How I Built Muscle FAST (5 Science-Based Tips)
Summary
TLDRThis video script details a fitness enthusiast's journey to gain 20 pounds of lean muscle in 16 months by implementing a combination of new research-backed techniques. The key strategies include utilizing stretch-mediated hypertrophy for muscle growth, focusing on exercises that challenge muscles in a stretched position, applying progressive overload with proper form, pushing close to failure in sets, prioritizing recovery, and adjusting diet for a lean bulk. The video emphasizes the importance of patience and consistency in achieving significant muscle gains.
Takeaways
- 💪 Stretch Mediated Hypertrophy: The speaker emphasizes the importance of exercises that challenge muscles in a stretched position for faster growth, such as preacher curls for biceps and overhead extensions for triceps.
- 🏋️♂️ Exercise Selection: The choice of exercises that maximize muscle stretch can lead to significant growth, with preacher curls showing 150% more growth than incline curls in a study.
- 📉 Progressive Overload Revisited: The speaker advises against solely focusing on lifting heavier weights and instead suggests prioritizing form and depth in exercises to effectively challenge muscles during the stretch.
- 🔽 Lighten the Load: To focus on muscle challenge during stretch, the speaker recommends lightening the weight by 10-20% and ensuring full depth with good form, including pauses in exercises like presses and squats.
- 🚀 Pushing to Failure: Maximizing muscle growth requires approaching failure within three reps in each set, which is a threshold that becomes more critical with experience.
- 🧠 Mindset Shift: The speaker shares personal strategies for embracing the discomfort of training close to failure, linking it with the anticipation of growth.
- 🛑 Prioritize Recovery: Adequate rest and recovery are crucial for muscle growth, with the speaker reducing training frequency to improve energy levels and muscle recovery.
- 🔄 Adjusting Training Frequency: The speaker moved from seven days a week to four, finding it more effective for recovery and muscle growth.
- 🍽️ Lean Bulking: The importance of a calorie surplus for muscle growth is highlighted, with the speaker recommending a lean bulk of 10-15% above maintenance calories.
- 📊 Caloric Intake and Growth: A lean bulk approach is favored over a fast bulk to minimize fat gain while maximizing muscle growth, supported by research findings.
- 🕰️ Patience and Consistency: The speaker stresses the long-term benefits of consistent training and nutrition, acknowledging that muscle growth is a slow process that requires patience.
Q & A
What is stretch mediated hypertrophy and how can it be utilized for muscle growth?
-Stretch mediated hypertrophy is a new area of research suggesting that some muscles grow faster when they are challenged the most in a stretched position. To utilize this, one should select exercises that place the muscle in a stretch position, such as preacher curls for biceps, and ensure to maintain good form and depth in the movement.
What was the result of the 2022 study comparing preacher curls and incline curls for bicep growth?
-The 2022 study found that preacher curls, which are most difficult when the biceps are almost fully stretched, led to approximately 150 percent more growth compared to incline curls after nine weeks of testing.
How does the overhead extension exercise for triceps compare to the standard triceps pushdown in terms of muscle growth?
-The overhead extension exercise, which provides a greater stretch on the triceps, led to significantly more growth compared to the standard triceps pushdown, as per a study mentioned in the script.
Why is it important to focus on the stretch position during exercises?
-Focusing on the stretch position during exercises is important because it increases the challenge to the muscles in that position, which has been shown to stimulate more growth, especially when combined with good form and depth in the movement.
What changes did the speaker make to their training routine to emphasize the stretch position and progressive overload?
-The speaker lightened the weight by 10 to 20 percent on most movements, focused on going as deep as possible with good form, and added a half-second pause at the bottom of exercises like presses and squats to increase the challenge on the muscles during the deep stretch.
Why is getting close to failure during sets important for muscle growth?
-Getting close to failure during sets is important because research suggests that being within three reps of failure is the threshold for maximizing growth. The more experienced you are, the more critical this becomes.
How did the speaker change their mindset towards the pain experienced during training?
-The speaker changed their mindset by viewing pain as a sensation and linking it with growth. This mental shift made them look forward to and seek the pain because they knew it would result in future muscle growth.
