Q: You’ve been training for a long time. I’m wondering if your ability to look good with such abbreviated workouts has to do with muscle memory. I’ve heard that after you build lots of muscle, it’s easier to get it back and hold it. Your response? [Read more…]
Younger = Extra Sets for More Mass?
Yesterday I addressed the question from a 75-year-old trainee who felt that the OMYM2 workout was too much for him… [Read more…]
Forgotten Factor in Fast Mass Gains, part 1
The new meta-analysis by Robinson, et al. (2023) found that 12 ALL-OUT sets a week per muscle is the good top-end goal for hypertrophy… [Read more…]
10 Sets a Week for a Massive Physique?
I want to revisit something I called attention to in a past newsletter: the volume threshold for muscle growth. To review…
According to Richard Winett, Ph.D., a recent joining together of experts from multiple countries looked at empirical studies and systematic reviews on muscle hypertrophy… [Read more…]
Less Time, More Muscle: Cut Back to Grow Big?
Q: Most of the programs in your e-books don’t have a lot of work sets. Pro bodybuilders use a lot more volume than you recommend, and they’re obviously pretty huge and ripped. Are there any studies that prove less time in the gym is good or that show the best number of sets for a workout?
A: Too much stress, whether in relationships, in the gym, or on a bungee-jumping platform, causes cortisol to surge. Cortisol is a stress hormone that can force your body to eat muscle tissue for energy. Not good! And it lowers testosterone, which also can cause muscle loss (not to mention a lower sex drive). A study that looked at how training volume affects testosterone in men was done several years ago (Alemany, J.A., et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 36:S238)… [Read more…]