Muscle Growth Cheat Sheet

A GUIDE TO BUILDING MUSCLE

WWW.THEMUSCLEMECHANICUK.COM

BETTER GROWTH USING 5 ADVANCED HYPERTROPHY SYSTEMS

LEE BELL BSC, PGCE, MSC

Hi and welcome to my muscle building guide.

I’m Lee Bell, An MSc qualified lecturer, content writer and trainer based in the United Kingdom.

Because I’ve got a keen interest in exercise for performance, muscle building and optimizing aesthetics

through strength training I wanted to give you a chance to take away my thoughts on muscle building

and advanced lifting systems. These are protocols I’ve used with athletes, discussed in lectures and

used with personal trainers for a number of years. They’re pretty brutal and not for beginners; but if

you’re already training on a regular basis and fancy something challenging, different and a completely

new stimulus for muscle growth, then filter these into your weekly sessions and you’ll notice the

difference in no time.

To learn more about what I do and the underpinning knowledge related to muscle growth, fat loss and

training for performance check out more at www.themusclemechanicuk.com

Enjoy!

Lee Bell BSc (Hons), PGCE, MSc

“HYPERTROPHY REFERS TO THE INCREASE

IN SIZE OF SKELETAL MUSCLE TISSUE.”

The Physiology of Hypertrophy

The complexities of the human body are beyond

comprehension. You are capable of millions of different

actions, all performed synergistically in order to complete

either the simplest of tasks, or of course the most complex.

These internal complexities increase ten-fold when you

consider that your body has an amazing ability to adapt to

its external environment– either acutely, or chronically

dependant on the stimulus.

When muscles are challenged they too go through an

adaptive process, particularly if the stimulus continues to

be progressive. If so, then increases in cross-sectional area

of the muscle are likely to occur.

Current research1 suggests that adaptation to muscle tissue

occurs via three primary mechanisms:

1. Mechanical tension. Mechanically induced tension

through the muscle during weight training is seen as an

essential and primary component of the adaptive response.

Simply, providing the muscle with mechanical overload

produces muscle mass. However, muscle tension is not

thought to be the sole reason for hypertrophy adaptations,

and to a point, extremely high loads may promote neural

adaptations, not necessarily structural ones. It is therefore

apparent that higher loads don't always equate to higher

levels of hypertrophy.

2. Muscle damage. The feeling of soreness in the days after

training is due to localised damage and disturbance to

muscle cells. It is a typical response to weight training, and

has been likened (on a cellular level) to that of the acute

phase inflammatory response. This process has been linked

to a number of growth responses that play a role in adap-

tation.

3. Metabolic stress. Weight training assists in the

production of a number of metabolic by-products that have

been theorised to signal a process of cell swelling as a

method of self-preservation and protection. The cell

therefore adapts by becoming stronger and increasing its

Types of muscle hypertrophy

Muscle hypertrophy is a multidimensional process with

numerous factors involved. As previously suggested, mus-

cular adaptation can be achieved through mechanical load,

or by damage and metabolite accumulation, or of course a

combination of all of them. The adaptive process is

therefore itself reliant on a number of variables.

Myofibrillar hypertrophy occurs when the diameter of the

individual muscle fibre (made up of actin and myosin

myofilaments housed with a contractile unit called a

sarcomere) increases. Thus the ‘contractile machinery’ of

the muscle increases in cross sectional area. Hypertrophy

of this type may occur through either an ‘in-series’ effect or

an ‘in-parallel’ effect.

Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy occurs when there is a volume

increase in the non-contractile part of the muscle and also

an increase in fluid within its compartment. Hypertrophy of

this kind is thought to be training specific and is often

referred to as ‘non-functional’ in that it does not

necessarily assist in strength. However, chronic

sarcoplasmic hypertrophy may well augment processes that

assist in the development of contractile synthesis and

growth.

Lastly, it is worth noting that the process of hypertrophy

does not occur during exercise – in fact quite the opposite.

Whilst exercising you are breaking down your muscle as

tension and damage occurs, and protein breakdown

increases. However, in the period after exercise, protein

synthesis increases and a process of ‘super-compensation’

occurs, allowing hypertrophy to take place. It goes without

saying then that it is important to get the balance right

between protein suppression through training, and

synthesis through recovery.