What is the significance of recovery in muscle growth and how did the speaker adjust their training frequency?
-Recovery is significant because it's when the actual muscle growth occurs. The speaker adjusted their training frequency by reducing it to four days a week with slightly longer workouts and occasional accessory days, which improved their energy levels and muscle recovery.
What is the recommended approach to bulking for muscle growth according to the script?
-The recommended approach is a lean bulk, where you overfeed your body with a calorie surplus of about 10 to 15 percent above maintenance calories. This approach helps maximize muscle growth while minimizing fat gain.
How did the speaker's mindset change regarding the fat gained during the lean bulking process?
-The speaker shifted their mindset to view the fat gain as a long-term investment, accepting that it's part of the process and focusing on the end goal of increased muscle size, knowing that they have many opportunities to get shredded in the future.
What is the importance of patience and consistency in the muscle building process as highlighted in the script?
-Patience and consistency are important because muscle growth, especially for those past the beginner stage, can be a slow process. Small weekly gains can accumulate to significant changes over time, and trusting the process leads to noticeable improvements.
Outlines
💪 Maximizing Muscle Growth with Stretch Mediated Hypertrophy
This paragraph discusses the concept of stretch mediated hypertrophy, a new research area suggesting that muscles grow faster when challenged in a stretched position. The speaker shares their experience of gaining 20 pounds of lean muscle in 16 months by incorporating exercises that emphasize this principle, such as preacher curls for biceps and overhead extensions for triceps. The importance of proper exercise selection and maintaining good form, even when lifting lighter weights, is highlighted to ensure muscles are challenged during the deep stretch phase. The speaker also emphasizes the need to push close to failure in each set to maximize growth, changing their mindset to view pain as a signal for muscle development.
🏋️♂️ Balancing Training Intensity and Recovery for Optimal Muscle Growth
The second paragraph focuses on the importance of recovery in muscle growth, explaining that it's not just about rest days but also about managing workout frequency. The speaker shares their personal journey of reducing training days from seven to four per week to improve recovery and energy levels. They discuss the need for a balance between training hard and not overdoing it, as excessive training can lead to a lack of motivation and poor muscle recovery. The paragraph also touches on the role of diet in muscle growth, recommending a lean bulk approach with a calorie surplus of about 10-15% above maintenance levels to ensure muscle gains without excessive fat accumulation. The speaker advises patience and a long-term mindset, recognizing that muscle growth is a slow process compared to fat loss, and encourages viewers to trust the process for significant results.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Muscle Growth
💡Stretch Mediated Hypertrophy
💡Exercise Selection
💡Progressive Overload
💡Failure
💡Recovery
💡Calorie Surplus
💡Lean Bulk
💡Mentality
💡Volume
💡Nutrition
Highlights
New research in 'stretch mediated hypertrophy' suggests that certain muscles grow faster when challenged in a stretched position.
Exercise selection is crucial for muscle growth, with preacher curls shown to be more effective for bicep growth than incline curls.
The importance of challenging muscles in a stretch position is also evident in triceps exercises, with overhead extensions leading to more growth.
Incorporating exercises that emphasize the stretch position, such as behind the body curls for biceps, can enhance muscle growth.
Progressive Overload should focus on challenging muscles during the stretch, not just increasing weight or reps at the expense of form.
Lightening the weight and focusing on deep stretches with good form can lead to better muscle response.
Approaching failure within three reps is key to maximizing muscle growth, as supported by recent research.
Mental preparation and changing the mindset towards pain can help in pushing closer to failure during workouts.
Recovery is essential for muscle growth, and reducing training frequency to allow for better recovery can be beneficial.
A lean bulk, with a calorie surplus of about 10-15% above maintenance, can support muscle growth without excessive fat gain.
Accepting some fat gain during a lean bulk is part of the long-term investment in muscle growth.
Patience and consistency in training and nutrition are vital for noticeable muscle gains over time.
The video provides a step-by-step training and nutrition plan for maximizing muscle growth.
