The Trick to Growing Muscle.

Maximise Your Gains: A Client's Guide to Effective Resistance Training

Welcome to your comprehensive guide on optimising your resistance training! Lifting weights is a highly effective way to build muscle, increase strength, and enhance overall health. Understanding the principles behind effective training is crucial for achieving the best possible results.

Remember, any resistance training is better than no exercise at all! The most important steps are to start and maintain consistency.

This guide will break down the key variables in your training program and explain how they influence your progress.

1. Load (How Heavy You Lift)

Load refers to the weight you lift, often expressed as a percentage of your one-repetition maximum (1RM) – the heaviest weight you can lift for a single, perfect repetition.

• For Strength Gains: To get significantly stronger, lifting heavier loads is generally the most effective strategy. A 2023 meta-analysis shows that strength can be developed across a wider range (≥60% 1RM) if effort is high; however, higher percentages of 1RM (MAX weight lifted for 1 rep) (>80%) still provide a small additional benefit for maximal strength. Training closer to your 1RM provides the greatest boost in maximal strength. However, even lighter loads can still lead to substantial strength increases, again, if effort is HIGH. 

• For Muscle Growth (Hypertrophy): Your muscles can grow with a wide range of loads. Training with lighter loads (30-60% 1RM) can produce similar muscle growth to moderate or heavy loads, especially if you perform these sets until you can't do any more repetitions (volitional fatigue).

• Practical Tip: For strength, prioritise heavy lifting. For muscle growth, you have more flexibility, but always push yourself to or near your limits for optimal results.

  
  

2. Progressive Overload (The Driver of Long-Term Gains)

Muscles adapt when you give them a reason to grow. This means gradually challenging them with more work over time. If you always lift the same weights for the same reps, your progress will stall.

• Practical Tip: Aim to slowly increase the challenge over weeks and months. You can do this by adding weight, increasing repetitions, performing more sets, improving your range of motion, or reducing rest periods. Progress doesn’t have to be fast; even small, consistent increases build big results over time.

  
  

3. Sets (How Many Repetitions You Do)

This refers to the number of repetitions you complete per exercise and the number of sets.

• For Muscle Growth: Your total training volume (how many sets and repetitions you do) is a crucial factor for building muscle. Performing multiple sets (e.g., 2–3 sets per exercise) leads to significantly more muscle growth compared to doing just a single set. To maximise muscle growth, aim for at least 10 weekly sets per muscle group.

• For Strength Gains: Higher training volume also plays a significant role in improving strength.

• Practical Tip: Don't just do one set and stop! Multiple sets are more effective for both hypertrophy and strength.

  
  

4. Frequency (How Often You Train)

This is how often you train a specific muscle group or perform resistance training sessions in a week.

• For Strength: Training a muscle group at least twice a week is generally recommended for improving strength.

• For Core Muscles: Core muscles respond similarly to other groups. 2+ times per week works well, but a higher frequency may improve motor control and endurance.

• For Muscle Growth (General): If your total weekly training volume is kept the same, the frequency doesn't significantly change muscle growth. However, training more frequently can be a good way to manage and increase your overall weekly training volume.

• Practical Tip: Aim to train each muscle group at least twice a week. Adjust your frequency to fit your schedule and allow for adequate recovery.

  
  

5. Repetition Duration (How Fast You Lift and Lower)

This refers to the speed at which you perform each repetition.

• For Muscle Growth: You can effectively stimulate muscle growth with a range of repetition speeds, typically between 0.5 and 8 seconds per repetition. However, very slow repetitions (10 seconds or longer) are less effective for hypertrophy and should generally be avoided.

• Practical Tip: A fast but controlled lowering (eccentric) phase, lasting about 2 seconds, is often recommended for efficient training.

  
  

6. Contraction Type (Pushing vs. Lowering)

This relates to the two main phases of an exercise: the concentric (lifting/shortening) phase and the eccentric (lowering/lengthening) phase.

• Eccentric vs. Concentric: The lowering (eccentric) phase of an exercise is more effective at increasing muscle size than the lifting (concentric) phase, primarily because you can handle heavier loads during eccentrics.

• Practical Tip: To achieve optimal muscle growth, it's generally recommended to incorporate both concentric and eccentric contractions into your training regimen.

7. Rest Intervals (Time Between Sets)

This is the amount of time you rest between completing one set and starting the next.

• For Strength and Muscle Growth: Taking longer rest periods (e.g., 3 minutes) between sets can lead to greater increases in both muscle strength and size compared to shorter rests (e.g., 1 minute). Longer rests allow for fuller recovery, enabling you to perform more repetitions and maintain higher intensity and volume in subsequent sets.

• Practical Tip: Aim for at least 2 minutes of rest between sets to maximise your gains in muscle size. Remember that longer rest periods will extend the duration of your workout sessions so I like to time my rest periods with my watch or phone. 

8. Training to Momentary Muscular Failure (Pushing Until You Can't Do Another Rep)

This means performing repetitions until you literally cannot complete another one with good form.

• General Impact: For most people, consistently training to muscle failure doesn't appear to be strictly necessary for gains in strength or muscle size.

