Introduction to building muscle

As Exercise Physiologists, we often receive questions about how to build muscle, including inquiries about the best exercises, range of motion, and proper techniques. This is an important topic, especially given the rise of social media, which has led to an overwhelming amount of information—some of it accurate and reliable, while other parts are misleading or false.

There are a multitude of fitness professionals, influencers and personalities who all recommend different things and sometimes have their own niche way of doing things, or claim the best trick to “insert blank”. With the various answers and opinions, it can become very difficult to filter through all the information and find what is true and what will work best for you.

To put it simply, there are 3 main training factors that you can use to your advantage to increase the likelihood of improving your strength and building muscle. The first is training intensity.

To achieve improvement, working out requires a high-level training effort. There is a study referenced here that I would encourage you to read. It is about the minimum effective training dose required to increase 1RM strength and talks about high training loads and intensities. Specifically, it found that 1 set of 6-12reps at 70-85% 1RM 2-3 times per week, can be effective.

This brings us to the second main point: consistency. Another article listed below explores the idea that people often feel they don’t have enough time to work out. It discusses how you can design a workout that is both time-efficient and effective in promoting improvements in strength and hypertrophy. The article emphasises that consistency leads to better results through increased training volume. The more frequently you train, the greater your training volume will be, which in turn should lead to improved strength and hypertrophic effects.

The third and final point is to utilise a full range of motion. Often, the ability to lift or move the weight is viewed as the most crucial aspect of training. However, controlling the eccentric part of the lift is essential for promoting hypertrophy and building strength. While simply moving the weight contributes to both, the eccentric component—where the muscle is lengthened—plays a key role in creating micro-tears. These micro-tears are then repaired, leading to muscle growth. A study by Pallares et al. notes that full ROM resistance training is more effective than partial ROM to maximise muscle strength and lower-limb muscle hypertrophy.

To conclude, my advice to maximise your potential for both strength and hypertrophy during training is to consistently work at a high intensity with a full range of motion. I also suggest reading the articles found below, as they are very worthwhile resources.

Training Intensity: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31797219/

Full ROM: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34170576/

Consistency: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34125411/