Fitness Advice From A Pro Weightlifter
The first thing to do is establish a goal If you want to lose weight, make sure it’s a realistic and achievable goal. If you’re looking for more muscle mass, set your sights on adding about 2-5 pounds of new muscle per month.
In order to achieve these goals, you’ll need a plan that encompasses all three training phases: hypertrophy (building), strength (maintaining) and power (increasing). The key here is balance; if one phase falls short, the others will suffer as well. This gives us our first rule: never neglect any of the three phases at once. You can’t build without maintaining or increase power without building up some strength in the process.
The second rule is to make sure you’re doing the exercises in your program correctly.
Perhaps this sounds like an obvious point, but it’s amazing how many people abandon their workout routine after only a few weeks because they don’t see any results. If this has happened to you before, please take another look at the exercises in your training routine and make sure that you’re doing them the right way.
And now for some specific advice (you knew that was coming). These guidelines apply to all three training phases, but they’re most important when it comes to hypertrophy since this phase lays the foundation for strength gains.
1) Strength is built through heavy loads on the muscles involved in your program.
When you perform a push up or lift something off the floor, how much do you generate in terms of force—that is, how hard does it feel?
- If you can lift an object 1-4 times your body weight with little effort, then your muscles are not being trained optimally for hypertrophy.
- If you can lift something up 1/4-1/2 your body weight with some effort, you’re on the right track and should look to add a bit of resistance to increase load and force.
- If you can only move an object that weighs 1/2-1 time your body weight—you’ve got a problem! Your weight should go up before your strength does.
- If you really want to get into the details of power-building, check out our post on the best power lifting belt .
2) Strength is also built through volume.
Many people forget about this one because they focus so much on intensity, but it’s just as important to look at what’s going on in the rest of your workout.
If you do 10 exercises per session, but only perform 4 sets per exercise, chances are you’re not building much strength because volume isn’t high enough. If you want to grow big and strong muscles, make sure you hit a minimum of 8-12 sets per exercise; more is even better.
3) Size is built through time under tension (TUT).
TUT can be calculated by multiplying the number of seconds you spend during each set, by the weight on the bar and then dividing that result by 50 (the total number of reps you perform in that particular workout). For example:
A) When you use a heavy load and perform 15 reps in the following manner: Keep your muscles under tension for 5 seconds, lower the weight and go back to full extension (take 3 seconds), and then do another rep (5+3=8 seconds). So one set would be 8 x 15 = 120 TUT.
B) When you use a lighter weight and perform the same number of reps in the following manner: Keep your muscles under tension for 10 seconds, lower the weight and go back to full extension (takes 6 seconds), and then do another rep (10+6=16 seconds). So one set would be 16 x 15 = 240 TUT.
When you take sets to failure , the TUT will be even higher. Just remember that muscle grows as a result of damage and metabolic stress, not by “tearing” your muscles apart with heavy loads (which is why you don’t need to take 1RM lifts to absolute failure—it’s counterproductive).
4) The muscle-building process only starts after the workout, as you’re resting and recovering from your efforts.
When it comes to hypertrophy training, this is where protein synthesis plays a critical role, as well as hydration status , hormone balance and sleep quality . The importance of those factors can’t be stressed enough and it’s something we’ll be discussing in future blog posts. After all, if you want to build muscles and improve your physique , then improving these four factors will have an even more dramatic impact than training properly.
5) The number of exercises for each muscle group is another factor that plays a role in building muscle efficiently.
Aim for around 3-4 work sets per exercise for each muscle group, and approximately 3-4 exercises per muscle group. If you get less than that then the load is too light to yield results. If you get more than that then your program will either take too long to complete or it’ll be too stressful on your nervous system.
Getting enough rest between sets is just as important as hitting the proper number of sets. Most people need at least 2-3 minutes between work sets, but you should experiment to see what works best for your body type.
6) Finally, here’s an example of a good hypertrophy workout split:
- Monday – Upper body A
- Tuesday – Lower body A
- Wednesday – Rest
- Thursday – Upper body B
- Friday – Lower body B
- Saturday – Rest
- Sunday – Rest
It’s important to take Sundays off because that’ll enable you to recover and prepare your muscles for the next week of training. If you train 7 days a week then chances are it won’t be long before over training starts rearing its ugly head.
FAQ
Q: I want to build muscle, but I’m unsure how many sets and reps to do for each exercise. Can you help?
