The optimal load time for muscle growth. Time under load in bodybuilding: why is it useless? Strength exercises: the number of approaches

This article is for those who would like to increase muscle volume and improve their shape.

You've probably wondered why some guys have muscles so voluminous and powerful, as if pumped up, while us mere mortals, they seem not so voluminous or even flat.

While you may never catch up with genetically predisposed muscle builders like Mr. Olympia Phil Heath or four-time Arnold Classic winner Flex Wheeler, you can significantly increase your muscle size by using methods suggested here.

No. 1. Increase the duration of the load on the muscles

The duration of the load refers to the amount of time during which the muscle is in a state of tension during the execution of the approach.
Whether the effort is concentric, eccentric, or isometric, the contraction of the muscle causes it to tighten. However, it is not the duration of tension per se that is important for muscle growth. The effect of prolonged tension that interests us is the clamping of blood vessels.
During muscle contraction, blood vessels are squeezed to the point of complete blockage, thereby limiting blood flow to that muscle. A similar effect occurs when you step on a garden hose.
The longer the muscle is under load, the longer the blood flow to it is limited. However, the heart continues to pump blood, and the squeezing of the vessels causes the accumulation of blood in the tissues around the working muscle. When you finish the approach, the muscle relaxes, and the flow of accumulated blood rushes into the muscle.
The longer the vessels are clamped, the more blood will flow into the muscle. To get a feel for this process, try doing push-ups for five seconds and notice how the muscles fill up. Now rest for a couple of minutes, and then do push-ups for 30 seconds, and again feel the rush of blood to the muscles.
This process is called hyperemic supercompensation and is better known to bodybuilders as "pumping" ("pump"). The rapid influx of a large volume of blood increases the pressure inside the muscle.

As Arnold notes in Pumping Iron, a good rush of blood to the muscles is an incredible feeling. However, what is most important to you is that the influx of blood puts pressure on the tough, dense sheath of the muscle, the fascia.

The fascia is not easy to stretch, but over time it yields to internal pressure and stretches, allowing the muscle it surrounds to expand, both physically and visually.
And although all this information is deeply scientific, we are not interested in science, but in results. The experience of many bodybuilding coaches shows that increasing the duration of the load on the muscle leads to an increase in its volume. Although, of course, it does not happen so quickly.
The experience of Western trainers shows that the use of more weight and greater speed of movement in repetition helps to involve more muscle fibers in the work.
Therefore, instead of using less weight and deliberately slowing down the movement, it is better to try to move, at least concentrically, quickly, but pick up such a weight that you can complete the approach within 45 seconds.
If the approach lasts less 30 seconds, it will not cause enough blood flow to create good intramuscular pressure. On the other hand, to complete a set longer than 60 seconds too little weight is required, which is also not good. So 45 seconds is the optimal time.

No. 2. Do more work

Your body has incredible adaptability. It does its best to adapt to any load and become more prepared for a specific task. This applies to high volume training as well.

Training volume refers to the total number of sets and repetitions. In essence, this is the total amount of work done by the muscle during the session. More energy is required to do more work. Energy for muscle contraction is provided by muscle glycogen, a store of carbohydrates stored in muscle tissue.

Let's assume that you want to use the principle of stretching the fascia described above. To do this, you perform sets of 12 repetitions in the exercise for the chest muscles. For 10 sets of 12 reps, the chest muscles will use significantly more glycogen than for 2 sets of 12 reps. ( Remember that only the glycogen of the working muscle is consumed.)

When you increase training volume enough to deplete muscle glycogen stores, an interesting phenomenon occurs. The body tends to store more glycogen in order to successfully cope with such a load next time.

A short-term increase in muscle glycogen content is called glycogen supercompensation. In this case, the muscles temporarily become able to store more glycogen than usual, say, 120% instead of the usual 100% .

If the stimulus is repeated regularly, that is, if you systematically deplete glycogen stores, the body gradually acquires the ability to store more and more of this substance. So, this pattern can be used in the long term.

And although we are not so much concerned with the amount of glycogen in the muscle as its volume, the muscle containing more glycogen looks more rounded and voluminous.

