Muscular gains come easy when you first begin training. At least it appears that way. All beginners, no matter what their genetic gifts may be for bodybuilding or lack thereof, make fairly rapid gains when they first start to regularly train. What happens is that you develop a … [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 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...]
Achtung! Is German Volume Training a better way to build muscle? by Jerry Brainum
In a recent article in Applied Metabolics, I discussed the training principles that are associated with increased muscular hypertrophy or growth. These factors include training frequency, training intensity level, and volume. That last aspect is the most controversial. … [Read more...]
Unleashing the Wild Vince (Gironda) by Jerry Brainum
"There's no doubt about it. I am hated and I am loved. Why? Because I am dogmatic. I have this unforgivable feeling inside of me when it comes to bodybuilding. I know what I am talking about. If it ruffles feathers, so be it. I can neither compromise nor save feelings … [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...]
The 3/7 system: A better way to train? by Jerry Brainum
Those who are cynical often say that when it comes to nutrition and exercise, there is nothing new and exciting. Such people clearly don't view the ongoing research on these topics, since in fact the amount of new information about exercise and nutrition … [Read more...]
Lifting heavy weights, post-workout anabolic hormones, it all doesn’t matter? by Jerry Brainum
For as long as I can remember, the accepted prescription for developing larger muscles and increased muscular strength was to lift heavy weights. Even standard exercise physiology textbooks say that to activate the type 2-B fast-twitch muscle fibers that are most … [Read more...]
The Mind-Muscle Connection by Jerry Brainum
"I was constantly playing tricks on my mind. This is why I began to think of my biceps as mountains, instead of flesh and blood. Thinking of my biceps as mountains made my arms grow faster and bigger than if I had seen them as only muscles." So said Arnold … [Read more...]