Muscle Mania Part IX: Muscle Growth Made Easy
Searching for the minimum effective dose (M.E.D) for hypertrophy
So, we’ve covered myology 101, we know about muscle protein synthesis and breakdown, and we understand hypertrophy-related cell signaling cascades. We’ve unraveled the micro and macro mechanisms behind hypertrophy, and we’ve explored how different training variables impact muscle growth. For the most part, we’ve asked the nit-picky questions, we’ve looked for hypertrophy optimization — in many ways the focal point of hypertrophy research. But, we’ve yet to zero in on the bare-bones approach and determine the minimum effective dose (M.E.D.) for building muscle. After all, most of us aren’t looking to win Mr. or Mrs. Olympia, nor are we professional athletes chasing razor thin performance margins. For the most part, us average Joe’s and Jane’s don’t want much more than to fit into wedding suits and dresses, to get into shape for beach season, or to have enough muscle and bone density to make it up and down the basketball court, pickup grandkids, and avoid fall injuries later in life. So, what’s the least we need to do to hit these goals? In other words, what’s the least amount of time and effort required to reap the bulk of the benefits of resistance training? If you don’t find yourself drawn to hitting the weights or hanging from the pull-up bar for leisure but are still seeking some muscular gains, this is the post for you.
Check out what Jeff Nippard, competitive powerlifter and bodybuilder, has to say about M.E.D. training — what he refers to as the minimalist approach to lifting — in the video below.
To be clear, the specifics of the concepts below are appropriate for individuals who are brand new or beginner lifters, or who are only interested in the surface applications of resistance training for hypertrophy. For those of you who are more experienced and looking to take your lifting further – looking to come, “closer to your genetic peak,” as they say in this field – the core principles below will be useful, but the details and numbers may not be ideal – hang tight for future posts aimed towards more advanced ideas. Before we get started, check out the recap below where you’ll find links to all of the topics we’ve touched on here in the Muscle Mania Series.
Check out my reference list for Part IX here.
Recap
Myology 101 (I): the structure and function underlying your muscles.
Muscle Protein Synthesis and Breakdown (II): how muscle is made
Micro Mechanisms of Hypertrophy (III): the cell signaling behind muscle growth
Macro Mechanisms of Hypertrophy (IV): mechanical tension, metabolic stress, and muscle damage
Training Variables 01 (V): volume, proximity to failure, and intensity
Training Variables 02 (VI): training frequency/split and repetition tempo
Training variables 03 (VII): rest intervals and exercise selection
Beyond the basics (VIII): Targeted volume cycling and mind-muscle connection
Volume, Frequency, and Exercise Selection
So, we’ve identified volume as likely the most influential training variable for hypertrophy, with more volume generally leading to more muscle gain. But, what’s the least amount of volume required to generate meaningful hypertrophy? Many studies demonstrate that <5 sets per muscle group per week is sufficient to produce significant muscle growth over time. (II, III, XIII) For example, this study showed a mean relative increase of 6.7% in cross-sectional area of the rectus femoris (a quadricep muscle) after ~22 year-old men with 1-4 years of weight lifting experience completed 3 sets of quadricep exercises per week for 10 weeks; furthermore, in their 2016 meta-analysis, Schoenfeld et al. found that <5 sets per muscle group per week lead to a 5.5% relative gain in muscle.
In terms of per-session volume, we previously identified 6-10 sets per muscle group per session as the upper threshold, after which we reach diminishing returns; however, it appears that spreading weekly volume as thin as just 1 set per exercise or muscle group per session can still create significant hypertrophy. (II, III, XII) With that said, from a time efficiency standpoint, if you’re completing less than 5 total weekly sets, it makes more sense to bang them out in one session, instead of investing travel and preparation time into 3-5 short training trips per week. And, we’ve already covered that training frequency does not heavily impact muscle gain when volume-load is equated – provided the per set volume is below 6-10 sets per muscle group (I, II, XVI, XXI); therefore, the greatest bang for buck strategy could be 3-5 sets per major muscle group per per week performed in a single, whole-body training session.