1. Schoenfeld, BJ. The mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy and their appli-

cation to resistance training. J Strength Cond Res 24(10): 2857–2872, 2010

Training Variables Explained

Reps

This refers to how many times you perform an exercise

consecutively without pausing.

Sets

This refers to how many cycles of repetitions you complete

on a particular exercise e.g. 3 x 12 refers to 3 sets of 12 rep-

etitions. Sometimes referred to as ‘rounds’

Intensity

Training intensity refers to how difficult the exercise is, and

is typically denoted by the weight being lifted (commonly

referred to as the ’load’). Intensity should be measured

relative to the level of physical effort expended or

expressed as a percentage of the one-repetition maximum

(1RM) system. It can be argued that load/intensity is the

most important variable in hypertrophy training, and in

causing adaptation through mechanical tension, however

as you will see from the 5 systems I’ve chosen for you,

hypertrophy can be achieved with a number of different

training loads.

Volume

Mathematically, training volume would refer to reps x sets

(some also factor in the load as well) performed in a given

session. The best way to measure and prescribe

weight training volume is by the total amount of reps being

done per muscle group, per workout, or per training phase.

Volume is important when undertaking a hypertrophy

training programme and many muscle building training

systems are high in training volume in order to create

adaptations from accumulated muscle tension, damage and

metabolic stress. Volume may also refer to training

frequency as well (how many training sessions undertaken

per week), as this is also an indicator of overall training

volume.

Tempo

The speed at which an exercise is completed is referred to

as its tempo (sometimes referred to as the ‘rate’). To

understand this you must appreciate that the majority of

lifts have two main phases. The first is referred to as the

‘concentric’ portion, or the lifting cycle. This is when the

muscle fibres shorten under tension to bring about joint

translation or movement. The second portion, the

‘eccentric’ phase, is the lowering phase where the muscle

remains under tension but the fibres lengthen to allow the

joint to return to its start position.

Tempo is often presented as a four-digit number sequence.

For example 3010. What this means is that the first number

is the time to complete the eccentric portion of the lift, the

second number is the time you pause at the bottom of the

lift, the third is the time it takes to complete the concentric

part of the lift, and the fourth is the pause at the top before

starting the process again.

Take the bench press for example-

3 seconds to lower the bar from the rack to the chest 0 seconds to pause at the chest 1 second to push the bar from the chest to full extension 0 seconds to pause at the top of the movement

Rest intervals

A good quality weightlifting session requires sufficient rest

times to promote proper adaptation. In some training

systems this means resting for a relatively long period of

time to promote productivity, and for others it means

limiting rest times to achieve the desired outcome.

Currently, research suggests that rest times are not

massively important in hypertrophy training as both short

and long rest periods will result in muscle cell growth.

Throughout this cheat sheet there are a number of terms used that you should be familiar with if you are planning on

undertaking an advanced training program. However if you are not, for ease of reference they are explained below:

Planning a Hypertrophy Program

It is important when planning a hypertrophy program that a

realistic start point is decided upon. A program that is too

difficult will make it harder for your body to adapt –

productivity in the gym decreases, and rest periods

in-between sessions have to increase to meet the demands

of the session. And of course, a program that is too easy

will not challenge the body in a way that promotes

adaptation to the stimulus of training.

In order to provide you with an initial guide so that you can

make an informed decision on where to start, I propose a

hierarchical model that demonstrates the key principle

strategies that should be focused on when planning

your workout sessions.

1. Physical health, lifestyle and training status assessment

When planning on undertaking any exercise program

(including a hypertrophy-based program it is important to

properly assess your point. Any injuries that you may have

that will affect your ability to perform exercise need to be

highlighted, and either a plan put in place to work around

them, or if unsure about the implications of exercise on the

injury, then advice sought from a professional such as a GP

or physiotherapist is recommended. A full analysis of your

lifestyle is also important, focussing on identifying

where opportunities for training sessions may lie (after

work, before work, weekends etc.) and an achievable plan

or training calendar is put in place. As with any part of

training, if you are unsure about any aspect of lifestyle

analysis then seek advice from a coach or trainer.

