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Introduction
If you find that you have not seen much progress in a while or if your muscle growth has reached a plateau, this article post can offer valuable insights.
Knowing these training principles earlier in my fitness journey would have saved me considerable time at the gym. I regret not having had better guidance, but I aim to ensure that you do not encounter the same issue.
To maximize your potential, it is crucial to incorporate these workout hacks into your training regimen. These workout hacks outline five essential principles for achieving hypertrophy.
These workout hacks are universally applicable and beneficial for all individuals, regardless of their experience level or training split.
What is Hypertrophy?
In basic terms, hypertrophy means the enlargement or growth of a muscle, usually resulting from activities like weightlifting or resistance training.
When muscles experience regular stress or resistance, like lifting weights, tiny damage occurs to the muscle fibers. During the recovery and adaptation phase, the muscle cells repair and increase in size, resulting in overall muscle growth.
Now, let's explore the five essential workout strategies to promote faster muscle growth.
1: Progressive Overload
Seeing progress can be a powerful motivator that drives us forward. The key to getting bigger and stronger can be summed up in two words: Progressive Overload.
Progressive overload is a foundational concept in resistance training that is essential for muscle growth. It involves gradually increasing the amount of stress on the body during workouts over time. This stress can be heightened by raising resistance (weight), volume (sets and repetitions), or intensity (exercise difficulty).
Muscle growth relies on progressive overload because it provides a consistent and challenging stimulus that compels the body to adapt by continually upping the demands on the muscles. By improving your strength within the 6-15 rep range, you can boost your muscle mass. For instance, if you are performing dumbbell curls, increasing the weight of the dumbbells will enhance the strength of your biceps in that exercise.
It can be tempting to slack off and become comfortable, but embracing progressive overload can instill the confidence needed to trust the training process. To comprehend the significance of progressive overload for muscle growth, one must consider the physiological responses and adaptations that occur within the body.
- Muscle Fiber Recruitment:
Progressive overload plays a crucial role in engaging a higher number of muscle fibers during resistance training. When the resistance or workload intensifies, the body triggers additional motor units and muscle fibers to produce the necessary force to conquer the load. This heightened recruitment activates a greater portion of the muscle, resulting in more substantial muscle growth.
- Adaptation and Hypertrophy:
Muscle growth, known as hypertrophy, is the body's way of adapting to the ongoing challenge of lifting increasingly heavier weights. As muscles adjust to higher demands, they develop resistance to previous stress levels. Therefore, consistent progression is vital to maintain a stimulus for continual adaptation and growth.
- Preventing Plateaus:
In the absence of progressive overload, the body would swiftly acclimate to a particular resistance level, resulting in muscle growth plateaus. To prevent stagnation and continue seeing improvements, it is essential to regularly boost the workload, pushing the muscles to adapt and grow.
The progressive overload guideline suggests that the following week, you should aim to increase either by 5lbs, 1 repetition, or focus on executing a smoother form during the final repetition.
Reminder: Progressive overload extends beyond simply increasing weight or adding repetitions. It can also involve refining a movement with the same weight by enhancing control, emphasizing muscle squeezing, or tightening contractions. Any slight improvement signifies progress.
2: Training To Failure
Training to failure involves reaching a point during a set where performing another repetition becomes challenging. It is the moment when your body signals fatigue, but your mind pushes you to complete that last rep.
Personally, incorporating training to failure into my routine was a game-changer, pushing me to train harder. Understanding your Reps in Reserve (RIR) becomes clearer when you push yourself to failure and experience that mental and physical struggle.
Without experiencing the intensity of that final repetition, it is challenging to gauge how close you are to failure – whether it is two more reps, three, or beyond. Mastering training to failure is more of a mental challenge than a physical one. Once you have honed your lifting form and technique, consider taking your sets to failure.
” When it starts to burn is when the exercise starts“ - Jeff Cavaliere
But why should you train to failure?
- Muscle Damage and Repair:
Exercising to failure can result in additional microtrauma to muscle fibers. The consequent repair and remodeling process have the potential to induce muscle hypertrophy (growth) as the body responds to the stress by enlarging and multiplying muscle fibers.
- Hormonal Response:
Engaging in rigorous resistance training, particularly when performed to failure, can stimulate the secretion of anabolic hormones like growth hormone and testosterone. These hormones are involved in muscle protein synthesis, a critical process for muscle repair and growth.
Beginners and individuals with specific health concerns should exercise caution when considering training to failure. For beginners, training to failure may not be necessary as they can achieve excellent results by training shy of failure. It is advisable for beginners to prioritize mastering proper technique and implementing progressive overload strategies.
3: Train Every Muscle Group TWICE A Week
A study conducted in 2013 demonstrated that training each muscle group twice a week led to a 3.1% increase in muscle growth compared to training each muscle group once a week.
