Rethinking Hypertrophy
Fuck bodybuilding as a sport. It’s gross. It amplifies not only our narcissistic tendencies but also our predisposition to seek shortcuts to identity at the expense of function. And yet, we’ve learned much from the sport, so it can’t be disregarded entirely.
When people envision their ideal physique, it’s most often about being more muscular (adding tissue), looking more muscular (getting leaner), or both. This doesn’t mean that by “more muscular” I’m projecting the image of a freakishly tan pageant victim. One can pursue muscle and lean tissue development without disrupting power-to-weight ratios or becoming an “influencer.” For the novice trainee, muscular development and fat loss can happen simultaneously—what we call body recomposition. For advanced trainees, however, distinct phases are required: mass gain, stabilization, leaning, stabilization, and so on—until apathy sets in.
Almost everyone who attempts to change their body through bodybuilding “idealism” gets lost in a perpetual cycle, stuck in a single phase (most often mass gain), or becomes disillusioned by their reflection.. These days, the pressure to curate a persona for followers often traps people in an unyielding need to stay “stage lean.” I believe this happens as a consequence of disregarding function. “Big enough” becomes obvious when it starts to interfere with general aerobic performance—something that’s rarely recognized in those without an aerobic demand (most gym rats). “Lean enough” becomes apparent when recovery is compromised, which is also hard to identify when the closest thing to performance is chasing a pump or hitting a pose.
The exact body weight and body fat percentage that work for you are highly individual. There will always be outliers, but in general—and without the use of performance-enhancing drugs—there’s an upper limit to how much lean mass someone can carry while still functioning. This isn’t something anyone needs to worry about if they keep one foot in the “capability bucket,” because relevant ability and its degradation are self-evident. You must carry your engine, so make sure it’s worth it.
Muscular development isn’t just about size—it’s about quality. Tissues that are dynamic in range of motion and explosivity, yet conditioned for resilience, are far superior to tissues that are unidimensional. Transient hypertrophy—glutting the muscle with blood and fluid through heavy repetition and compounding sets—stabilizes the joint by creating fluid-like support in the spaces around the working tissue. When combined with various stresses and ranges of motion, this training style offers a strong foundation for injury mitigation and physical longevity.
The signal for muscle growth is specific, but it doesn’t come from a formula. It’s a sensation, a feeling, and it evolves over time, requiring different stimuli. This can only be discovered through experience, not a chart. This sensation is often referred to as “the pump,” which relates to sarcoplasmic hypertrophy—an increase in the fluid surrounding the muscle due to the relationship between rates of work and the tissue’s capacity. Some will chase this feeling their entire training career, not realizing it’s only part of the equation. Myofibrillar hypertrophy, on the other hand, refers to actual tears and compensatory growth in the muscle fibers—what we commonly call “strength training.”
What must be understood is that neither type of hypertrophy happens simply by going through the motions of “lifting weights.” Growth requires a conscious effort—not just imagining yourself growing, but actively manifesting it. This is often referred to as the “mind-muscle connection,” but it’s not some mystical concept. It’s simply an awareness of what you’re doing while you’re doing it, it is the neurological and psychological connections. Psychological confidence in the cause-and-effect relationship, and trust in the eventual result—placebo or not—are essential. This is what takes time: learning new sensations, connecting those sensations to results (sometimes only visible in the mirror), and repeating this process while adapting it along the way.
Time under tension and the acidic burn of effort are the alchemical processes through which we change our structure. Training subjects you to these sensations. The more you can tolerate and trust the process, the greater your potential for growth. Simplified: you must believe in what you’re doing. Belief gives meaning to the action, and the action becomes more potent with your awareness. The longer your belief can extend into the process without seeing the payoff, the more potential you have.