One way to cover your whole body in one session is to conduct at least one upper body pulling movement (ex: pull-up, row, lat pull-down), upper body pushing movement (ex: bench press, push-up, overhead press), lower body pulling movement (ex: deadlift, RDL, straight-leg deadlift), and lower body pushing movement (ex: back squat, lunge, leg press) – similar to Schoenfeld and colleagues’ recommendation in their review on time-efficient resistance training for the general population. (II) By using compound movements like these, you can meaningfully stimulate more muscle groups per exercise than is possible with isolation movements, enabling you to cut down on the total exercises required per session and your total training time as a consequence. (II, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XXV, XXVI) With that said, if you’re looking to equally target muscle groups that are not prioritized in those multi-joint exercises, calculate the additional time commitment you’re willing to designate and implement single-joint exercises accordingly, as we discussed in Part VII. (I, XXV, XXVI) In addition, if you favor machine exercises or certain movements over others – whether it be due to preference, injury aggravation, or simply availability at your training space – from an M.E.D. perspective, exercise selection isn’t very sensitive, in that a host of different exercises work just fine to stimulate muscle growth. (II) The main difference that can result from your selection will be in time efficiency.
Shortcut Takeaways:
Completing 3-5 sets per muscle group per week will get you a large portion of the gains that are to be gotten from resistance training. This volume can be most efficiently achieved with one whole-body training session per week.
If time efficiency is important to you, emphasize compound movements, using at least one upper body pulling movement, upper body pushing movement, lower body pulling movement, and lower body pushing movement per session with additional isolation exercises as desired.
Intensity and Proximity to Failure
Now that we’ve established the M.E.D. standards related to volume-load, frequency, and exercise selection, it’s time to define qualifying reps and sets. In other words, it’s time to identify the quality requirements that any given rep or set must meet to be effective for hypertrophy, at which point we can turn our attention towards efficiency. For starters, we should address how much weight to put on the bar and how far of a ride to take ourselves with that weight. As we covered in Part V, provided that volume-load is equated and sets are performed to failure, a broad spectrum of intensities, ranging from 30% 1RM (1-rep-max) all the way to 90% 1RM are useful for building muscle. (I, II, IV, V, VI) In addition, though the research around intensity generally consists of training to failure, the data specifically regarding proximity to failure suggests that training close to failure – ~5-0 reps away – leads to similar outcomes as training to absolute failure in untrained/novice lifters; however, pushing to absolute failure does appear to gain greater importance for those using lower intensities and for more experienced lifters. (I, XXVII, XXVIII, XXIX, XXX)
Taking these scientific and statistical points into account, let’s now focus on the common-sense and practical considerations that lie on the efficiency side of our equation: time, discomfort, and injury risk. Firstly, since lifting to or even near failure with lower intensities leads to many more reps per set than higher intensities, training at the lighter end of the spectrum means spending more time per set and, generally speaking, more time per session; additionally, at least in my opinion, training to failure becomes significantly more mentally grueling as you proceed past 15 reps per set – and, this is coming from somebody who enjoys resistance training. (II) With that said, the greater the weight – broadly speaking – the greater the injury risk, especially for more novice lifters; furthermore, it may be more difficult for beginners to develop a solid mind-muscle connection when using intensities upwards of 80% 1RM.
Check out Schoenfeld and colleagues’ review on time-efficient resistance training guidelines for the general population here.
Now, with both the questions of effectiveness and efficiency in mind, where does this leave us in M.E.D. terms? My answer lies in the middle-ground, in that a roughly 8-15 rep range – corresponding to about 60-80% 1RM – performed <5 reps away from failure, in my opinion, satisfies the hypertrophy requirements while minimizing time taken, discomfort felt, and injury risk accepted. This recommendation closely mirrors the 6-12 rep range, “where the last few repetitions are a challenge to complete,” suggestion from the previously mentioned review on time-efficient resistance training for the general population. (II) Of course, according to the previously mentioned research, training outside of this rep range will be permissive to gaining muscle and there is no issue with rotating through different zones; however, I think doing so requires sacrificing some of the M.E.D. factors from above. In the case of lower intensities, this means accepting longer set durations and periods of discomfort, as well as training closer to failure, granted, in exchange for lowering risk of injury and potentially improving form. For higher intensities, on the other hand, you are making the reverse transaction – shorter sets and less discomfort for greater injury risk and a potential loss in mind-muscle connection.
Shortcut Takeaways:
Intensities of 30%-90% 1RM suffice for hypertrophy, but the 60%-80% rep range offers beginners the greatest bang for buck with time, discomfort, injury-risk, and technique in mind.
Generally speaking, training within 5 reps away from failure is your best M.E.D. bet, in that there is a logical threshold of proximity to failure for building muscle, and you might as well toss in the extra few reps from a return on time investment perspective.