The importance of not rushing the muscle gain process and trusting the long-term benefits of a lean bulk.
The impact of adding 10 to 15 pounds of muscle on body appearance and the motivation it provides.
The video offers a quiz at buildscience.com to find the best size and back plan tailored to individual needs.
The significance of the muscle stretch research and its application for accelerating muscle gains.
Transcripts
is it possible to build muscle fast it
took me years to gain some size and
eventually my gains thought altogether
instead of hopping on this I recently
implemented a handful of new research
back techniques and managed to gain a
lean 20 pounds in 16 months and there's
five things I did number one has to do
with my training there's a really
exciting new area of research called
stretch mediated hypertrophy this is
something I've covered in depth in the
past video but basically some muscles
seem to grow faster from exercises that
challenge them the most when they're in
a stretch position this has now been
shown with the biceps triceps quads and
hamstrings and to be honest it seems
like it will be true for most or even
all of our muscles to take advantage of
this there's two things I did first
exercise selection let's take the biceps
for example a recent 2022 study compared
two exercises preacher curls and incline
curls preacher curls are most difficult
right around here when the biceps are
almost fully stretched whereas incline
curls based on the incline angle used in
the study are most difficult a little
bit higher up when the biceps are almost
fully contracted after nine weeks of
testing the tube the preacher curl led
to around 150 percent more growth other
recent studies on the biceps have found
similar results but there seems to be a
similar effect with the triceps too one
study had subjects do overhead
extensions with one arm and your normal
triceps pushed down with the other arm
likely because of the greater stretch on
the triceps the overhead exercise led to
significantly more growth so to apply
this and my weekly routine I made sure I
was doing at least one exercise that
really challenged each muscle in a
stretch position and aside from the ones
I just shared with you I also did behind
the body curls for biceps behind the
body cable lateral raises for shoulders
seated leg curls for hamstrings and
Bulgarian split squats for glutes but
there's one more thing I did to focus on
the stretch position even more and
honestly I think this is what really
made the difference so I've always been
obsessed with Progressive Overload at
just lifting more weight and doing more
reps at every workout while important
it's easy to get carried away you start
lifting heavier but it comes at the
expense of form you don't go quite as
deep or you start using just a bit more
momentum these little compensations
decrease the challenge you put on your
muscles in that stretch position so
although I was lifting heavier over time
I wasn't actually seeing very good
results so I decided to First lighten
the weight on almost all my movements by
about 10 to 20 percent I then tried to
go as deep as I could with good form and
for some exercises like presses and
squats I even added a half second pause
at the bottom although I wasn't lifting
as heavy my muscles were chalice so much
more especially during that deep stretch
and they responded extremely well to
this your goal isn't to lift as much
weight as possible is to use that weight
to challenge your muscles as much as
possible knowing that will completely
change the way you train and save you
from a lot of injury down the road now
even if you do all the best exercises
and use the right form if you're not
applying this next step you're not going
to grow it wasn't until I fixed this
that I realized how much it was holding
me back so in order to maximize growth
you need to get close enough to failure
during each of your sets research
suggests that at least within three reps
of failure is the threshold the more
experience you get the more important
this becomes now even though I was aware
of this I'll be honest after I built up
a decent amount of muscle I just got
comfortable I wasn't training as hard as
I could have been I was just going
through the motions it wasn't until I
started really pushing myself close
enough to True failure that I started
really seeing my growth take off and let
me tell you it's very easy to think
you're pushing hard enough when in
reality you still have more to give a
recent meta-analysis released just last
year found that in weightlifting studies
subjects would on average stop their
sets almost 10 reps before they reach
failure and even well-trained lifters
have been shown to underestimate their
Max effort by around one to two reps on
average believe me the difference
between stopping a set three plus reps
short of failure compared to pushing
through to just one to two reps short of
failure is a whole other level of pain
this won't be comfortable and it never
gets easier but there are a few things
that did that help first I changed my
mindset towards the pain I simply view
it as a sensation and I now link that
feeling of pain with grow so now it's
almost like my brain is looking forward
to and seeking that pain because I know
it's going to result in future growth
