Weeks in and week out you go to the gym but does not see your muscles getting bigger. Maybe you are doing something wrong? Find out how to force muscle growth with these 5 science-based methods.
A good pump and a sweaty t-shirt after a workout does not necessarily mean you are doing your best to grow your muscles.
If you want to know how to force muscle growth, ride the wave of knowledge that is Jeremy Ethier.
Jeremy Ethier is a kinesiologist and fitness trainer, co-founder of Built With Science. His YouTube channel has over 4 million subscribers and he delivers clear information with sound background research.
In his latest video, Ethier explained how to force muscle growth and 5 science-based methods to achieve just that.
Check out the video below and his methods on how to force muscle growth.
How To Force Muscle Growth
The best way to force muscle growth is to apply progressive overload. Jeremy Ethier explains there are 5 types of overloading that you should be aware of to use when it best suits you. Sometimes, one way to overload is not as good as the other, depending on the exercise.
1. Load
If you are a beginner, this is the best answer on how to force muscle growth: by adding more weight to your lifts.
However, you will eventually hit a plateau as you cannot simply add more weight to your bench press, for example, every week forever. There is a limit to what your muscles will be able to move.
2. Reps
When you believe you have reached a plateau after increasing weight to your barbell, adding more reps is another smart way to force muscle growth.
Even if you add just one rep to your normal set each week, you will be lifting more total weight at the end of each week.
How many reps should you increase to? According to a 2017 meta-analysis, as long as you push hard, you can keep the same weight and increase all the way to 30 reps and still get the same growth compared to adding more weight.
3. Sets
Adding sets can be another easy way to force muscle growth. You can simply add one extra set to an exercise utilising the same weight from one week to the other.
For example, at any given week you may do 3 sets of 8 reps of barbell curl using a total of 30 kilos on the bar. The following week, keep the same weight of 30 kilos and do 4 sets of 8 reps of the barbell curl.
Just remember that there is a point where doing more sets for a specific muscle group can be a waste of time. Something called the junk volume weight training in the bodybuilding community. As a rule of thumb, never do more than 30 sets of weight training to any group muscle during 7 days.
4. Tempo
How fast or how slow you lift weights can help you build more muscle. By slowing down your reps, you will increase the amount of time the tension is placed on the muscle to stimulate more growth.
“This is especially effective for exercises involving smaller weaker muscle groups like lateral raise where adding just a little bit of weight often disproportionately increase difficulty,” Ethier explains.
It is also useful to slow your reps with bodyweight exercises as often it is difficult to add more weight while performing callisthenics movements.
Statistics show that you should, at the most, slow down reps to a maximum of 6 seconds for the entire movement.
5. Form
If you perform the same exercise every week, but each following week you can control the weight more, use less momentum and feel your muscles activated, you are adding another method of overloading.
“Better form involves relying more on the target muscles and will result in growth even if all other variables remain the same,” Ethier says.
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Improving your fitness level progressively is crucial for several reasons that contribute to your overall health, well-being, and long-term success in your fitness journey. Here are some key reasons why gradual progression in your fitness activities is important:
- Injury Prevention: Progressively increasing the intensity, duration, or complexity of your workouts allows your body to adapt and strengthen gradually. This reduces the risk of overuse injuries, strains, and other injuries that can occur when you make sudden, drastic changes to your exercise routine.
- Muscle Adaptation: Gradual progression gives your muscles, tendons, and ligaments time to adapt to new challenges. This adaptation process helps you build strength, endurance, and flexibility while minimizing the risk of muscle imbalances and injuries.
- Sustainable Habits: Fitness progress that is achieved gradually is more likely to be sustainable in the long term. Rapid changes or extreme approaches can lead to burnout or a loss of interest, whereas steady improvement creates a positive cycle of motivation and consistency.
- Consistent Improvement: Progression ensures that you continue to challenge yourself and make consistent gains over time. Without progression, your body can plateau, and you may stop seeing improvements in strength, endurance, or other fitness markers.
- Psychological Benefits: Achieving incremental fitness goals boosts your confidence and sense of accomplishment. Consistently reaching new milestones can enhance your motivation to continue and foster a positive mindset.
- Avoiding Plateaus: As your body adapts to your current fitness level, you may experience plateaus where your progress slows down. Gradually increasing the demands on your body helps you break through these plateaus and continue making gains.
- Cardiovascular Health: Progressive cardiovascular training enhances heart health by gradually improving your heart’s ability to pump blood and oxygen more efficiently. This contributes to improved overall cardiovascular endurance.
- Metabolic Health: Progressive strength training and aerobic exercise can positively impact your metabolism. As you gain muscle and improve cardiovascular fitness, your body becomes more efficient at burning calories even at rest.
- Skill Development: Some fitness activities require the development of specific skills or techniques. Gradual progression allows you to master these skills step by step, leading to better form and performance.
- Lifestyle Integration: Gradual progression allows you to integrate fitness into your lifestyle without feeling overwhelmed. It helps you find a balance between exercise, work, family, and other commitments.
- Avoiding Burnout: Overtraining or pushing too hard too quickly can lead to physical and mental burnout. Gradual progression ensures that you challenge yourself while also allowing adequate time for recovery.
- Aging Gracefully: Regular exercise and progressive fitness improvements contribute to maintaining mobility, strength, and overall health as you age.
Remember that everyone’s fitness journey is unique, and the rate of progression can vary based on individual factors such as age, fitness level, health status, and goals. It’s important to listen to your body, prioritize safety, and seek guidance from fitness professionals or healthcare providers if you’re unsure about how to effectively progress your workouts.
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