There are many things about the modern world that I find puzzling. When, for example, did it become acceptable to attempt to strike up a conversation with someone when they’re in the middle of a set? Why is everyone now “reaching out” instead of simply contacting someone? Or using the term “journey” to describe anything […]

Volume is the key driver of muscle growth. If you want to build muscle as fast as humanly possible, you need volume, and lots of it. Volume, volume, volume. As far as size gains are concerned, volume is the undisputed king. Or at least, that’s what some people will tell you. In fact, some folks […]

Came a question about the wisdom of doing full-body workouts on consecutive days: “Out of curiosity, could you train your whole body back to back on Saturday and Sunday? Or should you avoid training the same muscle groups on consecutive days?” In days gone by, I would have told you to take at least a […]

How does stretching before you lift weights affect muscle growth? Does it speed it up, slow it down, or have no effect at all? To answer that question, a team of Brazilian scientists set up a very simple experiment [1]. They rounded up a group of men, and got them to train their legs twice […]

Some say that certain types of stretching can play a critical role in making your muscles bigger, unlocking your body’s capacity to grow and unleashing monstrous muscle growth. One article I came across claims that stretching has the potential to increase muscle mass by a whopping 318% in just 28 days. It all sounds too […]

In which the question is asked: “I recently came across an article talking about this 1000 Rep Armageddon challenge which was basically 1000 reps split between biceps and triceps. I’m wondering if you’ve ever tried this and if so whether it’s worth my time to attempt it.” The idea behind the 1000 Rep Armageddon Challenge […]

How many exercises per muscle group should you do to build muscle as fast as humanly possible? As a rough guide, I’d suggest doing 1-3 exercises per muscle group, and somewhere between 2 and 5 sets per exercise. That’s the short answer. The long answer, as ever, starts with “it depends.” Specifically, the number of […]

If you want a couple of highly effective upper body workouts designed for the sole purpose of making your muscles bigger, the two I’ve laid out on this page will get the job done. Let’s get started. The upper body workouts laid out below assume that you’re following an upper/lower split. This involves working all […]

Most articles on the subject of fitness motivation are filled with motivational workout quotes about how “the only bad workout is the one that didn’t happen” or urging you to “do something today that your future self will thank you for.” Maybe these help you and maybe they don’t. If they do help, they probably […]

If you’re looking for some bodyweight back exercises and pull-up alternatives that you can use to build your lats, here are some of my favorites. First up, let’s look at some pull-up alternatives. Pull-up Alternative 1: Lat Pulldowns First up, we have the lat pulldown, which is one of the best lat exercises out there. […]