THE SHORT
AND SWEET
GUIDE TO
GETTING
STRONGER
& BIGGER
BY ELITE COACH
BORGE FAGERLI
WWW.BORGEFAGERLI.COM
I have been very vocal about my views on volume and frequency
throughout the years, and it is about time to provide a short
summary.
As research evolves, we are getting more information about
what works for an average of subjects to build a muscle bigger
and stronger.
On an individual level, 25 years of experience with close to 5000
clients has enabled me to acquire a few insights on what will also
work on an individual level, when the general guidelines fall
short or don’t work at all.
I don’t think it is very productive to get lost in the math of lifting,
where some start looking at totals (i.e. tonnage or volume-load
as a function of reps x sets x load).
Tonnage or volume load doesn’t necessarily equate to
hypertrophy.
So what does?
How Muscles Grow
Hypertrophy, the technical term for muscle growth, is when your
muscles get bigger from exercise. It's driven mainly by a force
called mechanical tension. When applying a load or resistance
which tries to stretch your muscle fibers while you are
contracting against it to lift it or to lower it under control, you are
applying mechanical tension to the tissue.
The more resistance you apply, the more your muscles *should*
feel this mechanical tension - but not necessarily on a fiber level.
The force the muscle is able to exert depends on how fast or
slow it contracts, known as the force-velocity relationship. Slow
contractions make your muscles exert more force compared to
quick ones, because actin and myosin, the contractile proteins
inside the muscle – which look almost like Velcro – “latch” onto
and pull on each other, and slow movement velocities ensure
that the “Velcro” has sufficient time to do that.
Another important factor is the length-tension relationship,
which means your muscles are stronger at longer lengths and
weaker at shorter lengths, with a few exceptions. One example is
the gluteus which is also very strong when contracted, designed
by nature to propel you forward by applying a strong force when
the foot is just underneath your hips and slightly behind you - as
in running or sprinting.
There is currently interesting research showing an added
stimulus for hypertrophy when stretching a muscle under load as in the eccentric/lowering part of the repetition, or when using
exercises which puts sufficient force on the muscle at the end of
the range of motion. This is called “stretch-mediated
hypertrophy”, and is most likely stimulated by titin – another
filament inside the muscle fiber which can act as a spring being
stretched – as well as channels that open and allow calcium ions
to enter. The latter is a stimulus but also a fatigue mechanism.
The debate is raging to what extent this mechanism occurs in
the long-term, since one of the adaptation is an increase in fiber
and fascicle length which will diminish the stretch. Even if the
jury is still out, we’re still going to be doing a variety of exercises
where some focus on the mid-range of the movement, and
some focus on the end-range or stretched part of a movement.
An example is barbell curls vs preacher curls.
The biceps curl has the most resistance when the elbow is bent
90 degrees and pretty much zero resistance at the bottom when
the biceps is stretched the most:
Compare this to the preacher curl where there is resistance at
the bottom of the movement when the biceps is stretched:
Both have their place in a training program, and even if we can
claim that biasing longer length movements should provide a
better stimulus for muscle growth, it is also more fatiguing (due
to calcium ion influx which causes muscle damage) – and this
added fatigue needs more recovery before you can train that
muscle effectively again.
The Role of Fatigue and “Failure”
As mentioned previously, when you get closer to the end of a set
and your muscles start to fatigue, your contractions naturally
slow down. This slowdown helps actin and myosin, special
proteins in your muscle cells, to latch onto each other and
produce more force.
To reach the highest level of mechanical tension, which is crucial
for muscle growth (hypertrophy), you need to either lift
sufficiently heavy loads or approach the failure/fatigue point by
doing more repetitions with medium and light loads.
This also aligns with the size principle, which dictates that
smaller motor units are used first, and larger ones are recruited
as you work harder. It is generally advised to lift loads that you
can do a minimum of 5 repetitions with and a maximum of 20-25
repetitions with.
