The ability to build muscle in response to training is a part of our physiology. It’s deeply encoded in our DNA and persists throughout our lifespan. Meaning, lifters of any age and experience level should be able to add noticeable muscle to their frames. Credit: MDV Edwards / Shutterstock If you’re deliberately and dedicatedly hitting
muscle building
“Good things come after failure. You just have to keep working.” In any other context, this statement reads as banal self-help advice. But relative to lifting, it’s sage wisdom gleaned from bodybuilders and the ever-growing science of muscle hypertrophy. Forced reps, also known as “assisted reps,” are a popular intensification technique performed by lifters to
You’ve heard about being “down to your last dime,” but how about being “down to your last dumbbell?” Maybe a hard economy forced the fire sale of your once epic home gym. Maybe you’re making do at a poorly equipped hotel gym. Or maybe you’re on a road trip with limited space for strength equipment.
Want a more efficient, more effective, more engaging workout? Rest less between sets. More specifically, start using supersets — a common, but often misunderstood and misapplied, intensity-boosting technique. Performing supersets instead of straight sets can help to reduce your training time by nearly 50%. (1) Supersets might even boost performance via a phenomenon called ‘potentiation’
Ask 100 people in the gym what their goal is, and it’s a safe bet you’ll hear “I wanna get bigger” more often than not. There’s certainly nothing wrong with wanting to transform from the proverbial weakling into a larger, stronger, more confident version of yourself. Or just build some jacked arms. That’s good, too.