You won't see any change after one or two high-volume workouts, but over time you will see results. After eight weeks of high-volume training, you will find that the muscles have become bulkier. However, this rule has a couple of exceptions. If the volume of your training is already relatively high, then you will not notice major changes, since your body has already adapted to such loads. By the way, the same applies to the duration of the load on the muscle.

Another reason for the weak effect of this technique may not be related to exercise, but to nutrition. If you don't eat enough carbs, especially after a workout when your body's ability to store glycogen is increased, then your body simply won't have the material to store glycogen in your muscles.
Remember, glycogen is just a store of carbohydrates, not protein or fat. Just like you fill your car's gas tank with gasoline, you need to fuel your body with enough carbohydrates to replenish your glycogen stores.
It is worth noting that if your muscles constantly store more glycogen, this will again put pressure on the surrounding fascia and gradually stretch it.
Remember that the volume and intensity of work should be inversely proportional to each other, this is necessary for the full recovery of the muscles and nervous system. So resist the temptation to push every set of a high-volume program to failure.

No. 3. Optimize the length of your breaks between sets

Similar to the first strategy, optimizing rest periods between sets increases blood flow and pressure in the muscle.
Imagine that you are performing a killer approach. The muscles are swollen so that it seems as if the skin is about to burst. Then you decide to rest for three minutes to allow the body to replenish the creatine phosphate in the tired muscle, remove lactic acid and hydrogen ions. For good performance in the next approach, this is very useful.
However, to maintain high intramuscular pressure, three minutes of rest is too much, because during this time a significant part of the blood that creates this pressure drains from the muscle.
Remember that fascia is made of tough, durable tissue. It does not stretch in response to slight pressure for a short period of time. In order for it to stretch, it is necessary that the muscle exert as much continuous pressure on it as possible.
Therefore, in order to stretch the fascia as much as possible and increase the volume of the muscle, you need to keep the muscle filled with blood for as long as possible.
Like any other technique, this one has its advantages and disadvantages. If you start the next approach too early, then you will not be able to complete it at full strength. As mentioned earlier, it takes a certain amount of time to remove the products of its work from the muscle and restore the supply of creatine phosphate. This is essential if you want to get a decent amount of reps in a set.
On the other hand, resting too long will relieve pressure on the fascia.
In this case, you need to carefully listen to what is happening with your body. Pay attention to how tight and swollen with blood flow your muscles become after the set, and try to catch the moment when this effect begins to disappear. In this way, you will be able to rest exactly as much time as necessary for optimal stretching of the fascia.
Be sure to record the number of repetitions per set in your training diary. If you did 15 reps on the first set and only 6 on the next set, you didn't rest enough.
By observing the sensations in the muscles and comparing the number of repetitions in subsequent approaches, you will be able to choose the optimal length of rest between sets.

However, if sometimes you do not want to bother your brain with concentration on sensations, then rest for about 45 seconds. 30-60 seconds is the optimal amount of time to recover between sets. When performing less difficult exercises, such as barbell curls, it is enough to recover 30 seconds. Between sets of more tiring exercises, such as squats, it is best to rest about 60 seconds. Of course, if you feel strong enough in yourself to perform squats with just a minute of rest between sets.

No. 4. Stretch the muscle while it is filled with blood

In fact, doing stretching exercises is useful at any time. Stretching is one of the most underrated techniques that can help increase muscle performance, improve appearance, and prevent injury.
Stretching helps loosen the contraction of the muscles by the fascia. And if you hold the muscle in a stretched position for as long as possible, this will help stretch the fascia.
To increase the tensile pressure on the muscle sheath, stretch while the muscle is still filled with blood. In other words, you need to complete the muscle stretch exercise in no more than 30 seconds after completing a long run. And you need to keep the muscle in a state of stretching longer than you are used to. Stretch for 60 seconds, or even longer.
However, since static stretching exercises can reduce the performance of the muscle in subsequent sets, stretch after the last set of the exercise for a particular muscle group.
Stretching the muscles has another, no less significant effect. If you hold the position of a sufficiently strong stretch for a long time, this stimulates the growth of new sarcomeres and promotes muscle lengthening.
If you can actually lengthen the muscle by growing sarcomeres, it will actually and visually be more voluminous, especially when tense.