2. Goal setting, habit/adherence strategies

Once a training calendar has been drafted then realistic

goals can be put in place. A long-term goal is generally

decided upon first, then smaller, intermittent goals are put

in place periodically in order to assess whether or not you

are on track to achieve them. In a perfect world you will

attend all of your planned sessions and achieve your goals

with ease, but of course in the real world this might not be

the case, and occasions may arise when you cannot attend

your sessions for whatever reason (illness, time, motivation

etc.). In order to minimise disruption to your goals,

adherence strategies can be put in place. In the early stages

of training it is important to build good habits as a way of

supporting long-term behaviour change. Those that work

hard to attend all of their planned sessions in the early

stages of training are much more likely to continue with a

positive mind-set, and achieve their goals in the long run.

3. Fundamental movement patterns and techniques

The single most important factor when undertaking regular

training is that sufficient time is spent learning and

effectively co-ordinating good motor patterns – that being,

making sure that technique for each exercise is safe and

effective. A common mistake for beginners (and those who

have trained for a number of years in fact) is to undertake

complex exercises that are performed incorrectly. The first

obvious issue with this is that it may lead to injury, which of

course will mean time away from training, or it may

eventually lead to muscular imbalances as more dominant

muscles ‘take over’ from the target ones. Another

consequence to performing regular, poor technique work is

that it becomes ‘ingrained’ in the motor pattern and

consequently very difficult to relearn at a later stage (think

of the old golf coaching analogy that it is easier to coach

someone a good golf swing that has never held a club

before, than it is to teach a regular golfer with poor

technique). Essentially, although the training stimulus may

at first be relatively low, you are focussing on building some

very strong foundations before you begin to lay down the

brickwork.

4. Programming frequency/volume

Once the fundamental movements have been learned, the

next stage is to achieve regular muscular overload via

frequent sessions, and with sufficient volume. The

American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) suggest that a

minimum of 2-3 resistance-based sessions per week are

achieved, with the completion of 2-4 sets of 8-10 exercises

in total. A load that fatigues the muscle between 8-12

repetitions is proposed (~75%1RM). There isn’t really any

room here for a ‘split training approach’ at this stage, so

total body sessions working on compound exercises

(pushes, pulls etc.) are absolutely fine.

Ensure you change your programme of 8-10 exercises

regularly, but expect to adhere to the basic frequency/

volume recommendations for a few weeks, at which these

recommended training variables will begin to feel less

challenging, however, don’t push to include the advanced

programming content too early. Allow adaptation to take

place at its own pace and listen to when your body feels

ready to progress.

5. Programming: Exercise selection, intensity/rest periods/

tempo

At a more intermediate level, the recommended frequency

of training per week remains largely unchanged, although

up to 6 sessions per week is acceptable. The introduction of

split training routines is also acceptable (although it is

presumed that regular sessions can be attended to necessi-

tate this).

It is worth noting that split routines are favourable at high

training frequencies (just to allow sufficient recovery

between muscles), but whole-body training appears to be

better for muscle growth at 2-4 sessions per week.

Exercise selection at this stage becomes more important

when planning split routines. The introduction of varied

intensities (between 30-90% 1RM) allows a more varied

stimulus, and also the first introduction to more advanced

training methods may occur. Invariably these will all have

specific variables of volume, load, tempo and inter-set rest

periods. Training within these parameters will generally

take a number of months before a more advanced status is

achieved.

6. Inclusion of advanced training systems and specific

exercise selection

At an advanced level the body needs to be drastically

challenged in order to adapt. Training frequency can be as

high 5-6 sessions per week or higher (although at this stage

training will generally be periodized and have rest weeks

built in where required) and may also see the possible

inclusion of occasional twice-daily training. In order to

promote overload, a number of advanced training systems

may need to be performed, and as part of this process, very

specific order of exercises needed to further increase

potential adaptation.

“ADVANCED TRAINING SYSTEMS CAN ADD

AN ADDITIONAL TRAINING STIMULUS FOR

VARIETY.”

