3 Gym Rules
to Break to See
Big Results
Want to get bigger?
Ignore these common beliefs.
You don't go to the gym for fun, right? You go to see results. To accomplish a goal. And one of the most common goals, especially around this time of the year, is to get bigger. When you're wearing shorts and swim trunks or planning on taking off your shirt, you want a bigger frame, defined muscles and better definition. But a lot of guys don't know exactly how to accomplish this, and if they follow conventional wisdom, they can miss out on impressive results. So feel free to break these three common gym rules in order to get bigger in all the right places.
Lift slow
Your Reason for Breaking It
Your Reason for Breaking It
If you've ever worked out with a trainer, they no doubt reminded you to lift weights slowly and deliberately to maintain control. It's the foundation for good form. But if you're trying to boost the size of your muscles, fast lifts actually activate more of the muscle fibers that have the most potential to grow. According to a 2015 study published in Physiological Reports, participants that trained for eight weeks at a high intensity, low volume resistance program demonstrated increased bench press and lean body arm mass with fast rep resistance exercise training. While faster reps are generally linked to more explosive movements that result in power, training with a faster tempo can also produce gains in muscle size as well. Try to lift quickly and lower the weight a bit slower to maintain control and form.
The Rule
The Rule
Change your routine
Your Reason for Breaking It
Your Reason for Breaking It
"You've got to switch things up to fool your muscles." Ever heard that? Us too. And there's certainly something to be said for keeping things interesting and not getting bored at the gym. But the less complex the body part, the fewer exercises are necessary to efficiently work it out. A prime example is your bicep—a very simple and small muscle. Dumbbell curls are an ideal way to stress them. So why do additional exercises or change up your style? This only swaps in inferior curls in the name of "variety." Instead, do more sets of or change up the speed and include it in every workout. This way, instead of doing something different, you're always doing what's most effective. And according to a 2016 meta-analysis published in the Journal of Sports Medicine, using a range of repetition durations is ideal if the primary goal is to maximize muscle growth.
The Rule
The Rule
Always
do your
deadlifts first
Your Reason for Breaking It
Your Reason for Breaking It
Serious lifters are often reminding us to start our workouts with heavy lifts like deadlifts, because that's when strength and energy are at their peak. But the same logic works in reverse. When you end your workout with deadlifts, you'll better target those exhausted dorsal muscles. By saving the deads to the end, you'll also have more energy earlier in your workout for other (and at-times, more complicated) exercises. This theory, of saving the heavier lifts for last, also applies for other compound moves such as bench press and squats. Moving those big weights is what will help you get bigger overall, forcing your entire body to grow.
Recover like a champ
Get the most out of your time in the gym with these tips that really work.
Recover like a champ
Get the most out of your time in the gym
with these tips that really work.