Like any of the fascia stretching techniques, this method takes time and consistency to apply. Write down in your training diary that you need to stretch after your workout, otherwise you risk forgetting about it. And tune in to the fact that you will begin to notice changes in at least 3 months. If you have the patience to follow this strategy for 6 months, you will definitely see results.

No. 5. Isolate lagging muscles

The fifth and final strategy is to increase muscle volume not by stretching the muscle membrane, but by focusing the load on the target muscle group.
In fact, the whole point of training is to subject the muscles to an unusual load for them, and then allow them to adapt. To develop weak muscles, you need to make sure that these muscles do the main work. This is the only way to make these muscles adapt, and therefore develop.
For example, you are doing a bench press to develop the pectoral muscles. If, for some reason, the triceps do most of the work, then it is the triceps, not the pecs, that will get bigger and stronger.
In this case, there are several ways to make sure that the pectoral muscles, and not the triceps, do the main work and receive an incentive to grow. One technique is to pre-fatigue the chest muscles with an isolation exercise just before doing the bench press.
For example, you can do dumbbell flyes while lying down, and then immediately move on to doing a barbell press. You may not like the fact that in the bench press you have to work with a lighter weight than usual. But you can be sure that pre-tired pectoral muscles do the lion's share of the work. And it is they, and not the triceps, that will be forced to adapt to the load with the help of hypertrophy.
In addition to pre-fatigue, performing isolation exercises is itself very beneficial for the growth of lagging muscles.
For general development, it is preferable to perform basic exercises such as squats, deadlifts and the bench press mentioned above. But when it comes to developing a particular muscle group, isolation exercises, such as leg extensions in the machine, pulling the upper block with straight arms and raising arms with dumbbells, are often more effective.
Isolation exercises are not very good for general strength development, but they help to work out the lagging muscle group, due to the fact that all the load in such exercises falls on the target muscle. Compare, for example, arm raises to bench presses, or leg extensions to squats.
If you are not able to feel the work of a single muscle when performing a basic exercise, then first try to perform an isolating exercise for the same muscle group, and then move on to the basic one. This sequence not only helps to pre-fatigue the muscle, but also allows you to activate the nerve fibers in it.
For example, if you find it difficult to feel the work of the muscles of the upper back ( middle part of the trapezium and rhomboid muscles) when performing a bent over row, try first lifting your arms with dumbbells through the sides in an inclined position, and then move on to the deadlift. You will find that you feel better in your upper back when pulling your waist.

Finally

We hope these tips are helpful to you. Just do not forget that improving the physique, especially the development of lagging muscles, takes time. So be patient and enjoy the training!

Small muscle groups need to be trained along with large ones. In this way, more progress will be made.

This misconception was based on an earlier theory about the relationship between changes in anabolic hormone levels in response to exercise and subsequent progress. Since training large muscle groups caused large hormonal changes, it was suggested that training small muscle groups in isolation from large muscle groups is ineffective due to little hormonal stimulation. Therefore, it is better to combine them in one workout so that small muscles are also exposed to more hormones circulating in the blood. This theory has not found its confirmation and has been refuted by many studies. No relationship between hormonal changes during exercise and further muscle growth has been established. Large and small muscle groups are progressing beautifully, both with joint and separate training. The main criterion for muscle growth is adequate physical activity and subsequent recovery, and not short-term bursts of endogenous hormones.

Strength exercises: the number of approaches

When performing strength exercises, it is necessary that the approaches are performed for a certain amount of time (the time the muscle group is under load). This allows you to achieve maximum hypertrophic stimulus.

