3 Myths of Muscle Building

 When it comes to building muscle: there are hundreds of different articles, magazines, and videos on the subject. "Gain a pound of muscle a week". "6 pack abs in a month"! "How to Lose A Gut In 10 Days". These are all common headlines that we see whenever we search for information about building muscle. I know from experience that slapping on some size is hard enough as is. Wasting time on misleading or ineffectual advice only adds more time to your journey of achieving the physique you desire. This article discusses 3 common myths of muscle building.

 

#1 Muscle is Created in the Gym

The only things made in the gym are strength gains and hernias. The less time you can spend in the gym while still getting in a good workout, the better. Lifting weights actually destroys fibers in the muscle. That's why proper nutrition and sleep are so important. Without the right amount of each, you'll have to live with the fact that even if you can bench 225, no one outside of the gym will believe you. 

 After you workout and destroy your muscle fibers, you have to provide the right nutrients to repair them. Any type of resistance training will improve muscle protein balance, but without the right foods, you're just swimming against the current. According to researchers, there is a 24-48 hour post workout window. In this window, what you eat and the quality of your sleep has a big impact on muscle growth. Its not 100 percent true that "abs are made in the kitchen". However the steps you take outside of the gym are just as, if not more important then, what you do at the gym.

#2 Lifting Heavy is the Way to Grow.

This one is not completely wrong. To gain size you do first need to gain strength. However, when it comes to growth, you need to not only overload the muscle, but shock it. What do I mean by that? Simple. Albert Einstein once said, "insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results". This is especially true with weightlifting. Your muscles will adapt over time to you performing the same movement with the same number of reps. You can overload the muscle by either adding additional weight or reps. If size is your main goal, then focus on performing quality reps with a low to moderate weight.

This study lends credibility to the higher reps argument for size. When it comes to size, you should train for muscle hypertrophy which is typically between 6-12 reps. Becoming stronger (heavy weight, low reps) is necessary in the long run to overload the muscle, but it shouldn't be the priority in every workout. To paraphrase a quote from one of my favorite bodybuilders Chris Jones, "You don't have to be the strongest guy in the gym, to have the best body in the gym".

#3 Supplements are generally a waste of money

Whether you are just starting out on your quest for size or you're a more seasoned gym rat, you've probably heard about the importance of meal timing. The significance of a pre-workout meal that consists of quality carbs (rice, pasta, beans, etc.) is pretty clear. It provides you with a source of fuel otherwise known as muscle glycogen. Healthy glycogen reserves have been shown to help slow down muscle protein breakdown. Studies have proven that drinking a protein shake within a six hour post recovery window, led to much higher muscle glycogen resynthesis compared to a solid meal within a four hour post workout window. Let that sink in. Still think that $20 protein powder isn't worth it?

References:

Moore DR. Maximizing Post-exercise Anabolism: The Case for Relative Protein Intakes. Frontiers. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2019.00147/full. Published August 23, 2019. Accessed March 6, 2021. 

Development M. The Best Rep Range for Muscle Growth. THE BEST REP RANGE FOR MUSCLE GROWTH. https://www.musculardevelopment.com/training/15972-the-best-rep-range-for-muscle-growth.html#.YELhjOhKjb2. Accessed March 6, 2021. 

Hypertrophy (medical). The Free Dictionary. https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Hypertrophy+%28medical%29. Accessed March 6, 2021. 

C. Kerksick TH, J. Ivy RP, DG. Candow PDC, et al. Nutrient timing revisited: is there a post-exercise anabolic window? Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-10-5. Published January 1, 1970. Accessed March 6, 2021. 

Laboratory 1ENR. Postexercise Muscle Glycogen Recovery Enhanced with a... : Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. LWW. https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/fulltext/2006/06000/Postexercise_Muscle_Glycogen_Recovery_Enhanced.14.aspx. Accessed March 6, 2021.