequency to choose is up to you. You need to listen to your body and follow your feelings. A number of experts recommend starting re-training only after the end of protein synthesis, which occurs 2-3 days after training. But this does not take into account the individual characteristics of each person and the ability of his body to recover. You can do the workout every day, but use a different muscle group each time. Choose what you feel comfortable with.

In this case, the rule does not work: more is better. If you overdo it, muscle mass will not grow, you will lose calories, but not gain volume where it is necessary.

Calculate your strength so that by the next training in a few days you can fully recover and also repeat the volume of loads on a specific muscle group. You must give your best, but leave a reserve of resources for the recovery period so that the body can carry out metabolic processes in muscle cells and increase the density of the muscle structure. But don't become obsessed with training and calculating intensity.

Muscle pain

Painful sensations occur only after the first workouts. Next, when regular classes the muscles hurt slightly and do not cause discomfort. But many people mistakenly strive to achieve these unpleasant sensations, considering them an indicator of the effectiveness of the training. In the end, main goal training and the desire becomes pain, and not the growth of muscle mass and progress in skills.

The soreness does not begin to appear immediately, but only a day after classes, increasing over the next day. There are several reasons for the appearance of soreness and pain after strength exercise:

• ischemia, i.e. muscle spasm in a specific place - a muscle group;
• mechanical damage to muscle fibers;
• during pinching;
• during the accumulation of breakdown products inside muscle fibers, osmotic pressure increases, which causes pain.

Hypertrophy of muscle mass has no relationship with post-workout pain; it only means that the muscles are not adapted to loads and are rarely subjected to strength exercises. After all, even after working in the garden you can feel soreness, but from this we will not get a beautiful sculpted body and muscle hypertrophy.

If you regularly and moderately load your body, your muscles will not ache or will, but only slightly. However, you will notice their growth immediately, as well as a change in muscle density. You shouldn’t chase soreness and consider this the highest degree of training effectiveness. If you put too much strain on your muscles, you can cause irreparable harm to yourself and remain without the opportunity to grow muscle mass for a long time.

Taking into account individual characteristics, we can conclude that soreness is a relative indicator of effectiveness training process and it occurs mainly among beginners who have just encountered sports and intensive training. Your main goal should be progress in muscle development and results, and not pain and exhaustion of the body.

For successful muscle hypertrophy there are a number of special recommendations, compliance with which will help you build a beautiful, sculpted body:

1. It is necessary to alternate between two types of loads: high repetitions and lower repetitions.
2. Competent construction of the program and its timely replacement (one program is effective for no more than two months).
3. Smooth weight gain without stress on muscle fibers.
4. In one workout, pump no more than 2 muscle groups.
5. Rational nutrition and maintaining water balance. Emphasis on protein foods, vitamins and minerals.

By following the rules, within a few months you will see the results of your work, which will motivate you to continue and achieve success.

Muscle hypertrophy is an increase in muscle mass, as well as its cross-sectional area. This occurs when there is an overload that increases rapidly. The heart and skeletal muscles can become accustomed to an ever-increasing workload. Muscle cells become more efficient at transmitting force through the tendons to the bones. The overall picture of this process is very complex and has not yet been fully studied by doctors.

In muscle hypertrophy, muscle mass and cross-sectional area occurs due to an increase in the size of individual muscle fibers, while their length remains the same.

Each skeletal muscle performs two functions: contracting (to move the body), stabilizing (to maintain position). It can contract with varying amounts of tension to do the job. During hypertrophy, a muscle undergoes various variable stresses, which forces it to adapt. She does this by increasing the size as well as the quantity contractile proteins, which make up the myofibrils within each fiber. This helps increase individual fibers and their strength.

Hypertrophy changes:

• speed of muscle contraction;
• maximum work force;
• resistance to fatigue.

The nature of adaptation may vary depending on different systems response to loads.

Hypertrophy can be called a combination of local and peripheral events that are coordinated with each other. The main regulatory signals for them are mechanical, hormonal, nervous and metabolic factors.

Types of hypertrophy

Main types of hypertrophy:

• myofibrillar (when muscles increase due to growth and an increase in the number of myofibrils. They fit more tightly into the fiber. More often, this type of hypertrophy occurs with fast type IIB fibers).
• sarcoplasmic (when muscles increase due to an increase in the volume of sarcoplasm, that is, the part that does not contract. The number of mitochondria, glycogen, creatine phosphate, etc. increases in the fibers. More often this type occurs with slow muscles of type I, as well as fast oxidative type IIA).

Mechanisms of hypertrophy

Scientists have put forward several theories that explain the mechanisms of myofibrillar hypertrophy. These include hypotheses:

• Acidosis;
• Hypoxia;
• Mechanical damage.

The acidosis hypothesis states that the primary stimulus that initiates the process of hypertrophy is the accumulation of lactic acid in the muscle. It damages the sarcolemma of muscle fibers and organelle membranes. At the same time, calcium ions appear in the fiber, which activate proteolytic enzymes that break down proteins.

The hypoxia hypothesis suggests that the main reason is a lack of oxygen for some time. This happens if you train with heavy weights. Lack of oxygen, and then active saturation with it, damages the membranes of the fibers, which entails saturation with calcium ions, etc.

The mechanical damage hypothesis suggests that the main factor is damage to contractile proteins, which occurs when the muscle is subjected to severe tension.

Male hormones androgens play a major role in muscle growth. Women also produce them, but to a lesser extent. The more of these hormones the body produces, the faster muscles grow.

Hypertrophy factors

There are a few mandatory conditions, without which this process cannot begin:

• synthesis of contractile proteins;
• ribonucleic acid;
• hyperplasia (increase in the number of fibers);
• androgenic anabolic steroids.

Degree rating

The degree of hypertrophy can be assessed by measuring its mass and volume. These days, this can be done using a CT scan or MRI. The specialist should evaluate the change in the maximum cross-sectional value of the muscle.