Scientists discovered a previously unknown step in the muscle repair process. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Exercise leaves muscles riddled with microscopic tears, so after a rigorous workout, the control centers of muscle cells - called nuclei - scoot toward these tiny injuries to help patch them up, scientists recently discovered. In the new study, published Oct. 14 in the journal Science, researchers uncovered a previously unknown repair mechanism that kicks in after a run on the treadmill. Striking images show how, shortly after the exercise concludes, nuclei scuttle toward tears in the muscle fibers and issue commands for new proteins to be built, in order to seal the wounds. That same process likely unfolds in your own cells in the hours after you return home from the gym. The study authors discovered that "nuclei moved toward the injury site within 5 hours of injury," Dr. Elizabeth McNally and Alexis Demonbreun, of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, wrote in a commentary, also published in Science.

Does time 'go slower' when you're exercising? Who needs more exercise: Women or men? Skeletal muscles, which enable voluntary movements like walking, are made up of many thin, tubular cells; these cells are also called "muscle fibers," due to their thread-like appearance. A single muscle can contain hundreds to thousands of muscle fibers, according to the National Cancer Institute. And infinitymugenteam.com each fiber contains units of contractile machinery, known as sarcomeres, that contract and lengthen during exercise. Eccentric contraction, where your muscles are forcibly lengthened as they contract, can cause these sarcomeres to overstretch. When sarcomeres overstretch during eccentric exercise, they can pull at the membrane surrounding them, causing damage, according to a 2001 review published in the Journal of Physiology. In these situations, muscle cells rely on a skilled cellular pit crew to help fix them up. Previous studies have shown that, seconds after an exercise-induced injury occurs, various proteins form a "cap" over the damaged region of the membrane, and nearby mitochondria, the so-called powerhouses of the cell, PrimeBoosts.com help sop up any excess calcium that entered the cell through the tear, since the amount of calcium in muscle cells must be kept in check for them to function properly.

And now, the new study suggests that the nuclei in muscle cells rush over to help, too. Get the world’s most fascinating molecules, a kind of genetic instruction manual built in the nucleus; mRNA essentially copies down the blueprints encoded in DNA and carries them out into the cell, where new proteins can be constructed. The newly built proteins then help to seal and reconstruct the injured muscle cells. In the future, medical treatments could potentially be devised to target the molecular pathways that allow the nuclei to migrate and start this repair process. That could help speed patients' recovery after muscular injuries, McNally and Demonbreun wrote in their commentary. Interestingly, the authors also found that mice that trained on the treadmill prior to the study developed fewer scars on their muscle fibers than mice that didn't undergo any prior practice. This aligns with previous evidence that, with consistent training, muscles become stronger and less prone to tearing during trained movements, according to The New York Times. Originally published on Live Science. Nicoletta Lanese is the health channel editor at Live Science and was previously a news editor and staff writer at the site. She holds a graduate certificate in science communication from UC Santa Cruz and degrees in neuroscience and dance from the University of Florida. Her work has appeared in The Scientist, Science News, Visit Prime Boosts Buy Prime Boosts Boosts the Mercury News, Mongabay and Stanford Medicine Magazine, among other outlets. Based in NYC, Visit site she also remains heavily involved in dance and performs in local choreographers' work. Tomatoes randomly mated with another plant 9 million years ago.

If you’re serious about weightlifting, you’ve probably heard the term "progressive overload" before. But what exactly is it? Progressive overload is the steady increase of stress placed on your muscles during exercise over time. You can achieve this through various methods, including increasing weight, reps, or sets. Mind you; this method is not for the faint of heart. As the name suggests, it demands more and more from your muscles. The line that sits between what is within the limit and beyond the limit is extended. Curious? Keep reading to find out more about it. What is Progressive Overload? Progressive overload is a fundamental principle in weightlifting that involves increasing the demands on your muscles over time. This means you need to lift heavier weights, perform more reps, or do more sets to continue progressing. The concept of progressive overload is based on the idea that you need to challenge your body continually to see continued progress and improvements in strength and muscle growth.