• Practical Tip: For muscle growth, aim to train closer to failure (leaving 1-3 reps "in reserve"). For strength, it might be better to focus on heavier loads and stop about 3-5 repetitions short of failure to avoid unnecessary strain. Training closer to failure can also improve your ability to accurately perceive your effort levels.

9. Advanced Training Techniques (For Experienced Lifters)

Once you've mastered the basics, advanced techniques can provide an additional stimulus, especially if you've hit a plateau or want to add variety.

• Cluster Sets: Short rest intervals (20-60 seconds) within a set, allowing for a greater total load or sustained higher external loads. Eg. 5 reps, rest 30seconds, 5 more reps. Rest 3 minutes. Great for heavier loads. 

• Supersets (Push/Pull or Upper/Lower Body): Performing two exercises back-to-back without rest. Time-efficient and can boost overall training volume. Eg. Bench Press x 12 reps straight into Seated Row x 12 Reps, then rest. 

• Drop Sets: Drop sets involve reaching failure, immediately reducing weight, and continuing to failure. Eg. 8 x DB Curls @ 20kg’s, 8 x DB Curls @ 15kg’s, 8 x DB Curls @ 10kg’s, Rest. 

  
  

10. Other Training Considerations

Some variables have less direct influence on the magnitude of muscle mass gains but are still important for effective programming.

• Exercise Order: The order in which you perform exercises doesn't appear to directly influence the overall amount of muscle growth. Arrange exercises based on personal preference or to deliberately focus on a specific muscle group.

• Time of Day: Your muscles adapt and grow similarly regardless of whether you train in the morning or evening. Choose the time that best suits your schedule and when you feel most energetic. Some people love a 5 am, some love a 5 pm. Do what works for you, not what your favourite influencer does. 

• Periodisation: The systematic planning of your training over time. Different models (e.g., linear or undulating) show no significant differences in hypertrophy when the total training volume is equated. That being said, periodisation enables a psychological edge which lengthens training longevity. 

11. Nutrition (The Crucial Role of Protein & Creatine)

What you eat is just as important as how you train.

• Protein is Essential: Consuming enough dietary protein significantly enhances the muscle mass and strength gains you achieve from resistance training. Protein supplementation has been shown to augment 1RM strength by about 9% and increase fat-free mass (muscle) by about 27%.

• How Much Protein?: For most healthy adults engaged in resistance training, aim for a total daily protein intake of approximately 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight per day (g/kg/day). Some research suggests that up to 2.2 g/kg/day may be prudent for maximising muscle gains.

• RDA is Insufficient: The standard recommended daily allowance (RDA) of 0.8 g protein/kg/day is generally not enough if your goal is to build strength and muscle mass with resistance training.

• Who Benefits Most?: Protein supplementation is particularly effective for resistance-trained individuals. Its efficacy can be reduced with increasing age, as older individuals may require higher protein doses per meal.

• Timing/Source: The specific timing of protein intake (e.g., immediately after exercise) or the type of protein (e.g., whey vs. soy) plays a minor role, if any, in long-term muscle and strength gains over several weeks. Focus on your total daily protein intake.

• Creatine supplementation. Research has shown that creatine supplementation between 3-5g per day, every day. It helps your muscles produce more energy during training, allowing you to lift heavier, perform more reps, and recover faster between sets.

• Carbohydrates are king. Yes you can build muscle on a Ketogenic diet or a Carnivore/Low Carb Diet, but performance won’t be as great. Muscles store fuel in the form of glycogen which gets released as required to fuel your muscles. More fuel = bigger lifts and closer to failure. 3-5g per KG of bodyweight is recommended. 

12. Recovery and Sleep (The Forgotten Training Variable)

Muscle growth doesn’t happen while you’re lifting; it happens while you recover. Sleep is one of the most powerful recovery tools available. Poor sleep and high stress reduce your body’s ability to build muscle, increase strength, and stay consistent.

• Practical Tip: Aim for 7–9 hours of quality sleep per night. Establish a wind-down routine, limit screens before bed, and keep your sleep schedule consistent. Also, manage stress through breathing, mindfulness, or light activity such as walking or stretching. Strong recovery habits keep your training effective.

  
  

Final Thoughts for Your Success:

• Train Hard, But Smart: Use a wide range of loads, but always push sets close to your limits/failure. Heavy lifting builds maximal strength, while lighter loads when taken to near-failure, are equally effective for muscle growth.

• Prioritise Volume and Consistency: Multiple sets, repeated week after week, drive progress. Aim for at least 10 quality sets per muscle group per week and keep showing up.

• Balance Intensity and Recovery: Rest long enough between sets (2–3 minutes for big lifts) to maintain performance, and fuel your body with adequate protein (around 1.6–2.2 g/kg/day), carbohydrates (around 3-5g per/kg/day) and creatine to optimise recovery and growth.

• Stay Flexible, Stay Patient: Whether you train in the morning or evening, use straight sets or advanced techniques, or mix in lighter and heavier loads, the key is staying consistent and adjusting as you progress.

Above all, remember: progress comes from steady, sustainable effort over time. Lift with intention, recover with purpose, and give your body the consistency it needs to adapt. With patience and commitment, the results will come, and they’ll last.