Tag: Bodybuilding
Gold Standard Hypertrophy-Specific Training
Driving Muscular Hypertrophy
Before we consider the many facets of Hypertrophy-Specific Training (HST), let’s first consider muscular hypertrophy itself. Hypertrophy is a word that is often thrown around in the health and fitness sector and, while many recognize that it refers to muscular growth, few understand the true demands and requirements necessary to bring about changes in muscle mass.
HST is a training method based on a number of well-researched scientific principles that were first discovered in the laboratory. Over the years, these methods have been refined and adjusted to coincide with the latest research and are seen as essential for all hypertrophy training. An effective HST program will incorporate the following principles in order to elicit maximal muscle growth.
The 4 Muscular Hypertrophy Principles
There are 4 primary principles that are considered foundational for all hypertrophy training. Over time, providing that these principles are applied appropriately, individual muscle fibers will be forced to adapt and grow in cylindrical size leading to an overall increase in total mass.
1. Mechanical Load
The first principle to consider is quite an evident one; it is the application of mechanical load. Mechanical load is the driving force for hypertrophy and appears to be the most important principle for stimulating muscle fibers to grow. Research indicates that muscles are stimulated to grow after being exposed to a certain degree of mechanical loading. This load can be applied through the use of barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, resistance machines, and even your own bodyweight.
This mechanism involves a number of cellular processes and responses involving satellite cells, growth factors, calcium, and an array of other well-researched factors connected with muscle tissue strain (1). It’s important to recognize that it is not the effort required to lift the weight that causes adaptation to occur. Rather, it is the physical effects of placing a load on the muscle as it moves through concentric and eccentric phases that dictate change. Additionally, it’s important to recognize that building muscular fatigue does not dictate the rate of muscular growth. This, therefore, means that you do not necessarily have to work through to absolute muscle failure in order to stimulate significant growth.
2. Chronic Stimuli for Growth
As stated, muscles will only be stimulated to change after being subject to a certain degree of load. If we fail to regularly expose the muscles to a training stimulus, we fail to see substantial changes in muscle mass. It is essential to create the right environment for maximizing muscle growth; this is something that can be done through manipulating training frequency…
While we must train frequently to elicit growth, the general consensus is to allow for at least 48 hours before training the same muscle group again – this principle is applied with HST. It has been suggested that training any sooner than 48 hours may even hinder and impair protein synthesis and consequent muscular growth (2). The purpose of repeatedly loading the same muscle group every 48 hours is to maintain a high anabolic state and encourage maximal muscular growth.
While some may argue that 48 hours is not a long enough recovery period, research suggests that although the muscles may not have fully recovered structurally, exercising 48 hours later will not negatively impact the muscles recovery ability.
3. Progressive Load
As your muscles are exposed to a training stimulus, significant strength, neural and metabolic adaptations will take place. Initially, the stimulus applied to the muscles is new and in order to deal with the demands of the training, the muscles must adapt. However, if you continue training at the same intensity, you will quickly reach a point where your muscles will no longer adapt or increase in size. This is because they have adapted to the point that they can cope with the training stimulus.
This is why it is essential to apply the progressive load principle to our training. Progressive loading involves gradually increasing the demands of training – typically through manipulating a training principle such as intensity, volume or load. In simpler terms, we can progressively load our training by gradually adding more weight on the bar or by adding additional reps and sets into our workouts (3).
With HST, you will progressively load on a week by week, session by session basis. The goal is always to add more weight with each completed session. If applied correctly, you will continue to provide an effective training stimulus to the muscles thus facilitating muscular growth.
4. Strategic Deconditioning
This principle is the one hypertrophy principle that is most commonly overlooked however, it is vital for efficient progress. The reason that the deconditioning principle is often avoided is that it involves halting all training for a short period of time. On the face of it, a week off may be welcome however, many individuals fail to schedule in deconditioning periods believing them to be unnecessary.
Strategic deconditioning is simply the opposite of progressive overload. Its purpose is to reduce training intensity which allows the body time to recover from previous exertions thus priming the muscles for future growth. As stated, the principle involves a short period of time of no training (typically lasting one to two weeks). A deconditioning period should be applied as soon as improvements are seen to stall. The purpose of this is to allow the muscle to detrain to a certain extent and allow it to become sensitive to the training stimulus once again (4).
Finally, It’s important not to confuse strategic deconditioning and deloading. While the purpose behind both methods is similar, they are applied slightly differently. As mentioned, strategic deconditioning involves a total cessation in all resistance-based activity whereas deloading allows resistance training to continue but at a reduced intensity.
HST Guidelines
Although HST follows these universally recognized principles, HST programs do tend to look slightly different from others. The reason for this is that there are a number of specific guidelines that must be followed with all HST programs – guidelines that are based on scientific studies and backed up with years of research.
HST vs Conventional Training
The first apparent difference between HST and other hypertrophy programs is in regards to training volume. In order to stay true to hypertrophy principles, sets of heavy lifts are spread out through the week, rather than just one bout per week. For example, if there are 6 prescribed sets of squats, instead of completing the entire six in one sitting, the sets are spread out across the course of the week. So, instead of completing the full 6 sets of squats on Monday, as with many conventional programs, you perform 2 sets of squats on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
This method allows you to apply the training stimulus to the muscle group multiple times per week. In doing so, you promote hypertrophy all while reducing the demand on the nervous system thus reducing the risk of overtraining. Additionally, there are a number of studies which suggest that performing multiple sets may not have a significant impact on hypertrophy and therefore, 1-2 sets will suffice. (5).
