I like puzzles—but most people would give up on one that lasts 50 years and is constantly changing…
Building muscle is a moving target because the body adapts, is subjected to various life stresses, plus it’s always aging. Those factors make finding the perfect long-term mass-building routine difficult, if not impossible.
I think it was the late Olympic coach and muscle-building expert Charles Poliquin who said that the best workout is the one you’re not currently doing. Here’s a pic of the late Strength Sensei (he died in 2018 at age 56)…
No, he wasn’t suggesting that you change your workout every time you hit the gym—although that can work in some cases for short stints. What he was suggesting is that once your body adapts, you have to switch it up.
This muscle-building thing can be frustrating and challenging, but it can also be rewarding and fun, which is why I continue to do it at age 63. Also, I don’t want to be a hunched-over bag of bones unable to wipe—although if I work out too hard, I feel close to that.
Seriously, even someone as experienced and accomplished in this “sport” as Mr. America/Mr. Universe Doug Brignole has had a long, twisting bodybuilding road…
Both he and I have touched base over the years, as he wrote for Iron Man while I was the editor there…
After he wrote The Physics of Resistance Exercise a few years ago, it opened my eyes to the biomechanics that Doug is so good at, and it changed my training—more efficient and productive, even into my 60s…
And we’ve had more correspondence than ever after his exceptional book. Most recently we went back and forth about frequency—how often to hit a muscle—after I saw his body make an amazing transformation as he prepares for a guest-posing appearance. In case you missed that newsletter, here are his recent pics…
It was something hypertrophy researcher Chris Beardsley said that got us both thinking and tweaking our workouts…
Beardsley said that a muscle recovers after 48 hours in most cases. What? Does that mean we should be training each muscle three times a week for best mass-building results?
My thoughts and Doug’s eye-opening commentary tomorrow.
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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