There’s never been a better time to be a bodybuilder. Research in regards to optimal training tactics is being pumped out more frequently than reps on a bench press on any given Monday.
What’s even more exciting is that you also have access to a variety of research review sites.
These bodybuilding geeks do some serious grunt work and heavy lifting by diving deep into the studies. Identifying the strengths and limitations while providing practical applications based on the findings.
Just in the past month alone there has been some eye opening research that has caused many bodybuilders to pause and reflect on how they design their workout programs.
For example, Brad Schoenfeld and James Krieger published an article Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Based on their review of the current literature they arrived at the conclusion that training a muscle twice per week was optimal for muscle gains.
In another paper by Brad Schoenfeld et al. Longer inter-set rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men
They found that a minimum of ~2 minute rest intervals was optimal for muscle gains.
How you take this research and apply it to your training can make a big difference.
A Workout Program Based On Optimal Training Tactics
You could take this current research and combine it with previous research in regards to the optimal hypertrophy rep range and volume to create an ‘optimal’ workout program which includes;
- 40-70 total reps per body part, per workout
- All exercises done in the 6-12 rep range
- Approximately 2 minutes rest between every set
- Train each muscle two times per week.
But just because this workout program utilizes each training variable in it’s optimal range doesn’t mean it’s the best approach.
In my opinion it’s suboptimal. Any time you deal in absolutes with bodybuilding you are going to leave gains on the gym floor.
This research is meant to guide our decision making process
when designing a workout program. Not lock the variables in place.
Just because training a muscle twice per week was found to be optimal, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t train a muscle less or more frequently.
Certain training frequencies can cause a unique adaptive response that you may not get from the other training frequencies. Not to mention the novelty factor that comes from fluctuating your training frequency.
Just because ~2 minute rest intervals between sets has been shown to be optimal, doesn’t mean that you should avoid shorter or longer rest periods.
Shorter rest periods can cause metabolic stress and fatigue whereas longer rest periods will allow you to fully recover and maintain the load you are lifting.
If you think about it, sticking with 2 minute rest intervals would wipe out a vast array of muscle building tactics that us bros love.
No more dropsets, intraset stretch, myo-reps, blood flow restriction training, and various rest-pause training.
That’s enough to turn me green and go David Banner on that shit.
Just because the research has shown 6-12 reps as the optimal rep range doesn’t mean that you should avoid performing lower or higher reps.
Interesting enough a study was just published by Robert W. Morton et al. Neither load nor systemic hormones determine resistance training-mediated hypertrophy or strength gains in resistance-trained young men
The conclusion of the study was that you’ll experience similar muscle gains whether you use high reps or low reps as long as you go to volitional failure.
This research is inline with an article by Brad Schoenfeld and Bret Contreras The Muscle Pump: Potential Mechanisms and Applications for Enhancing Hypertrophic Adaptations which also illustrated the benefits of training with higher reps.
All rep ranges, rest intervals, and training frequencies have their place in a hypertrophy focused training plan.
A Workout Plan Based On Maximized Strategies
A workout program that maximizes your muscular potential will have a large focus (approximately 75%) on the optimal range for each variable. The other 25% will take advantage of the benefits from the ranges outside of optimal.
75% of the time I will train each body part approximately twice per week. The other 25% will include body part splits where I’m training a muscle once every 5 days in an attempt to increase the number of myonuclei in my muscle fibers. I will also include higher frequency training where I take advantage of even more frequent spikes in muscle protein synthesis.
75% of the time I will rest for approximately 2 minutes. The other 25% of the time will include shorter rest periods where I cause metabolic stress and fatigue. I will also include longer rest intervals to fully recover and maintain the heavier loads.
75% of the time I will perform exercises in the 6-12 rep range. The other 25% of the time I will include lower reps to cause neurological adaptations which will help me recruit more muscle fibers. I will also perform higher reps to cause gains in my type I muscle fibers as well as cellular swelling.
A maximized muscle building plan leaves nothing untouched. It takes advantage of the benefits from all ranges of all variables.
Don’t Be An Optimal Absolutist
Now, this may be common knowledge to most readers of this blog, but just this week I’ve had the optimal absolutist police hot on my tail.
After writing the article 5 Advanced Light Weight Muscle Building Tactics For Maximum Gains a few days ago I had someone question me about the use of short rest intervals since the recent research showed ~2 minutes was best.
I mentioned that the shorter rest intervals make up just a small portion of my overall training. Again they questioned me why I would even include it at all, since it’s proven not to be optimal. My response, “Maximum gains yo!”
In a YouTube video this week I mentioned that after a few months of training each muscle twice per week I was shifting to a body part split where I’m training most muscle once every 5 days.
Again, the Optimal Absolutist Police were all over me. That’s old school and outdated. Higher frequency is more optimal, blah, blah, blah.
My response again, “Maximum gains yo!”
The biggest thing holding guys back from their muscular potential is a closed mind.
I am fascinated by the latest research, but I don’t allow it to hold me hostage.
I use it to set me free. To experiment with different tactics and strategies
and see how my physique and my clients physiques respond to it.
That’s how you will maximize your gains.
Sculpt a Masterpiece,
Scott Tousignant
Note: Do you want to build a ripped and muscular physique? Do you enjoy the style of workout I shared with you in this post?
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About The Author
Scott Tousignant, BHK is a Physique Coach and Elite Natural Bodybuilder with the UFE.
Scott specializes in helping regular guys sculpt their body into a work of art by pulverizing stubborn belly fat and painfully embarrassing love handles… swapping them with ripped abs, rock hard muscle, and soaring confidence.
The art of molding and chiseling an aesthetically pleasing physique with spectacular symmetry, proportions, and carved out detail is one of life’s most rewarding and fulfilling experiences…
…It’s an opportunity for self growth and self discovery that will impact every area of your life.
Learn more about Scott’s physique-focused training programs:
AMPlify Aesthetic Muscle Gains and Strip Away Stubborn Fat with AMP – Aesthetic Muscle Plan