volume

If your gains won't budge despite your best efforts, you may be making one of the four biggest muscle-building blunders. Fix them and grow. Here's what you need to know... Your gains will stagnate if you only weight train within the same rep ranges and loading patterns. Alternate by using more...

Effort vs. Volume vs. Load: Part 1 What's the best way to train for size gains? Effort, load, or volume-based training? Here's what you need to know. What works better for hypertrophy? High-volume training or low-volume/high-effort (intensity) training? What about “powerbuilding?” In short...

Dispelling the Myths Here’s the actual science as it relates to testosterone levels and fertility. Believe it or not, thousands of young men avoid masturbation (and even sex with real-life women) because they think it boosts their testosterone levels and overall animal magnetism. Many think...

Effort vs. Volume vs. Load: What's the best way to build muscle? Effort, load, or volume-based training? Here's what you need to know. Note: I examined effort-based hypertrophy training 610 in Part 1 of this series. In the next installment, we’ll look at load-based training. But first, let’s dig...

THE LADDER METHOD Ladders are a training method that have a long history and can do wonders for your strength, power, and hypertrophy. The basic ladder is some variation of 1-2-3-4-5, using the same weight. It looks like this: One rep Rest Two reps Rest Three reps Rest Four reps Rest Five reps...

WHAT'S THE BEST NUMBER OF SETS FOR STRENGTH? I watch the way people in the gym lift. In a lot of ways, I'm like a gym version of Jane Goodall or the late Dian Fossey. They watch(ed) primates, I watch primates. They observed primates picking ticks off each other, I observed primates picking tics...

To continually make progress, you must develop a set of training principles that keep you moving forward. The number of principles that make up a sound training program are few. Here's what they are and how to apply them to your own goals in the gym. 1 Set the right goal to begin with. It needs...

WHAT'S THE BEST NUMBER OF SETS FOR STRENGTH? I watch the way people in the gym lift. In a lot of ways, I'm like a gym version of Jane Goodall or the late Dian Fossey. They watch(ed) primates, I watch primates. They observed primates picking ticks off each other, I observed primates picking tics...

In the golden age of bodybuilding, magazines were keen to report on the training programs of the most acclaimed champions. Idols such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Franco Columbu, and Dave Draper often had their success attributed to their exceedingly high training volume. Arnold himself attested...

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW... There is no "best training program" for everyone. What works great for others in the gym may work terribly for you. Likewise, what has worked very well for you may not do jack for someone else. You must develop the confidence to abandon the training programs that...

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 | January 19, 2023 This post is taken from the Vitamin. Every Thursday, I drop some knowledge bombs on your face to help you reach your goals faster while avoiding all the bullshit. I’m biased, but I think everyone should be resistance training. Obviously exercise in all forms is...

Beginners Guide – The Barbell Is King by:Justis Cousins It was around 2009 and I was a freshman in high school. My friend invited me to the school gym to start working out with him. I was ready to get big and strong! There was only one issue – we went to an art school… As a result, the gym...

Daily Undulating Periodization is exactly what it sounds like (surprising huh?). Let’s break it down: Daily: literally we are talking about days. Undulating: Ok now we are getting into some technical sounding terms. Don’t be afraid, undulation simply means a flowing motion, up and down in a...

Behind every incredible physique, there’s a story of hard work, discipline, and unwavering dedication. For Mike Mentzer, that story includes innovation and pushing the limits of the human body and mind’s capabilities. Mike Mentzer’s training was unlike anyone else’s of his time. The term legend...

by: Kyle Hunt When I first got into training it was bodybuilding that had my attention. I used to read all of the popular bodybuilding magazines – Flex, Muscle and Fitness, Muscular Development, MuscleMag, etc. I even read Arnold’s massive Encyclopedia to Modern Bodybuilding cover to cover...

The Texas Method: History and Background As far as I can tell, Olympic Weightlifting Coach Glenn Pendlay was the first person to popularize the Texas Method on the internet. As the legend has it, Glenn, working out of Mark Rippetoe’s Wichita Falls Athletic Club, had his Olympic lifters squatting...

Work capacity is the most important factor in training that people know nothing about. First, let me just start off with a working definition of work capacity and an explanation of why it’s so important. Work capacity is, essentially, the total amount of work you can perform, recover from, and...

Pop quiz, everybody. HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU SET A PERSONAL RECORD? A. Once per cycle B. Depends on how long you've been training. C. Every day. If you answered C, every day, then we're on the same page. If you didn't, I'd like to propose that you can – and should – set a Personal Record (PR)...

ROW SPECIALIZATION Most lifters have achy shoulders, poor posture, and backs so narrow they disappear when they turn sideways. So what's the best way to build a thicker back, improve posture, and prevent future shoulder issues? Do a row every time you train. To add slabs of muscle to your back...