childishkillah
Iron
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- Sep 25, 2024
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After laughing at a 17-year-old boy who was about to start a testosterone cycle, I realized that people have no idea how to train in a minimally decent way and that they only know how to waste time or take much longer to reach their hypertrophy goals. I'm not going to coping saying shit like diet is the most important thing and it's not important how you train as long as you do it, which seems to me to be a complete lie. God knows who the mentally handicapped person is who came up with such nonsense.
Before I start I would like to tell you that if you do not train taking into account what science says you are wasting a lot of time, and above all, do not pay attention to the TikTok or Instagram gurus who only want to spam content or worse sell you a shitty coaching app or a course (I'm not saying that getting a coach is bad, in fact, it's probably the best thing you can do, but find a decent professional, and don't fall for scams from influencers or bodybuilders who, just because they have good results, want to sell you any shitty routine or some disgusting advice. In my gym there is a very famous influencer in my country who says that you can work the hamstrings in the leg press on the different position of your feet
) but educate yourself is probably the best option for people who can't afford a personal trainer or who haven't been in the gym for very long and who can make gains very easily. After all this paraphernalia hating the ignorant influencer/bodybuilder bastards let's get started with this guide that will probably change your workouts and results for the rest of your life.
First of all, let's define what muscle hypertrophy is and how it occurs:
Muscle hypertrophy refers to the increase in the size of muscle fibers, which results in an increase in muscle mass. This process occurs as a response to strength training and when mechanical tension occurs and results in an increase in strength and power. One of the great confusions about hypertrophy is that many people believe that it is both the increase in size and the appearance of new muscle fibers, which is totally wrong.
I have previously said that hypertrophy occurs in response to mechanical tension given in strength training, but what is mechanical tension?
Mechanical tension is the active tension experienced by muscle fibers during contraction. This tension occurs in the last few reps of a set to failure, it is basically the involuntary slowdown that occurs in the last few reps, and in intermediate and advanced lifters it is the only variable that triggers muscular and strength adaptations, but why only in intermediate and advanced lifters? Well, inexperienced lifters can also use stretch-mediated hypertrophy to their advantage, which is not known why it occurs in these positions, but there is an idea of why it does not occur in advanced or intermediate lifters, because stretch-mediated hypertrophy is a passive mechanical tension, and passive mechanical tension depends on the number of sarcomeres in series within a muscle fiber, because if your fiber is still small it will have few sarcomeres that you can stretch to the maximum with a range of travel prioritizing it, but in the case that your muscle fibers are already large it implies that it is almost completely full of sarcomeres that no matter how much you stretch the muscle you will not be able to stretch the sarcomeres, and stretch-mediated hypertrophy will not occur, and even if you are an inexperienced lifter you should not fall into the bias of looking for exercises that emphasize stretching to the maximum if you end up losing all your ability to generate strength. So with the above said as an intermediate or advanced lifter you should emphasize taking advantage of all the mechanical tension that a series can offer you and not only that but to maximize it even more, recruit all the high threshold fibers from the first repetition and not prioritizing exercises in a stretched position because these are more tiring due to the opening of the ionic channels, in addition to the fact that it has been seen that with high loads recruiting all the fibers from the first repetition (around 85% of the RM) there is a better muscle recovery as you can see in this graphic:
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
As you can see, the study was done with sets at 90% of the RM at 3 repetitions, and many of you will be wondering if 3 repetitions and so little time under tension is optimal for muscle growth. Well, no, it is not. Numerous studies have already shown that the range in which hypertrophy occurs is between 5 and 30 repetitions, but we can also see that in the sets with more repetitions, the only truly stimulating repetitions, in which all the high-threshold motor units are recruited, occur in the last 5 repetitions.
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
This information makes one thing clear, working at high rep ranges is stupid, since a set of 5 reps to failure is just as stimulating as a set of 12 reps to failure, so why do high reps and only fatigue ourselves by doing non-stimulating reps? The best rep range is 5 to 9 reps to ensure safe progressive overload and avoid the risk of unwanted injuries.
Now that we've talked about the ideal rep range, let's move on to sets and how many to do.
Some muscles can handle less training volume because they are mostly made up of type 2 muscle fibers, which are more prone to muscle damage, and which also have the greatest potential for hypertrophy, and therefore have a more complicated recovery.
