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staff.washington.edu/griffin/muscle_growth.txt

From:Eddy<nbafvideo@usa.pipeline.com>
Date:Wed,28May199718:40:470600(MDT)
Commentswelcomeanyonewhohasbeenfollowingthistypeof
program?,wouldbeinterestedinresults.
THEBESTWAYTOTRAINFORSIZE
byWalterEddy
Manybodybuildersknowlessabout'weighttraining'thanMedicalrehab
personalandProfessionalSportCoaches.Ironic?yes,afterall
bodybuildingisweightlifting.Yetbodybuilderstendtoseekout
informationfromanyonewhopromisestomakethembig,tellthemthe
secretonhowtogetbigliketheProbodybuilderswhentheonlysecret
isthatsteroidsaretheONLYwaytogetthatkindabig.
SowhatdoProSportCoachesandMed.rehabpeopleknowthatyoumaynot
that'swhatisabouttobecovered,sopayattentionifyouwanttoknow
thetruthgoelsewhereifyou'relookingforabunchofgoldenpromises.
Verylittlemoneyhasbeenspenton'bodybuilding'research.Ontheother
handmillionshavebeenspentonwaystoimprovetheperformanceofPro
and'Olympic'athletes.Nottomentiontheyearsofresearchputinto
studyingmusclerehabilitationformedicalpurposes.Itisfromthese
sourcesthattherealinformationongetting'big'(asbigasispossible
withorwithoutsteroids),canbefound.Theinformationisoutthere,you
justhavetolookforittheimportantfactstoyou,thebodybuilder,
willbecoveredinthisarticle.
Training/growthfactswhatthestudiesprove.
Thegoalofeverybodybuilderistogetbiggermuscles.Withthisgoalin
mindletscoverwhatresearchhastaughtusandhowtoputittouse.
FIRST:Musclestrengthintheadulthumanisrelativetocrosssection
area(size).Anequalcrosssectionalareaofmusclefromanyaverage
trainedwomenormanhasaboutthesame'strength'(i.e.:cangeneratethe
sameamountofforce,6kgcm2),thereisverylittlevariation.Toput
itanotherway,generallyspeakingallhumanmuscletissuehas(about)
thesameamountofstrength,orisabletogeneratethesameamountof
force.Sothegreaterthesize,crosssectional,thegreaterthestrength.
However,itisimportanttopointoutthatbonestructure,muscle
attachments,neuralfactors,etc.,playaveryimportantpartin
performing'featsofstrength',sotwopeoplewithequalcrosssection
areasofmusclemaystillperformverydifferentlynotduetostronger
muscletissue,butduetootherfactors.
Whatdoesthismeantothebodybuilderitmeansthatifyouwishto
increasemusclemassyoumusttrainthemuscletobeabletogeneratemore
forcewhichinturnmeansthemusclemustgrow.Don'tconfuse
increasingmusclesizewithincreasingperformancestrengthperformance
strengthforexampletheamountofweightapersoncanbenchpress
dependsonanumberoffactorsneuralfactorsbeingveryimportant.
Increasingmusclesizewillhelpincreaseperformancestrengthbut
increasingperformancestrengthdoesnotnecessarilymeanthatyouwill
increasemusclesize.Thatmaysoundconfusingrereadtheparagraph
beforethisoneagainifyoustilldonotunderstand.
Puttingthisinformationtouse.Toincreasemusclesize(ormass),you
mustincreasethecrosssectionalarea.Becausethereisalimittothe
amountofforce(strength)asetcrosssectionalareaofmusclecan
generatemuscletissuemustincreaseinsize(crosssectionalarea)tobe
abletohandleagreaterforce(tobecome'stronger')theresult:bigger
muscles.Sothebestwaytomakeyourmusclebiggertraininsucha
wayastoincreasetheamountofforceyoucangenerateand,ofcourse,
tomakethemusclegrowasfastaspossible.Thislaststatement'asfast
aspossible'isanotherkeytermmosttypesofresistancetrainingwill
causeyourmusclestogrow,thequestionyoushouldbeaskingis,isthis
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thefastestway?Youwillfindthebestanswersresearchhastooffer
here.
Applyingthisinformationtoyourtraining.
Thisiswherepowerlifters,bodybuildersandenduranceathletespartways.
Thegoalofanenduranceathleteisnottoincreasemusclemassthegoal
ofapowerlifteristobeabletogenerateasmuchpoweraspossiblethe
goalofabodybuilderistoincreasemusclesizeasmuchaspossible.Some
trainingprincipalsapplytoallthree,buttherearealsosome
significantdifferences.Whatwillbecoveredhereisthebestwaytoget
'big'.
SIDENOTE:Theuntrainedmusclerespondsmuchbetterthanthetrained
muscle.Thissimplymeansthattheuntrainedpersonwillexperiencemuch
fastergainsinstrengthandgrowththanthepersonwhohasseveralmonths
ofGOODtrainingundertherebelt.Thisisawellknownfactnot
someone'sopinion.