The typical rep and set schemes often promoted for hypertrophy are, by and large, worthless. That doesn’t mean you won’t end up in the same general ranges or that there’s something inherently wrong with the scales frequently referenced. But aiming for a number takes you further from feeling the sensation because it assigns an arbitrary metric, void of personal experience, and creates a task-focused target. Your body doesn’t respond to a magical number or percentage. It responds to the environment you expose it to.
We train in order of importance: joints, connective tissue, and then muscles. You will always see mobility work that is hard to distinguish from our strength endurance work. When focused on muscular development, think of it as “heavy up front.” When you’re fresh, you can contract harder and better for heavier weights, and heavier loading has a greater effect on the “white stuff” (connective tissue) and the neural pathways. Pure repetition with lower loads and more controlled movement predominantly signals the “red stuff” (muscles). Both are primary drivers of muscle growth, but they’re short-sighted if used in isolation. We must also focus on growth through long eccentrics and isometrics, which are largely ignored in modern bodybuilding. Eccentrics and isometrics take the connective tissue to its end range under load and it is one of the direct ways to train it. And while no one is bringing about how “swole” their ligaments and tendons are, muscle develops at a 16:1 ratio which tells us that it will be even worse without specific attention. It also tells us exactly what is going to break.
Training is not “task accomplishment” or a checklist. It’s a conscious practice of expanding your mind into your body, increasing your skill level, and advancing the challenge of adaptation. Instead of focusing on reps, sets, or checking a box, focus on feeling what you’re doing. Put yourself in the tissue you’re training. Feel the onset of tingling, the sharp turn to an intolerable burn, and the signals urging you to stop. Learn to detect what is enough stress and what is not enough. You don’t need “heavy” weights for this sensation, but you do need tension and concentration. This often requires tricking yourself.
Our schemes are often a form of psychological manipulation, designed to hit an effective sensation. We must override our natural inclination to become “efficient.” We do this through ladders (ascending and descending), accumulations, drop sets, tempo work, and holds. But no matter the method, the goal is always the same: to affect tissue in a meaningful and purposeful way.
We aim to continually expand our range of motion and incorporate tissue growth into compound athletic movements. The blend of both types of hypertrophy—sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar—happens naturally when you explore diverse and complex movement patterns. We don’t stick to one method or format because variation keeps you present.
If the “optimal” rep range is between 35-65 reps, the loading must validate this. This means there is no such thing as “optimal.” The reps themselves won’t do the trick. The loading makes achieving those reps difficult, and it’s between these three variables—reps, load, and effort—that we might find the sensations we’re looking for. The signal is clear: “My tissue cannot tolerate this much repetition or tension. I need more, please.” So, take it to that point and send the message clearly.
That said, heavy weight isn’t always appropriate for movements that lack coordination or control. We bridge this gap by using less weight but increasing time under tension. We also explore the end ranges of motion with maximal contractions to increase range and potentiation. There’s no “system” for this, and many would argue it’s dangerous. We’d agree—but expand that anything is dangerous for the inattentive.
To achieve the desired sensation, we use various “paces” for repping: slow and controlled (tempo), fast and explosive, and sometimes a mix of both within the same set. If someone is given 3x15, they’ll rarely do 16, and they’ll almost never risk increasing the weight or tension to the point where they might “fail” the task. This is the problem with prescribed rep/set structures—they cater to the task-accomplishing brain of a human, not the adaptive needs of the body.
Where and how we apply this style of training is also worth contemplating. The universal answer is “wherever good tissue is needed.” But the real answer is more nuanced. We’re not just using the gym to enhance aesthetic goals. There are many physical attributes to consider, and many systems that contradict or compete for time and energy. These can detract from our ability to develop lean tissue without risking the loss of practical abilities in skill and endurance.