In skeletal muscle tissue there are 2 types of muscle fibers, slow twitch fibers (type 1) and fast twitch fibers (type 2), each type of fiber has unique characteristics in terms of contractile properties, energy metabolism, resistance to fatigue and structure. Slow twitch muscle fibers type 1 or also known as red fibers are characterized by their ability to contract slowly and maintain the contraction for long periods, these fibers are aerobic this means that they use oxygen to generate energy through oxidative metabolism have a high density of mitochondria and myoglobin which gives it the red color and its ability to resist fatigue.
Then we will have the fast twitch muscle fibers type 2 also known as white fibers, these are capable of contracting quickly and generating a large amount of force in a short period of time, these in turn are divided into two types, type 2a fibers and type 2x fibers, the first are a mix of aerobic and anaerobic function and type 2x are predominantly anaerobic using glucogen as the main source of energy, unlike type 1 fibers are crucial for activities that require powerful bursts of energy, such as sprinting, weightlifting and sports that involve explosive and intermittent movements.
But the most relevant difference in terms of fatigue is that fast fibers (type 2), by not having as much mitochondrial density, have less capacity to handle calcium ions, therefore calcium ions, produced by repeated muscle activation, therefore calcium ions accumulate within type 2 muscle fibers more easily during repeated muscle contractions, this makes them much more susceptible to fatigue mechanisms related to calcium ions, what is more commonly known as muscle damage.
From the extensive information given we have to make two things clear: An effective series is one that is carried out at least to RIR 2 and that not all people respond the same to muscle damage, so the individual volume can be higher.
Without further delay, the stabilizing muscles, with a large composition of type 1 fibers, for these the recommended number of series in the genetic average is between 6 and 15 weekly series or weekly microcycle (Splits that a week of work develops in more than 7 days) These muscles would be Back, Quadriceps and Deltoids and the muscles with more type 2 fibers Hamstrings, Glutes, Pectoral, Biceps and Triceps we should do between 4 and 12 weekly series for the genetic average and for muscles that contain a 50/50 like forearm and calf we should try between 4 and 10 series to know our ideal training volume.
With this information you could advance much faster over your genetics, since in 5 years of training I was able to build a very aesthetic physique, with a noticeable difference in speed when I started to apply this information.
Even so, as I said, each genetics is different and if even with this information you want to be even more confident in your training, I recommend getting a coah, my MD is open to conversation about it and small doubts about this little thread.
And fuck israel.
Before I start I would like to tell you that if you do not train taking into account what science says you are wasting a lot of time, and above all, do not pay attention to the TikTok or Instagram gurus who only want to spam content or worse sell you a shitty coaching app or a course (I'm not saying that getting a coach is bad, in fact, it's probably the best thing you can do, but find a decent professional, and don't fall for scams from influencers or bodybuilders who, just because they have good results, want to sell you any shitty routine or some disgusting advice. In my gym there is a very famous influencer in my country who says that you can work the hamstrings in the leg press on the different position of your feet
) but educate yourself is probably the best option for people who can't afford a personal trainer or who haven't been in the gym for very long and who can make gains very easily. After all this paraphernalia hating the ignorant influencer/bodybuilder bastards let's get started with this guide that will probably change your workouts and results for the rest of your life.First of all, let's define what muscle hypertrophy is and how it occurs:
Muscle hypertrophy refers to the increase in the size of muscle fibers, which results in an increase in muscle mass. This process occurs as a response to strength training and when mechanical tension occurs and results in an increase in strength and power. One of the great confusions about hypertrophy is that many people believe that it is both the increase in size and the appearance of new muscle fibers, which is totally wrong.
I have previously said that hypertrophy occurs in response to mechanical tension given in strength training, but what is mechanical tension?
