Muscle Gain - Key Strategies
A list of things to consider when looking to build muscle.
👉Genetics - Some people are lower in body fat % and higher in lean muscle by default. Play with the cards you have been dealt.
👉Short levers v’s long levers will have different visible results although the gains can be relatively the same.
👉Anyone can change their body composition if you do the work, eat well, recover and apply consistency.
👉If you are not getting the results, change your program, work harder and most likely you will need to increase the resistance stimulus.
👉Working in cycles works very well. 8 - 12 weeks with a de-load period to allow some de-conditioning to avoid adaptive responses and the dreaded plateau.
👉Adopt a lifestyle and training behaviour that supports muscle development.
👉Either do it properly or accept that you will have slower measurable results with ups and downs.
👉Accept that you will lose your muscle faster and easier than what it took to gain it. The body will adapt to the environment you put it in the most. No resistance will result in some muscle loss
👉Stimulus that demands composition change via your nervous system and do it often.
👉Nutrient dense food choices freshly picked within 60 hours
👉Muscle gain is developed by repeated linear and undulated linear resistance/force based stimulus to muscle lines
👉Muscle gain also requires myofacial and joint conditioning. Adaptive stimulus and conditioning.
👉Fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibre stimulus.
👉Nervous system needs a reason to change and that reason is consistent resistance stimulus
👉Optimum repetition range for muscle development (hypertrophy) is 8 - 12 with the last few reps being challenging.
👉Compound lifts, twice per week, at 70%-80%RM with variation and progression. 5x5 and 5,3,1 set formats work well however no harm in doing some 60% loads for volume. Always condition yourself first and if the technique needs work, keep it in the lighter range and get a coach.
👉No-one stepped into a car and knew how to drive. Same goes for muscle development. Watch some influencers, people who have done it before (without the roids) and copy what works for you.
👉Back squats, deadlifts, benchpress, press, bent over row, cleans, front squats, lunges, pull-ups
👉Subsidiary isolation skills and variations of skills for the same muscle or muscle line
👉6 x 12-15 rep sets for isolation skills work very well for hypertrophy (Muscle gain)
👉6 x 8 with a heavier loads works well too.
👉Undulating linear periodisation programming works the best.
👉Focus on range of movement (ROM) and the recruitment of more muscle fibres per repetition
👉Start with 3 x 10 for conditioning and then progress upwards based on experience
👉Extended focus on TUT - Time Under Tension - creates added stimulus and time under stress
👉Trace minerals, vitamins and supplementation
👉Tongkat Ali & Tribulus are well known for their testosterone boosting effects back to your normal levels especially after a training period as oestrogen will play havoc at the end of a training cycle. Look into natural blockers.
👉 Protein 2.2 x your body weight in grams. Some say 1.6. Whatever you do, just eat well, eat high quality, non GMO, non hormone protein, meat or vegetable and do the work.
👉If you give yourself enough time and are consistent you will get a good result. 2 year macro cycle with multiple micro cycles within,
👉Develop your training age and see how you feel and look in 5 to 10 years of repeated gym. It's a journey and a lifestyle. Live it, become it.
~ Sebastian
