Many lifters in the iron game struggle with the art of muscle building.
And there is nothing more frustrating than making minimal progress with your physique. Building muscle is not a secret guarded by mythical muscle monks from Muscle Island. Anyone can build muscle, but the key is to know how do to it.
Muscle Building Strategy 1) Adding Weight To The Bar
The most fundamental principle for building muscle is progressive overload. In simple terms, progressive overload is you adding more weight to your exercises over time. As you get stronger, the weights you lift will undoubtedly get heavier. And as the weights you lift get heavier, your muscles will become bigger.
Now, in terms of lifting heavy, I’m not talking about trying to max out every time you touch the bar. That’s not smart. I am talking about adding small amounts of weight to the bar over time. If you squat 135lbs for 3 x 8 in week 1, at least try to squat 136lbs for 3 x 8 in week 2.
Many folks avoid heavy lifting. They read a bad article that said heavy deadlifts can cause injuries. Well, the truth is that almost anything could lead to an injury. This includes tasks that most of us take for granted, like stepping out of the shower or walking down the street.
As long as you are lifting with the proper form, you will have a minimal risk of injury. Injuries are more likely to occur when you’re not warmed up, your form is sloppy, or the weights you are lifting are too heavy.
Muscle Building Strategy 2) Performing More Repetitions With Heavier Weights
Without getting stronger, you cannot perform more reps with a given weight.
Let’s say Donna Derrière is performing the barbell hip thrust and she is stuck at 225lbs x 5. Donna has been trying for months to increase that number, but it will not budge despite her efforts. She has been doing high-rep pump sets with the same lighter weights for months.
Donna then begins to focus on increasing her absolute strength. She starts working in the 3-6 rep range and her 5-rep max increases to 315lbs. When she goes back to 225lbs in the hip thrust, she can now smoothly perform 10 reps.
She also notices that her glutes are looking much higher, fuller, and tighter. Why? Because she is performing more reps with 225lbs!
You cannot get complacent with lifting the same weight, for the same reps, every time. Without a challenge in the gym, your physique will not change.
Muscle Building Strategy 3) Perform More Work in Less Time
The greatest bodybuilding coach of all time, Vince Gironda, advocated for shorter, more intense workouts to build muscle.
Improving your training density (the amount of work done in a specific time) will significantly enhance your gym performance. Let’s say you are performing 7 x 3 with dips and chin-ups. In the first week of performing the workout, it takes you 20 minutes to complete the workout. In the second week, it takes you 18 minutes to finish the session. And in the third week of the program, it only takes you 16 minutes.
Training at a faster pace is uncomfortable for your body. A race against the clock will raise your sense of urgency. Trying to beat it will make you work harder during the workout.
Conclusion
By getting stronger, doing more reps, and working faster, you will unlock the door to your dream body.
I’ll holla at you next time.
The People’s Trainer,
Fitman
