Final answer:
Increasing muscle mass results in greater muscle strength, thicker and stronger bones at muscle attachment sites, developed connective tissue, and stronger tendons. Furthermore, increased muscle development is associated with more body hair growth due to hormonal influences. To further increase muscle size, the intensity of exercises must be progressively increased through strength training.
Step-by-step explanation:
If you increased the amount of muscle mass in your body, several changes would occur beyond just larger muscles. First, muscle strength would increase because the mass and bulk of skeletal muscles have augmented due to hypertrophy, an increase in the number of sarcomeres and myofibrils within each muscle fiber. As muscle strength grows, bones respond by modifying their strength and thickness to support the increased muscle force, primarily at muscle attachment sites and along the walls of weight-bearing bones.
Furthermore, resistance training that contributes to muscle hypertrophy generally does not cause a significant increase in mitochondria or capillary density as endurance training does, but it does increase the development of connective tissue and strengthens tendons to prevent damage. The tendons become more robust to handle the force transfer from stronger muscle contractions to the bone. Additionally, increased muscle development can stimulate the growth of facial, axillary, and pubic hair, and the overall increase in body hair, but these effects are more related to hormonal influences like testosterone that affect hair growth patterns.
To maintain or further increase muscle size, the intensity of strength training exercises must be continuously escalated. This progressive overload ensures that muscles are challenged to adapt and grow by lifting increasingly heavier weights to achieve further hypertrophy.