While the volume for individual exercises may be low, the total weekly volume for HST is average and actually comparable to universally used “split” hypertrophy programs.
Exercise Choice
For HST, and hypertrophy training generally, it is important to select heavy, compound exercises to provide the most potent training stimulus possible to a number of muscle groups. Compound exercises are movements which demand effort from a muscles groups across a number of joints. A few excellent examples of effective muscle-building compound exercises include squats, bench press, bent rows, and shoulder presses.
Isolation exercises, where the focus is on developing a single muscle group, can play a supplementary role in hypertrophy training, however, as stated, the main focus should predominantly be on compound movements.
Adjusting Reps
HST involves decreasing the number of reps performed every two weeks – starting with 15 reps for the first two weeks and gradually working down to sets of 10 and 5. This is done to accommodate a gradually increasing load as the weeks progress.
It is possible to adjust the rep range on a weekly basis (15, 12, 10, 8, 5), however, whether you adjust reps on a weekly or fortnightly basis has no impact on the rate of adaptation.
Building Fatigue and Lactic Acid
As with many hypertrophy orientated strength programs, HST incorporates high-rep sets. The intention with high-rep sets is to build lactic acid levels to increase the readiness of the muscles and connective tissues for dealing with heavy loads. This will not only work to reduce the risk of sustaining an injury but may promote healing and general health of tendons.
Eccentric Training
One final difference between HST and standard hypertrophy program is the inclusion of a two-week block of eccentric training. As you may already be aware, in order to produce movement, muscles must contract concentrically and eccentrically. Concentric contractions involve the shortening of muscles whereas eccentric contractions lengthen the muscle.
Eccentric training focuses on the lengthening of muscles under a load. For example, let’s analyze the bicep curl. In order to drive the bar upward toward the shoulder, the biceps must concentrically contract followed by an eccentric contraction in order to lower the bar back down to the hips. To complete eccentric bicep curls, this lowering phase must be accentuated with the contraction taking 3 – 5 seconds to complete.Eccentric training has been thoroughly researched over the years and what is clear is that eccentrics are stronger than concentric contractions and can, therefore, tolerate a greater deal of strain (6). Based on this, HST recommends that you perform eccentrics using more than your 5 rep max to increase the mechanical load on the muscle and contribute toward greater muscular hypertrophy.
HST Summary
– Train each muscle group every 48 hours– Look to increase the weight lifted with every workout– Decrease the number of reps every 2 weeks (15, 10, 5)– Add a 2-week block of eccentrics at the end of the training cycle, if necessary– Allow for Strategic Deconditioning, when appropriate
Sample HST Program
The following tables include a sample from a general HST program. You will find week 1 and week 2 workouts displayed below.
Week 1
Day 1 (Monday)
Day 2 (Wednesday)
Day 3 (Friday)
Back Squat2 x 15
Leg Press2 x 15
Back Squat2 x 15
Leg Curl2 x 15
Leg Curl2 x 15
Leg Curl2 x 15
Bench Press2 x 15
Dips2 x 15
Bench Press2 x 15
Chin-Ups2 x 15
Bent Rows2 x 15
Chin-Ups2 x 15
Shoulder Press2 x 15
Shoulder Press2 x 15
Shoulder Press2 x 15
Shrugs2 x 15
Shrugs2 x 15
Shrugs2 x 15
Bicep Curls2 x 15
Bicep Curls2 x 15
Bicep Curls2 x 15
Tricep Press2 x 15
Tricep Press2 x 15
Tricep Press2 x 15
Calf Raises2 x 15
Calf Raises2 x 15
Calf Raises2 x 15
Week 2
Day 1 (Monday)
Day 2 (Wednesday)
Day 3 (Friday)
Leg Press2 x 15
Back Squat2 x 15
Leg Press2 x 15
Leg Curl2 x 15
Leg Curl2 x 15
Leg Curl2 x 15
Dips2 x 15
Bench Press2 x 15
Dips2 x 15
Bent Rows2 x 15
Chin-Ups2 x 15
Bent Rows2 x 15
Shoulder Press2 x 15
Shoulder Press2 x 15
Shoulder Press2 x 15
Shrugs2 x 15
Shrugs2 x 15
Shrugs2 x 15
Bicep Curls2 x 15
Bicep Curls2 x 15
Bicep Curls2 x 15
Tricep Press2 x 15
Tricep Press2 x 15
Tricep Press2 x 15
Calf Raises2 x 15
Calf Raises2 x 15
Calf Raises2 x 15
Final Word
Many hold HST in extremely high regard as it has been found to be very effectual for building significant muscular size. It appears to be an extremely powerful muscle building method and as a result, HST has been adopted by a number of competitive bodybuilders. While HST is a method worth adopting for bodybuilders, over the years it has also proved to be very useful for athletes and participants across a number of sports – specifically, powerlifters and Olympic lifters.
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
References:
1- The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 24(10):2857-72 · October 2010
2- Tipton, K. D.; Wolfe, R. R. (2001-3). “Exercise, protein metabolism, and muscle growth”. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 11 (1): 109–132. ISSN 1526-484X. PMID 11255140.
3- Services, Department of Health & Human. “Resistance training – health benefits”. www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au.
4- Häkkinen, K.; Komi, P. V. (1983). “Electromyographic changes during strength training and detraining”. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 15 (6): 455–460. ISSN 0195-9131. PMID 6656553.
