It seems that everyone has a different opinion about what constitutes the ideal amount of exercise volume that would promote maximal gains in muscular size and strength. Bodybuilding is notorious for the "more is better" philosophy, which means that the more you do, the … [Read more...]
Training to Muscular Failure: An Update with New Insights by Jerry Brainum
I wrote about training to muscular failure in the May 2015 issue of Applied Metabolics, and that article covered all the available research at the time related to training to failure. I also discussed the history of training to failure, and how the principle first came about. … [Read more...]
Is There A Limit to Muscular Size? by Jerry Brainum
Have you ever wondered why there has never been a creature the size of the film icon, King Kong? Of course, some dinosaurs have exceeded Kong's size, but no mammals have ever come close to the massive size shown by Kong in the series of films in which he appears. The current … [Read more...]
Is Muscle Growth Fiber specific? by Jerry Brainum
A colleague of mine at a major bodybuilding magazine once wrote that "bodybuilding is not rocket science." What he meant by that was his feeling that too many bodybuilders often made the process of building muscle far more complicated than it needed to be. A corollary to this … [Read more...]
Maximizing Muscular Hypertrophy (growth): What are the best training factors? by Jerry Brainum
In the March, 2016 issue of Applied Metabolics, I discussed the many nuances and variables associated with muscular hypertrophy. Not everyone who lifts weights or engages in any type of resistance exercise wants to compete in amateur or professional … [Read more...]
How fast do muscles grow and is there a limit to muscular growth? by Jerry Brainum
If you've been around bodybuilding for as long as I have (over half a century) you will notice that people who get involved in regular bodybuilding training seem to make gains at different rates. Much of this has to do with genetic predispositions that favor rapid … [Read more...]
The Frequency Factor in Training by Jerry Brainum
One of the many factors in determining the rate of gains in muscular size and strength is how often you train, or training frequency. When you first begin to train, it's often recommended that you limit your number of training days to allow time for sufficient … [Read more...]
Fast or Slow Repetitions: Which is best for gaining muscular size and strength? by Jerry Brainum
Why is it that some people appear to make rapid gains in muscular size and strength when they lift weights, while others seem to make no gains at all? A lot of variables enter into an equation that seeks to answer this question. One example is the natural level of … [Read more...]
Does increased muscular strength promote increased muscular size? by Jerry Brainum
I've been training with weights consistently for over half a century. Contrary to the frequent statement that there is "nothing new under the sun" when it comes to training and nutrition, I've witnessed some vast changes in these areas over the years. In fact, science … [Read more...]
Intermittent Fasting: New information and its effects on adding muscle mass and losing body fat by Jerry Brainum
Although I covered the health effects of intermittent fasting (IF) in the October 2015 issue of Applied Metabolics, new information has been recently published about IF that is highly relevant to those who seek both body fat loss and added … [Read more...]