Best way to train for building more LMM size...

oldmusclemike

New member
I was doing some research to support training focusing on building LMM size and found an old article to share. It is long so I am posting the basic principals they say.
Although most all of us are aware of this info I though it might help some novices to learn these principals. I invite any comments and a voice of agreement or not from the vets.

This type of training differentiates from the norm of spending hours in the gym doing a multitude of exercises for one muscle or group as well as 10-15 sets. Remember that what they mean about the last rep being the max lift at failure. Failure when you have nothing left, cannot move the weight. This usually means the help of a spotter. With my support and experience being this as truth I must add for the novice that this type of overload to failure and beyond can cause joint problems in the long haul.



THE BEST WAY TO TRAIN FOR SIZE - WHAT RESEARCH HAS SHOWN

SETS


2 sets (of maximum effort), are far more effective that 1 (fastest
increases in growth and strength), and it appears that 3 sets are slightly
more beneficial than doing 2. There is no evidence that doing more that 3
sets will help - or hurt. Rest between sets should be at least 1 min. and
no more than 5 min. - no difference has been shown between taking a 1 min.
or 5 min. rest - in terms of growth and strength increases - the choice is
yours. All sets should be done to the point where another rep is not
possible. (Warm up sets should be done first).

REPS
Reps ranging from 3 to 12 are all considered good variations - this is not
news to anyone - however this may be - it appears to be important to do at
least one set of 10 RM each session. (I'm not going to go into details on
this - this is what studies have concluded - take it or leave it). For
those who do not understand - this means that you should do one set with
enough weight so that you are only capable of doing 10 reps. You may mix
up the sequence any way you like, examples: 3-6-10; 12-11-10; 3-10-12;
10-10-10. Any combination is acceptable - just do 1 set of 10 RM each
time. (Side note: I myself am not exactly clear on the point of doing one
set of 10 each session but shall continue to research this point - I
believe that it may be important as a 'control' as much as any other
factor.)

PROGRESSIVE
The progressive part of PRE means that it is very important to increase
your 'load' on a weekly basis. Your 10 RM is the control. You must
increase the amount of weight you use for your 10 RM each week by at least
a small amount

SPEED
Shocker number two - it has been shown that fast movements (contractions),
produce the greatest increases in strength and growth. This really should
not come as a surprise. The speed of movement when lifting a weight that
you are only capable of doing 10 reps with, even performing the reps as
fast as possible with good form, is still very slow compared to many
sports movements - such as swinging a bat, throwing a ball, running - etc.
The concentric part of the movement should be done as fast as possible -
however this does not mean to 'jerk' the weight - it is also very
important that the movement be done in a 'smooth' manner. This is
important - 'jerking' the weight may cause an increase in strength due to
neural factors - but it is not the best way to increase muscle size.

FREQUENCY
Benefits from PRE can be achieved by training a muscle(s) as little as
once a week. The best results for the TRAINED individual APPEAR to be
training a muscle no more than 3 times a week, HOWEVER THIS IS NOT

CONCLUSIVE
- it is possible that training more or less may have a SMALL
advantage - the new trainer can get best results training a muscle up to 5
times a week.. Another possible shocker - training when muscles are
'sore' may help speed recovery and is recommended - however you should not
train to the point of causing 'pain' (or if you are already in 'pain').
Working a muscle that is sore - even one that has been injured - will
cause the muscle to recover much more rapidly that resting the muscle -
you must know the difference between pain and soreness however - and
should not do anything that will cause pain. (If you are recovering from
an injury please be sure to follow your Doctors instructions.)

NUTRITION and SUPPLEMENTS

Nutrition is a very important part of getting 'big'. This should be very
simple to understand but still many people don't. If you want to build a
house there is one thing YOU HAVE TO HAVE - materials. If you want to
build muscle you have to feed them - plain and simple. To gain mass you
have to eat more calories than your body needs - or at least the exact
amount that it needs for energy, repair, etc. (because there is no way of
knowing your exact needs it is wise to eat a bit more than you feel you
need). If you don't YOUR MUSCLES WILL NOT GROW.

Supplements are another story. Research has shown that only drugs will
make your muscles grow beyond 'normal'. Other supplements do have their
place. It is important that your body has all the nutrients it needs - any
less will slow your progress. There may be a very slight advantage to
getting a little more of some things than your body needs - but there is
little doubt that if your body is not getting enough of something it will
hurt your progress. For example, most people are known to be deficient in
Zinc (there is not enough of it in our diets), in which case it has been
proven that supplemental Zinc will increase the testosterone levels (in
men). It has also been shown that taking twice as much as you need will
not be of benefit - and may even have adverse effects on your health.

INFORMATION
This training information is the result of over 50 years of research on
PRE - - by hundreds of researchers. They know what their talking about.
There are two important last points to make , researchers will be the
first to tell you that everything is not known about the best way to train
- but any improvements made on what is currently known - about training
methods - will be very slight. Every possible combination of training
methods (within reason), have been studied. If big improvements are to be
made in 'muscle building', it will be in areas other than training.

The PLATEAU
Now the bad news - if you train correctly you will 'level off'. The
training methods covered here have been shown to be better (produce faster
and better results), than any other researched training methods. (Again,
it is possible that slight variations will be found to have some slight
benefit). Here's what to expect - if your train correctly for maximum
growth you will make very fast gains for the first 3 to 6 months. At this
point you will gradually start to taper off - after two years of training
you can expect the gains to come very slowly - at some point, to be
totally honest, further 'overall' gains will be almost impossible unless
you take anabolic steroids or other types of anabolic drugs. (Which I do
not recommend). This does not mean that you can't continue to improve your
appearance. It is at this time that you should start paying more attention
to your weak areas, your diet, etc. - you can always improve - and hope -
that more can be learned on how to increase muscle size through natural
methods - without the use of steroids.

LAST NOTE:

A 1 rep max (1 RM), done once a week, (after warm up) - has been shown to
be very effective in increasing strength and size during 6 week studies.
 
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