When undergoing intense strength training your body is constantly in a battle of breaking itself down to build itself back up stronger and bigger. Nutrition and rest/recovery play a huge role in how effective your body is at doing this. BUT, even the best diet is most often lacking in omega-3’s...an "X-factor" in muscle growth as you’re about to see.
You know the age old training recommendations: heavy weight for 3-5 reps for building strength, moderate weight for 10-12 reps for muscle size, and light weights for 15-20+ reps for muscle endurance. You see, when I'm asked what the most important variable is when it comes to building muscle, I NEVER start with rep counts. Let me explain...
One of the most frustrating things that most people will face if they've worked out the same way for any length of time (greater than 1-2 months) is the tendency to fall into a rut and see muscle building and/or fat loss come to a screeching halt! You know what I'm talking about... It's the dreaded "PLATEAU".
One of the most commonly cited excuses given for not working out is: "I just don't have the time". It seems we all find ourselves these days juggling career, family, health and hobby and it's an understandable complaint, BUT, not good enough! New research was released that states the average person watches 35 HOURS of television a week...
In the gym and with your workouts, this change comes in the form of pushing your muscles to momentary failure at every opportunity. I was told long ago that the ONLY reason we perform the first say 8-10 reps of a set is to physiologically "prime" the muscles for the ONLY reps that really matter for growth; those incredibly difficult last 2-3!!
