Ryan's Fitness and Health Tip of the Month!

Each month we will be posting a fitness and health tip from Flex Fitness personal trainer Ryan Stewart. This month Ryan has written about “Evidence Based Guidelines To Maximize Muscle Growth”. Follow us every month as all our trainers will be posting tips of the month.

Frequency:

Training a muscle group 2x/week is better than 1x/week. There isn’t much evidence in support

of training more often than that.

Volume:

10-20 sets/wk per muscle group is ideal based on individual recovery. Some evidence suggests

you can go higher for short periods of time.

Effort:

Most sets should be carried out close to muscular failure.

Load:

All loads build muscle. Heavier loads require greater training duration and can beat up the

joints. Moderate loads tend to be preferred. Performing a combination of rep ranges will lead to

the best results.

Exercise:

Multi-joint exercises should be prioritized in training, but single-joint exercises should not be

neglected if seeking maximal muscle growth as they are necessary for building certain muscles

and subdivisions.

Order:

Muscles targeted earlier in the workout will see slightly greater gains than muscles targeted

later, so prioritize accordingly.

Tempo:

Faster and slower tempos lead to similar levels of muscle growth, but you must control the

eccentric phase and not let gravity do it for you. Definitely have a mind muscle connection.

Rest periods:

2-3 minutes between sets is ideal to maximize muscle growth, but you can go by feel and listen

to your body.

Periodization:

Having a plan is definitely more effective for building muscle than winging it. However, there is

no single ‘best’ way to periodize a program, and many methods are successful. Strategize, but

allow for some flexibility to see how to feel day to day. Listen to your body.

Contact us today to book a fitness consultation.