Holistic Fitness Personal Training
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By Darrin D'Amico
To effectively achieve maximal levels of muscle hypertrophy, you must understand the fundamentals of resistance training for maximal muscle hypertrophy. Let’s start by first defining muscle hypertrophy.
Muscle hypertrophy is the enlargement of skeletal muscle fibers in response to increased levels of tension, as seen in resistance training. To effectively induce muscle hypertrophy, more and more muscle fibers have to be recruited during resistance training.
In order to recruit more muscle fibers during resistance training it is critical to understand the various training variables and how they need to be manipulated to produce the desired result of muscle hypertrophy.
There are nine training variables: repetitions, sets, training intensity, tempo, rest interval, training volume, training frequency, training duration, and exercise selection. It is the combination of these training variables that determine the amount of stress placed on the muscles. To achieve muscle hypertrophy, you have to place the right kind of stress on your muscles. To optimally induce muscle hypertrophy, you need to manipulate the training variables as follows:
1. Repetitions. A repetition is one complete movement of an exercise and repetitions are a means to count the number of movements in a given period of time for that exercise. Repetitions are directly related to the amount of time a muscle is under tension. For maximal muscle growth, the muscle needs to be under tension for a certain period of time. Therefore, the proper amount of repetitions performed is critical for muscle hypertrophy. Muscle hypertrophy is best achieved using 6 to 12 repetitions.
2. Sets. A set is simply a group of consecutive repetitions of an exercise. For maximal muscle growth, you need to perform 3 to 5 sets per exercise. This set range will put the necessary level of stress on the muscle to stimulate muscle hypertrophy.
3. Training Intensity. Defined as your level of effort compared with your maximum effort. This training variable is one of the most important to consider when training for muscle hypertrophy. It is best achieved by training with weights in the range of 70 to 85% of your one repetition maximum (1RM). The number of repetitions and sets that you need to perform for muscle hypertrophy dictates this training intensity range.
4. Repetition Tempo. This is the rate or speed of each repetition you perform. It is very important to perform your repetitions at a certain speed in order to keep your muscles under tension for the appropriate length of time to induce maximal muscle hypertrophy. The length of time under tension for muscle hypertrophy is 20 to 70 seconds. This is best achieved by using a tempo of 2/0/2; two seconds for the eccentric (negative) portion of a repetition, zero seconds for the isometric (stable) portion of the repetition, and two seconds for the concentric (positive) portion of the repetition. This is often the most overlooked training variable by those training for muscle hypertrophy.
5. Rest Interval. This is the time taken between sets or exercises to recuperate. Your rest interval has an enormous impact on producing maximal muscle hypertrophy. To effectively maximize muscle hypertrophy, you need to decrease your rest interval down to between 45 and 90 seconds. This is necessary to keep the necessary stress on the muscle throughout your training program to induce the desired outcome.
6. Training Volume. This is the total amount of work (sets X repetitions) you perform during a specified period of time. You need to be aware of training volume primarily to avoid overtraining. For muscle hypertrophy, you need to stay in the 24 to 60 total repetition range per each exercise of 3 to 5 sets.
7. Training Frequency. This refers to the number of training sessions you perform during a specified period (usually one week). This will determine how many times during one week you train a specific muscle group. There are many factors that will determine this number to achieve maximal muscle hypertrophy. These factors include such things as your age, health, training capacity (beginner or advanced), diet, and ability to recover. A beginner performing lower volumes of work, can work each muscle group 2 to 3 times per week. However, for the advanced bodybuilder, working each muscle group 1 to 2 times per week is enough to produce maximal muscle hypertrophy.
8. Training Duration. This is the amount of time it takes to complete one training session from start to finish. The number of repetitions, sets, and exercises you perform as well as your rest intervals will determine your training duration. Ideally, you should keep your training duration under 60 minutes as training sessions that exceed 60 to 90 minutes are associated with rapidly decreasing energy levels which can have a negative effect on the functioning of your body.
9. Exercise Selection. This is choosing the appropriate exercises (4 to 6 exercises per muscle group) that will allow you to achieve maximal muscle hypertrophy. It is important to select a combination of multi-joint and single-joint exercises for each muscle group. Over time, you will be able to figure out which exercises produce the greatest results for your body. Once you have selected your exercises, it is imperative to progress your intensity (weight) with each set of any given exercise while staying in the 6 to 12 repetition range. Progressing your intensity also applies from one workout to the next for each muscle group. This will ensure that you are constantly reaching new levels of muscle hypertrophy week after week.
If you follow these training variable guidelines, you will be optimally executing your training program to achieve maximal muscle hypertrophy.
Please note that these are the fundamentals for resistance training only. There are other factors, such as diet (proper food selection, macronutrient composition, and total daily caloric intake), water intake, and rest (sleep) that are major contributors to successfully achieving maximal muscle hypertrophy.
If you are in need of a personal trainer to help you apply the fundamentals of achieving maximal muscle hypertrophy, allow us to serve you and Contact us for your FREE consultation.
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To your success,
Darrin D'Amico
The Fundamentals Of Resistance Training For Muscle Hypertrophy