High Volume Is the Key to Muscle Growth
Fifty years ago, Harvard researchers found that muscle growth depended on muscle tension and the amount of time that tension was applied. Since then, we found that hypertrophy also requires amino acids, energy and anabolic hormones, such as testosterone, growth hormone, insulin and insulin-like growth factor. But, muscle tension is still the most important ingredient in muscle growth.
Dr. Lee Brown, in an article in NSCA’s Performance Training Journal (1: 6-7), summarized what science tells us about the best muscle-building workouts. Do high volume, high-tension workouts. A good strategy is to perform three to five sets of eight to 20 reps per exercise. You should see results within two months of beginning your program if you consume enough calories to build muscle and eat a clean diet, get enough sleep to allow for muscle growth (you build muscle when you rest after breaking muscle down in the gym), drink enough water so you are adequately hydrated (aim for a gallon day and start drinking early in the morning), exercise using good form and are consistent with your training.
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