Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by zacharycohn 798 days ago
Hypertrophy is often not the goal.
2 comments

Surprising that this fact is being often overlooked in this thread. If you're in a multi-day golf tournament for example, an ice bath for immediate recovery and lack of hypertrophy is exactly what you want.
I think it hinders recovery too though, inflammation has a function, which is why we don't just systematically administer high dose anti-inflammatories for every infection, only when it's too risky to leave the natural process handle it, or when the inflammatory response is pathological (e.g. COVID cytokine storm).
And why do golfers not want hypertrophy exactly?
They do sometimes - like when they're trying to gain strength. At other times, recovery is more important than growing stronger (like during a tournament).
Are there any athletes who want hypertrophy? Bodybuilders aside.
Hypertrophy improves performance in any sport which demands speed and power, up to a point. Anyone playing basketball or gridiron football or hockey at an elite level tends to be pretty heavily musceled.