Muscle growth is one of the primary goals for most people who first start out in the gym, many people want to build muscle and look bigger and become stronger.
There are MANY different training techniques built for different goals in the gym, hypertrophy training is the training technique that is built for individuals that have a sole focus to build muscle.
DISCLAIMER: Hypertrophy training also does help build strength, as the more muscle you have, the stronger you become and the more weight that you have the potential to lift.
By implementing hypertrophy training as your main training technique along with other principle training methods and muscle growth necessities, you will allow yourself to fully optimize your training to build as much muscle as possible!
In this guide we will show the basic hypertrophy method along with other factors that tie into muscle growth specifically!
Best Technique to Build Muscle
A lot of people have a preconceived notion that building muscle requires you to be in the gym for hours and that you have to complete as MANY reps as possible to activate your muscles.
THIS IS PLAIN WRONG!
The absolute best way to build muscle through training is NOT trying to do as many reps as possible and being in the gym for hours. If anything this hinders your ability to recover from your workout.
THE BEST WAY to build muscle focuses more on the quality of the reps and the intensity of the exercise. This method is called time under tension!
TIME UNDER TENSION
Time under tension is a technique that requires you to focus on the quality of the rep in order to maximize muscle growth!
Here is how to do it!
Pick a weight that you can do anywhere from 6-10 reps with.
When doing the rep, perform the rep, then slowly control the weight on the "negative" for about 3 whole seconds (a "negative" is the part of the rep where you set yourself to do another rep, for example when you let the bar back down for bench press, that is called a negative).
Perform this set with COMPLETE priority to good form and making sure you are doing the exercise nice and slow to maximize muscle growth.
Do this set until you are VERY close to failure.
Step 2 is the MOST important part about this training style, as it making sure the tension is constantly on your muscles will build muscle VERY FAST as well as allow you to get the best muscle activation.
Other Necessary Steps for Muscle Growth
Here are all the other things that are CRITICAL for building muscle, it doesn't matter how perfectly you train, if you are not focusing on these aspects of muscle growth you won't grow!
Nutrition:
I have posted MANY things about nutrition on my page which can help you learn more about nutrition in fitness.
By eating the right amount of calories for your goals (cut, bulk, body recomp), incorporating more whole foods than processed, having a high protein intake and eating overall healthier. You will set yourself up for success.
Progressive Overload:
This is the KEY principle to training, by adding more weight or more reps than last time, you will build strength and keep the high intensity you need for your workouts in order to get bigger and stronger.
Keep track of the weight you do for each exercise you do, this will make it easier to know if you need to add more weight, reps or both!
Sleep:
Sleep is an underrated, yet CRITICAL aspect to muscle growth as it is the basis for muscle recovery. By allowing yourself to recover from your workouts, not only do you prime yourself for the next one, but you build muscle in the process.
Conclusion
Overall, by following the time under tension training technique, as well as the other CRUCIAL parts to building muscle. You will PRIME yourself for muscle growth and achieve your goals!
Remember, building muscle is a LONG process that requires a LOT of commitment. It's going to be hard, but I believe in you!
Good luck and happy lifting!
Just a young man trying to bring fitness to the world!
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