Time under load does matter, but it only characterizes one of the parameters of work - volume. Obviously, comparing one set of three reps to one set of ten reps performed at the verge of failure, the latter will cause a large change in the working muscles, due to the greater amount of work done. But when balancing the total amount of load by the number of repetitions performed (for example, 3x10 and 10x3), the results will be the same. True, in practice, it is more advisable to do 3x10 rather than 10x3, since a large number of approaches with such a high intensity (~ 90% of max) creates an excessive load on the joints. The key parameters for triggering the maximum hypertrophic stimulus during exercise is the combination of the intensity of the load and its proximity to failure. High intensity and/or performance of approaches close to failure contributes to the maximum recruitment of muscle fibers and, accordingly, a greater number of muscle cells that are exposed to the load and all the intracellular changes that accompany it, incl. enhancing protein synthesis. The time during which the maximum number of muscle fibers is involved in the work is limited due to the resulting fatigue. Scientists studying adaptive hypertrophy have found that approximately the last 5 repetitions in a set, performed to failure or almost to failure, have the greatest stimulus. For this reason, studies of different rep ranges in sets do not show a significant difference in muscle growth between the 5th, 10th and 30th repetitions, despite the fact that this is a significantly different intensity (from 85 to 50% of max) and duration under load. In the first case, all 5 repetitions are accompanied by the maximum recruitment of muscle fibers, in the last 5 final ones. That is, the effectiveness of low-intensity training is more dependent on working to failure than high-intensity training. The guideline for organizing training should not be a specific time for the duration of approaches, but an adequate intensity (allowing you to do from 5 to 30 repetitions) with which you can perform certain exercises as efficiently as possible, both technically and in terms of work at the limit of their abilities. Not many people are able to complete 30 reps of barbell squats to actual muscle failure, as the increasing fatigue and resulting discomfort (high heart rate, hypoxia, burning) can lead to a false sense of working to the limit. The exercise will cease to be performed due to general fatigue, and not fatigue of the leg muscles. On the other hand, working at too high an intensity can lead to a violation of the technique of the exercises performed, the use of inertia, load dissipation, missing the target muscle groups and overloading the articular-ligamentous apparatus. For this reason, the most commonly used rep range in bodybuilding is the average, 8-12. For such a range, the intensity is large enough, but not excessive, and the approaches do not cause severe general fatigue, which makes it difficult to concentrate on the work of specific muscles.

Basic exercises for muscles are more effective than isolating ones

Basic (multi-joint) exercises are more effective for muscle growth than isolating (single-joint) exercises.

Studies comparing programs consisting of only multi-joint or single-joint exercises do not show a clear advantage in the growth of comfort muscles or others. And in exercises for the muscles involved in the extension of the spine, isolating ones are even more effective. In fact, speaking of a particular muscle group, its growth depends solely on the quality of the load received by it, and not on whether the synergists and agonists muscles are still receiving the load. And the complex work of several muscles at the same time can even negatively affect the development of the main muscles, since due to the anatomical features of the athlete or his motor skills, synergists and agonists can be dominant in the exercise and limit the achievement of failure in the target muscle group. For example, not everyone is able to technically correctly perform basic movements in order to aim at the middle and rear deltoids or buttocks. And there are no full-fledged multi-joint exercises for the calf muscles.

On the other hand, participation in the work of several muscle groups is also the main advantage of basic multi-joint exercises, because. allows you to increase the total amount of load on the accompanying muscles, which, as a rule, are also loaded separately. If in a weekly cycle the arms and shoulders are loaded in a separate workout, then they will receive an additional load on the day of work with the back and chest. Isolating exercises, in addition to the fact that they “hit” more accurately in the right place, allow you to eliminate some of the shortcomings of the basic ones. In complex movements on the hips (squats, bench presses, lunges), such biarticular muscles as the rectus femoris and the muscles of the back of the thigh receive an insignificant load due to their mismatched work, accompanied by simultaneous stretching and contraction. You can fully load them only with work in one joint (extension, flexion, hyperextension, traction)

