How to Make Soft Muscles HARDER

Summary

The transcript discusses muscle training and the difference in muscle feel between Joshua and his buddy. It emphasizes the importance of lifting heavy weights with low volume and focusing on high-intensity exercises to build dense myofibular muscles. The speaker also highlights the role of body fat in muscle softness, suggesting that reducing body fat percentage while continuing strength training will lead to strong, lean, and hard muscles. The advice is to focus on strength over endurance, aiming for 3 to 5 reps rather than 8 to 12, to achieve the desired muscular appearance.

Takeaways

• 💪 Focus on heavy lifting with lower volume to achieve dense myofibrillar muscle.
• 🌀 Concentrate on driving nervous energy through the muscle with a longer tempo during exercises.
• 🤏 Squeeze muscles tightly at the peak of each rep to enhance myofibrillar hypertrophy.
• 🚫 Avoid high rep ranges if aiming for hard muscle; aim for 3 to 5 reps instead.
• 🏋️‍♂️ High intensity means how much the nervous system is working, not just the weight lifted.
• 🧘‍♂️ Slowing down the tempo and straining with exercises can help in building hard muscles.
• 👀 Body fat percentage can affect the feel of the muscles; a high body fat can make them feel soft.
• 🏃‍♂️ As body fat decreases, the underlying hard, lean muscles become more visible.
• 🏋️‍♀️ Consistently train with a focus on strength rather than muscle endurance for a harder look.
• 👀 The speaker's personal experience indicates that focusing on strength training can lead to a 'baggy skin over rocks' appearance as fat decreases.
• 🎯 To achieve a hard, dense muscle appearance, combine strength-focused training with reducing body fat.

Q & A

What is the main concern of Joshua regarding his muscle training?

Joshua's main concern is that despite being stronger than his buddy, his muscles feel soft to the touch, unlike his buddy's muscles which have a harder feel.

What is the recommended approach to achieve a harder and denser muscle texture according to the transcript?

The recommended approach is to continue lifting heavy weights with lower volume and focusing on driving nervous energy through the muscle with a longer tempo during exercises.

What does 'driving nervous energy through the muscle' mean in the context of muscle training?

It means focusing on engaging the nervous system to produce a high intensity effort during exercise, which is crucial for myofibrillar hypertrophy.

Why is it suggested to squeeze the muscles tightly during exercises like chin-ups?

Squeezing the muscles tightly and maintaining the contraction for a few seconds helps to drive more energy into the muscle, promoting myofibrillar hypertrophy and resulting in harder muscles.

What is the significance of the number of repetitions when trying to build denser muscles?

Fewer repetitions, typically 3 to 5, are suggested for building denser muscles because the focus is on heavy intensity and the nervous system's effort, rather than muscle endurance.

What role does body fat play in the feel and appearance of muscles?

High body fat percentage can make muscles feel soft, even if they are hard and dense underneath, as the fat masks the muscle definition.

Why does the speaker mention 'sarcoplasmic puffy muscle syndrome'?

The speaker uses this term to describe the appearance of muscles that have high sarcoplasmic volume and body fat, which can make them look puffy even when they are strong.

What is the speaker's personal approach to training and how does it affect muscle appearance?

The speaker focuses on strength training with very few instances of using bodybuilding parameters, which results in muscles that feel like 'rocks in a bag' as body fat decreases.

What is the recommended body fat percentage for achieving the appearance of strong, lean, and hard muscles?

The transcript does not specify an exact percentage, but it suggests that reducing body fat is key to revealing the true hardness and definition of the muscles.

How does the speaker define 'high intensity' in the context of muscle training?

High intensity is defined by the amount of work the nervous system is doing to produce the effort associated with the exercise, which can be achieved through heavy weights or straining with exercises and slowing down the tempo.

What advice does the speaker give to Joshua for improving his muscle hardness and density?

The advice given is to continue training with a focus on strength and heavy intensity, reduce body fat percentage, and use a lower rep range to stimulate myofibrillar hypertrophy.