When I was starting out in the gym at 18 I would usually go with 3 or 4 friends. We all had one thing in mind…to grow muscle. We were young lads wanting to be as attractive to the opposite sex as possible, but really we had no idea on how to do it. Looking back, we probably looked like The Inbetweeners.
I stand by the notion that muscle, or defined, toned physiques on men are generally seen as an attractive attribute, but I was wrong that it is all that I needed. A personality, a sense of humour, being kind and driven are things that I had in patches when I were a teenager, but it was mixed in with the cocky little prick that I probably came across as. I was always East 17 rather than Take That. Oasis not Blur. Anyway, back to my point.
So as each member of the group of friends waited for their turn, one thing became embarrassingly obvious. We would always try and ‘outlift’ the previous person. ‘They pressed 85k, I’ll go 90’, was my mindset. But it is only through training regularly in my later years, talking to professionals, researching and reading numerous articles on the subject that I realized that repping a ridiculous weight a few times would never get me my goals. I lost out on reaching years of training targets from lifting heavy to gain muscle. Now I follow the science and I look like I wanted to look at 25…and I feel fitter too at 43.
Higher weights with less reps will get you stronger. No doubt. Think of the world’s strongest men competition. Huge guys lifting giant bolders. If that is what you want then that is what you should do! But most people who I talk to want to look lean and feel good in their clothes, but then proceed to break their back with a one rep deadlift. It’s known as an ego lift, but it won’t trigger much muscle growth. Muscle needs repetitive movement. Lots of repetitive movement. I mean, like, years and years of repeating the same things for a muscle to grow back bigger. And most trainees are pissing in the wind when they try.
What most people will find after a workout is a pump in the muscles. This is sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. Fluid has pumped into the muscle and it’s a great photo opportunity in the gym changing rooms. But myofibrilic hypertrophy comes from wearing the muscle fibres down, they repair and they grow back bigger as the muscle adapts to the workload that it has been put under. But, like I say, this comes with lots of dedicated hard work to cause this adaptation.
And something else happens with the correct rep range. With a complete programme schedule you will use up more energy. Energy=Calories. Your body becomes a fat burning furnace long after your workout. 24 to 48 hours to be exact. Lose the fat and the muscle becomes even more visible. We use terms like toned, ripped, difined. Whatever, it means that you are doing something right!
For hypertrophy or muscle growth that gives you a lean, fit physique, think about your reps, weight and sets. This, along with a balanced nutritious diet, could be the key to your gym goals.
Never Give Up PT 