Effective strength training is part science and part art.

The science is in knowing which variables: sets, reps, tempo, exercises, rest periods, etc, are most appropriate for a given goal.

The art is knowing how to tailor these to each unique individual.

And although it's beyond the scope of a single article for me to distill the entire body of exercise science research into a plan anyone can follow. I'm hoping that by providing you with the basic principles along with a case study of how they may be applied, you might get some ideas of how to structure your own training.

The demographic I have the most experience working with are fellas over 40 who want to pack on muscle and/or lose fat.

With these dudes, in addition to the usual requests (burn fat, get jacked, Brad Pitt in Troy..), we also have to consider things like making sure that their training program supports optimal hormone levels, not drive their testosterone levels into the floor because we're doing too much volume and not recovering between sessions.

And almost without exception, they're trying to squeeze their workouts into an already busy life, so we must consider that in everything we do.

We'll call our hypothetical test case Jason. He's a busy dad who works 40 hours a week and wants to look jacked, be strong, and stay healthy.

I give you the most effective evidence and experience-proven principles for training for muscle.

And I'll show you they could be applied to Jason or someone like him.

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Principle #1: For best results, do 10 - 20 hard sets per body part per week.

The longer you've been training, the more you would want to be towards the higher end of that spectrum.

However, there are also diminishing returns as you do more sets.

Doing 20 sets isn't going to give you 2 X the progress of doing 10.

Past a certain point, the gains become marginal, and the more essential nailing things like sleep, nutrition, and recovery become.

Jason doesn't always get a perfect night's sleep, and his diet, while good, is still a tad bit loosey-goosey.

So, in this case, 12 sets per body part per week is this sweet spot.

It'll provide enough stimulus to create new muscle without requiring Jason to turn his life upside down to optimize all his recovery variables.

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Principle 2: Hit each muscle group 2 - 3 X week for best results.

For simplicity's sake, we'll split the body into five main muscle groups,

Chest/Shoulders/Triceps

Back and Biceps

Quads

Hamstrings/Glutes/Low Back

Abdominals

There are also specific muscles that, when developed, really help you look like you lift. It's well-known among Hollywood trainers that developing the middle delts, upper traps, and biceps is the fastest way to get an actor from looking scrawny to looking savage.

And Jason very much likes the of looking a little more beastly, so he'll add a little bit of that stuff into his programs.

In my experience, beginners and intermediates do better hitting each muscle group 3 X week.

Whereas in advanced lifters who can handle some weight and need longer, more brutal workouts and thus more time to recover, two times is better.

Jason has stayed somewhat in shape, but he's far from an advanced lifter, so we'll go with three full-body workouts a week.

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Principle 3: Train using primarily compound lifts.

A compound lift is one that hits multiple muscles at the same time.

Some classic examples include dips, rows, dumbbell presses, chin-ups, lunges, deadlifts, and squats. These types of lifts build a very balanced-looking physique and real-world functional strength.

80% of your training should comprise these types of exercises, with the remaining 20% focused on isolation exercises to bring up specific areas you want to develop for aesthetic purposes ((bis, tris, neck, etc.) or to bring weak areas up to speed.

There are multiple compound lifts for each of the major muscle groups.

For example, just off the top of my head, for chest/shoulders/triceps, you could do a barbell bench press, a dumbbell bench press, incline presses, any type of push-ups, dips, ring dips, seated machine press., etcetera, etcetera.

What's important in Jason's case is that he finds 1 - 3 lifts for each body part that he can perform without discomfort and which allow him to feel a good mind/muscle connection.

And that he sticks with them for at least six weeks before switching them out.

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Principle 4: Take each set to within 1 - 2 reps of failure.

The evidence tells us that anywhere from 5 - 30 reps per set can be effective for Hypertrophy (adding muscle).

So long as you take your sets close to failure, you will grow.

However, not all new muscle is created equal.

Higher reps promote Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy, where the muscle grows because it can now hold more fluid in its cells. So, although the muscles get bigger, they won't get any stronger. Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy also leads to a puffier-looking muscle.

Wheres Myofibrillar Hypertrophy, caused by lifting heavier weights for fewer reps (5 - 8), leads not only to very significant strength increases but also firmer, more dense-looking muscles because it builds new muscle fibers.

So, Jason chooses to do his compound lifts in the 5 - 8 rep range to promote Myofibrial Hypertrophy and give his bis, middle delts and traps a little more polish in the 10 - 15 reps per set for a mix of both types of Hypertrophy.

The key is that he pushes to within a rep or two of failure while keeping his form pristine.

I don't advise going to actual muscular failure because the burden it places on your nervous system can lead to feeling wiped out for days afterward.

You get 95% of the benefits without ever hitting failure, and your joints and your nervous system will thank you for it.

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Principle 5: Progressive Overload

If it does not challenge you, it will not change you.

For every workout, you have to have the intention of improving over the last one.

This can mean lifting heavier, grinding out an extra rep, or something more subjective like having a greater range of motion, better technique, or more pronounced mind/muscle connection.

What's important is that you improve in some way every time you set foot in the gym.

In Jason's case, this means adding 5 lbs to an upper-body compound lift or 10 lbs to a lower-body one once he can hit eight reps while still maintaining pristine technique.

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​Putting it together (Sample Workout)

So, to recap, Jason has decided to train three days per week and accumulate 12 sets per body part per week.

His Monday workout might look something like this.

MAIN LIFTS (90 seconds rest between sets)

Incline Bench: 4 X 6 - 8 (Chest/Shoulders/Tris)

Chest Supported Row: 4 X 6 - 8 (Back and Bis)

Kettlebell Front Squat: 4 X 6 - 8 (Quads)

Romanian Deadlift: 4 X 6 - 8 (Hamstrings/Glutes)

(Total sets per body part - 4)

ISOLATION (45 - 60 seconds rest between sets)

Barbell Curl: 3 X 10 - 15 (Biceps)

Lateral Raise: 3 X 10 - 15 (Middle Delts)

V Ups: 3 X 10 - 15 (Abdominals)

(Both the middle delts and the biceps would have also been hit during the compound lifts, so Jason doesn't have to do 12 sets of isolation work a week to encourage them to grow. Just a few extra sets per week are all that's needed, so long as he adheres to principle #4.)

Jason could finish this workout in 45 - 60 minutes, and that's with plenty of time for a warm-up and cooldown.

Then, on Wednesday and Friday, he could do a different set of compound lifts and hit some other isolation spots (triceps or neck, for example).

Closing

Hopefully, this contrast between the principles and how they might be applied in a real-world case will help you dial in your training program.

What works for a 20-year-old kid with excessive time and energy isn't what works for a 40-year-old time-crunched dad.

But both must adhere to the fundamental principles to get the most out of their training.

This is what I meant at the start of this email about effective strength training being part science and part art.

And if you'd like a program handcrafted for you, holla at your boy, and we'll make something happen.

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Stay Hungry,

Adam