Augmented Eccentric Loading

Overview

This training method uses a two-fold approach. Firstly you use loads higher than the 1RM, followed by

higher velocity, low-load reps to initiate a highly fatiguing effect

Adolf Fick, a German physiologist identified in 1882 that

contracting a muscle under stretch could produce greater

force than a shortening muscle contraction.

The eccentric method of training was introduced in the field

of tendinopathy rehabilitation in the 1900s and is a modern

reworking of the old ‘negative’ training used in Eastern

block training. It was popularised in athletic circles in 1953

by Erling Asmussen as ’excentric’ training, with ex meaning

‘away from’ and centric meaning ‘centre’. It utilises aspects

of high mechanical tension as well as metabolic stress to

induce a highly overloading training system.

Eccentric action is present is practical all conventional

resistance machine and free weight exercises, however

since the force output on the concentric (shortening) phase

is lower than that of the lengthening phase, the yielding

action is rarely fully stimulated.

Key Reading

Farthing (2003) ‘The effects of eccentric and concentric training at different velocities on muscle hypertrophy’. Eur Journal

App Phys

Augmented eccentric loading

The augmented version of eccentric training uses a two-

exercise approach - one eccentric dominant, and the

second with a more conventional approach.

For exercise number one the participant places a weight of

>150% 1RM on the bar/dumbbell and completes 5-6

controlled reps (5 seconds per rep) focussing on the

lowering of the weight only – it goes without saying that the

use of a spotter or two is a must to assist in the lifting

phase.

Once exercise number one is complete the participant

immediately reduces the weight to 50%1RM or chooses a

body weight exercise that works the same muscles as

exercise number one, and completes as many reps as

possible to failure, completing both the lifting and lowering

phases themselves.

A1 5 reps 150%1RM Eccentric only 5 seconds per eccentric rep

A2 AMRAP 50% 1RM Concentric / eccentric 2020

“This updated version of ‘negative’ training will ramp up your

strength and muscle mass in no time”

Intermittent Stretch Overload

Overview

This training method places the muscle into a loaded stretch during rest periods in order to create

mechanical tension, muscle damage, cell swelling and pump

This method originated in research conducted on quail

which were found to massively increase wing mass when

loaded into a stretched position for period of time. Recently

researchers have taken these findings and modelled them

to suit the human frame.

For this system, you choose an exercise and a weight of

which they can complete 12-15 reps to failure. Once the

first set is complete you hold the weight at the end of the

range of motion to induce a static stretch. This is then held

for 30 seconds.

Once complete the weight is dropped by around 15% and a

second set is completed to failure.

Key Reading

Antonio, J (1993) ‘Progressive stretch overload of skeletal muscle results in hypertrophy before hyperplasia’. Journal App.

Phys. Vol 75. 3

This process is repeated until at least 3 sets have been

accomplished.

It works particularly well for exercises like chest flyes,

preacher curls, pulldowns, overhead triceps extensions, calf

raises, Romanian deadlifts and so on because it is relatively

easy to move into a stretched position.

Some lifts—such as shoulder presses, deadlifts etc. are

much harder and won’t work as well.

The static position inhibits blood flow to the muscle so that

firstly hypoxia, then secondly an ‘overflow’ of blood occurs

after the stretch is completed.

Research is currently undecided whether ISO promotes extra

muscle growth (compared to standard sets) or whether it

just provides a new and varied stimulus. Either way, it’s a

‘fun’ system and a real challenge.

Overcoming / Yielding Isometric Training

Overview

A form of resistance training involving loaded, static contractions in a fixed plane

Isometric training can be traced back to ancient Chinese

martial arts, Yoga and early strongman training such as

followed by Arthur Saxon and Charles Atlas.

This form of training involves a static contraction of the

target muscles without visible movement of the associated

joints. The term isometrics derives from iso meaning ‘same’

and metric meaning ‘distance’.

As you apply maximal force in a fixed plan, isometric

training allows you to invoke greater force, leading to

greater muscle recruitment patterns for an extended

period of time.

Overcoming isometrics (maximum effort)

This is essentially pulling or pushing against an immoveable

object and is generally completed on squats, pulls, rows

and presses, with example exercises include close chest

presses, rack pulls.