When training muscles once a week, higher volume per session is required, while training muscles twice a week involves lower volume per session. For example, if you perform 12 weekly sets for your biceps, training them once a week would entail completing all 12 sets in a single session, whereas training them twice a week would involve 6 sets per session.
Exercising with higher volume for a specific muscle in a single session can lead to increased fatigue accumulation and decreased performance towards the end of the workout. Conversely, training with lower volume in a session results in less fatigue accumulation and better sustained performance. This difference in fatigue accumulation provides a more effective stimulus for muscle growth.
Scientifically, training each muscle group twice a week promotes muscle growth by optimizing fatigue management and performance sustainability during workouts.
- Increased Frequency:
Increasing the frequency of training a muscle group ensures more frequent stimulation of muscle protein synthesis (MPS). MPS is the mechanism through which the body repairs and constructs new muscle tissue. A study published in the Journal of Physiology revealed that muscle protein synthesis rates remain elevated for up to 48 hours following resistance exercise. By training a muscle group more often, individuals create more chances to trigger protein synthesis, a critical process for muscle growth.
- Optimal Recovery Time:
Training a muscle group every 48-72 hours allows for ample recovery time. This approach ensures that each muscle can be targeted with the necessary intensity in every session, facilitating optimal growth while mitigating the risks of overtraining and injury.
Utilize a workout split that allows for a training frequency of twice a week, while also enabling you to achieve the recommended volume of 10-20 weekly sets per muscle group. The image below illustrates various popular workout splits.
4: Control The Eccentric
The eccentric phase of an exercise refers to the lengthening or lowering portion, such as the downward movement in a bicep curl. During this phase, the most micro-tears are generated, leading to increased strength and muscle size over time.
While discussions often focus on sets and reps, the speed of repetitions is a critical but overlooked aspect. Emphasizing control throughout the exercise, avoiding jerky movements, and extending the time under tension are essential. Ideally, aiming for a time under tension of 40 seconds or more per set is optimal for muscle building. Insufficient time under tension may increase the risk of injury and hinder optimal results.
To track lifting duration, timing sets can be beneficial. Many individuals tend to lift too quickly. Slowing down the eccentric phase compared to the concentric phase is crucial – for instance, taking twice as long to lower the weight as it took to raise it. This approach leverages the fact that muscles are about 30% stronger during the eccentric phase, thus promoting balanced muscle engagement.
By focusing on controlled eccentric movements, individuals can reduce the likelihood of injury and avoid lifting with excessive momentum. Once mastering sets to failure, incorporating this principle into workouts can be advantageous.
Note: This workout tip does not apply to powerlifters, as their primary goal is to enhance explosiveness for strength gains.
5: There Is No Specific Exercise That You NEED To Do
If you do not enjoy watching a particular sport, show, or reading a specific book, it is unlikely that you will continue engaging with it. Similarly, if a meal is not appealing, you may struggle to consume it over an extended period unless there is a suitable alternative available.
In the realm of workouts, the same principle applies - there is no obligation to perform exercises that you do not enjoy. Every exercise has the potential to promote muscle growth or sculpt the body if executed correctly, with sufficient intensity, and incorporating progressive overload. Whether it's barbell exercises, free weights, or machines, the key is to select exercises that you find comfortable and exciting to perform. Fitness success lies in making it convenient for you to adhere to a routine.
Personal preference plays a significant role in exercise selection. For instance, if barbell back squats are not to your liking, you can opt for alternatives like the hack squat or leg press machine. What matters most is following the movement pattern rather than fixating on any specific exercise.
In designing your workout routine, prioritize exercises that you genuinely enjoy, as this intrinsic motivation can fuel long-term commitment and consistency. When you derive pleasure from an exercise, it can serve as a powerful driver to sustain your fitness journey. Focus on incorporating exercises that you look forward to performing, as this approach can enhance your motivation and overall workout experience.
Conclusion
Implementing these workout strategies has led to significant improvements in my fitness journey, yielding excellent results. I am confident that by comprehensively grasping and incorporating these workout hacks into your routine, you can accelerate your progress, optimize muscle growth, and enhance the effectiveness and enjoyment of your fitness endeavors.
It is essential to recognize that fitness is a long-term commitment rather than a quick fix. Embrace the incremental progress you make along the way, understanding that the path to strength and fitness is a journey in itself. Celebrate each milestone achieved, as the journey toward your fitness goals is just as valuable as reaching the destination.
Thank you for reading! Comment below with your thoughts and suggestions.
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- Author:Jiroop
- URL:https://jiroop.com/article/muscle-mastery-5-workout-hacks-growth
- Copyright:All articles in this blog, except for special statements, adopt BY-NC-SA agreement.
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