Get bigger and stronger… the EASY way?
What’s the “easy” way?
Well, as we all know – there really is no “easy” way to get bigger and stronger…
We all know the formula: lift, eat, repeat.
We know it takes work…
And is never really “easy”.
That being said – there are a lot of people that make getting bigger and stronger HARDER than it needs to be.
When it comes to growth – they’re their own worst enemies because they don’t attack their size and strength goals with a plan…
They tend to wing it and just hope for the best.
However, if they attack their goals with a strategy – especially a scientific approach – they may be able to not only reach them…
But SMASH them.
So…
What is the “easy” strategy to get bigger and/or stronger?
It’s two words…
The Optimal Way to Gain Size and Strength
Yes..
The easy – and most optimal – way to gain size and strength comes down to two words:
Progressive overload.
While many people have heard about the concept of progressive overload – and may even have a grasp on what it is…
Very few look at it for what it is: a scientific approach to hitting your strength and size goals.
What is progressive overload?
For those that don’t know, progressive overload is the gradual increase of stress placed upon the muscle during a training session…
That’s it.
However, what that stress actually is can change from person to person – or ever workout to workout – as the variation of intensity, volume, and frequency – each add their own kind of stress to the muscle.
The concept of progressive overload is about continuously increasing the demands on the muscle you are training – in order to make gains in muscle strength, size and endurance.
Variety is the spice of life…
And it is also the path to size and strength – as the body needs new stimulus in order for muscle growth to occur.
In general – there are many forms of progressive overload – and not JUST increasing the weight each training session.
One of the biggest stumbling blocks to reaching strength goals – is that many focus too much on chasing a number in a specific lift – ie. a certain weight or rep range…
Rather than actually making the muscle they’re targeting stronger.
Progressive Overload In Practice
In my experience, I can always add more weight to my squat by adjusting my stance, changing the bar position, using tighter knee wraps, or taking longer rest between sets…
But that doesn’t mean my quads are getting stronger.
If the goal is to get bigger quads by making them stronger – then you have to make sure all variables are the same each time you get under the bar…
Meaning you need to be wearing the same shoes, using the same bar, same weights, same form, same bar position, same exercise selection, same order of exercises, same warm-ups, the same time between sets and eating the same meals.
If I can’t get stronger or get more reps without changing variables – then I try to get the same weight for the same reps while doing a slower tempo…
Or I will add intensifiers to my workout such as drop sets, supersets, and/or rest/pause sets.
In fact, I might try doing a static hold, or hold a final partial rep, or anything that is “more” than what I did the week prior.
If I’m feeling strong, I’ll go for a PR (personal record) in weight/reps.
If I’m not, I’ll try to make the weights feel heavier by slowing down the tempo on the movements or by adding in intensifiers.
But I don’t go into the weight room without a goal or a strategy for my session.
Some athletes don’t really care about putting on size.
For example – many baseball players and combat athletes – putting on size may hinder their performance…
So, they may be looking to just add as much strength as possible through progressive overload – just by increasing rep range (frequency).
While it’s impossible to get stronger without getting bigger – keeping rep range high will stress the muscle to a point where the muscle really doesn’t have to grow too much to adapt to the extra stress.
However, for bodybuilders, powerlifters and football players…
Size is often a goal along with strength – so increasing the weight (volume) will make the muscle adapt by getting bigger to help deal with the new stress.
Again, this isn’t anything new…
We’re not discovering fire.
However, if you’re lifting without a plan – without a strategy – you’ll find yourself in plateaus.
And as all athletes know…
Plateaus can be JUST as bad as the valleys.
In closing – we all have the ability to get bigger and stronger…
All we really need is a plan.
Through the concept of progressive overload – you can reach your strength and size goals as long as you stick to a plan…
And record your progress.
Don’t just record the exercises, the amount of weight and reps you hit…
But also record how you felt that day – what food you ate beforehand – and any supplement like pre-workout you may have taken.
Understanding how your body feels and when it feels best is a key aspect to hitting – and then smashing your goals…
But first – you need a plan.
Because – as the old saying goes…
If you fail to plan – plan to fail.
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