Repetition Tempo and Rest Interval Duration
Of course, a hypertrophy M.E.D. would fall short if it didn’t touch on the training variables directly related to time: repetition tempo and rest intervals. Though, as we covered in Parts VI and VII, tempo and rest intervals play a relatively smaller role in altering hypertrophy outcomes when volume-load is equated, they do pose some ground rules. In terms of tempo, anything from 0.5-8 seconds per rep seems to be adequate for stimulating muscle growth; however, surpassing 10 seconds in what some refer to as, “super slow training,” appears to degrade hypertrophy results. (I, II, XII, XIII) When it comes to rest intervals, the focus is also on meeting a sufficient threshold, this time consisting of the amount of time required to perform the next set with a high degree of quality and effort at the desired intensity. (XX) In general, the 1-2+ minute time frame embodies this requirement. (I, II, IV, XIV, XV, XVI, XVII, XVIII, XIX)
Manipulating each of these variables with our sights set on efficiency is simple: limit time periods as much as possible without encroaching upon the quality of sets. In particular, I think this is important for tempo manipulation, in that moving too quickly can easily result in a loss of mechanical tension on the target muscle due to degrading technique and reliance on momentum; additionally, if you’re a beginner, I believe that controlling tempo to some degree is pivotal for lifting safely and developing a solid mind-muscle connection. Concerning the minimum necessary rest interval, the best approach might be self-regulation – playing it by feel of recovery – rather than following a pre-determined rest period length. (XX) In this way, you aren’t wasting time resting longer than necessary, and you avoid the training detriments that come with rushing into the next set too soon. And, this approach makes it easy to make adjustments in real-time, as you’ll know to increase your next rest interval if in your last set you experienced a significant drop in the amount of reps you could complete, or if you feel particularly drained – for example, towards the latter half of your sets.
Shortcut Takeaways:
Any tempo from 0.5-8 seconds per rep works well for building muscle, but disregarding tempo entirely could be detrimental to a beginner’s form. For these reasons, using a tempo of about a 1-2 seconds concentric, 0-1 second pause, and 1-2 seconds eccentric may minimize time while preserving quality.
The importance of rest interval selection lies in recovering enough to complete the next set with a high degree of effort and quality at the desired intensity. So, using a self-regulated system, where you rest only as long as you feel you need – which can vary from one set to another – is likely most optimal from an M.E.D. outlook.
The Hypertrophy M.E.D.
Now, let’s see what putting these protocols into play could look like from a zoomed-out view.
* = Special focus on control and isometric pause to improve mind-muscle connection.
3x8 = 3 sets of 8 reps
As you see above, if we utilize non-competitive supersets – completing exercises that use different muscle groups back-to-back (ex: going from a set of back squats right into a set of lateral dumbbell raises) – in each block and assume 2-minute rest intervals between each set of the first exercise in each block, the training aspect of the session totals to only 22 minutes – even with some isolation exercises and a core exercise included. After taking extraneous factors into account, such as waiting for a weight rack or using the bathroom, it’s reasonable to expect to be on your way in around 30-40 minutes, depending on your warm-up and cool-down protocols. Interestingly, Schoenfeld and colleagues highlight in their review that a warm-up is not entirely necessary for the general population.
Now, such a training day does not maximally target all muscle groups – for example, this one is leaving gains to be made in the rear deltoids and rhomboids – but you could compensate for this by rotating different push and pull movements every few weeks. For example, the seated row – a horizontal pulling movement – will target the rear deltoids and rhomboids more so than the lat pull down – a vertical pulling movement – where the lat pull down generally allows for more bicep involvement. Of course, considering that the aforementioned 30-40 minute expenditure is the commitment for the entire week, you can incorporate additional exercises and make this plan more comprehensive by increasing your commitment to just 1 hour per week.
Check out Peter Attia’s tweet here to take a look at how great of an impact simply not being of low physical fitness (defined by muscle mass, strength, and VO2 max) has on your health and longevity — further exemplifying the potential rewards of M.E.D. exercise protocols specifically, and exercise as a whole.
There you have it: your hypertrophy M.E.D. basics and a practical example of how to implement them. Keep in mind that, since you’ve followed along from the beginning of the Muscle Mania Series, you have the principles of hypertrophy at your disposal to guide you in manipulating your training to your liking. If you are questioning your technique, you understand that pacing mechanical tension on the target muscle is of highest priority. If you’re meeting a plateau, you are aware of progressive overload and know the reasonable ranges through which to cycle your volume-load and intensity. At this point, you have all the tools and knowledge needed to start making gains at the weight rack, cables, and benches alike.
P.S. Don’t fear the free-weights section, and especially not us people in the free-weights section. We’re here for exercise, just like you – plus, most of us are nice. And, don’t worry about looking like you don’t know what you’re doing. After making it through all of these posts, you know more about building muscle than almost anybody at your gym.