Introduction
Building muscle is a simple process. You need to be consistent and challenge your muscles a little more each time (by applying progressive overload). If you do both these things and make sure to eat enough protein and calories, your body will adapt and build more muscle. A lot of people overcomplicate this though and therefore don’t get the results they want. In this article, I will teach you how to build muscle by correctly applying a few variables.
1. Volume
The first variable is volume. There are different definitions for volume but it comes down to the product of sets and reps you do in your workout/ week. You need a minimum amount of sets per muscle group per week to be efficient. For this reason, it’s hard to build muscle with 1 workout per week for example. Usually anywhere from 10-20 sets per muscle group per week are needed (10 is a good minimum). If you spread these sets over the days you have available, you’ll build muscle. This can be done using different splits as long as the volume threshold is reached. You don’t need to do 8 exercises per workout. If you do 4-5 compound lifts intensely this can be a good workout, possibly with some accessory work added. To ensure maximum training capacity an intense workout should take no longer than an hour.
2. Intensity
To build muscle you need to reach a certain intensity threshold. If you’re training with weights that aren’t challenging for you, you won’t achieve muscle gain. For example, doing squats with a weight you can do 100 times isn’t going to build any muscle. Studies show that between 8-30 reps is the sweet spot for building muscle, as long as you train close to failure. I prefer training in the lower ranges (8-12) though since this is less fatiguing and less taxing on the cardiovascular system. For isolation movements, I’ll usually do slightly higher reps than compound movements as they are less taxing for the central nervous system. You can experiment with this yourself though and see which rep range you prefer.
Training to failure
As mentioned above, a range of repetitions can be effective as long as you train close to failure. Muscle failure is the point at which you can no longer perform a repetition effectively (without cheating).
Going to complete muscle failure on every set likely gives superior results in the short term, but can lead to overtraining in the long term. For this reason, it’s recommended to take most sets close to failure and some sets to complete muscle failure. Close to failure would mean 1-2 reps away from failure also referred to as reps in reserve. When doing 3 sets per exercise for example you could do the first 2 close to failure and the last one to complete muscle failure.
3. Exercise selection
The exercise itself won’t predict the result, this is determined by the number of reps and rest pauses etc. That being said, when selecting exercises it can be useful to do mostly compound exercises to hit your major muscle groups and supplement these with some accessory isolation movements. It’s recommended to train your muscle from different angles as well. This can be done by changing your hand position or training from a different angle. For example: doing an incline bench press instead of a flat bench press. It’s also useful to periodically change up your exercises to train different angles.
4. Rest-pause
The rest-pause is a variable where a lot of mistakes are made. Most people are impatient and start their next set way too early. You want to make sure you’re well-rested so you can keep your intensity high during consecutive sets. Studies show that people who take longer rest pauses can do more reps which leads to higher total volume. A minimum of 2 minutes of rest is recommended, but you can take shorter rest pauses for less challenging exercises to save time. Supersets are also a useful way to save time.
Progressive overload
Progressive overload is one of the most important principles in any kind of training, including resistance training. Adaptation occurs as a result of stress. You have to push your body for it to build new muscle tissue. If you train using the same weights and amount of repetitions every week, your body will not grow or become stronger. Your body wants to conserve energy and creating muscle is a costly process. To make sure you get results you have to apply progressive overload by challenging your body a little more every workout. This can be done by using more weight, doing more repetitions or making an exercise more complex than the week before.
Consistency
For your program to work you’ll also have to be consistent. Being consistent sounds simple but it’s not easy. You need to train for at least a few months to see significant results. You could do the best training program in the world, but if you only do it for a week you won’t get good results. So the key is to find something that fits your schedule first of all. Don’t go rushing in, doing 6 workouts per week and then quitting after 2 weeks. Start slowly, just show up 3 times a week and make sure going to the gym becomes a habit. After a while you’ll learn to enjoy the process and a lifelong habit will be formed.
In summary
Do 8-30 reps per set to ensure adequate intensity
Do a minimum of 10 sets /muscle group /week
Do mostly compound lifts supplemented with some accessory work
Train your muscles in different ways/ angles
Take longer rest pauses
2 minutes or more for compound lifts
Shorter rest pauses for easier, accessory lifts
Always train close to failure and take some sets to complete muscle failure
References:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20847704/