Mechanical tension is the active tension experienced by muscle fibers during contraction. This tension occurs in the last few reps of a set to failure, it is basically the involuntary slowdown that occurs in the last few reps, and in intermediate and advanced lifters it is the only variable that triggers muscular and strength adaptations, but why only in intermediate and advanced lifters? Well, inexperienced lifters can also use stretch-mediated hypertrophy to their advantage, which is not known why it occurs in these positions, but there is an idea of why it does not occur in advanced or intermediate lifters, because stretch-mediated hypertrophy is a passive mechanical tension, and passive mechanical tension depends on the number of sarcomeres in series within a muscle fiber, because if your fiber is still small it will have few sarcomeres that you can stretch to the maximum with a range of travel prioritizing it, but in the case that your muscle fibers are already large it implies that it is almost completely full of sarcomeres that no matter how much you stretch the muscle you will not be able to stretch the sarcomeres, and stretch-mediated hypertrophy will not occur, and even if you are an inexperienced lifter you should not fall into the bias of looking for exercises that emphasize stretching to the maximum if you end up losing all your ability to generate strength. So with the above said as an intermediate or advanced lifter you should emphasize taking advantage of all the mechanical tension that a series can offer you and not only that but to maximize it even more, recruit all the high threshold fibers from the first repetition and not prioritizing exercises in a stretched position because these are more tiring due to the opening of the ionic channels, in addition to the fact that it has been seen that with high loads recruiting all the fibers from the first repetition (around 85% of the RM) there is a better muscle recovery as you can see in this graphic:
Comparison of the recovery response from high-intensity and high-volume resistance exercise in trained men - PubMed
Results indicate that high-volume resistance exercise results in greater performance deficits, and a greater extent of muscle damage, than a bout of high-intensity resistance exercise.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
As you can see, the study was done with sets at 90% of the RM at 3 repetitions, and many of you will be wondering if 3 repetitions and so little time under tension is optimal for muscle growth. Well, no, it is not. Numerous studies have already shown that the range in which hypertrophy occurs is between 5 and 30 repetitions, but we can also see that in the sets with more repetitions, the only truly stimulating repetitions, in which all the high-threshold motor units are recruited, occur in the last 5 repetitions.
Loading Recommendations for Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, and Local Endurance: A Re-Examination of the Repetition Continuum - PMC
Loading recommendations for resistance training are typically prescribed along what has come to be known as the “repetition continuum”, which proposes that the number of repetitions performed at a given magnitude of load will result in specific ...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
This information makes one thing clear, working at high rep ranges is stupid, since a set of 5 reps to failure is just as stimulating as a set of 12 reps to failure, so why do high reps and only fatigue ourselves by doing non-stimulating reps? The best rep range is 5 to 9 reps to ensure safe progressive overload and avoid the risk of unwanted injuries.
Now that we've talked about the ideal rep range, let's move on to sets and how many to do.
Some muscles can handle less training volume because they are mostly made up of type 2 muscle fibers, which are more prone to muscle damage, and which also have the greatest potential for hypertrophy, and therefore have a more complicated recovery.
In skeletal muscle tissue there are 2 types of muscle fibers, slow twitch fibers (type 1) and fast twitch fibers (type 2), each type of fiber has unique characteristics in terms of contractile properties, energy metabolism, resistance to fatigue and structure. Slow twitch muscle fibers type 1 or also known as red fibers are characterized by their ability to contract slowly and maintain the contraction for long periods, these fibers are aerobic this means that they use oxygen to generate energy through oxidative metabolism have a high density of mitochondria and myoglobin which gives it the red color and its ability to resist fatigue.
Then we will have the fast twitch muscle fibers type 2 also known as white fibers, these are capable of contracting quickly and generating a large amount of force in a short period of time, these in turn are divided into two types, type 2a fibers and type 2x fibers, the first are a mix of aerobic and anaerobic function and type 2x are predominantly anaerobic using glucogen as the main source of energy, unlike type 1 fibers are crucial for activities that require powerful bursts of energy, such as sprinting, weightlifting and sports that involve explosive and intermittent movements.
But the most relevant difference in terms of fatigue is that fast fibers (type 2), by not having as much mitochondrial density, have less capacity to handle calcium ions, therefore calcium ions, produced by repeated muscle activation, therefore calcium ions accumulate within type 2 muscle fibers more easily during repeated muscle contractions, this makes them much more susceptible to fatigue mechanisms related to calcium ions, what is more commonly known as muscle damage.
From the extensive information given we have to make two things clear: An effective series is one that is carried out at least to RIR 2 and that not all people respond the same to muscle damage, so the individual volume can be higher.
Without further delay, the stabilizing muscles, with a large composition of type 1 fibers, for these the recommended number of series in the genetic average is between 6 and 15 weekly series or weekly microcycle (Splits that a week of work develops in more than 7 days) These muscles would be Back, Quadriceps and Deltoids and the muscles with more type 2 fibers Hamstrings, Glutes, Pectoral, Biceps and Triceps we should do between 4 and 12 weekly series for the genetic average and for muscles that contain a 50/50 like forearm and calf we should try between 4 and 10 series to know our ideal training volume.
With this information you could advance much faster over your genetics, since in 5 years of training I was able to build a very aesthetic physique, with a noticeable difference in speed when I started to apply this information.
Even so, as I said, each genetics is different and if even with this information you want to be even more confident in your training, I recommend getting a coah, my MD is open to conversation about it and small doubts about this little thread.
And fuck israel.
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