workout to failure in bodybuilding

In bodybuilding, it is customary to perform exercises to severe fatigue. This refers to work to failure or almost to failure. The existing set of studies shows that half-hearted work - without noticeable fatigue in the process of approach, is not very effective. The goal of achieving pronounced fatigue is to involve as many muscle fibers as possible in the work. In the process of performing the exercise, fatigue increases and this contributes to the recruitment of an increasing number of muscle fibers involved in the work, thus, the closer the completion of the exercise to failure, the more likely it is to subject the largest number of muscle fibers to the stimulating effect of the load and, accordingly, to obtain a greater degree of hypertrophy. However, when working with small and medium weights, it is possible to achieve maximum involvement of muscle fibers in work only towards the end of the approach, and at high weights this happens almost from the very first repetitions. Thus, the relevance of working to failure is most pronounced at loads of medium and low intensity. High-intensity loads show the same efficiency both when working to failure and almost to failure. In addition, the training experience of the athlete matters. A more experienced athlete has a better developed neuromuscular system, which allows him to more effectively recruit muscle fibers during the exercise, and work to failure is not as important for him as for a beginner. In addition, an experienced athlete, due to the presence of technical skills, is able to quickly develop metabolic stress in the muscles, which also contributes to the recruitment of muscle fibers. An experienced athlete is able to achieve pronounced fatigue in the muscles in a short time, working even with small weights. What we observe in practice is that the higher the athlete's experience, the more often he turns to smaller weights in training, and this does not lead to a significant increase in the number of repetitions in sets. Studies with experienced athletes, unlike untrained participants, do not show the superiority of failure over "almost to failure". The rule "work hard" as it was, and remains at the heart of the organization of the training process in bodybuilding, but at the same time, one should not idealize work to failure or even beyond failure, although failure still remains the most intelligible and specific guideline to which one should strive to approach. by doing weight-bearing exercises.

Rest between sets

There are conflicting recommendations about how much rest to take between sets. Some say that the rest should be small (within 1-1.5 minutes), others, on the contrary, pronounced (3-5 minutes), others add that the rest should be fixed, that is, the same time between sets one exercise. However, there is currently a lack of evidence to support the claim that rest interval length has an effect on muscle hypertrophy.

Due to the paucity of long-term studies that directly measure changes in muscle volume, previous recommendations for rest intervals between sets in strength training programs aimed at stimulating muscle hypertrophy were primarily based on post-exercise hormonal response. , and other mechanisms theoretically associated with muscle growth. Of the studies measuring long-term muscle hypertrophy in groups using different rest intervals, none found superior muscle growth in groups with short rest intervals compared to long rest intervals, and one study showed the opposite. Rest intervals of less than 1 minute can lead to a dramatic increase in blood levels of growth hormone and decrease the testosterone to cortisol ratio. But hormonal changes in response to exercise and subsequent muscle growth are not directly related. The relationship between the mediated effects of rest intervals on immune system response, muscle damage, metabolic stress, and muscle hypertrophy is still controversial and largely theoretical. Current literature does not support the hypothesis that muscle hypertrophy training requires shorter rest intervals than strength training, or that predetermined rest intervals are preferable to feel-controlled ones.

The current practice is usually based on the fact that:

• rest between sets in isolation exercises is less than in basic (multi-joint) exercises
• rest after a set with a large weight is longer than after a set with a small one
• after a set not performed to failure, you can rest less, the farther to failure, the shorter the rest can be

The unifying factor for the above is that they all obey the rule: rest between sets should be sufficient to successfully complete the intended training plan. This means that all approaches must be implemented with the highest possible degree of efficiency, while maintaining the correct technique for performing the exercise. That is, if you have 4 sets of 10-12 repetitions according to the plan, but in the 4th approach you do only 5-6 repetitions or 10-12, but already due to the distortion of the technique, for example, using cheating, this is not the best way to stimulate muscles to grow. Well-conducted training is the basis for maximum training stimulus and further progress, regardless of the presence or absence of pharmacological support. Quality here means that in each exercise the athlete demonstrates maximum performance, and not limited at a given time by the influence of external and internal factors. Rest between sets is one of the variables we manage to ensure this quality is achieved. Therefore, the exact, specific figure will be selected by the athlete himself, based on the technical complexity of the exercises, the intensity and volume of the load, as well as recovery abilities (which depend, among other things, on the individual muscle composition of individual muscle groups, for example, pectoral muscles, as a rule, take longer to recover after the approach than the calf). The most commonly used range of rest between sets in the practice of bodybuilders fits into the interval of 1-5 minutes. This is a benchmark that you can continue to follow.

Concentric and eccentric phase of the exercise

In strength training aimed at developing hypertrophy, the eccentric and concentric phases of repetitions are equally important. A meta-analysis based on studies of studies where participants were required to perform exclusively concentric or eccentric strength training found that concentric training alone resulted in an average increase in muscle mass of 6.8 percent, and only eccentric 10 percent. The difference between the effectiveness of each type of strength training is on the verge of being significant - therefore, it is not quite statistically significant.

