How To Build Muscle

How To Build Muscle reduces down to a relatively simple process of main variables: intensity, failure, and progressive overload.

High-Intensity — Intensity matters. High-intensity movements (like an all-out sprint (or near that velocity which can be achieved by a number of distances such as the 100, 200, 400, 800, 1 Mile) that are performed near maximum pace, a powerlifting PR. These are intensities that can approach muscular failure.

Failure —You only reach that range of real development when you begin to fail. When your muscles literally cannot do the movement (exercise, technique, motion) any more. I find that this is true with learning also. If you are not confused and struggling with ideas, chances are you are not learning.

Years ago I got into a complacent state with my learning where I was just reading books. Don’t get me wrong, books are great. However, if you can read the book without issue, that book probably is not hard enough. It is not challenging you with new material. Try reading a good textbook, or a scientific paper. You can’t read those like you would a good non-fiction geared towards laymen.

Progressive-Overload — Consistently make it harder. In working out, this means that you increase the weight as you get stronger, so that you are always failing. As a weight becomes easier (once you can reach the chosen number of reps for all sets) you either increase the weight, or increase the number of reps.

The key idea is:

Once you get something, move on to something harder.

Intensity

Failure