Even though some research has indicated up to 30 repetitions to
be effective for stimulating muscle growth, in a practical sense
this will move you more towards the strength-endurance part of
the spectrum, be very uncomfortable to do on a regular basis,
and you will be better off lifting moderately heavy weights with
low to moderate repetitions.
So, pushing yourself to failure or close to it, is important because
that's when your muscles experience the most mechanical
tension, especially towards the end of tough sets.
Deliberately slowing down your lifting cadence will not
necessarily cause hypertrophy, as the body will then avoid
recruiting all muscle fibers.
The Chicken-or-Egg Paradox of Progressive Overload
Progressive overload is simply making your workouts harder
over time, and most have gotten this relationship backward. It’s
not that you need to push yourself harder and harder, it’s the
fact that as you get stronger you need to stay at the SAME level
of effort by lifting heavier weights, doing more repetitions, or
balancing both in comparison to your previous sessions.
So the true relationship: Being able to progress in load or reps or
both in your strength training is a sign that your workouts are
effective.
It's important to note that progressive overload doesn't mean
doing more sets or exercises, and shortening rest periods just
makes it more challenging on the cardiorespiratory system.
Progressive overload is about consistently getting stronger over
time by either lifting heavier loads for the same number of reps,
or lifting more reps with the same load (up to a certain point
where the load is eventually so light that you’re doing more than
25 reps with it). This progress might not happen every week or
month, depending on how long you've been training.
1kg per week is 52kg per year(!) Maybe possible for a beginner
on some exercises, but not for someone close to their genetic
and hormonal ceiling, or on smaller isolation exercises.
Finding the Right Repetition Range for Hypertrophy
As previously mentioned, hypertrophy can be triggered with
various repetition ranges, but the best results usually come from
doing 5 to 25 repetitions per set, especially when you push
yourself to the limit.
In practice, most people will notice that they get more growth
out of certain rep ranges, most likely due to perceptions and
preference and not necessarily physiology.
Since higher reps (15-20+) generate more fatigue and lower reps
(1-5) will put more strain on joints and connective tissue, the 512 rep range is a good compromise, and my recommendation is
5-8 reps as a "sweet spot" where you should spend the most of
your training time.
This range minimizes calcium-ion buildup and thus fatigue in
your central nervous system, while getting all those “effective
reps” where you activate all muscle fibers from the very first rep.
Some may find that they prefer slightly more repetitions, and
some exercises also subjectively feel “safer” that way, so doing
up to 8-15 repetitions is also perfectly viable as long as you
manage the added fatigue properly.
The Optimal Rest Periods
Taking longer breaks between sets is better for hypertrophy.
Research shows that shorter rest periods lead to less muscle
growth because of the buildup of metabolites that inhibit signals
to your muscles. Even if you subjectively “feel” it is working your
muscles better – the actual physiology shows that you are now
getting more metabolic and cardiovascular stress, and less
muscular stress with less muscle growth. In fact, a 1min rest
period probably requires you to do twice as many sets for the
same muscle growth due to the drop in overall quality.
To optimize your hypertrophy-focused workouts, rest for at least
2-3 minutes and even up to 5mins between your working sets.
Finding the Right Number of Sets for Hypertrophy
The number of sets you perform in a training session is equally
as crucial as the repetition range.
Maximum hypertrophy results from performing 3 to 6 sets per
muscle group per training sessions, divided into 1-3 exercises
depending on the muscle group and goals - with a few caveats
that I will discuss soon. This range ensures muscle stimulation
without pushing the body into overtraining territory.
Doing more sets than this generally requires that you stay
further away from failure on each set, keeping a minimum of 2
repetitions in reserve.
Starting with a Single Working Set
For those new to hypertrophy training, unsure of their current
limits, or if you have been training with excessive training
volumes for a long time and need a “reset”, I recommend
starting with just one working set.
This has the added benefit of finding your fatigue or failure
point. Understanding where that failure point lies is crucial in
training effectively and safely, since we can’t really discuss
training volume without also taking into account proximity to
failure.
