Redpoint Fitness

June 30 2010 Fastest way to gain 10-15 lbs

By Iron Addict
Copyright 2009, RedPointFitness.com

If the goal is to gain 10-15 lbs as absolutely fast as possible, how would it best be accomplished? Probably the quickest way to do it would be working out all body parts twice a week doing approximately 16 sets a body part, using low intensity, for sets of 10-12 reps. Add a bit of creatine and taurine, keep carb levels high, with perfect PWO nutrition, and IF (and this is a big IF), you haven’t been training this way, you will likely be up 10, perhaps even 15 lbs of something that “looks” like muscle… Now let me explain that statement.

Muscle growth occurs from sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar hypertrophy. Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy occurs from an increase in the non-contractile cellular fluid in the muscle. The sarcoplasma consists of nutrients, glycogen, capillaries, and mitochondria proliferation. This hypertrophy occurs most and fastest from using lots of high rep sets and high frequency training. While it “looks” like muscle, it does not actually perform the work, and it is, in effect, the plumbing and energy systems of the muscle. This type of hypertrophy is responsible for approximately 25-35% of your overall mass.

Myofibrillar hypertrophy is an increase in the contractile protein of the muscle. This is the actual muscle tissue, and what does the work when you lift weights. This is functional muscle, not the “fluff” that is achieved via sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. Training for myofibrillar hypertrophy is accomplished with reps in the 1-8 range, with some carryover to higher reps. This type of hypertrophy is what provides approximately 70% of your overall mass—probably what you should be focusing on.

So “Joe Bodybuilder” decides he’s going to get “buff” and starts his new routine. Each muscle twice a week, 16 sets a bodypart, and sets of 10-12 reps. Joe eats well and takes his creatine and taurine and within a few weeks, he’s swelling up! He is absolutely thrilled and is absolutely certain Arnold knew his sh*t about bodybuilding!  Now the downside…after the initial gains, primarily through increased nutrient loading, the progress stops. And Joe has two options to make progress keep going: he can add volume, or add weight to the bar. The only problem is how far can you go with volume… 20-24 sets? Then what, 30?!?!?! Ok, Joe has to add weight to the bar to get bigger, but guess what? That kind of loading (volume/frequency/intensity/rep range) makes strength gains come at a snails pace, if at all. And that is why so many people spin their wheels week after week, month after month. They tried something that got them good results at first, and then when it quit working, they did everything except understand the mechanism as to why it worked, and how to get past their sticking point.

If you are to maximally develop your body, you want and need both types of hypertrophy, but too many focus on the wrong type of development at the expense of what really counts. If work capacity/recovery is limited, your focus should be almost exclusively devoted to myofibrillar hypertrophy and bringing up your work capacity. If your work capacity is good, you can train both muscular systems concurrently for better results.

Iron Addict