Many people are unaware that building muscle is actually quite simple. All you need to do is get stronger. In general, the more muscle you build, the stronger you become.
If you continue to subject your body to progressively heavier weights, it will have no choice but to adapt and grow larger in order to withstand the stress we are putting it through. That’s all there is to it.
The problem is that many programs out there are so perplexing and complex that you’d have to be a rocket scientist to understand them. It doesn’t have to be this complicated. So, let’s start with the most fundamental aspect of muscle building: strength training.
How do we build strength?
To explain this, I’d like to give you a high-level overview of our energy timeline.
We have three different types of energy systems when we exercise. The phosphate region is the first system, which is basically the first 0-15 seconds of an explosive activity. There is very little lactic acid buildup in this energy range. Strength and fast twitch muscle fibers benefit the most from phosphate system training. Sprinting any distance up to 100m is a common exercise.
The lactate region is the second system, which lasts from 20 seconds to about 2 minutes. This is obviously where a lot of lactic acid accumulates. As a result, you’ll feel a burning sensation in your muscles. Training in this range is ideal for increasing endurance, lactate tolerance, and anaerobic threshold. The lactate region has low muscle activation and stimulates more slow twitch muscle fibers. A 200-400 meter sprint is an excellent example.
The third region, aerobic, begins approximately 5 minutes later. Aerobic conditioning is improved by training in this range. It increases endurance by stimulating slow twitch muscle fibers. It does not produce as much lactic acid as lactate-range training. Going for a 20-30 minute jog or walk is an example.
Now, in order to train for muscle growth, we must first train for strength and stimulate your fast twitch fibers. Obviously, you’d like to train in the phosphate region. You don’t want to tense your muscles for more than 20 seconds while doing this.
5-12 reps per set is ideal for this. If you do any more, you will enter the lactate region, which promotes endurance rather than size and strength.
Forget about all of the muscle-building routines you’ve seen in magazines. Many of these have far too many sets and reps for you to ever get stronger. Many of those bodybuilders achieve results regardless of what they do because they have some special little helpers!
Bodybuilders were freakishly strong before steroids. I know bodybuilders are strong now, but not in comparison to how heavy they were. Guys half their weight can lift the same amount as they do. Pound for pound, many of the old-school bodybuilders were among the strongest people in the world.
In fact, undefeated bodybuilding champion John Grimek also competed in weightlifting at the 1936 Olympics.
So, forget all those complicated routines and simply train to get stronger if you want to gain muscle. To accomplish this, make an effort to lift more weight each week. Articles that are free to reprint, with a 5-12 rep range.
Best wishes:-)
