muscle

HOW IMPORTANT IS GETTING A PUMP FOR BUILDING MUSCLE? How Important Is Getting a Pump for Building Muscle? Written by Michael Matthews and Scientifically Reviewed by Dr. Brian Grant FACT CHECKED EVIDENCE BASED Key Takeaways The muscle “pump” refers to the temporary increase in muscle size that...

Yes and no. While scientists are still unraveling the complex systems responsible for muscle growth, it’s clear pump training is effective for building muscle. That doesn’t mean it’s optimal for building muscle, though. You can build muscle effectively without ever getting a pump, as...

Key Takeaways The muscle “pump” refers to the temporary increase in muscle size that occurs when you lift weights, especially when you use higher reps and shorter rest periods. Pump training should never be your primary focus if you want to gain muscle as fast as possible, but it can help you...

by Greg Nuckols What does it take to reach your strength potential? And what do the steps to do so look like? I couldn’t find a complete, accessible overview anywhere, so I decided to make it myself. This article will be the anchor for the website. It’s a comprehensive framework, meant to get...

By Bret Contreras Robert A. Panariello MS, PT, ATC, CSCS Professional Physical Therapy Professional Athletic Performance Center New York, New York In recent years the gluteal muscle group has received much notoriety in the physical rehabilitation, fitness, and sports performance industries...

When it comes to my training, I trust him implicitly. I’ve been following his work since 2011 and have been a fan ever since, and we teamed up this past year to prepare me for my first powerlifting meet in May and then my bikini show in October. After I competed at the OCB West Coast Florida...

"Why am I not getting stronger?" Probably because you're breaking the rules. Follow these eight rules and save yourself years of frustration and weakness. 1. Train Consistently Consistency is the name of the game, and the lifter who trains week in and week out will experience steady gains in...

By Bret Contreras Eat, Lift, and Condition to Lose Fat and Maintain Muscle By Marc Lewis and Travis Pollen With summer just around the corner, fat loss and concurrent muscle preservation is on just about everyone’s mind. The trouble is, there’s a whole lot of gimmicky — not to mention...

BY BRET CONTRERAS, PHD, CSCS Yoga and Pilates are excellent forms of exercise that have numerous health benefits. I encourage you to give each a try to see if you enjoy the training. This article does not attack Yoga and Pilates methodology, it attacks the marketing tactics used by some of...

BY BRET CONTRERAS, PHD, CSCS Ever since I started consuming fitness information over two decades ago, there’s been a myth that won’t ever seem to die. The myth states that lifting light weights for high reps will tone the muscles, whereas lifting heavy weights for lower reps will bulk the...

Bret_ContrerasElite Coach Flex Your Brain Bodybuilders have been referring to the mind-muscle connection for a long time, and they’ll typically recommend that new lifters spend time flexing their muscles independently and learning how to activate the muscles properly against resistance. On the...

Perhaps the most annoying aspect of being a fitness professional is having to inform people over and over that spot reduction is a myth. When did this misconception originate? Interestingly, a journal article published by Checkly in 1895 proposed that the dissipation of fat is local and...

We all want bigger muscles, and to build bigger muscles we need to get stronger – much stronger. Gaining strength through progressive overload ensures that we continue to place more tension on the muscles over time, forcing them to adapt by growing larger. Heavier weights equals greater tension...

You are probably not learning or progressing if you’re not making mistakes. When you make mistakes, then you know better and then do better. If you make the same mistake twice, you will learn better the third time. In the weight room, when striving for progress, mistakes are going to be made...

When the presently reviewed study (1) was published, my inbox was inundated with people telling me I needed to review it for MASS, since I’m on the record arguing that muscle growth does, in fact, contribute to strength gains (2). I always aim to please, so here we are. I’m pretty sure this was...

If you want to take time off of training (or you’re forced to take time off of training) what should you expect? How long does it take to lose muscle and strength? How long will it take to regain muscle and strength once you return to training? What can you do to mitigate your losses? This...

Purpose and Hypotheses Purpose The purpose of this narrative review was “to discuss the impact of stretch-induced mechanical tension as an underlying mechanism on muscle hypertrophy and strength enhancements.” Hypothesis The authors did not explicitly state any hypotheses, which is common for...

The most important decision you can make to have a successful physique transformation, and not spin your wheels for years, is to work out whether you should be gaining muscle, losing fat or utilising a body recomposition. Certainly, on the surface, it seems like a fairly obvious, if not...

By Aadam | In 2010, James Krieger conducted a Meta-analysis to find an answer to this question 1 James’ analysis found multiple sets were associated with a 40% greater hypertrophy response compared to single-set training. However. As Brad Schoenfeld pointed out 2: So, James and Brad...

By Aadam | In 2015, Brad Schoenfeld (and colleagues) investigated the effects of training muscle groups once per week and training muscle groups multiple times per week on muscle and strength gains in well-trained men 1 This is what they did. 19 men were split into two groups: Volume was...