5- Carpinelli, R. N.; Otto, R. M. (1998-8). “Strength training. Single versus multiple sets”. Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.). 26 (2): 73–84. doi:10.2165/00007256-199826020-00002. ISSN 0112-1642. PMID 9777681
6- Hoppeler, Hans (November 16, 2016). “Moderate Load Eccentric Exercise; A Distinct Novel Training Modality”. Frontiers in Physiology. 7. doi:10.3389/fphys.2016.00483. ISSN 1664-042X. PMC PMCPMC5110564
Lou Ferrigno Fixes Hearing With Implant: Calls It “Life Changing”
Lou Ferrigno can hear like never before due to new hearing aid implant.
Lou Ferrigno is most known for two things. He was an iconic bodybuilder and star in Pumping Iron. He was also the Incredible Hulk on television for many years. It is also well documented that Ferrigno has suffered hearing loss since a young age. It’s partially the reason for his now iconic cadence of speaking. Now at 69 years old, he’s starting to hear like never before due to a specialized implant. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Lou Ferrigno details his new hearing implant and what it was like to be a pro bodybuilder with severe hearing loss.
The world may know Lou Ferrigno as the original Incredible Hulk. But the bodybuilding world also remembers him as a legendary bodybuilder and star of the iconic film Pumping Iron. What some might not know as well is that Ferrigno also suffers from hearing loss. Since a young age, Ferrigno had lost 75% of his hearing. Due to this, he relied on a hearing aid for most of his life.
Technology changes at an alarming pace. And now Lou Ferrigno is experiencing the world of hearing in a whole new light due to a cochlear implant. The implant, over time, has allowed him to hear without the use of a traditional hearing aid. More importantly, it has also allowed him to hear on a level he had never experienced in his life.
[embedded content]
Check out our GI Exclusive segment with Lou Ferrigno above!
“Over the age of 65, one out of three people were having hearing loss,” Lou Ferrigno states in our interview. He goes on:
“There are some bodybuilders out there who have had hearing loss. But the reason why I’m talking about this is because I’m going to give a lot of people hope. That this is not a dreadful thing. It’s a very positive experience because the surgery is really minor. Especially if they can have a life changing experience. Especially even now I heard different people. I can appreciate hearing people talk. Hearing the ‘S’ sound. The final consonant… People would say I have a slight lisp to my speech but now I’m overcoming that because of the cochlear implant.”
Lou Ferrigno goes on to detail what his life was like growing up with limited hearing. How he was bullied due to his massive hearing aids. That bullying, in part, was why Ferrigno eventually turned to bodybuilding. He wanted to prove he was strong in the face of bullies.
He also goes into detail about what training was like as a bodybuilder with limited hearing. Due to the intensity of his workouts, he wouldn’t wear a hearing aid during training. This made it harder for him to full engage in the social experience of the gym. He even admits that there have been times gym patrons thought he was being rude and ignoring them. But in reality, he couldn’t hear them. He relied mostly on reading lips in the gym.
Now all of that has changed. Lou Ferrigno will be able to full hear in the gym. Every clank of the weights and grunt of lifters. It’s an entirely new experience. As he stated in the quote above. It was not only a life changing experience for him – but he hopes to spread the word for others so they can have that life changing experience as well.
You can watch Lou Ferrigno go into full detail about his hearing loss and new implant in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
5 Exercises Required to Boost Bicep Growth
Best Exercises For Building Your Biceps
“I don’t like training my biceps,” said no one ever. For many gym bros, their self-esteem can be directly proportional to the size of their guns. Countless people around the world spend hours working on their arms but only a few of them have some well-chiseled guns.
If you’re determined to grow your pythons, choosing the right exercises is half the battle won. The exercises on the list are a mix of isolation and compound lifts so you can get the best of both worlds.
Barbell Curls
Barbell curls are a great compound (multi-joint) exercise which can help in developing muscle mass and strength. To make the most of this lift, use an Olympic barbell. Doing so will recruit your core stabilizers.
Using the Olympic barbell can result in adding inches to your biceps. Make sure you don’t use momentum by jerking or swinging back and forth to lift the bar. Keep your torso upright and your elbows pinned to your sides.
Hammers Curls
Hammer curls are an incredibly effective exercise in improving the length of your biceps. Performing the dumbbell hammer curls also recruits your forearms as you hold the dumbbells with a neutral (palms facing each other) grip.
You can target your biceps from different angles while performing the dumbbell hammer curls. Curling the dumbbells straight forward will target the medial biceps. You can work the outer bicep heads by curling the dumbbells in a crossbody motion and curling with your arm pointing outwards will hit your inner bicep heads.
Machine Preacher Curls
The machine preacher curls are a great isolation exercise as it’s a combination of the preacher bench and cables. If you want to work on your bicep peak, you can’t go wrong with the machine preacher curls.
Most people make the mistake of lifting heavier weights than they can handle in this exercise. Letting their egos get in the way gets the better of them and they leave gains on the table by not following a full range of motion.
21’s
21’s are one of the most underutilized bicep exercises. You haven’t experienced the nastiest bicep pump of your life until you’ve done the 21’s. 21’s can help add size and definition to your guns.
Stand with an upright torso with a barbell in hands extended at arm’s length. Hold the barbell with a shoulder-width grip. Start the lift by performing seven reps from the bottom to the middle of the movement (like half barbell curls). Without resting, lift the barbell so it is next to your shoulder (top of the barbell curl movement).
Perform the next seven reps from the top to the middle. After completing the second mini-set of seven reps, perform the last seven repetitions with a full range of motion. The three mini-sets of 7 reps form a single set, and you need to complete it without stopping for rest.
Overhead Cable Curls
If you’re like most people, you like to show off your pythons with the front double bicep pose. Performing the overhead cable curls will polish your guns by working on the peaks and developing definition and separation.
