Program Structure

The focus of phase 1 in this program is increasing muscular size through progressively overloading the muscle to force myofibrillar adaptation to an ever-increasing load.   Phase 2 of the program looks to take the added strength from phase 1 and repurpose it more directly to pure hypertrophy—that is, making the components that take up space in the cross-sectional area of a muscle larger.

This means that the muscles performing the movement are getting stronger—not just that you are able to move a heavier bar from point A to point B.  This type of strength increase is slower and less obvious.  This type of strength is also much more closely correlated to myofibrillar hypertrophy—or the actual growth of contractile tissue. 

The most important thing to note is that making a muscle stronger is different than getting stronger in a movement.  Getting stronger in a movement simply means that you’re able to lift more weight in an exercise—this is essentially powerlifting.  There is NOT a one-to-one correlation to getting stronger in a movement and increased muscle mass in the muscles used for that movement.  Getting stronger in a movement can occur because of improved mechanical advantage, neurological adaptation, better supporting equipment,

Phase 2 in this program moves its focus more intently on purely hypertophic adaptation.  There is some aspect to muscular growth that is unrelated to muscular strength but still causes an increase in the size of a muscle.  It is hard to argue that there isn’t some benefit to non-strength increasing training that focuses on increasing blood flow to the trained muscle.  The easiest way to accept this is to simply look at the difference between a powerlifter and a bodybuilder.

While each workout still places some focus on progressive overload in phase 2, additional emphasis is placed on this non-strength adaptation growth known as “sarcoplasmic growth,” through what is often called “blood volume” training.  The way in which phase 2 of the program tracks progress and looks for growth is as follows:

All red colored sets are “PR sets” or “myofibrillar sets.”  Your primary focus in these sets is hitting a PR without any change to form, rest time, or any other variable other than muscular strength.  You MUST hit at least one PR in the “core” movement (squats, bench, deadlifts) every single workout.  You SHOULD hit at least one PR for every single body part.  You should TRY to hit a PR in every red colored set of every workout.

While the general approach to both phases in this protocol is progressive overload, there are multiple adaptations in which a muscle group grows larger.   If you were to slice through the cross-sectional area of a muscle group in half, you would see that the majority of the “muscle” is not contractile tissue, but instead a conglomerate of fluid volume, blood vessels, capillary density, and other non-protein components.  While increasing the contractile strength of the associated proteins will indirectly increase the size of these components as well, there is a more direct approach to stimulating the growth of the non-contractile muscle components.  This is where the daily workout programming becomes important. 

1.     The part of training that the “bro-split” gets correct is the need for increased blood flow to the trained tissues and the delayed onset muscle soreness associated with high intensity, higher volume training.  Training frequency can be maximized if muscle soreness is minimized—but that does not also optimize the synthesis of new muscle tissue—it only maximizes the number of times in which a PR can be attempted.  There is some benefit to the increased volume that comes with training a body part to the point of noticeable soreness.

Types of Muscle Growth

The standard understanding of muscle growth is that the myosin and actin contractile fibers increase in size and number through the synthesis of new proteins.  This results in an increase in muscular strength and an increase in muscle size.  The idea that this is the only form of muscle growth is a hot topic in the science of muscle building.  The problem with the idea of myofibrillar growth being the only form of muscle growth is that it does nothing to explain the vast differences in muscle size between professional bodybuilders and competitive weightlifters.   In addition, anyone who’s ever seen a piece of steak can quickly spot the difference between a fresh cut of meat and one that has been dried into beef jerky.  If all that remains once a cut of meat is dried out is the actual contractile proteins of the meat, then what is all that other stuff?  Steak is made of muscle—are we to believe that the only portion of that muscle which can be influenced through weight training is that small portion that remains as beef jerky? 

Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy

Myofibrillar Training

This thought process is where people FAIL in progressive overload.

Set variations that do not count as a PR

   Widening your stance on squats

   Adjusting the seat to a more mechanically advantageous position on a machine

   If you get a PR because you rested an extra minute between sets, you were just more rested—not stronger.  Taking 10 minutes between sets isn’t bodybuilding

   A PR set on a machine is for that machine only

   If your previous PR on a back movement was with that movement as the third exercise, then moving that to the first exercise so the muscle is fresher is not a PR

The sarcoplasmic training portion of this program should be the most familiar to readers.  It is essentially the standard type of training shown in nearly every bodybuilder’s training program since the sport began.  Although any chance to increase the weight used in a movement should be taken advantage of, the goal of this portion of the program isn’t setting PRs.  The goal in the sarcoplasmic training sets is to lift in the manner that current studies show to stimulate the greatest level of muscle protein synthesis following training. 

• Lift explosively.  The concentric (positive) portion of the rep should be completed in rapid form.  While you may have been taught that “good form” involves slow controlled reps, I urge you to consider the difference between “good form” and “form that builds muscle” because studies on the subject show that an explosive concentric motion is most effective
• Focus on getting a “pump” in the muscle.  We’re looking to increase blood flow to the tissue.  We want the tissue to be overwhelmed with blood flow to the point that its only recourse is to increase the size and density of its blood vessels and capillary beds.  These things take up space in the muscle tissue and increasing their size and density will add size to the tissue—as well as increasing the functional capacity of that tissue to bring and remove nutrients and waste products.
• It’s not entirely clear what role delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) plays in muscle growth, but the fact that our sarcoplasmic training will include a higher number of sets and reps than the myofibrillar focused portions means that soreness will be higher in the muscles targeted with the sarcoplasmic training.  Because of this, the workload of the program is structured such that which muscles will experience greater DOMS is taken into consideration.