A training plateau is a decline in strength and muscle gains a few months after starting a workout routine. Dogma holds that muscle gains come slower than strength gains. Much of that notion is based on observations of the progress made by those who begin bodybuilding … [Read more...]
Lacto-Resistance Training: A way to new growth and strength for advanced bodybuilders by Jerry Brainum 11/24
Muscle gains are most rapid when you begin regular resistance training. Indeed, this is a problem I have with many exercise studies that use untrained subjects to test various training techniques. The truth is that almost anything a beginner does will result in muscle gains, … [Read more...]
The Science of Light Resistance Training for Muscle Gains by Jerry Brainum 8/24
Until recently, bodybuilding dogma held that lifting heavy weights was the only way to develop increased muscle mass. Indeed, resistance training is based on a progressive system, where regular increases in the amount of weight lifted are essential for promoting size … [Read more...]
Is Muscle Damage Required for Muscular Growth? by Jerry Brainum 12/23
The usual explanation of why resistance training promotes gains in muscular size and strength is that resistance training imposes stress on contracting muscles, which leads to damage to muscle fibers. After the training, the body works to repair the fiber damage and institutes … [Read more...]
The Elements of Increasing Muscular Strength by Jerry Brainum 12/23
The primary goal of those who begin bodybuilding is to develop increased muscle mass and strength. Most resistance training members believe building larger muscles requires increasing muscular strength. On the surface, this seems to make sense. If you lift heavier weights, … [Read more...]
Overtraining: The Most Common Training Mistake by Jerry Brainum 11/23
Mistakes are common in bodybuilding, fitness, and sports training. Such mistakes can include poor exercise form, using too much weight, not training with sufficient intensity, resting too long between sets, playing with a cell phone rather than focusing on training, and many … [Read more...]
Weight or Repetitions for Muscle Growth? by Jerry Brainum 8/23
The three established requirements for exercise-induced muscle growth are mechanical tension, metabolic stress, and muscular damage. Unless these three factors are produced by exercise, no gains in muscle mass will result. Except under one condition. Testosterone alone was … [Read more...]
Optimal Triceps Training by Jerry Brainum 4/23
Most weight exercises can be divided into two basic types: isolation exercises and compound exercises. As the name implies, isolation exercises focus on specific portions of a muscle, such as training the upper back and the lower back. Or it can be even more specific, … [Read more...]
Do Hard-Gainers Exist? by Jerry Brainum 3/23
Although anyone can build muscle once they embark on a resistance training program, it seems that some gain more muscle faster than others. Those that experience difficulty in building muscle mass are referred to as "hard gainers." Many reasons are offered to explain why some … [Read more...]
Minimum Exercise for Maximum Gains by Jerry Brainum 7/22
What is the least amount of training needed to produce maximal muscle gains? It's a question long debated among both bodybuilders and exercise scientists. Many bodybuilders follow the dictum that "more is better." They believe that the greater the training volume, or the … [Read more...]