What Is mTOR And Why Is It Important For Muscle Growth?

While discussion of it is rare, if you’ve been consuming content in bodybuilding circles long enough, you’ve probably heard of mTOR, and unless you have a background in human anatomy, you’ve probably thought to yourself, what is mTor?

Mechanistic target of rapamycin, also known as mTOR, is a serine/threonine protein kinase(a protein that modifies other proteins) that regulates many cellular processes. The first mTOR pathway, mTOR1, regulates metabolism and cell growth. The second mTOR pathway, mTOR2, regulates cell survival. 

But why is mTor important for muscle growth?

mTOR controls signaling for all cell growth, including muscle cells. This means that mTOR plays a role in anabolism(the buildup of muscles) and catabolism (the breakdown of muscles). Therefore, the proper mTOR signal is crucial if you’re looking to increase muscle size. 

So, how can you signal mTor for muscle growth?

There’s really just two things you can do to promote the correct mTOR signal for muscle growth. The first thing you should be doing is adequately loading the muscle. mTOR will sense the load, and activate the correct pathways that promote protein production and protein synthesis, both causing muscle growth. The next thing you need to do is make sure you’re getting enough protein. At the very least .7 grams per pound of bodyweight. Having enough protein will also help activate protein production and protein synthesis through mTOR, causing more muscle growth. Do these two things consistently, and you will optimize mTOR signaling for maximum hypertrophy.