What We Learned
1. A good workout should increase protein synthesis for about 48 hours in the targeted muscles. So if you work out three times a week, it makes sense to use total-body routines, rather than splitting things up and working each muscle group once. Even a bigger stimulus on that single day can't make up for the additional benefits of hitting the muscles more often.
2. With presses, squats, and deadlifts, most guys understand the importance of using heavy weights for low reps, at least some of the time, to get the best gains in the biggest muscles. But it also applies to smaller ones. If you're going to do curls and extensions, try going heavier for a few weeks every now and then.
3. Keep in mind that you don't have to do curls and extensions, especially if you're already doing a lot of upper-body work. Presses, rows, and chinups and pullups can annihilate muscles from your hands to your core. Annihilating certain ones even more won't produce additional benefits.
4. Rest periods probably matter more than you think. All the lifters in the first studied rested 90 seconds between sets, and all got impressive results. In the second study, those who used the longest rest periods (as well as the heaviest weights) got the biggest gains in arm size. And in the third study, rest periods were restricted to 60 seconds per set, even when they used forced reps. Those gains were comparatively less impressive.
More From Men's Health: Signs That Someone Is on Steroids
The biggest lesson, however, is one you won't find in the data: Novelty matters.
All the subjects, in all three studies, did workouts that were different from their customary routines. In Schoenfeld's study, the volunteers were used to doing some kind of split routine. That helps explains why the group that didn't do body-part splits got better results. "Based on interviews with the subjects, I'd say that the total-body routine was more novel," he says.
But it's not just novelty. Like you, the volunteers were probably used to winging it in the weight room, changing things up when they're bored but sticking to the tried and true when they're not. When those choices were taken away, and they were forced to pay strict attention to rep speed, rest periods, intensity, and progression, they all got bigger and stronger.
In other words, for the best possible results, follow the instructions.
Read the original article published on Men's Health.
Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest for more tips, recipes and ideas to fuel your ACTIVE life.
Stay in shape in a fitness class or read more fitness articles.