Stand in the center of a cable pulley machine while holding a D-handle attachment in each hand with a supinated (palms facing the roof) grip. At the starting position, your arms should be fully extended at your sides so your upper arms are parallel to the floor.
While keeping your upper arms stationary, curl the weights by flexing at your elbows. Hold and squeeze your biceps at the top of the movement. Return to the starting position and repeat for the recommended reps.
Which is your favorite bicep exercise? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
*Header image courtesy of Envato Elements
Best Foods To Help You Sleep To Maximize Growth & Recovery
Sleep is so important to our growth and recovery, but too often do we forget that.
How many hours a night do you sleep? No, really think about it? Some nights may see 8 hours, some 7, maybe the occasional sleep in with 9 hours. But if you start saying 4, 5, even 6 hours of sleep a night, you may be hurting all of your gains you worked so hard for. While it is true that some people can run on a full tank of gas with continually 5-6 hours of sleep, it is safe to say that the majority of us cannot. Don’t let this stigma of getting “too much” sleep stop you from getting enough sleep.
How many times has someone said to you, “You sleep too much. You need time to get things done”. Remember how annoying that is? Changing your mindset to say sleep allows you to do more in less time is only stating the facts about sleep. The more recovered you are, the better you will perform.
And that goes for our bodybuilding and fitness goals as well. The more recovered you are, the better you will perform. The gym might be where the gains are created, but recovery is where they actually come to life. When you lift, you are tearing the muscle fiber, thus making space for new muscle to form. But that muscle forms with proper rest and recovery, and a healthy nutrition plan, and sleep should be priority number one.
Let’s talk about sleep and how it helps with muscle growth, then of course, everyone’s favorite topic of which food is best for promoting sleep. Help yourself feel great by taking sleep more seriously.
The Sleep Cycle
There are 5 stages of sleep that scientists categorize during your sleep cycle. Stages 1-4 are considered non-REM and stage 5 is considered REM (1). We’ve all heard of REM and non-REM, but let’s jump into this a little more. It is important to note that changes in brainwave frequencies and amplitudes are what differentiate each stage.
Stage 1: The lightest stage of sleep, your brain frequency is just slightly lower than when you are awake.
Stage 2: Deeper than Stage 1, you are starting to fall into a state where its harder to be awakened.
Stages 3-4: Entering into a deeper sleep, these stages are known as slow-wave sleep and as we age, we spend less time in these stages.
Stage 5: You’ve now entered REM sleep and this is where dreams start to happen. The skeletal muscles don’t move and breathing is elevated.
It is Stage 3 where your muscles are most relaxed, blood supply starts to flow through the muscles more and tissue growth and repair occurs. Energy is restored and growth hormone is released starting to do its magic. REM sleep is where that energy for your brain and body starts to charge up for the next day’s performance (2).
Importance Of Sleep For Growth & Recovery
When paired with a healthy diet, sleep is that vital piece of recovery to really work to repair muscle and see an increase in your muscle growth. When you sleep, your body enters into a higher anabolic state that means your body has more time to repair those torn muscles. Your body also has a higher rate of protein metabolism than when you are awake. Protein is essential for muscle growth and by processing more protein, you allow for more build up which in turn increases muscle strength and size. As human growth hormone spikes, it plays a role in the productions and regeneration of cells to help fix any damage caused by your workout (3).
In terms of cognitive function, adenosine is sent to the brain to signal that it needs rest. During sleep, these levels of adenosine start to decline which in turn make you slightly more alert. This would seem like the brain is recharging and refueling to ensure alertness and focus for whatever the next day brings (4). We all know how it feels to operate the next day after a poor night’s sleep and the ability for its physical growth and recovery should be equally matched by its cognitive recovery as well.
Foods To Help You Sleep
While there are ways to help you sleep like meditation or quality supplements, some foods may help with this as well for a more natural source.
Almonds: A great healthy source of fat, almonds can boost sleep quality by serving as solid sources of melatonin and magnesium, both highly effective for sleep enhancing properties.
Walnuts: Packed with nutrients, aside from multiple benefits of walnuts, when it comes to sleep they are a great source of healthy fats and melatonin. They provide the omega-3 fatty acids ALA and DHA to increase serotonin.
Turkey: Turkey is a popular food source for promoting sleep because it contains tryptophan, an amino acid that encourages sleepiness and increases the production of melatonin (5). Also a great source of protein, turkey can improve your quality of sleep and really aid with muscle growth.
Fatty Fish: Filled with vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids, both of these have serious benefits when it comes to improving your overall quality of sleep.
Beans: High in fiber, beans can help you spend more time in that vital slow-wave sleep of Stages 3-4. They can control glucose levels to stunt arousals that may come from sugar (6).
Tart Cherry Juice: Can improve sleep and lead to a longer sleep. Filled with melatonin, this works great but just be sure to get 100% juice with no additives.
Chamomile Tea: Has benefits to boost your immune system, reduce anxiety and depression, and improve sleep. It contains an antioxidant called apigenin which promotes sleepiness and reduces insomnia.
