Gain More Muscle By Training Less OftenThe more work you put into something, the better results you will achieve. This has always been a widely accepted truth that applies to most areas in life. The harder you
study, the better grades you will achieve. The more time you spend fine-tuning
your athletic skills, the better athlete you will become. The longer you spend
learning to play an instrument, the better musician you will become. Therefore, it
only makes sense that the more time you spend in the gym, the stronger and more
muscular your physique will become, correct? Contrary to
what you might think, the answer to this question is a gigantic, definite,
absolute no! It is in this area of bodybuilding that conventional wisdom
goes straight out the window, down the street and around the corner. I know what
you might be asking yourself… “What?
Spending less time in the gym will actually make me bigger and
stronger?” The answer is
yes! It really will, and when we examine the muscle-growth process from its most
basic roots, it becomes quite clear why this is the case.
Every single
process that occurs within the human body is centered around keeping you alive
and healthy. Through thousands of years of evolution the human body has become
quite a fine-tuned organism that can adapt well to the specific conditions that
are placed upon it. We become
uncomfortable when we are hungry or thirsty, we acquire a suntan when high
amounts of UV rays are present, we build calluses to protect our skin, etc. So what
happens when we break down muscle tissue in the gym? If you
answered something to the effect of "the muscles get bigger and stronger", then
congratulations! You are absolutely correct. By battling against resistance
beyond the muscle's present capacity we have posed a threat to the musculature.
The body recognizes this as potentially
harmful and as a natural adaptive response the muscles will hypertrophy
(increase in size) to protect the body against this threat. As we consistently
increase the workload from week to week the body will continue to adapt and
grow. Sound simple?
Ultimately it
is, but the most important thing to realize in relation to all of this is that
the muscles can only grow bigger and stronger if they are provided with
sufficient recovery time. Without the proper recovery time, the muscle growth
process simply cannot take place.
Your goal in
the gym should be to train with the minimum amount of volume needed to
yield an adaptive response. Once you have pushed your muscles beyond their
present capacity and have triggered your thousand-year-old evolutionary alarm
system, you have done your job. Any further stress to the body will simply
increase your recovery time. Most people
train way too often and with far more sets than they really need to. High
intensity weight training is much more stressful to the body than most people
think. The majority of people structure their workout programs in a manner that
actually hinders their gains and prevents them from making the progress that
they deserve. Here are 3
basic guidelines that you should follow if you want to achieve maximum gains: Take all sets
to the point of muscular failure and focus on progressing in either weight or
reps each week. If you truly train hard and are consistent, training more often
or any longer than this will be counterproductive to your gains. To learn how
to combine all of these principles into a step-by-step workout plan, click the
link below and visit my website for details.
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