For this reason, we periodize strength-endurance work, planning specific periods of the year where it becomes the focus. Once a stable, appreciable amount of tissue is built, we incorporate it into other training. Realistically, 2-3 sessions per week of strength-endurance work for 10-12 week blocks every one or two years is enough to build and maintain the musculature required for longevity and aesthetics. This keeps the practice in perspective and prevents one from being consumed by the dead end of vanity. Scattered sessions during normal training periods help maintain respectable levels of mass and are also fun to do—which means they’ll actually get done. Don’t dismiss the occasional “pump session” as a waste of time.
And yet, no matter how much you train, nothing will happen unless you feed it.
Feeding the potential for muscle growth is a habit—before, after, and sometimes even during training. It’s about giving your body the resources to heed your command. If training is about tolerating intensity, feeding is about understanding compensation. Meaningful tissue growth often requires eating all day. You must eat—most likely more than you want—and with foods you wouldn’t necessarily prefer or crave. Mass gain is not an excuse to eat mindlessly or consume poor-quality foods. It’s a time to become more attentive to what, when, and why you’re eating.
A protein shake after training is too late. Perhaps this idea comes from treating humans like dogs, rewarding them for their “good boy” moments at the gym. Or maybe it’s just a perpetuated marketing scam. Either way, you need amino acids circulating in your blood before you train to make the work you do as potent as possible. Protein synthesis depends on the availability of building supplies. A lean, easily digestible source of protein containing a complete amino acid profile 30-45 minutes before training gives you the best chance of utilizing the signal. This is especially important for women or “hard gainers”.
You can read all about the dangers of a “negative nitrogen balance” on bodybuilding forums, but the gist is simple: you need supplies both before and after training. The post-training window is a bit more controversial. Companies fight over the exact ratio of protein to carbs, but the reality is that your body simply needs to replenish glycogen stores. Eat some protein with some carbs and keep it simple. Historically, this period has been geared toward carbohydrate consumption, as it helps replenish glycogen and keeps total carb intake lower for those who want to stay relatively lean during a mass-gain phase.
During this period, it’s also wise to limit heavy fats. You don’t need to avoid them entirely, but added oils can disrupt digestion and slow the absorption of the nutrients you need. Many people nowadays fast, which has its uses, but fasting can limit overall intake, making it harder to recover from training and complicating the pre- and post-training meals that are critical for growth. If you want to fast, do so on days when strength-endurance is not the goal.
A good starting point for mass gain is consuming your body weight (in pounds) in grams of protein daily. Carbohydrates and fats are adjusted individually based on tolerance and disposition, or simply to fill in the excess calories, which should be 10-15% above maintenance (yes, this requires knowing your maintenance calories). People tend to fall into one of two categories: carb-tolerant or fat-tolerant. This may be reflected in respiratory exchange rate (RER) tests, which can indicate a predisposition for certain fuel substrates. These metrics are loose guidelines but can help explain why some people tolerate one macro better than another. Fuel substrates are also trainable, one can learn to use fat better as one can learn to use glucose, but there are tradeoffs for this skill.
Often, people are “sticky” with weight gain—it may take time to get going. Start by adding 10% to your caloric intake each week until you see an average weight gain of 1lb per week, then back off. Meaningful weight gain (without excessive fat gain) typically falls between 1-1.5lbs per week. Protein should be the focus of most meals to make this happen, and even then, hitting 1g/lb of body weight per day can be challenging. Protein powders and supplements can help bridge the gap. Carbohydrate intake should be concentrated around activity, while fats should not be reduced for long periods, as they’re essential for hormonal health and the delivery of micronutrients.
This is the foundation for dialing in nutrition. It’s not a secret—it’s a starting point. You’ll still need to figure out the details: what foods to eat, when to eat them, and how to prepare them.
Another often-ignored aspect is having an end date. Build mass for a predetermined period (10-12 weeks), then adjust your training to incorporate this hard-earned tissue into applicable abilities. This means leaning out to some degree but also focusing on conversion. This phase will help shed any unwanted fat gained during the mass phase, but more importantly, it will re-educate both the new tissue and the user. You must determine whether the mass you’ve gained is useful or not.