Wrap Up
Sleep and its value to our overall growth and performance is more than important when it comes to our training and performance success. Too often do we overlook sleep but we all need it. Getting adequate sleep should not make you feel lazy or unproductive, but quite the opposite. Getting good sleep clearly promotes cognitive functioning and allows for that much desired muscle growth to finally appear. Try these foods before bed and see how they can really boost your sleep to keep you looking and feeling great.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Images courtesy of Envato
References
Cell Press (2018). “How REM and non-REM sleep may work together to help us solve problems”. (source)
Waterhouse, Jim; Fukuda, Yumi; Morita, Takeshi (2012). “Daily rhythms of the sleep-wake cycle”. (source)
Dattilo, M; Antunes, H. K. M.; Medeiros, A; Neto, M. M.; Souza, H. S.; de Mello, M. T. (2011). “Sleep and muscle recovery: endocrinological and molecular basis for a new and promising hypothesis”. (source)
Saini, Ekjyot K.; Gillis, Brian T.; Elmore-Staton, Lori; Buckhalt, Joseph A.; El-Sheikh, Mona (2020). “Longitudinal relations between sleep and cognitive functioning in children: Self-esteem as a moderator”. (source)
Hartmann, E. (1982). “Effects of L-tryptophan on sleepiness and on sleep”. (source)
Zhang, Duqin; Wang, Liping; Tan, Bin; Zhang, Weiqing (2019). “Dietary fibre extracted from different types of whole grains and beans: a comparative study”. (source)
Samir Bannout: Some Beauty Is Lost When Bodybuilders Become Super Massive
Samir Bannout comments on whether or not the modern era of bodybuilding has declined.
Between the past five to ten years, there has been a growing conversation about the quality of modern bodybuilding. While it’s often common to hold the past in higher regard – it seems that fans have become more vocal about bodybuilding physiques declining in quality even compared to the 90s. Alternatively, there are those who believe we are now at the beginning of an upswing after a slight decline. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Samir Bannout shares his thoughts on modern bodybuilding, super mass monsters, and wether there has been a decline in quality.
Samir Bannout is a diplomatic man. He’s not someone to cast blame on specific people. He’s also not one to make bold statements without all of the facts. So when it comes to something subjective like the quality of bodybuilding physiques – he’s careful with his answer.
During our video interview, we asked if Samir Bannout considers bodybuilding an extreme sport. More specifically, if bodybuilding is more extreme today than it was during his era of competing. This conversation evolved into discussion of the quality of physiques in bodybuilding. Has the increased effort for bigger size led to lower quality physiques overall?
Samir Bannout makes a point first and foremost to highlight that pro bodybuilders today are extremely talented. They work hard, they put in the work, and their ambitions are respectable. So Bannout purposefully avoids saying that physiques have declined. Instead, he comments that certain weak points are becoming more common. He assumes this is likely due to focusing more on size.
[embedded content]
Check out our GI Exclusive segment with Samir Bannout above!
Instead of talking about increase or decrease in quality, Samir Bannout talks about beauty in the sport. Again, this is a subjective term. But Bannout believes that some of the beauty has left the sport. It’s become more favored towards blocky and bulky mass monster physiques. To use an alternate word from beauty, it seems that Bannout is talking about aesthetic and conditioning.
Samir Bannout uses two examples. He points out Frank Zane, who has won multiple Mr. Olympia competitions. He also points out Phil Heath – a man who has seven Olympia titles under his belt.
Bannout comments that Frank Zane was no where near the largest bodybuilder even during his own era. Yet his beauty, aesthetics, and conditioning were so on point that he became a champion. Fast forward to Phil Heath. Bannout believes his first four victories were flawless. Shortly after that, criticism of his gut came to the forefront. Bannout believes this was due to Phil starting to chase more size.
“I think he [Phil Heath] lost his beauty once he started to get super massive,” Samir Bannout states in our interview. He continues:
“Sometimes it’s not about size… Same thing with Flex Wheeler. You know, Flex, it was immanent that he’d win the Olympia. Seriously… It’s a shame that if Flex, if he slowed down a little bit he would have been Olympia no doubt.”
Samir Bannout doesn’t want to demonize massive size. He thinks that massive size can work so long as the beauty remains. He thinks that some bodybuilders are genetically predisposed to handle massive size while maintaining tighter aesthetics and conditioning. He uses Ronnie Coleman’s earlier Olympia victories as an example. Unfortunately, Bannout also thinks that too many bodybuilders fall victim to chasing size and beauty is lost as a result.
You an watch Samir Bannout’s full comments in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
Why Muscle Density Matters & How To Build It
That dense look you desire is all dependent on muscle density.
For those of us who lift big and seek a massive physique, muscle density is something that cannot be overlooked. Despite our complete drive for that increase in size, what we visually seek may not be the absolute best goal for us. Have you ever been in the gym and the guy next to you is massive, huge, lifting some serious weight? And then you look at yourself at you’re not as massive, not as huge, but you’re lifting the same amount of weight? This is muscle density and while this guy next to you may have the aesthetic you want, it’s a great thought to know that, in theory and principle, you’re stronger.
When it comes to certain strength sports, muscle density is an absolute must have. Powerlifting and Strongman athletes need to feel as though they can lift and push and pull and squat anything and everything that comes their way. Bodybuilders seek that well-rounded, perfectly sculpted physique, but what makes those muscles pop is vital for their success. Ultimately, the goal is to increase strength and size and luckily for us, the two are more than possible.
With muscle density being so important, let’s dive into it. From what it is, to the difference between muscle density and muscle mass, to how to build it, we’ll cover all the bases so you can start prioritizing what you need to do to really start to succeed.
What Is Muscle Density?
Muscle density is the amount of lean muscle tissue that your body has in comparison to the amount of fatty tissue. The more muscle tissue, the more dense of an appearance and structure the muscle takes on. With more density, this means the muscle fibers are stronger, allowing you to produce more power than larger muscles that may not be as dense. Essentially, muscle density is about the strength of the muscle. And by getting rid of excess fat that may be buried in between the muscle fibers will only enhance the level of muscle density you ultimately have (1).
