In this article, Lifting Heavy For Muscle Mass, I will give you the tips you need to know to pack on some serious size. If you’re willing to work hard lifting heavy weight, this is the article for you!
It’s Time To Get Serious In The Gym
How many times have you walked into the gym and there’s’ “that guy” prancing around the gym? Who’s that, you ask? You know, the guy that prances around like he’s some kind of mass monster with his tight t-shirt and his $30 workout gloves, yet he’s handling some pretty easy weights. Worse yet, he never adds weight. Plus, he’s not even performing full reps!
The problem with lifters like this is that they believe they are training properly. Unfortunately, many people that workout have this mentality. They halfheartedly lift moderate weights, they rush their reps, and they’re only doing half or even quarter reps. They think that LIFTING HEAVY is not necessary to get big. They could not be more WRONG!
Lifting Heavy To Get Big!
Nothing packs on more mass and strength than lifting heavy. I’m talking about using a weight that is heavy enough to make you fail in the 5 to 8 rep range. I’m also talking about using full, controlled reps. Going back to “that guy” for a minute, he most likely rockets through his reps, letting momentum do all the work. If you want to make progress, that’s a huge “no”. You need to work your reps hard if you want real results. Now, of course, there’s a little more to it, as we will see in the next section.
Planned Progression
Now, lifting heavy should be done progressively, that’s what progressive overload is all about. You have to have a plan. After all, the very definition of progressive overload is the “act of gradually increasing the stress or intensity placed on the muscles”. Notice the word “gradually”. I can’t emphasize enough that the progressive overload principle is one of the most important principles of lifting weights. Just like “that guy”, you won’t make progress if you’re always doing the same workout with the same weight and same number of reps. Lifting progressively heavier weight lets you progress towards your goals because you are taking gradual steps of progression. (1)
Start Using This Principle Right Now!
Make no mistake, progressively lifting heavy weights is the most common way to get bigger and stronger. Don’t fall for the “muscle confusion” stuff or even training for “the pump”. When you’re just starting out right up to quite honestly the day you hit your strength ceiling, you should be putting more plates on the bar. What happens after you reach your strength ceiling is another article, right now the focus needs to be on the amount of weight you are lifting.
OK, How Often Should You Increase The Weight?
So, I think we have established the importance of lifting heavy. So how often should you add weight? This might be the biggest question regarding progressive overload. There is more than one answer. Some experts say that when your current rep range becomes easy, add 10% more weight to the bar (or machine). Others say you should add weight every week as long as the increases are small. I tend to think the most practical way is by using the 2 x 2 rule. What’s that? This rule states that you should increase the weight by 10% once you can perform 2 additional reps beyond your rep goal for your last set for 2 workouts in a row. Simple, right?
Other Things To Remember When Lifting Heavy
Always Use Good Form – Always Warm Up Properly!
I want to stress the importance of properly warming up to your heaviest sets. Don’t just jump right into your top set. At the least, you should spend 5-10 minutes on the treadmill, then do 3 or even 4 lighter, higher rep warm-up sets before going up to your top weight. Some lifters will go even further and perform a dynamic warm-up routine.
Also, make sure your form is 100% on the money. That’s especially true for exercises like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses. Especially on the bench, lifters will twist themselves like a pretzel to get the reps out. Don’t do that! Form first, even if you have to drop a little weight. It’s about lifting heavy, but also lifting safe.
Perform Compound Exercises First
Isolation exercises have their place even in a mass gaining routine, but only after you’ve done the big basics. The thing with compound exercises is that they work multiple muscle groups and allow you to use the most weight.
Examples include the three mentioned above as well as bent rows, overhead presses, close grip bench presses, shrugs, dips, and pull-ups, to name a few. Good isolation exercises include curls, calf raises, side laterals, and lat pulldowns, to name a few. These will help you develop a pleasing, balanced physique.
Keep Your Reps In The Lower Range
Of course, the primary way to achieve impressive strength and size increases is to limit your rep range. For mass and strength, I suggest no more than 8 reps and no less than 5 reps per set. Never mind the endless sets of 15 reps per set. Sure, it’s great to get a good pump, but not at the expense of quality heavy sets. Besides, if you spend 2 hours doing endless 15-rep sets, how hard are you really working? Hint: Not that hard.
Recovery
Your muscles need time to recover from lifting heavy. Make sure that you give each muscle group 2-3 days to recover fully between your workouts. For example, if you do 3 workouts per week, use the ever-popular Push/Pull/Legs split. You can mix it up however you like, but I suggest Legs on Day 1, a rest day, Push on Day 3, a rest day, and then your Pull Day. Follow this with 2 rest days, then start over.
Eat 50% Of Your Carbs In The Hours Around Your Workout
I also suggest eating approximately 50% of your total carbs for the day in the hours around your workout. This should include all of your simple carbs. Of course, make sure you have simple carbs with your post-workout shake, and with at least one pre-workout meal, depending on what time you work out.
Increase Your Protein Intake
You should be taking in at least 1 gram per pound of bodyweight. How’s that look as part of your total macronutrient profile? An effective breakdown for bodybuilders would be 40% protein, 40% carbs, and 20% fat. So if you’re consuming 2,500 calories per day, that’s 1,000 protein calories, 1,000 carb calories, and 500 calories from healthy fats. As a side note, if you’re trying to drop fat, start with carbs, especially simple, junky carbs.
Try These Supplements!
Here’s a great supplement program that works great when you’re lifting heavy! It starts with protein powder (of course), such as Hi-Tech Precision Protein. What sets this protein apart from the rest? Easy – it optimizes protein synthesis by enhancing leucine release. That’s huge!
Next up, use a good pre-workout. I suggest GAT Nitraflex Ultra, a higher stim yet balanced formula that features an advanced hydration complex. From there, I suggest creatine monohydrate, well known as the most tested and proven effective supplement you can buy. A good choice is Hi-Tech Creatine Monohydrate. You can even mix it with your Pre.
Finally, once you’ve finished a heavy workout, it’s time to drink your post-workout shake. I suggest mixing your Precision Protein with EFX Sports Karbolyn, an innovative complex carbohydrate powder that absorbs quickly.
Routine Tips
I suggest performing 3-4 exercises per body part for, as noted, 5-8 reps per working set. If you like, you can use a pyramid approach by shooting for 8 reps on your first working set and then dropping reps and the sets get tougher. It’s important to stay with the same core exercises. Don’t fall for this “muscle confusion” stuff. Muscles don’t get confused, they simply contract. If you need variety to avoid monotony, then mix up some of your isolation exercises.
Summary
In this article, I talked about lifting heavy for muscle mass. I also talked about the use of progressive overload to systematically increase the plates on the bar. In addition, I gave you tips to get the most out of a mass poutine. Finally, I reviewed nutrition and supplements. Now that you are armed with all this information, you can put it to work before you start your next set!
References:
- Plotkin, D., Coleman, M., Van Every, D., Maldonado, J., Oberlin, D., Israetel, M., Feather, J., Alto, A., Vigotsky, A. D., & Schoenfeld, B. J. (2022). Progressive overload without progressing load? The effects of load or repetition progression on muscular adaptations. PeerJ, 10, e14142. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.14142