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Muscle maturity is a concept you should know when you’re focusing on bodybuilding.
That will help you understand why it’s important to train for years before you can have muscles that retain the shape and texture that's different from that of a beginner.
What is muscle maturity?
Muscle maturity refers to the state of the muscles after you’ve been constantly training them for several years.
The muscles showcase deeper striations, with much better defined angles and better contraction. Basically, the fibers become denser and thicker, and the intramuscular fat lessens as the fibers become denser.
Additionally, it potentially puts you in a position where you look aesthetic and have a significant amount of strength.
How to train for muscle maturity?
It’s not possible to train for it, as it’s more of a concept. You can’t measure it or pin it down when it’s happening.
As mentioned earlier, it’s a result of years of strength training with proper nutrition. You can still maintain a time span of 10-12 years of training to attain muscle maturity, and usually people reach maturity between the age of 28-40.
You need to understand that this is a time-consuming process. It won’t help if you try the process. Instead, focus on strength training using a proper workout programme that works on each muscle group and incorporates progressive overload into the routine to constantly push your muscle fibers from becoming thicker and stronger.
To do that, try to lift the heaviest weight you can with proper form, and try to do at least 5-10 reps. The heavy weight with 5-10 reps will enable you to trigger muscle hypertrophy, which is an essential step in building size by adding muscle mass.
What exercises should you do for muscle maturity?
You should focus on exercises that allow you to work on all the muscle groups. Therefore, you should incorporate more compound exercises such as deadlifts, bench presses, squats, pull-ups and push-ups that work on more than one muscle group and focus on strengthening more joints.
What to eat to build muscles?
If you want to add mass and enable the fibers to repair themselves properly, you need to consume protein.
Without protein, you cannot kickstart the muscle protein synthesis process. Protein helps provide fiber to the cells, which is needed to build new tissues. The recommended amount of protein is 0.8-1 gram per lean bodyweight and increases to 1-2 gram as you continue to add mass.
You shouldn’t avoid fat and carbohydrates either. Both macronutrients are important, and your diet must contain adequate protein, carbohydrates, and fat.
Takeaway
Muscle maturity doesn't just depend on just how much you’re lifting. It depends on how long you’ve been lifting for, the thickness of your skin (genetics), how much body fat is stored, and even nutrition.
As it’s a concept, it’s difficult to find scientific data for muscle maturity. However, it’s a term that has been used in the bodybuilding industry to address a bodybuilder’s physique after they’ve trained for at least a decade.