Yielding isometrics

This method refers to holding a weight and preventing it

from moving and is generally completed on squats, presses

and pulls.

For both methods, perform 3-6 sets and hold each rep

maximally for 3-6 seconds. Rest 90 seconds in-between

sets.

Key Reading

Babault, N (2001) ‘Activation of human quadriceps femoris during isometric, concentric, and eccentric contractions’

J Appl Physiol 91: 2628–2634, 2001

Maximum duration isometric training

One such method of yielding isometrics is that of MDIT.

To complete this method, perform 8-12 reps at 50-80%

1RM with each rep lasting 20-60 seconds in length.

The results seen from this on muscle growth have been

brilliant.

It is important to realise with this type of training that

although it will help to improve strength, those

improvements are specific to the angle at which training

occurs, although there's also a positive transfer of 20 to

50% of the strength gained in a 20-degree range as well.

That being said, this is an excellent training method for

training specific weak points thorough the range of motion,

or overcoming plateaus.

Isometrics can also be completed as ‘isoballistic’ training,

where a dynamic exercise for the same muscles is

completed 3 minutes after isometric training to take

advantage of any potentiation effect.

“Maximal effort static holds somewhere near

peak leverage are gruelling, but massively

effective as a growth stimulus”.

Wave Loading

Overview

Consists of grouping several sets (normally three) into a ‘wave’ similar to that of an ascending pyramid,

then reducing the load to benefit from potentiation effects before increasing the load again

Key Reading

Hodgson, M et al (2005) ‘Post-activation potentiation’ Sports Med. Vol 35 (7). Pp585-595

Introduced at an NSCA conference in 1991, and popularised

by Charles Poliquin in 2003 when he introduced his 1-6

principle (completing a 1RM will potentiate abilities to

improve the 6RM as long as it is performed within 3-12

minutes of the 1RM) to the western world.

Consists of groups of 3 sets where each set gets

progressively heavier but performed with less reps

(ascending pyramid). Once all 3 sets are complete the lifter

starts the wave again but adapts the weights so that set 4 is

heavier than set 1.

Set Reps Example weight

1 10 30kg

2 8 35kg

3 6 40kg

4 10 35kg

5 8 40kg

6 6 42.5kg

Wave loading allows you to train across the full muscular

strength and endurance continuum if you wish to do so,

allowing all muscle fibre types to be trained, and a number

of goals to be achieved.

The number of sets can be adapted to become a relatively

short wave-based session, or multiple sets included to form

a whole training session.

“If you want to mix muscle mass with

mathematics, this is your system right here”

Cluster Sets

Overview

This training method uses a high load and forces the athlete to complete more repetitions than the pre-

scribed RM by employing very short intra-set rest periods

Key Reading

Fisher et al (2013) ‘Evidence-based resistance training recommendations for muscular hypertrophy’. Med Sport 17 (4)

Cluster set training was first introduced by American

weightlifting coach Carl Miller in the 1970s but peaked in

popularity over 20-years later..

It uses high loads (>80%1RM) in order to create high levels

of mechanical tension within the target muscle.

For this system you choose a weight for your lift (works

best with compound exercises) and then aim to complete

the designated number of repetitions using the table below

for guidance.

It is important that the rep count is strictly adhered to

(otherwise it just becomes rest-pause training), as is the

rest period (20-30 seconds).

It is also important you don’t take a repetition to muscular

failure part-way through your cluster set as this will inhibit

productivity at such short rest intervals.

This method of training not only ramps up your

hypertrophy response, but also helps to overcome plateaus

and both maximal and relative strength too. It will also help

to improve your confidence and tolerance with heavier

load, as you are performing more reps at a higher intensity

than you would with standard set approaches .

An example of a cluster set approach would be the

‘extended 5’s method’ where the focus is on completing 10

reps with a weight that will allow no more than 5 reps.

%RM Reps for mini set Total reps Intra-set rest (s)

80% 5, 3, 2 10 10

85% 3 12 20

85-87% 2 8-10 20-30

87-90% 1 5-8 30