The Two Keys to Building Muscle 

1. Higher Volume of Weight Lifted
2. Lower Rest time Between Sets

Volume of Weight Lifted
I’m a big proponent of total volume of weight lifted when it comes to building muscle.   An added benefit is that the higher the volume of training, generally speaking, the greater the health benefits.

Total Volume Formula
Weight x Reps x Sets 
Example
Bench press
100 pounds x 10 reps x 4 sets= 4000 pounds of volume 
More volume = more muscle 
(Versus dumbell flys, 40 pounds x 10 x 4 = 1600 pounds lifted) 
In this example, it’s easy to see why bench press is so much better for building muscle than flys.

If you pick exercise like squats which you can do more weight on, then your volume will be higher and you’ll build more muscle.

Focus on:
3-5 sets of 8-12 reps per exercise for building muscle, using compound (multi -joint) lifts.
If you do less than 5 reps, you’ll lift lesser volumes. If you do more than 15, the same thing occurs.


Rest Time Between Sets
Lactic acid accumulates and thus growth stimulation occurs when muscles are fatigued, which means lowering the rest time between sets to 15-60 seconds.  Never rest longer than 60 seconds between sets when you're trying to focus primarily on building muscle.

So to build muscle:
Focus on high volume training (a lot of sets) and short rest between sets. 

The type of training needed to focus primarily on building strength (versus mass) is different, involving longer rest times and heavier weights with fewer sets. For endurance focus, 15-20 reps or more is appropriate.

Application:
Alternate compound (multi-joint) exercises with little or no rest and do multiple sets:


Squats / bench press
Rows / deadlifts
Leg press / pull up
Lunge / overhead press
Dips / bar curls

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I enjoy writing and helping people, and write on all sorts of health, wellness, nutrition, and fitness topics.   

Remember...there's never been a better day than TODAY to make it happen!
 
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One crucial key comes to us in an easy to remember format: SAID

Remember SAID because it could make a huge difference in your training.  

SAID
 
The SAID principle is very similar to the specificity principle, only it’s even more specific.  
 
SAID stands for: Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demand
 
SAID is more highly defined specificity.  Specificity simply means training in a unique way which pertains to the goal.  SAID takes a look closer and identifies exactly what we want to happen to us as we train, by linking up the demand or the training stimulus with the adaptations which occur as a result.   
 
It looks like this:
 
Specific Adaptation – Changes that come about as a result of training. 
to
Imposed Demand – The training stimulus you give yourself. 
 
SAID is a more detailed approach to training, a more scientific look at what’s going on.  For example there are 3 main types of exercise when it comes to physiology, though they do overlap. One, is strength and power training like lifting weights.  Two, is anaerobic or interval training like circuit training.  And three is aerobic exercise like walking or running for long periods.  With each different type of “imposed demand” we get “specific adaptations.”
 
The SAID, the specific adaption to imposed demand, for each is different.  With the first type, which normally only lasts 10-30 seconds we lift or throw something with strength and power. With the second type, anaerobic training, we produce an all-out effort in something like a 400m Sprint and then recover.  Anaerobic training usually lasts 30 seconds to 3 minutes.  Aerobic exercise is slower and longer, usually 20-60 minutes.  This is a simplification of something which can get complicated but that’s the basics.
 
The reason we need the SAID principle is simple.  The specificity principles guides us to train towards our goal, by picking a training method that applies to it.  SAID reminds us that we have to keep imposing demands.  This is a crucial distinction.  
 

During the quarantine I designed 3 low-impact workouts for a client / friend (she has knee issues). We took pictures and I finally got around to putting them up on my site in 3 separate PDFs. They're a gift to you, and you can do them at home for no cost, or if we get stuck inside again they're a good option. If you have knee pain or arthritis, or just want to workout without bulking up, they'd be ideal. Click on the "Free E-Books" link. There are some other good free e-books on there, and my bookstore for published books.

or CLICK HERE 

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​

​It can get very confusing when it comes to figuring out what to do when it comes to fitness, exercise, and training.  So here ya go.

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The 4 Types of Movement 
 
I was on a family trip recently and was talking with some family members about fidgeting.  You don’t think of fidgeting as having much benefit, but when it comes to weight control and health, it makes a surprising difference.  You only have so much time to formally exercise, and fidgeting, or moving around more on a daily basis, can add a lot of metabolic activity outside of more formal and planned movement.  Fidgeting would be a type of physical activity, albeit a very light one.    People who fidget more have higher metabolisms and are usually leaner.  
 
This brings me to a bigger topic.

When it comes to basic health, more movement of any kind is better than less.  Keep that in mind.  
 
We covered this before, in separate posts, but I want to reiterate something else really important.  
 
When it comes to human movement, there are basically 4 things you can possibly do:
 
The 4 Types of Movement
 
1)Physical Activity
2)Exercise
3)Training
4)Practice

 
Physical Activity- Any type of movement, such as fidgeting, strolling, cleaning the house, but also exercise, training, or sports.  There are countless ways to move.  

• The 3 More Below are Types of Physical Activity

 
Exercise- Purposeful physical activity, done to accrue health or fitness benefits, like walking 3 miles, jogging, lifting weights, doing a spin class, or jumping rope.  There are countless forms of exercise.   Most of the time when you go to the gym, you’re doing exercise.
 
Training- Training is more specific than exercise, and has a physiological, adaptive or performance goal in mind.  If you are attempting to Bench Press twice your body weight, run 2 miles in under 12 minutes, hike up a mountain, or do a plank for a full minute, then ideally you will train specifically for that goal.  Most of the time, training is done to improve strength, speed, flexibility, endurance, or power.  Whereas exercise is usually for health, training is done to achieve a specific goal.  Keep in mind though, training does have health benefits, but these are not the primary focus. 
 
Practice- Practice is engaging in specific motor skills to try to improve your ability and performance.  Great examples of practice are golf swings at the driving range, drills on a tennis court to work on backhands, or shooting sporting clays with a shotgun.  
 
Exercise, training, and practice are all forms of physical activity and all activity has health benefits, but that’s not why we train or practice.  
 
Key Tips

• People take functional training too far.  You can’t mimic tackling, golf swings, or tennis serves in the weight room.  When you train, try to get stronger, try to improve your flexibility, and your power.  When you practice, get in to your sport and practice and the transference from training will happen.  Trying to bring the sport into training isn’t smart, it’s a waste of time.  
• For sports keep things separate.  To be better at a sport, you have to both a) Train and b) Practice.  One major mistake many athletes make is to conflate the two, but they are different and both are very important.
• Exercise and physical activity are mainly done for health and for practical day to day activities, whereas training and practice have a specific goal.  
• To be healthier move more, to perform better train and practice.  

 
 Major Takeaways

1) Practice your sport, if you have one.

2) Move more for health.

3) Train for specific things like speed, power, and flexibility which will
a) improve your physical fitness but also .....
b) improve your sport performance.  
 
And remember...there's never been a better day than TODAY to make it happen!
 
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