Why Muscle Growth Fails To Happen

I am not very gifted when it comes to building big muscles. That's why I had to try all kinds of training methods just to fail every time. Nothing worked for me - high reps, low reps, light weight, heavy weight, medium weight, supersets, drop sets, pre-exhaustion. You name it, I've done it all - probably more than once. 

After years of failure I came to the conclusion: everyone who is somewhat decent/impressive looking is on steroids. It may sound like loser's mantra but to this very day I was never wrong when it comes to detecting guys on steroids. Every time I thought someone is on steroids I was right. Every single time. And I am not talking about Ronnie Coleman or Jay Cutler - I am talking about the everyday warriors I see in the gyms I've visited over the years. Today for example I added one more number to the successful list. A guy in my gym who was frequently training legs with stupid weights like 180 pounds squats, 100 pounds lunges and 150 pounds Romanian deadlifts came out and said he was on winstrol and deca. To me this was not a surprise because his legs were enormous despite the light weights and he was also holding tremendous amounts of water weight. This very same guy, although impressive for the average gym, could pass for natural any day on YouTube where ignorant teenagers and insecure young male adults sucking to Arnold think it's all about: lifting heavy and eating right. 

But let's go back to the topic: Why muscle growth fails? Muscle growth fails because of the average hormonal profile. In other words the average level of male hormones allow only so much muscle to be built. And we are actually talking about something like 20-25 pounds on top of your no trained bodyweight, and that's generous. Training can make your muscles somewhat thicker and bigger but after a very short period the magic goes away. Of course if your lower back can deadlift 500lbs it will be thicker than the non-trained version of YOUR lower back which deadlifts the newspaper. However in terms of actual volume - that's a different story. The difference will not by as insane as you would think. For example, my calves are small but I have no doubt that I can lift more weight on the calve machine than my father who has big calves.

To this day nobody can truly explain "hypertrophy". In my opinion the researches dedicated to the topic are too "dirty" since they are sponsored by supplement companies who have financial profits in mind. Hypertrophy is this mystic process that makes your muscle bigger. Scientist would like you to believe that they got it all figured out but right now the number of skinny guys in the gym is higher than ever. Something must be wrong. Why people fail to look like the Hodge Twins after years of training? Black man genetics? Give me a break. 

Muscle growth fails because it's physically impossible after a certain point. It's just not natural. The same way it's not natural to grow taller every year. Eventually it has stop. "Causing micro traumas in your muscles" can only do so much. After that you have to jump on the harmonized train. Kinda sad when you think about it.

A lot of people will come to you with "the perfect routine". They can all suck it. Yes, I've written routines but they are just examples that somewhat worked for me. I don't think there are magic routines. After all most routines have the same moto "add weight when you can and step back when you feel you have to."

What to do?

Well, you can jump on the hormone train to get bigger. The other option I usually recommend to gym warriors suffering from depression caused by poor muscle gains is to simply set a physical goal such as 20 pull-ups by Christmas, bodyweight bench press by my birthday...etc. By setting a goal and achieving it you will feel much better than crying in the dark that you have not added an inch you your arms following Mr. I-am-on-steroids-but-I-will-deny-it-cause-I-am-a-big-insecure-monkey's routine.

Here is a video where you can see people who are 100% natural:

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Specialization Training For The Natural Bodybuilder

For a very long period of time I have observed the following - it's pretty hard to see meaningful progress using conventional one body part per week routines. I believe the biggest reason for that is that muscle growth (improvement) requires higher frequency if you are not using synthetic hormones. Does this mean that you should train each body part twice a week? 

The problem with training each body part twice a week is that you would have to be spending more time in the gym which costs money and time. However since many people "just do it for the fun" I guess the presented reason is not sufficient. 

Imagine that you are trying to play too many sports - soccer, running, basketball, swimming...etc. Obviously you can do all those sports at the same time. You can probably even do them every day. However you won't improve significantly. You may be genetically gifted in one area but that's about it. In order for you to become a good basketball player you can't afford to swim like you are trying to beat Michael Phelps records. Not gonna happen. 

