Proper Principles for Hitting Hypertrophy Goals

The 21st century has opened up the highways of information.

The fitness industry is no exception to that.

Sometimes, it can be hard to tell what information is rooted in science from what influencers are trying to sell you.

So today, I want to share with you some of the newest research on hypertrophy.

This research shares how to maximize muscle growth in the gym using reps, sets, tempo, range of motion, and intensity.

HOW HYPERTROPHY WORKS

Many have heard that lifting less weight and doing more reps will tone the body, and lifting more weight with fewer reps will build bulky muscles.

However, that’s not how hypertrophy (muscle growth) works.

Muscles don’t know how heavy the weight is, they only know how difficult it is to move.

This means you should focus on how close to failure you get with each set.

In other words, don't focus on how many reps you do, focus on failing your last rep.

Recent studies have shown that sets with 6-20 reps have the same rate of muscle growth.

However, they are only similar if they are all taken equally close to failure.

Now, the question remains: How close to failure should each set be taken?

TRAINING TO FAILURE

The level of intensity you should push your sets depends on the number of sets you perform.

The more intensity you have in your workout, the harder it will be for your body to recover from each set.

If you take your sets to reach or are close to muscle failure, fewer sets are needed.

However, if you're simply going to a rep range rather than attempting to reach failure, more sets will be needed.

But, where is the sweet spot? Do you do 1 set of maximum intensity, or should you do 100 sets of moderate intensity?

The general consensus among researchers is that there should be between 10-12 sets per muscle group.

Each week, you should take about 1-2 reps shy of actual muscular failure. This will lead to maximal growth in most people.

So, if 6-20 reps per set are optimal and 10-12 sets per muscle per week are taken, 1-2 reps shy of failure is optimal.

Now that we've established the reps and set ranges we should aim for, let's examine how the reps should be performed.

HOW SHOULD EACH REP BE PERFORMED?

Before we get started, let's look at some terms:

• Eccentric movement - the lowering phase of the movement

• Concentric movement - the contraction or raising of the movement

Recent research has confirmed that eccentric movement is primarily what promotes muscle growth, where the concentric phase does not promote as much.

It has also been found that the full extension of a movement (where the muscle is most stretched) appears to promote more muscle growth than the shortened portion.

So what does this mean in terms of how we should train?

In my personal training experience, a 3-2-2-1 second training tempo covers all the bases for maximizing muscle growth.

3-2-2-1 can be read as this:

• 3 seconds on the eccentric

• 2-second pause fully extended

• 2 seconds on the contraction phase

• 1-second pause in the shortened position.

With this tempo, you have a greater likelihood to see more growth from training and greatly decrease your risk of injury.

Conclusion

Does all this sound very complicated and confusing? That’s okay.

Perfecting training frequency, intensity, and technique takes time, but I promise it will be worth it.

There are trainers at Mesa Fitness and in the fitness community who will always be happy to help. You only get one body, so it’s worth taking care of it correctly.

Be safe out there.

Remember, fitness isn’t just about looking good, it’s about being the best version of yourself.

This article was written by Colton Pettit, a trainer at Mesa Fitness Grand Junction. To meet Colton, click the image!