Mass Mondays

I did a short 2 to 3 month run of a series I called "Mass Mondays". This is the culmination of all that information.

 

1 Main Driver of Hypertrophy

 

In the past, a lot of people believed the main driver of hypertrophy (muscle gain) was by volume. I'm sure you hear all the time "My coach has me doing bodybuilding stuff, all the reps bro" and while volume does matter to an extent, it's not the end all be all. 

 

Recently they have found that force and tension are in fact more important than volume. While you can in fact build muscle in the 15-30 rep range, it's not ideal. Optimally you want to be looking at anywhere from 6-10 repetitions taking them close or to failure. Those last 5 reps prior to failure are the ones that create the most change to your physique. Could you theoretically do sets of 5 if volume isn't as important? No. Again, somewhere in the 6-10 range is ideal. 

 

My theory is that if you are only hitting 3-5 reps your internal focus gets lost on just moving A to B, rather than creating and focusing that tension on the target muscle. 

 

That 6-10 repetition ranges should be used on your meat and potato movements (leg press, squat, bench press, overhead press, rows, etc). These should be hard reps. Not things you are breezing through as if you are doing a deload. It should feel like work. 

2 Importance of Load

 

Another very important factor is load. Ever see a REALLY gigantic bodybuilder, powerlifter, crossfit athlete or weightlifter using the yellow 10 lb dumbbells you find in the fitness isle at walmart as their main choice? The answer is no. 

Load is crucial. If you cannot create some sort of soreness, disruption or momentary weakness with the weight of choice, do you really think it's going to make a lasting change in your physique or performance? 

 

For example if you can do a set of curls with 25lbs until the end of time, you should probably up your weight. Going back to last week's post if you are failing at 2 or 3 reps, you should lower it. You want that sweet spot for the main movements. The body won't adapt if you continually crush it with pump work. What reason does it have to adapt and get stronger or build muscle if you are not constantly challenging it? It has none. Load pushes that adaptation along with volume.

 

If you are doing pump, BFR (blood flow restriction) or metabolite training, load is less crucial but still a factor. Set a goal of let's say 15 to 18 reps and shoot for muscle failure within that range. I can't give you strict percentages when it comes to hypertrophy because it can and should change as your muscles become bigger and your program progresses. 

3 Volume

 

Volume absolutely helps determine what you get out of training. Training sets of 3 repetition doesn't yield really any hypertrophic effects as say a set of 7. There's not enough tension per set doing 1-3 reps to help make a lasting physical change. Sure you get some neurological adaptations but negligible hypertrophy stimulus. 

 

This can also kind of breakdown into specificity, the "why" you are training. If it's powerlifting and moving as much weight from a to b with golden technique, you don't need much volume. If it's to be the biggest dude at your gym with Tom Hardy traps, then you should probably consider upping that volume a hair.  For endurance, you can even go as far as doing upwards of 50 reps per set but really it's just cardio at that point. You are not going to cause a decent amount of disruption or any sort of growth adaptation. If anything, your body would likely dump lean tissue if you were undereating and doing this. That's why you don't see career marathon runners with giant legs. 

 

Volume per session is largely determined by your training frequency, ie. how many days you train that muscle per week. It’s also a factor if you are prioritizing a body part. For example, if you are trying to bring your chest up, you wouldn’t do all sets for the week in one session. You would break that volume up over 2 or 3 days. You would also cut back volume for other body parts.

 

Take home points: 

• If you want to grow or maintain sets of 6-10 progressing weight or sets over a mesocycle. Then deload and start again.
• If your goal is strength, stick in the lower rep ranges of 1-5 again progressing weight on main movements and sets over a mesocycle then deload. Rinse, repeat. 
• If endurance is your game, make sure you eat enough but upwards of 50 reps per set. 

 

4 Deload

Deloading. The purpose of a deload is to clear fatigue in your body and prime you for the next mesocycle. The way I'm approaching this right now is overall systemic recovery and not just muscle specific. Depending on the body part like shoulders for instance, you could probably get away with just deloading shoulders. Legs I would do overall deload because of how taxing they are overall. 

 

How do you go about deloading? Cut volume and intensity. Also, if you are doing multi sessions on a muscle group, cut that frequency down as well. 

 

So in week 4 if you were doing 2 or 3 top sets, cut it to 1 with a few light pump sets and done. 

 

Should you change exercises going into the next mesocycle? Not necessarily. If you still are getting a good connection and pumps I'd say ride that out for another and assess after. 

 

Most do not utilize deloading for muscle building which recently I found is a mistake. Remember, you don't grow in the gym. You grow outside of it. Get in, stimulate the muscle, leave. 

 

5 How Should I Feel After a Training Session?

 

After you train, you should feel fatigued but not wiped out. It should have felt like you did some work but only localized to that muscle group you were working that day. For example, your arms should not be fatigued after working legs. Although, I will say working your legs may make you feel fatigued, hungry, sleepy because of the level of systemic fatigue that comes with them. That kind of segways into the topic of length of time to train for hypertrophy. Overall a great time frame to shoot for is 1 ½ to 2 hours max. If you are spending over 3 hours training even 2 muscle groups, you are either not training hard enough, spending too much time on your phone, bsing, or just flat out wasting time. 3 hours for one or 2 muscle groups is not even close to being recoverable unless you are doing the things listed above. That is not really up for debate. 

 

6 Training to Failure

 

Training to failure is when you can not physically perform another repetition/muscle contraction. True failure, not just when it gets uncomfortable or painful, is not recommended every single session.

 

Training to failure in my opinion is good in moderation. I tend to stick to 1 or 2 reps in reserve on my main movements unless it is week 3 or 4 of a mesocycle (1 month block of training) and I'm hitting that overreaching point. It's pretty taxing overall from a systemic (overall body) fatigue standpoint. 

 

For example, I finished up a mesocycle 2 weeks ago. I took my main chest movement to failure and beyond using accommodating resistance and drop sets. I can explain accommodating resistance more in depth in another post. That can be chains, bands etc. I used a Slingshot. I was wiped out after that. I do not have spotters or training partners so that's why I use those intensity techniques. I had my deload scheduled so that's why I went nuts that day. 

 

You can't do that every week. That's my main point to drive home, but it is a great and necessary tool in your arsenal if done correctly and safely.