If we take the same principle and apply it to weightlifting you will see why trying to improve all your body parts at the same time can quite often result in failure because the frequency needed for improvement is simply not there. Let's take a look at a classic one body part per week bodybuilding routine:

Day 1: Chest and Back

Bench press - 3x10-12

Incline - 3x10-12

Flies - 3x10-12

Deadlifts - 3x6-8

Pull-ups - 3x10-12

Rows - 3x10-12

Day 2: Shoulders and Arms

Overhead press - 3x10-12

Lateral raises - 3x10-12

Rear delt raises - 3x10-12

Barbell curls - 3x10-12

Triceps extensions - 3x10-12

Day 3: Legs

Squat - 3x10-12

Leg press - 3x10-12

Hamstring curl - 3x10-12

Calve raises - 3x10-12

Seated calve raises - 3x10-12

This is the most generic routine I was able to create. It's not bad routine by any means. It's obviously hard work. The problem here is that it does not allow you to see meaningful progress in short period of time unless you are just starting working out. This is why I recommend that you start using specialization in your workouts if you have been training for more than a year.

What is specialization training?

Specialization is the process of focusing on one specific task and trying to improve. In our case specialization training means that we are going to focus on specific muscle groups instead of trying to see results everywhere. 

How to do it?

The first thing you need to do is decide which body part(s) you are trying to improve. Obviously if you choose back, legs and biceps you are not really doing specialization training since those muscle groups form 85% of your body. A specialization routine requires you to focus on one thing at a time. The choices are legs (quads, calves and hamstrings), arms (triceps, forearms and biceps), chest, shoulders, back...

Don't combine a lot of muscle groups.

Frequency

The hardest part to determine when it comes to specialization training is - "How often?". There are many factors to consider: age, motivation, training history, money...etc.  I think that 3 times per week is a good start. You can later move to 5 days per week. 

Choosing the right exercises

In order for any routine to work you have to choose the right exercise for the job. Make sure you focus on basic movements which do not cause pain on your joints. Also avoid doing too many exercises. If you want to add volume (do more) simply perform more sets of the exercises you feel are the best for your current physical condition.

Choosing the right weight

Since you will be training quite don't go too heavy. 60-70% of your 1 RM* is enough. This means that if you can bench press 200lbs a few times you should use about 135-145 lbs for your workouts. It may not sound like a lot but given the frequency and volume it will be.

Putting everything together

Let's say that you want to improve your arms. In order to do that you will have to focus on just that body part while maintaining everything else. This means that your arm muscles will be "murdered" with high volume and frequency while you will do a lot less sets for the rest of your body. Here's a basic arm focused routine:

Day:1 Arms

Bench press with a close grip - 3x10-12

Triceps exercise of choice - 5x10-12

Chin-ups - 3x10-12

Biceps curls - 10-12

Forearm work

Day:2 Legs

Day 3: Arms (same as day1)

Day 4: Rest 

Day 5: Arms (same as day1)

Triceps exercise of choice - 5x10-12

Biceps curls - 10-12

Day 6&7 Rest

In order for this routine to work you will have to use moderate weight otherwise you will get hurt. 

How long?

I think that 3 months is the magic number. I don't know why but any meaningful progress whether it's weight loss or muscle gain requires at least 3 months. That's why I recommend that you stick to a specialization routine for at least 3 months. 

Over training

Overtiring seems to be a big issue. It's hard for me to tell how much your body can handle. I can over train my shoulders really fast while I can work my back 5 times a week with no problem. You have to experiment.

"Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement." -- Jim Horning

The fastest way to over train is to use too much weight (above 80% of  your1 RM*) and to do too many sets. Don't do it. 

Don't underestimate your body but stay safe too!

Be realistic

Many people are used to seeing bodybuilding freaks on stage. The problem here is that many of you don't realize what it takes to achieve similar physiques and how many drugs you have to consume in order to get there. That's the main reason for unrealistic expectations. No, by following specialization program your arms will not be 20 inches. If you are interested how natural bodybuilders look just read some of my previous posts.

FAQ:

Q: How long will it take for me to see progress?

A: Like I said - three months is the golden time period. 

Q: Should I eat like crazy when doing this routine?

A: No, you should eat enough not to be hungry but not until you feel like you are about to vomit. Simply eat a few times a day and make sure your consume about 150 grams of protein. No need to "bulk". Getting fat on purpose is yet to work for anyone. 

Q: Should I focus on another body part after three months?

A: Yes.

Q: Would I see faster progress if I focus on my whole body?

A: If you are a beginner you should. Otherwise you won't have the time and the recovery ability to work your whole body as frequently and as intensely as you need to do as a natural trainee. 

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* 1RM = one rep maximum or the heaviest weight you can do for 1 repetition

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