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Iron Game
02-01-2017, 01:51 AM
Branch Warren Q&A - Strategies for Size



I am 5'10", 45 years old, and have been training a long time, with a vast knowledge of exercises and various programs from Gironda-style and techniques to modern ideas. I train two body parts at a time, three times a week, and sometimes train full body three times a week, with just the heavy basic exercises for sets of 3x5, 5x5, or 2x6— mainly for strength. However, if the only way to get bigger is to add bodyweight, then I am confused, as I see guys who are lighter than me, yet they have larger, better-developed physiques! Obviously, bodybuilders can't continuously add weight to get bigger. If this were the case, we would be as large as full-grown elephants with 100-inch arms! So how do I add more muscle size without the added weight?


Not to be a wise-ass, but if you know about all those different styles of training, why have you been doing the same routine for so long? You also pretty much answered your own question when you said you have been training for strength. There's a big difference between training for strength and muscle growth.


I happen to be a very strong bodybuilder, but there are plenty of guys in the pro ranks with loads of mass who don't train as heavy as I do. But the judges don't care how much I bench press or squat compared to the guy standing next to me onstage. They are looking at the development of our physiques, and most bodybuilders build their mass with sets in the range of 8-12 reps, sometimes even 15-20 if you factor in drop sets and supersets.


Reps for the lower body tend to be at least 10, and even I have gone as high as 100 reps at times on things like leg extensions. Training for bodybuilding is all about working the muscle hard and getting good contractions— what we call the 'mind-muscle connection.' Training for pure strength is totally about moving the weight whatever way you can.


Start watching some of the free training clips on MD TV and you'll see how top bodybuilders get the most out of every set and rep and really squeeze the muscles. As for why you see lighter guys looking bigger, bodybuilding can be a sport of illusion. When guys have small joints and round muscle bellies, they can appear to be much bigger than they really are. Sometimes you will see a competitor all covered up in sweats and he doesn't look like anything special, then when you see him onstage you're like, damn, is that the same guy? He looks huge up there! Being ripped also makes you appear much bigger.


I don't even worry about my weight anymore. I know that as long as I get into that insane condition I'm capable of and stay full, I will give any man in the world a run for his money in terms of mass.



When I squat, I usually go for reps from 5 to 8, but usually just get 3 or 5, sometimes only 2. I want my legs to grow, so I usually try for at least 5, but if I get 2 or 3 reps is that OK? Finally, what should my rep range be for squats and deadlifts for growth?


I used to do doubles and triples, but that was way back when I was much younger and competing in powerlifting. There's no reason for a bodybuilder to go that heavy (heavy being a relative thing based on how many reps you can do with a weight, whether you can get 200 pounds for 2 or 500 pounds). I would never do that now because not only do the injury risks far outweigh the benefits, but it doesn't do anything for growth. I don't think you should be going any lower than 6-8 reps for either squats or deads, and I myself tend to work more in the 10-15 range. I also have to ask you how it is that you seem to misjudge your strength so much? You said you are aiming for 5-8 reps but only get 3-5, then you were aiming for 5 reps and only got 2. Are you keeping track of how much you are lifting? Are you trying to increase your weights too fast? Find the weights that you can actually handle for the desired number of reps, and only once you start finding yourself able to do more reps than 6-8 with a weight should you even think about moving up in weight. You need to have a better plan, bro.



I've read many articles about people who bulk up and get huge, but their body fat also skyrockets. Since I am young I want to bulk up, but I want to do it in a way that allows me to add quality muscle and not fat so I can get bigger


It's really all in your diet. If you eat a lot of junk, like candy, doughnuts, sugary cereal, fast food, food fried in lard or batter and other crap, you'll gain as much if not more fat than you will muscle. Think about the food you eat as fuel. If you put in a lot of clean food, you'll add 'clean' weight— muscle tissue. With 'junk' food, you add a lot of garbage weight— pure fat. I'm not saying you can't have a little bit of junk here and there, but most of your food should be lean beef, eggs, chicken breasts, turkey, fish, rice, potatoes, oatmeal, and vegetables. Keep an eye on the mirror as well as the scale. Guys who judge their gains only by the weight they see on the scale usually get fat.