and second I always take at least a few
seconds to just close my eyes and
mentally prepare myself in the next set
it's so easy to let your mind get
distracted when you're working out and
start scrolling through social media but
the push to the levels required to truly
force your muscles to grow you need to
get locked in and that happens before
you've even started your set and lastly
there's no way you're going to be able
to do a crazy amount of volume every
workout once you start training with
this level of effort that's why it's
essential that you implement Point
number three recovery so your workouts
or will provide the stimulus for your
muscles to grow but the actual growth
happens when they're resting they
recovering thing is most people think
that recovery only has to do with your
rest days but the most important part of
managing your recovery actually has to
do with your workout program you see for
years I would always train at least six
and sometimes even seven days a week
when I was younger I could do this no
problem but over time especially after
applying the last tip it just became too
much I stopped looking forward to my
workouts I had low energy and my muscles
just didn't recover very well so I cut
down my workouts to just five per week I
recently cut it down even more to just
four slightly longer workouts per week
with the occasional accessory date
almost instantly after making the switch
I felt much better day to day and a lot
more energized going into my workouts
and I definitely noticed my muscles
recovered and grew a lot better as a
result don't get me wrong you still need
to train hard and you still need to do
enough weekly volume to grow research
suggests at least eight to ten sets per
muscle per week but more isn't always
better and what someone else can recover
from might end up being too much for you
keep in mind that your workouts aren't
the only stress your body has to recover
from your work your life and your
relationships can all be added stressors
and your body and mind just may not have
the recovery capacity to commit to five
plus days a week in the gym so don't
force it and listen to the signs your
body has given you alright so far we've
talked a lot about training but all that
training wouldn't have done much if I
didn't modify my diet
PC to maximize growth research suggests
you probably need to be eating in a
calorie Surplus also commonly referred
to as a bulk but just like with workout
volume more calories isn't always better
one study compared the effects of a fast
bulk versus a slow bulk both grooves
were in a calorie Surplus but the fast
group ate on average about 600 calories
more than the slow Group after 10 weeks
the fast group gained more than twice as
much weight about five times as much fat
and only a tiny bit more muscle than the
slow Group which actually didn't reach
statistical significance so what I did
was a lean bulk this is when you
purposefully over feed your body with
just a bit more calories than it needs
typically around 10 to 15 percent above
your maintenance calories for me this
started at about 2 900 calories and
ended up at a little bit over 3000
calories by the end of the bowl and if
you need some help figuring out the
right amount of lean bulk calories for
you you can check out my calculator over
at buildtoothsize.com calculator however
even with a lean bulk you probably will
gain some fat the 20 pounds I gained
definitely was not all muscle and this
can be tough to accept it's hard seeing
your abs and muscle definition slowly
fade away especially during summertime
and in my case it was really hard
mentally especially with all the
pressure to constantly be shredded for
YouTube and social media in the past I'd
always go back to dieting whenever I saw
just a bit of fat game and so I never
really progressed this time I decided to
stick through it and I'm telling you it
paid off tremendously so shift your
mindset and think of it as a long-term
investment you have plenty of Summers to
get shredded in the future and your body
is only going to look even better with
more muscle on your friend so tip number
five was probably the hardest thing to
implement you see fat loss is a
relatively fast process you can easily
lose one to two pounds of pure fat per
week but in comparison once you're past
the beginner stage of training it can
take several months to gain even just
one pound of muscle I mean I gained 20
pounds but not all of that was muscle
and it took me almost a year and a half
to do but don't let this discourage you
the small gains you make week to week
will over time amount to Big noticeable
changes are built with size members here
are a perfect example of this and show
what's possible if you trust the process
I mean you can see the incredible
difference that adding even just 10 to
15 pounds of muscle to your body can
make so be patient don't try to rush it
and if you want a step-by-step training
and nutrition plan that takes care of
all the guesswork for you just head to
build science.com and take our quiz to
find the best size back plan for you and
your body give this video a watch thanks
to learn more about the muscle stretch
research I covered earlier and how to
use it to speed up your gains even more
thanks for watching and I'll see you
next time
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