Always recalibrate your point of muscular failure by choosing
exercises that are safe to do so on. A barbell bench press or
squat without a spotter are not good choices, whereas a
dumbbell bench press or doing squats in a power rack with
safety bars are better – and machine exercises are generally the
safest for trying that last repetition you think you won’t be able
to make.
Many are surprised to find that they have actually been training
3 or more reps from failure when they thought they were 0-1
reps from failure, and correcting this will provide immediate
progress - with fewer sets that now have higher quality.
Going to failure has a recovery cost, so I generally advise to use it
sparingly and only on a single set - or on the final set when doing
multiple sets.
As you can see, 1 rep in reserve (1RIR) provides the best
stimulus:fatigue ratio, as that final rep can require up to 2448hrs extra recovery!
(Ilustration from: Refalo MC et al., Influence of Resistance
Training Proximity-to-Failure on Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy: A
Systematic Review with Meta-analysis. Sports Med. 2023
Mar;53(3):649-665. Epub 2022 Nov 5)
After mastering this, you can gradually introduce an additional
set, but now staying 1-2 repetitions away from failure (1-2RIR) on
most sets. This methodical approach helps determine the failure
point without risking overtraining or injury.
The most *sustainable* range is between 2 to 4 sets per muscle
group in a workout, depending on how often you train that
muscle group.
This not only guarantees adequate muscle stimulation but also
gives the body ample time for recovery, reducing the risk of
overtraining and potential injuries.
However, individual differences in recovery capacity and training
experience may lead some to benefit from higher or lower
training volumes, so it might be worth experimenting with.
Advanced trainees might occasionally perform up to 5-6 sets
(when training at 0-2 reps in reserve) for a particular muscle
group to elicit growth, or up to 8 sets if splitting that volume over
at least 2 exercises and doing most of the sets with 2-3+ reps in
reserve.
Powerlifters often do several submaximal sets at higher loads to
get in sufficient volume and practice with an exercise, without
putting excess strain on recovery, so that they can work at
higher frequencies (strength display has a strong skill
component).
Conversely, beginners or those with limited recovery will find
that 1-3 sets suffice, and instead spending more time on their
warm-up sets to get more practice with the chosen exercise.
Summary of Volume Recommendations: 1-3 sets, up to 4-6 sets
As each workout generates a certain amount of fatigue (both
local and central, or peripheral and CNS as they are usually
referred to as), there will be a dose-response relationship that
looks like a bell curve vs. a straight line that just tapers off - i.e.
as you go beyond the 4-6 set per muscle group range you may
incur a host of negative effects.
Always remember to listen to your body and adjust accordingly,
while maintaining the balance between stimulus and recovery.
This leads us to the next important variable – training frequency.
Training Frequency Relative to Sets and Proximity to Failure
Training frequency, or how often you train a specific muscle
group (and not just how many workouts in a week), is
intertwined with the number of sets you perform and how close
you train to muscular failure.
When determining the right frequency, it's vital to understand
recovery. Training a muscle group intensely, especially closer to
failure and with higher reps, necessitates a longer recovery
period.
For instance, if you’re consistently training with a high number of
sets in the upper range of the recommendations, and to failure
(or 0-1 reps in reserve), your muscles and nervous system might
require 72-96 hours/3-4 days or more to recover fully before the
next session.
A recommended frequency range is to train each muscle group
2-3 times per week.
However, if you’re hitting the higher end of the set range and
consistently working close to failure, twice a week or even every
4-5 days is probably closer to optimal.
Conversely, if you’re still finding your sweet spot and training
with fewer sets, or not pushing as close to failure, you might find
that 3x/week frequency, such as in a fullbody program, allows
for adequate recovery and growth stimulus.
The infamous Norwegian Powerlifting Frequency Project showed
the best gains in both strength and hypertrophy from training
each lift 6x/week - but this was also a high volume study where
the 3x/week group spent 3hrs per workout in the gym AND they
were elite lifters - so the benefit seen in the 6x/week group was
due to better fatigue management. I don’t think anyone reached
failure on any set during the 12 week study, so we should keep
that in mind when interpreting the results.