TRAININGFORGROWTH
FirstbesureNOTtoskiptheabovematerialtheabovefactsplayan
importantpartinunderstandinghowtotraincorrectlyforgrowth.
Differenttypesofexerciseswillnotbecoveredherewhy?thetypeof
exerciseyoudo(i.e.:pushups,situps,presses,curls,etc.)have
nothingtodowithgrowththeydeterminewhichmuscle(s)receivethe
stimulation.The'method'youuseiswhatwillcauseyourmuscletobecome
bigger,stronger,faster,etc..Let'smakesurethisisclear,asmany
peopledonotunderstandthis,anditisanimportantpointitisHOW
youtrainNOTtheexerciseitselfthatcausemusclestogrow.
Researchonmusclerecoveryformedicalreasonshasbeendoneforhundreds
ofyearsnowthat'scorrect100's.Researchwasgreatlysteppedup
afterWorldWar2itwasatthistimethatthebenefitsofresistance
trainingbegantobeunderstood.Overthelast20yearsthebenefitsof
resistancetraininghavebeengreatlyacceptedandresearched.Overthe
lastfewyearsnewtypesoftestingmethodsandcomputershavecomea
longwayinfindingthebestandfastestwayto'build'muscle.Whyis
thisimportanttopeopleotherthanbodybuilders?intheMedical
communitytheinformationisconsideredimportantsothatpatientsin
rehabilitationmayrecoverasquicklyaspossible.Insportsitis
importantbecauseitisnowknownthatresistancetrainingcanenhanceall
typesofperformance.Thisiswheretheresearchisbeingdoneandwhy.
Bodybuildersarestillonthebottomofthelistbutarestillincluded
insomestudiesnottohelp'bodybuilders'buttogainmore
understandingofmusclegrowth.
Sowhatdoesresearchtellussomeofthisyoumayknowsomemay
surpriseyou.PREorProgressiveResistancetrainingisconsideredthe
bestmethodoftrainingforsize.Beforeyousay'bigdeal'readonPRE
haschangedmuchovertheyears.ItwasfirststartedbyDeLorme,T.L.
whodidtheresearchonit(Restorationofmusclepowerby
heavyresistanceexercise.J.BoneJointSurg.27:645,1945).Manyofthe
principlesstillholdtruebutmanyrefinementshavebeenmadeaswell.
THEBESTWAYTOTRAINFORSIZEWHATRESEARCHHASSHOWN
SETS
2sets(ofmaximumeffort),arefarmoreeffectivethat1(fastest
increasesingrowthandstrength),anditappearsthat3setsareslightly
morebeneficialthandoing2.Thereisnoevidencethatdoingmorethat3
setswillhelporhurt.Restbetweensetsshouldbeatleast1min.and
nomorethan5min.nodifferencehasbeenshownbetweentakinga1min.
or5min.restintermsofgrowthandstrengthincreasesthechoiceis
yours.Allsetsshouldbedonetothepointwhereanotherrepisnot
possible.(Warmupsetsshouldbedonefirst).
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REPS
Repsrangingfrom3to12areallconsideredgoodvariationsthisisnot
newstoanyonehoweverthismaybeitappearstobeimportanttodoat
leastonesetof10RMeachsession.(I'mnotgoingtogointodetailson
thisthisiswhatstudieshaveconcludedtakeitorleaveit).For
thosewhodonotunderstandthismeansthatyoushoulddoonesetwith
enoughweightsothatyouareonlycapableofdoing10reps.Youmaymix
upthesequenceanywayyoulike,examples:3610;121110;31012;
101010.Anycombinationisacceptablejustdo1setof10RMeach
time.(Sidenote:Imyselfamnotexactlyclearonthepointofdoingone
setof10eachsessionbutshallcontinuetoresearchthispointI
believethatitmaybeimportantasa'control'asmuchasanyother
factor.)
PROGRESSIVE
TheprogressivepartofPREmeansthatitisveryimportanttoincrease
your'load'onaweeklybasis.Your10RMisthecontrol.Youmust
increasetheamountofweightyouuseforyour10RMeachweekbyatleast
asmallamount
SPEED
Shockernumbertwoithasbeenshownthatfastmovements(contractions),
producethegreatestincreasesinstrengthandgrowth.Thisreallyshould
notcomeasasurprise.Thespeedofmovementwhenliftingaweightthat
youareonlycapableofdoing10repswith,evenperformingtherepsas
fastaspossiblewithgoodform,isstillveryslowcomparedtomany
sportsmovementssuchasswingingabat,throwingaball,runningetc.
Theconcentricpartofthemovementshouldbedoneasfastaspossible
howeverthisdoesnotmeanto'jerk'theweightitisalsovery
importantthatthemovementbedoneina'smooth'manner.Thisis
important'jerking'theweightmaycauseanincreaseinstrengthdueto
neuralfactorsbutitisnotthebestwaytoincreasemusclesize.
