Charles Poliquin's workout tips for more muscle
The legendary strength coach unveils a few fundamentals of muscle building.
Mix up your rep volumes
'Keeping your reps low and weight high is a great way to build up the nervous system to lift heavy loads, but it's not the fastest way to hypertrophy (the increase in the size of your muscle cells). Alternating cycles of nine to 12 reps with cycles of four to eight reps is the quickest way to gain lean muscle mass.'
Always drink a muscle-building shake after training
'Taking a post-workout shake is critical for gaining mass. In fact, the rate of protein synthesis, and possibly muscle growth, can double when protein is consumed immediately after a workout. Research at the University of Connecticut has found that a protein/carb shake also helps increase the number of testosterone receptors. For those athletes who are already lean, I've found that results are best when you use a formula that contains four carbs to every gram of protein. You should be taking on two grams per kilo of bodyweight post-workout.'
Don't overuse machines
'Remember this motto: Seven days training on machines makes one weak! Because of the scale of motor unit recruitment, if you're lining up at the gym for the lat pull-down machine, you are not going to grow as fast as the guy slaving away at the chin-up bar.'
Burn your calories in the gym
'You can't effectively gain a lot of muscle mass if you play football four days a week, then run up and down hills on Sundays.'
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Joe Warner is a highly experienced journalist and editor who began working in fitness media in 2008. He has featured on the cover of Men’s Fitness UK twice and has co-authored Amazon best-sellers including 12-Week Body Plan. He was the editor of Men’s Fitness UK magazine between 2016 and 2019, when that title shared a website with Coach.