Difference Between Muscle Density & Muscle Mass
While muscle density is about strength and the amount of lean muscle compared to fatty tissue, muscle mass tends to refer to the sheer size of the muscles. So, we’re talking here about strength versus size, or for our purposes, muscle density (strength) versus muscle mass (size).
Let’s take a look at hypertrophy, or muscle growth, to really understand how muscle density and mass work and what we can expect. Two types of hypertrophy exist that will hopefully help us break this debate even further: sarcoplasmic hypertrophy and myofibrillar hypertrophy.
Myofibrillar hypertrophy is another way of saying muscle fiber growth, which in turn is another way of saying increased muscle density. What happens with this is the muscle fibers become enlarged through the multiplication of myofibrils which equate to strength, speed, and power, respectively. Through working out and lifting, these fibers must increase in density as they recover, thus leading to that valuable increase in muscle density (2).
Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is the increase in muscle size, or for our purposes, muscle mass. The volume of the muscle cell fluid increases, boosting the literal size of the muscle cell but not adding any strength or density. For many bodybuilders, this is what we’re looking at unless they prioritize strength and size, instead of one over the other (3).
Why Muscle Density Matters
Muscle density matters because that is your muscle strength. Your sheer ability to get stronger and see the gains you want most are all dependent on how you work muscle density. It can be easy to get caught up in being the biggest, the one with the absolutely bulging biceps or popping pecs. But muscle density allows for better sport specific movements, can increase your chances at seeing great PRs, and will ultimately win out over just muscle mass any day, for your ability to lift big is how you grow (4).
How To Build It
Here are some tips to get you started and help you build that valuable muscle density.
1. Lift Big But Lift Smart
Always look to increase the weight more than you had previously before. This will really pay off as you start to build more and more of those muscle fibers looking for them to grow. Just be cautious that you lift within the realm of what you can do to avoid injury.
2. Resistance Training
Placing the proper amount of resistance on your muscles is vital for fiber growth and the right amount of overload can really work to get those muscle dense.
3. Diet & Supplementation
For your dietary routine, something like a low-carb diet will work to get rid of that excess fat around the muscles. This is partly why the ketogenic diet is so popular. But don’t forget to use the right supplements and really work to push only the highest of quality supplements into you before, during, or after a workout (5). Something like a protein powder, pre-workout, or BCAA supplement will work wonders for all phases of your workout.
Featured Supplement
It is important to supplement with the right products in order to increase muscle density and really boost all your strength goals. This creatine from Transparent Labs is an awesome product to help you get there.
Transparent Labs StrengthSeries Creatine HMB
Although one of the more expensive creatine supplements available, Transparent Labs creatine is well worth the price and is one of the best creatine products for pure creatine. It has no added artificial flavors, fillers, preservatives, or coloring, which means the body isn’t wasting energy metabolizing useless chemicals — just pure creatine. Transparent Labs creatine is infused with HMB, or β-Hydroxy β-Methylbutyrate, which has been proven to increase muscle strength and lean body mass while decreasing fat mass. At a good price, this is a one of the best creatine products to buy for athletes.
Price: $39.00/ 30 servings
Click here for the best price
Use the promo code GENIRON10 for 10% off! Check out our individual review for Transparent Labs StrengthSeries Creatine HMB here!
Check out our list of the Best Creatine Supplements for more muscle building products!
Wrap Up
When it comes to building muscle density, also know as our strength, it is important to really put an emphasis on that depending on our goals. While muscle mass and our literal size may be the end goal, muscle density will prove to pay off in the long run for us as we seek to lift as big as possible. Don’t neglect muscle density and the path to get there because it will change your fitness goals for the better.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Images courtesy of Envato
References
Miller, A. E.; MacDougall, J. D.; Tarnopolsky, M. A.; Sale, D. G. (1993). “Gender differences in strength and muscle fiber characteristic”. (source)
Damas, Felipe; Angleri, Vitor; Phillips, Stuart M.; Witard, Oliver C.; et al. (2019). “Myofibrillar protein synthesis and muscle hypertrophy individualized responses to systematically changing resistance training variables in trained young men”. (source)
Roberts, Michael D.; Haun, Cody T.; Vann, Christopher G.; Osburn, Shelby C.; Young, Kaelin C. (2020). “Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy in Skeletal Muscle: A Scientific “Unicorn” or Resistance Training Adaptation?”. (source)
Wang, Ling; Yin, Lu; Zhao, Yue; Su, Yongbin; et al. (2021). “Muscle Density, but Not Size, Correlates Well With Muscle Strength and Physical Performance”. (source)
Pasiakos, Stefan M.; McLellan, Tom M.; Lieberman, Harris R. (2015). “The effects of protein supplements on muscle mass, strength, and aerobic and anaerobic power in healthy adults: a systematic review”. (source)
George Farah: Milos Sarcev Is Wrong To Promote Insulin In Bodybuilding
George Farah doubles down on his anti insulin stance in bodybuilding.
Over a year ago, bodybuilding coach and guru George Farah strongly criticized the use of insulin in bodybuilding. He claimed it was an outright dangerous drug to use inappropriately. He believes that using insulin for benefits in bodybuilding is always the wrong way to use the drug. A year later, we followed up with Farah to revisit his stance on this topic. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, George Farah urges bodybuilders to stop using insulin and thinks it is wrong for Milos Sarcev to promote it.
George Farah wants to get something off his chest. He wants the world to know that bodybuilders use insulin far less often than people think. In recent years, many believe that insulin has become a mainstay in top level pro bodybuilding. Farah is here to debunk that belief. In fact, he goes on to say that he has had up to six athletes in the top 10 of the Mr. Olympia. He knows for a fact all six of them did not use insulin.
