So at 62, and with 45 years of training under my belt, I thought you may be interested in some things I’ve learned about building muscle.
Along with that experience, I was Editor in Chief of Iron Man magazine for 27 of those years, where I interviewed some of the best bodybuilders, including Tom Platz, Lee Labrada, and Arnold, to name a few. Plus, I read everything that went into every issue.
Here are some key things I have learned about building muscle…
1) It’s not just about “intensity of effort.” I used to believe that you had to take sets to failure and beyond to build mass—and limit your volume. But I’ve learned that too much or too little of either blunts gains.
And you can increase one if you decrease the other—up to a point…
Mike Mentzer used two to three crazy intense sets per muscle and made spectacular gains. Arnold used 20 sets per body part, paced himself, and got amazing gains as well. Both men had excellent genetics—and both were on steroids, which absolutely matters.
Without drugs, research shows that about 10 sets per week for each muscle is the sweet spot for hypertrophy. That’s per week, not per workout. I usually do eight to 10 sets a week now, and that’s working well. I no doubt will have to reduce that down the road—unless I can figure out how to reverse this stupid aging thing.
2) Some exercises are better than others—and often the best are not what you think. Doug “Mr. Universe” Brignole has shown me that an exercise doesn’t stimulate the most muscle just because you can pile on the poundage. For example…
Sissy squats place more load on quad fibers than barbell squats. Sissies are all quadriceps; barbell squats involve many other muscles—and the glutes are the prime mover…
That’s not to say that barbell squats won’t build quads—it’s just a biomechanics fact that sissy squats are more “quad-centric.” Master trainer Vince Gironda figured that out way back in the ’50s. In fact, his gym did not have a single squat rack. Sissies were his quad-builder of choice, saying regular squats were only good for a big butt. (For the ideal exercises, see the new ebook.)
3) Go heavy or go home is not the best rule for building muscle mass. Heavy low-rep training can build muscle, but it’s not the fastest way. Research shows that you need a variety of rep ranges to affect and build an array of muscle-fiber types…
New research even shows that the endurance fibers have more hypertrophy potential than previously believed, and bodybuilders need every layer of mass they can get…
So while most sets should be around 10 reps to activate a variety of fiber types, you should also do a set or two in the high zone, like 20, and the low zone, like 7. Lower than that and you’re primarily training for strength, not to mention unnecessarily stressing your joints if you’re after muscle size.
Again, yes, low reps will build muscle. Those mega-heavy sets just aren’t as efficient at packing on size. So if you use low-rep training exclusively or even most of the time, it will take you a lot longer to pack on mass.
4) Some exercises that aren’t so ideal can have unique mass-building effects. In Old Man, Young Muscle I mention why I add specific exercises after emphasizing the ideal move. That’s because everything from stretch overload to continuous tension to synergy can add “layers” of new mass.
In a previous newsletter, as well as in the new ebook, I discuss the key hypertrophy factors identified by Brad Schoenfeld, Ph.D. It’s difficult to find a single exercise that emphasizes all of those sufficiently, which is why certain “add-on” moves after the ideal exercise can have significant mass-building effects.
Whew. That’s four of the biggies from my folder titled “Lessons Learned From My Dumbass Mistakes in the Gym.” I’ll have more in a future newsletter.
New: Get the ideal exercise for each muscle, the best add-on moves for ultimate mass, complete 35-minute workouts, exercise start/finish photos, and details on building muscle fast and efficiently in Old Man, Young Muscle.
And you still get The Muscle-On, Belly-Gone “Diet” ebook FREE for a limited time when you add Old Man, Young Muscle to your mass-building library. Go HERE.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
Steve Holman
Former Editor in Chief, Iron Man Magazine
www.X-Rep.com
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What Would You Do to Protect Your Family?
Mike Westerdal is a renowned personal trainer and national best-selling physical preparedness author, but he’s also a father and a husband… who would do anything to protect his family.
He used to get pushed around when younger and spent years building up his body and becoming stronger, getting mentally and physically tough the hard way. As he got bigger, he learned to handle himself, and working in security, he learned first-hand how violence really plays out.
Some of the other guys online who show off their self-defense videos and books need to get a grip. The level of skill needed to pull off their basic moves is CRAZY for most ordinary people.
- If a defense system requires more than a few hours to master, it’s not a program.
- The only techniques you will ever use are the simple ones.
- They need to work for an ordinary person without prior training, technique, or ability.
- So even if you think you don’t have time to learn how to defend yourself…
- You don’t need to spend years training to be a martial artist.