Why do muscles get bigger if muscles cells don't divide very often?
547015
Muscle cells undergo hypertrophy when they are exercised (resistance training).  Hypertrophy means each fibre that makes up the muscle increases in width but not in number.  The current theory is that small tears are produced in the muscle when it is worked out.  As these tears are healed during recovery (~48hrs after exercise) the muscle lays down new contractile filaments (protein) and begins to increase in diameter.  Some research does suggest that hyperplasia (increased muscle cells) can occur when the muscle reaches a very large size, but this has not been completely proven yet.  Satellite cells, which are stem-like cells in the muscle can also be stimulated by hormones produced by exercise (like IGF-2) to migrate into the muslce and join with existing muscle cells.  This adds nuclei to the existing cells along with contractile filaments allowing the muscle to increase in diameter (hypertrophy).
711304
If you're muscles don't hurt then you know you're not getting any stronger. Lift heavier weights with more reps and sets. If you want bigger muscles, lift heavier weights that you can barely lift. Once your muscle starts hurting, you know you're growing. No pain no gain.
862246
look at your body. When you grow, cells divide and grow almost every second mitosis occurs in yuor own self. that is how you grow, repair yourself, and improve your general figure.
722156
Work it out!  it's just a muscle.  The fatter you get, the smaller it will get too!  Seen it happen to an ex!
915893
It's not always so... It depends on a number of things: which part of the body you are talking about, the natural assymetry of the body etc.\n\nFor instance if you use one hand more than the other (like a tennis player might), the muscles would tend to increase in size as a result of the increased activity...\n\nIn addition, the human body is not perfectly symmetrical in anybody.
980296
The cell may become too large to take in enough food and to remove enough wastes.  Food intake and waste removal are processes that can happen only at the cell membrane.  However, as a cell becomes larger, the ratio of its surface area to its volume decreases.  This means that a larger cell will eventually have metabolic requirements due to its size that cannot be met by the limited size of the cell membrane.  Some cells, such as nerve cells, become very long and thin in order to achieve large sizes despite this limitation.
563403
yes.  muscle is more compact and heavier than fat.  If you flab out, you'll be bigger but might wiegh the same.
287947
yes it does because it uses more muscles
907014
The short answer is yes! However, in order to build muscle mass you must overload the muscle. In other words you must  add resistance to stress the muscle and overload it. Your body will not just develop mass because you exercise - it develops muscle because it perceives a need for more strength. If you don't have heavy enough stuff around your house then you may want to invest in a weight set.
632748
The sets of muscles that have the finest control have the fewest muscle fibers per motor unit.  This makes sense because when a neuron depolarizes all of the muscle fibers it is connected to depolarize and contract.  This is refered to as a "All-or-None" response.  Muscle fibers don't contract half way.  So if you want precise control over your muscles you have to have a lot of neurons innervating it.
590283
because muscle weights more than fat, you are replacing fat with muscle. You will lower your body fat and shrink in sizes.
315244
I'm sure there is great info out there, I don't have any. but remember water plays an important part in our bodies 70-80% of us is water. so bigger muscles equals more water.
1177653
Because muscle weighs 3 times more than fat. You need to be watching your size, not your weight. What's good about having a larger volume of muscle, is that your body consumes more calories even while you are not working out.
274204
creatine just causes your body to put water into the muscle....which makes muscles look bigger, but doesn't truely do anything for strength.
1028862
its a muscle, and what do you do to muscles to make them bigger
96559
yes muscles weigh more than fat here is why....\n\n\nMuscle weighs more than fat because muscle cells that compose muscle are \ndenser than fat cells.  Why is this?  Because fat cell cytoplasm contains \nmostly oils (lipids), whereas muscle cell cytoplasm contains mostly \ncontractile proteins (myosin and actin) suspended in an aqueous (watery) \nenvironment.  Lipids in general are less dense than water.  You can prove \nthis by mixing salad oil with water in a bottle and shaking it.  \nEventually, the oil will separate from the water and float to the top to \nform a lighter layer floating on top of the water.  This lowered density of \nlipids make fatty tissue less heavy than muscle.
694724
It really depends on your excersize level, diet & how your body is built. It is said that muscle mass weighs more than fat, so take that into consideration.\n\nHope it helps. =]