In George Farah’s mind, that’s all the evidence anyone would need. These bodybuilders have made it into the top 10 of the world without insulin. So why would anyone want to take the health risk just to get an edge over the competition? Farah believes it’s not necessary.
We followed up asking George Farah about his thoughts on Milos Sarcev. Milos is a bodybuilding coach who is a strong proponent of insulin in bodybuilding. His argument is that insulin can be used safely, as long as it’s not abused. He feels this way about nearly all taboo drugs. It can be safe when done correctly. After our initial interview with George Farah, Milos responded to Farah’s comments about insulin. Clearly the two are at odds with this topic.
[embedded content]
Check out our GI Exclusive segment with George Farah above!
That’s why we asked George Farah for his thoughts on Milos Sarcev and his endorsement of insulin for bodybuilders. Does he think Milos is simply wrong? Farah had this to say in his response:
“Milos is a friend of mine okay? I don’t want to say he’s wrong or right. He’s wrong promoting insulin. This is my opinion. He’s entitled to his opinion but my opinion… I don’t think we should have insulin [in bodybuilding].”
George Farah goes on to detail how many bodybuilders he knows who have health problems. The fact is that bodybuilding already has health risks as it is. Farah doesn’t understand why a bodybuilder would want to add even more risk to that.
It seems that insulin is where George Farah draws the line. He has gone on the record endorsing the use of steroids for bodybuilding (though he does think it’s often abused too much recently). When it comes to insulin, though, Farah believes it’s a black and white issue. It’s clearly unhealthy. It’s clearly dangerous. And even when done right, it can lead to complications. At least, that is what George Farah believes.
You can watch George Farah go into full detail about Milos Sarcev, insulin, and bodybuilding in our latest GI Exclusive segment above!
6 Ways To Ignite New Muscle Growth
Ignite New Muscle Growth With These Steps
Whether you’re a beginner or a professional, hitting a plateau is almost inevitable in your fitness journey. If you don’t know your way around the muscle building barriers, you might find yourself at a dead end.
You can break through the overhead ceiling by making a few adjustments and continue your progress. While following the steps mentioned in the article will get you through a plateau, you might reach the same standstill at some point in the future.
When you hit a progress roadblock again in the future, all you need to do is come back to this article and switch different things than what you did in the first time. Bookmark this page so you can come back whenever your progress halts.
Change Your Training Routine
If you’ve been following the same training program for over 12 weeks, it might be time to switch things up. Your workouts should have a combination and right mix of compound (multi-joint) and isolation (single joint) exercises so your muscles get the best of both worlds.
If you want to build muscles or lose body fat you might also need to adjust your cardio. To ensure the overall development of your muscles, you will have to train your muscles from all the angles with variations of exercises.
Fix Your Diet
Diet is an integral part of building muscle mass. If you’re unable to add size, you might have to adjust your macros by increasing your carbs and protein intake. To reduce your body fat, you might have to cut back on the carbs.
If the changes in your diet don’t seem to work, it might be a good idea to try a new diet like IIFYM (if it fits your macros), keto, Intermittent fasting, etc. If you’re not sure how to fix your diet, you should take the help of a professional.
Emphasize Recovery
Some people focus too much on their training and ignore recovery. Many of these people wear their low daily recovery time as a badge of honor. You need to understand that you break muscle while you train and build muscles while you’re resting.
Recovery from your workouts is vital to building muscle or losing weight. If you feel sore for more than two days after your workouts, you should consider taking two rest days in a week as compared to one.
Advanced Training Techniques
Your muscle tissues are quick at getting used to your training style. Don’t let them settle down by using advanced training techniques. Some of the most effective training techniques include BFR (blood flow restriction) training, supersets, drop-sets, intraset stretching.
You constantly need to shock your muscles if you don’t want to hit a muscle plateau. Some of the advanced training techniques might require you to buy additional equipment like occlusion straps, resistance bands, etc. but this investment will pay for itself in no time.
Use Supplements
Supplements are incredibly effective at helping in igniting new muscle growth. There are different types of supplements you can take to enhance your performance and recovery which lead to building muscle mass.
Pre-workout supplements can get you ready for your training, while intra and post workout supplements aid in muscle recovery and growth. Make sure you don’t overly rely on supplements and keep real food as your main source of nutrition.
Be Patient
Building muscle mass doesn’t happen overnight. It can take some time depending on your genetics before your body starts to show changes even after you’re following the right training, nutrition and recovery plan.
One more thing to note is, the more you have, the harder it will be to progress. The more muscle you have, the harder it will be to gain lean size. The lower the body fat percentage you have, the harder it’ll be to shed extra weight. As they say, patience is a virtue.
Which is your favorite muscle to train? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
Brad Castleberry: “Being Unhealthy But Looking Healthy Isn’t Cool”
Brad Castleberry goes into detail on why he changed his training methods to focus more on health than sculpted muscle.
The very core of bodybuilding is a healthy endeavor in line with fitness. But just like many things in fitness, it can become unhealthy depending on how far you take it. Professional bodybuilding and even modeling can put so much focus on perfecting the physique that it comes at the cost of traditional health standards. Some athletes are okay with taking that risk. But the general public might not realize that a shredded physique does not automatically mean the athlete is healthy. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Brad Castleberry discusses completely changing his training method to focus on feeling good more than looking good.
Brad Castleberry may be a controversial figure in bodybuilding, but one thing that can’t be disputed is that he has an incredible physique. Whether he lifts fake weights or not – it takes hard work to accomplish that kind of shredded look. But during our new interview with Brad Castleberry, he wanted to focus on how he’s been making a change in his fitness life.