Purely concentric strength training means that you only use your muscles to lift the weight and then lower it back without any resistance. Purely eccentric strength training is the opposite of that. An assistant or special device lifts the weight for you, and you only use your muscles to lower the weight in a controlled manner. In reality, bodybuilding exercises are always performed in both phases, but at different speeds. If in the concentric phase acceleration (rather than inertia) is a way to increase the load, then the rapid lowering of the projectile in the eccentric phase leads to a decrease in the load on the muscles. For this reason, in order to get the most out of both phases, the exercises must be performed by focusing not only on raising the projectile, but also on lowering it. It is not necessary to purposefully lengthen the eccentric phase in time (although this is not forbidden), but the descent must be controlled. This will already be enough.

Recently, I began to think about whether it really matters how many repetitions to perform in my approach. And how important the number of repetitions can be in general. Maybe much more important is not how many repetitions we perform with you, but how we perform them with you. And how long at this time our muscles are under the load itself.

I am absolutely sure that our muscles do not know how to count how many and how many repetitions we perform in our sets.

And this means that it doesn’t matter at all how many repetitions you did in your approach, but how you performed them will be much more important.

Indeed, in fact, you can perform the same 20 repetitions in less than 20 seconds, or you can perform only 5 repetitions with the same weight, having already spent 60 seconds on them, i.e. 1 minute.
And thus achieve a much greater load on your muscles.

Do you understand what I mean?

Look, if we take one minute (60 seconds) as a basis, then let's see what we can accomplish in this time.

• For example, in the same 60 seconds, you can perform 30-40 fast repetitions, spending only 1-2 seconds on each of these repetitions.
• Or you can complete 60 seconds in the same time, a little more slowly already 20 full repetitions, spending 2-3 seconds on each of these repetitions and thus bring your muscles to full muscle failure.
• Or you can generally perform only 10 repetitions, spending 5-6 seconds on each of these repetitions and also bring your muscles to full muscle failure.
• But this is not all, you can also perform only 5-6 very slow repetitions, spending 10-12 seconds on each of them, and you will also reach full-fledged muscle failure.
• It would seem that this is the limit, but no, because you can do only 2-3 repetitions in general, spending 20-30 seconds on each of them and reach muscle failure in the same way.

Do you see what happens? You can reach full-fledged muscle failure by doing as little as 20-30 reps, or by doing as little as 3-5 reps.

Therefore, if you are asked what is still more important than the number of repetitions performed or the total time under load for each of the repetitions you perform, then you already know the answer yourself ...

Although it is worth noting that the load itself is no less important than time itself. After all, if your muscles are under load, but this load is insufficient, then in fact your muscles will not respond to this very load.

And this means that there will be no further muscle growth after such an exercise.

Therefore, choose for yourself correctly not only the time under load and the number of repetitions, but also the very load with which you are going to work in your exercise.

Quality or Quantity?

I noted for myself a long time ago that you should not run after the number of repetitions because, in fact, it doesn’t matter at all whether you do 10 repetitions or perform 9 repetitions or even do only 7 repetitions, where the quality of the repetitions you perform will be more important, and not their total quantity.

I have also noticed both on myself personally and on other athletes I train that doing 10-15 reps in a fast style in the end gives a much worse result in muscle growth than the quality performance of each individual repetition.

In other words, we do not use the momentum and speed of the projectile to perform as many repetitions as possible, but rather we perform each repetition under control, feeling each phase of the movement (positive, static and negative phase).

At the same time, in each of these three phases, we slightly delay the projectile itself, so each of our repetitions will be much harder and it will be performed much more slowly, but at the same time, such a repetition will be much better.

How long should each working approach and each individual repetition last?

From my experience, I can say that the most optimal time for each working set is one minute (60 seconds), this is the amount of time that you should always strive for.

On average, for most athletes, the working approach itself lasts no more than 30 seconds, or rather, even about 20 seconds.

If you really want to work out your muscles very efficiently and intensively, then you should increase the time of your working approach to 40-60 seconds or more, while spending an average of 4-6 seconds on each repetition, up to a maximum of 10 seconds.

At the same time, it doesn’t matter at all how many repetitions you can perform, the main thing is to perform them as efficiently as possible ...