FREQUENCY
BenefitsfromPREcanbeachievedbytrainingamuscle(s)aslittleas
onceaweek.ThebestresultsfortheTRAINEDindividualAPPEARtobe
trainingamusclenomorethan3timesaweek,HOWEVERTHISISNOT
CONCLUSIVEitispossiblethattrainingmoreorlessmayhaveaSMALL
advantagethenewtrainercangetbestresultstrainingamuscleupto5
timesaweek..Anotherpossibleshockertrainingwhenmusclesare
'sore'mayhelpspeedrecoveryandisrecommendedhoweveryoushouldnot
traintothepointofcausing'pain'(orifyouarealreadyin'pain').
Workingamusclethatissoreevenonethathasbeeninjuredwill
causethemuscletorecovermuchmorerapidlythatrestingthemuscle
youmustknowthedifferencebetweenpainandsorenesshoweverand
shouldnotdoanythingthatwillcausepain.(Ifyouarerecoveringfrom
aninjurypleasebesuretofollowyourDoctorsinstructions.)
NUTRITIONandSUPPLEMENTS
Nutritionisaveryimportantpartofgetting'big'.Thisshouldbevery
simpletounderstandbutstillmanypeopledon't.Ifyouwanttobuilda
housethereisonethingYOUHAVETOHAVEmaterials.Ifyouwantto
buildmuscleyouhavetofeedthemplainandsimple.Togainmassyou
havetoeatmorecaloriesthanyourbodyneedsoratleasttheexact
amountthatitneedsforenergy,repair,etc.(becausethereisnowayof
knowingyourexactneedsitiswisetoeatabitmorethanyoufeelyou
need).Ifyoudon'tYOURMUSCLESWILLNOTGROW.
Supplementsareanotherstory.Researchhasshownthatonlydrugswill
makeyourmusclesgrowbeyond'normal'.Othersupplementsdohavetheir
place.Itisimportantthatyourbodyhasallthenutrientsitneedsany
lesswillslowyourprogress.Theremaybeaveryslightadvantageto
gettingalittlemoreofsomethingsthanyourbodyneedsbutthereis
littledoubtthatifyourbodyisnotgettingenoughofsomethingitwill
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hurtyourprogress.Forexample,mostpeopleareknowntobedeficientin
Zinc(thereisnotenoughofitinourdiets),inwhichcaseithasbeen
proventhatsupplementalZincwillincreasethetestosteronelevels(in
men).Ithasalsobeenshownthattakingtwiceasmuchasyouneedwill
notbeofbenefitandmayevenhaveadverseeffectsonyourhealth.
INFORMATION
Thistraininginformationistheresultofover50yearsofresearchon
PREbyhundredsofresearchers.Theyknowwhattheirtalkingabout.
Therearetwoimportantlastpointstomake,researcherswillbethe
firsttotellyouthateverythingisnotknownaboutthebestwaytotrain
butanyimprovementsmadeonwhatiscurrentlyknownabouttraining
methodswillbeveryslight.Everypossiblecombinationoftraining
methods(withinreason),havebeenstudied.Ifbigimprovementsaretobe
madein'musclebuilding',itwillbeinareasotherthantraining.
ThePLATEAU
Nowthebadnewsifyoutraincorrectlyyouwill'leveloff'.The
trainingmethodscoveredherehavebeenshowntobebetter(producefaster
andbetterresults),thananyotherresearchedtrainingmethods.(Again,
itispossiblethatslightvariationswillbefoundtohavesomeslight
benefit).Here'swhattoexpectifyourtraincorrectlyformaximum
growthyouwillmakeveryfastgainsforthefirst3to6months.Atthis
pointyouwillgraduallystarttotaperoffaftertwoyearsoftraining
youcanexpectthegainstocomeveryslowlyatsomepoint,tobe
totallyhonest,further'overall'gainswillbealmostimpossibleunless
youtakeanabolicsteroidsorothertypesofanabolicdrugs.(WhichIdo
notrecommend).Thisdoesnotmeanthatyoucan'tcontinuetoimproveyour
appearance.Itisatthistimethatyoushouldstartpayingmoreattention
toyourweakareas,yourdiet,etc.youcanalwaysimproveandhope
thatmorecanbelearnedonhowtoincreasemusclesizethroughnatural
methodswithouttheuseofsteroids.
LASTNOTE:SHORTONTIME?
A1repmax(1RM),doneonceaweek,(afterwarmup)hasbeenshownto
beveryeffectiveinincreasingstrengthandsizeduring6weekstudies.
REFERENCES
PRIMARYSOURCE:
McArdle,W.D.,andKatch,F.I.,andKatch,V.L.,ExercisePhysiology,
fourthedition,WilliamsandWilkins,1996.(includes178source
referencencespertainingtotheabovesubject).
OtherReferences:
Guyton,A.C.,FunctionoftheHumanBody,fourthedition,Saunders,1974.
Nobel,B.J.,PhysiologyofExerciseandSport,TimesMirror/Mosby,1986.
Hendler,S.S.,TheDoctors'VitaminandMineralEncyclopedia,Simonand
Schuster,1990.
Hatfield,F.C.,BodybuildingaScientificApproach,
Contemporary,1984.

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