A: The number of sets you perform depends on the goal you’re trying to achieve. If your ultimate goal is to build muscle then you should aim to do 8-10 work sets per session, take 2-3 minutes between sets and perform 3-4 exercises per muscle group. If your goal is simply to improve overall work capacity while gaining some size in the process, then aim for 4-6 sets with lower reps but shorter rest periods.
Q: I’m currently doing 5×5 for my big lifts (squat, deadlift, bench press , etc.). How does this method compare to your approach?
A: 5×5 is great for building strength, but it won’t help you build muscle efficiently. What’s more, if you really want to pack on size then you should be eating enough food to support that goal. Some people can get away with doing 5×5 and eating like a bird, but if you’re trying to gain weight then the 5×5 protocol is not where it’s at.
Q: If I want to build muscle as quickly as possible , should I focus on 3-4 exercises per muscle group?
A: That would depend on your goal. If your goal is to build up several muscles in each workout then 3-4 exercises will probably get the job done. If your goal is to maximize muscle growth, then you should do around 4-6 exercises per muscle group .
Q: I train 6 days a week and always take Sundays off because that’s usually the only day where I’m not feeling tired. Is this an effective training split?
A: If you’re able to recover and it’s the only day where you can perform at your best, then that’s perfectly fine. However, if you’re overtraining then chances are the other six days will suffer as a result. It all depends on your workout schedule and how diligent you’re with planning those workouts weeks in advance.
Q: What do you think about superset for building muscle?
A: Super setting can be effective for inducing metabolic stress and stimulating growth, but it’s important not to go overboard. Do no more than 2-3 supersets per training session, and try to keep rest periods below 1 minute when possible.
Q: I’m trying to cut down to 10% body fat for a competition. Is there any value in doing more than 3-4 work sets per exercise?
A: Not unless you’re using high reps, which is not exactly the best way to maximize muscle growth. The higher your reps, the lower your weights need to be. If you start piling on the plates then you’ll have no choice but to reduce your reps by a significant amount.
Q: On my lower body days I do 9 work sets per muscle group, but on my upper body days I only do 5. Do you think that’s enough?
A: If your goal is to build as much size as possible, then you should be doing at least 8 work sets per muscle group. The only way you’ll make super-fast progress is if you load up the weights and perform more exercises.
Q: I’m currently training 6 days a week, but my workouts aren’t very intense (about 60 minutes in total). Should I train more often?
A: If you want to build muscle as quickly as possible, then your training frequency cannot be underestimated. In order to maximize growth it’s important to train a muscle group more frequently – minimum of 3 times per week, and 5 days is even better. Remember, the higher the frequency the more time you have for recovery so if your goal is maximum gains then 6 days may not cut it.
Q: I’m somewhat new to weight training and after reading an article about periodization, I decided to try changing the angle of my workouts every month. Is this a good way for beginners to train?
A: Even advanced lifters need some degree of variation in their routines, but they only switch up their exercises or training methods. The number of times you change your routine per year should be limited, and this is even more important for beginners who need to build a solid foundation for future growth.
Q: I’ve been trying to bulk up for the last two years but all that happens after a couple of weeks is that my strength increases and my weight remains the same. What should I do?
A: It sounds like you’re training too frequently. This may be due to the fact that you’re eating more calories than your body can handle or it could simply be down to over training. Heavy weightlifting requires plenty of rest in between workouts, so if you want to build muscle at a rapid pace then be sure to get plenty of rest too.
Q: Will supplements help me build muscle faster?
A: Supplements serve little purpose if you don’t have a solid diet and training routine in place. If your goal is gaining muscle mass at an impressive rate, then you need to pay close attention to your overall caloric intake. Without sufficient calories and protein your body is not going to have everything it needs to grow.
Q: I’m currently doing 4 sets of 8 reps for each exercise, but my trainer says that this is too high. Is he right?
A: It depends on your goals, experience level and the intensity of your workouts. High volume training sessions are great for packing on muscle mass, but they can also lead to over training. If you want to build size quickly then it’s important to make sure that each of your workouts is sufficiently intense. For best results keep the reps between 6-10.
Q: I’ve been working out for years now and I find it hard to gain weight. Is it possible for me to gain weight?
A: Gaining weight can be very hard, but if you work hard in the gym and pay attention to your diet then you should see some results. Firstly you need to determine whether or not you’re eating enough food. If your goal is gaining muscle quickly then it’s important that you eat more calories than you burn. Aim to eat 500-1000 calories more each day then your maintenance level and make sure that these come from healthy sources like rice, whole grains, potatoes and pasta.