After years of ego lifting and powerlifting massive amounts of weight, Brad Castleberry is now focusing on lighter weight and more on cardio. His reasoning for this change is that he wants to focus more on feeling good than looking good. Sometimes the two can come hand in hand. Other times they can be at odds with each other. It depends on how far you want to push the boundaries of your body.
How To Improve Your Mobility For Maximum Gains and Functionality
Take Your Gains To The Next Level With Better Mobility
Have you ever noticed almost every single person has a different way of performing the same exercise? Let’s take squats for example. While John might be able to squat with a full range of motion (ass to the grass), Tom might only be able to go 3/4th of the way down.
Let’s assume both these people have the same height, weight, coach, train in the same gym, use the same weights, and have approximately the same strength. What do you think is causing the squat depth discrepancy? No, little Tommie is not a sissy.
Mobility is the culprit here. Squats are a compound lift and involve the recruitment of multiple muscles. A stiffness in any muscle group like the arms, upper or lower back, quads, hamstrings, knees, shins, calves, or ankles could limit the mobility on the squats.
What is Mobility?
Mobility is the ability to move a muscle group through a range of motion in the joint socket with control. Mobility is how well and efficiently we move. When we talk about mobility we’re usually referring to joint mobility.
Joint mobility is the degree to which an articulation (where two bones meet) can move before being restricted by surrounding tissues- ligaments/tendons/muscles. Joint mobility directly determines your posture and movement.
Mobility is Not Flexibility
It’s crazy how many people confuse mobility with flexibility. Flexibility is your connective tissues’ ability to temporarily elongate. It is an element of mobility just like strength, coordination, and body awareness.
Flexibility can help improve your mobility but extreme flexibility (like you see in some manly videos) doesn’t boost your performance. So, stop trying the dwi pada sirsasana and be content with practicing the full splits.
Benefits of Optimal Mobility
Reduces Chances of Injury
Sadly, people get injured in the gym way too frequently. While there are various reasons why people get hurt, most of it could be boiled down to not being able to perform an exercise correctly due to a lack of mobility.
If you ask people what they felt during the exercise they got injured, most of them will tell you that they were uncomfortable right from the beginning of the exercise. Optimal mobility ensures that there is an equal distribution of stress throughout your working muscles which reduces your chances of an injury.
Improves Joint Health & Reduces Joint Pain
Regular mobility exercises act as lubricants for your joints, ligaments, and tendons and keep them working in optimal condition. The more you work on improving your joint mobility, the healthier and stronger the surrounding muscle tissues will get – helping boost joint health and elevating pain.
Ignites Muscle Growth
Joint immobility hurts your gains in more ways than you can imagine. There is always at least one exercise you feel uncomfortable performing or can’t perform with the full range of motion. It is a sign that you lack mobility in that area.
For a long time, I had trouble performing behind-the-neck exercises like the lat pulldowns and military presses. After I worked on my posterior muscle mobility, I saw my strength, muscle size, and quality shoot through the roof.
Improves Posture
Thanks to the modern lifestyle and now the WFH culture, we spend most of our time hunched over a laptop or looking down at our phone screens. It could be doing a lot for our career, but it surely isn’t helping improve our posture.
Constantly sitting causes your hip flexors to shorten, and your hamstrings to lengthen. This starts a chain reaction that causes anterior pelvic tilt and kyphosis. The next time you feel like Netflix and chilling, remind yourself – we are born hunters and gatherers.
How To Improve Your Mobility
Stretching
Active and static stretching exercises are some of the best ways of improving your mobility.
Static stretching (aka passive stretching) is the common type of stretching that most people are familiar with. It’s what comes to mind when someone talks about stretching.
It involves the use of an external force to elongate or stretch a muscle. In this type of stretching, force is usually generated through your own body weight or by pulling with your arms.
Active stretching is a dynamic form of stretching that involves the contraction of a muscle that is opposite to the muscle that is being targeted for the stretch. As an example, kicking your leg straight out in front of you would actively stretch the hamstrings in the leg that is moving. Most yoga poses are a form of active stretching.
Improve Your Breathing
Ever wondered why breathing is such a big part of almost all kinds of physically intensive activities? Start playing football or tennis, and you’ll be asked to learn to breathe to improve your endurance, join a gym, and you’re told to breathe in sync with your reps, and let’s just not begin talking about yoga.
Connecting your breath with your movement is thought to affect how efficiently you move. Slow and controlled breathing can increase the parasympathetic response which can help in relaxing your body and reducing overall tension.
Self-Myofascial Release
Self-myofascial release is a practice that uses tools like the foam roller and lacrosse balls to target the fascia. A fascia is a band or sheet of connective tissue beneath the skin which acts like a spider web around the muscles that attaches, stabilizes, encloses, and separates muscles and other internal organs and helps the muscles retain their shape.
The muscle fascia is also what keeps your muscles from growing bigger. The sensation of a muscle pump is actually your muscle fibers pushing against the fascia and trying to expand it. Tightly packed fascia can also be the reason behind tight joints and limited mobility.
Mobility Exercises
If you’re having trouble performing specific exercises, it’d be best to work your joints and tendons in that same position. For example, little Tommie should hold a squat at the bottom of the movement and slowly move his knees and hip in circular motions to work on his ROM. He should then rock-and-roll while holding the squat to loosen up his shins, calves, and ankle joints.
A few other effective mobility exercises include walking hip openers, thoracic spine windmills on the floor, shoulder pass-throughs, and neck half circles. You should have at least one mobility day a week in your workout schedule to keep your joints, ligaments, and tendons in optimal condition.
Are you facing any mobility issues? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.