Listening to Your Body
Over time, your body will send signals. Persistent soreness,
reduced strength, or stalled progress might mean you’re either
training too frequently with insufficient recovery or pushing too
hard in each session.
Conversely, if you feel underworked and see minimal
progression, consider upping the volume or frequency.
The simple fact that training correctly should allow you to
consistently add a rep here and a little load there, means that
you have the best indicator of whether your chosen volume-RIRfrequency combination is working.
Also remember that you can get away with temporary
overreaching, or doing too many sets too close to failure, for a
period of 4-6 weeks – but if you begin stagnating or regressing
without any obvious changes to your sleep, nutrition or stress
levels you have been overdoing it and should scale back.
Tying It All Together
The synergy between the number of sets, proximity to failure,
and training frequency is nuanced. Adjust one, and it might
necessitate adjustments in the others.
The art of hypertrophy training lies in this balancing act. By
starting cautiously, listening to your body, logging your progress
in a notebook or app, and being willing to adapt, you'll find the
formula that drives your maximum muscle growth while
ensuring recovery and long-term progress.
Choosing the Right Exercises for Hypertrophy
In hypertrophy-focused workouts, pick exercises that require
less body stabilization. This lets you concentrate more on the
target muscle, reducing the involvement of other muscles in
stability.
This sounds counterintuitive since many recommend freeweight, complex and more unstable exercises to build more
“functional” strength that also involves stabilizers, but stable
exercises put more tension on the target muscle, which is crucial
for growth.
So, selecting exercises that mainly engage the muscle group you
want to develop is vital. The more muscle groups that are
involved in an exercise, such as in compound movements, the
more divided the stimulus will be.
A muscle that is the limiting factor in a given exercise is also the
one that achieves the most stimulus.
If your lower back is the limiting factor in a barbell squat, you
won’t properly challenge your glutes and quads. If your triceps
are the limiting factor in your overhead press or bench press,
your shoulders and pectorals won’t receive the proper stimulus.
One could argue that if you keep doing that exercise, the limiting
muscle will become stronger and thus less of a limiting factor,
and that over time this should allow you to train the other
muscle groups more effectively.
But you are also spending a lot of time improving a limiting
muscle group without improving the target muscle group, so
include one isolation exercise for that muscle group in your
program to ensure complete development.
For quads that would be leg extensions, for glutes: hip thrust or
glute bridge, for shoulders: a cable or dumbbell lateral raise.
Also, adapt exercises to your unique body structure. Some
movements may work well for one person but not for another
due to differences in individual structures. This also goes for
machines, there is no “best” brand or machine, try them out and
make sure to adjust seats, handles, platforms and foot/hand
position to see if it works better – but if it doesn’t feel right,
choose something else.
There is even research to show that self-selecting exercises
works better for muscle growth.
Training should be enjoyable, even if you’re straining and lifting
heavy weights!
Summary
To sum it up, achieving hypertrophy involves understanding
mechanical tension, progressive overload, the right repetition
and set ranges, proximity to failure, strategic rest times, training
frequency, and exercise selection that suits your physique. By
grasping these elements, you can effectively and strategically
optimize your way to muscle growth and strength.
For most lifters, each movement or muscle group can be worked
around 2-3x/week at a maximum of 2-4 hard, or 4-6 moderately
hard (1-2RIR), or 5-8 submaximal (2-3+RIR) sets each workout, in
the rep range you prefer. My most preferred rep range is 5-8,
but up to 8-12 reps is perfectly viable – and probably preferable
on certain muscle groups or exercises.
I suggest starting with 1 set to failure, and then add 1 more set
every 3-4 weeks to see if you get better gains – but if you can get
more out of less stay there as the most sustainable approach.
I’ve had clients make incredible gains on 1 set fullbody routines
2x/week during life stages where they just wanted to maximize
their ROI while taking care of various life challenges.
I think spending some time at both higher than 8-12 and lower
than 5 reps is wise on occasion, e.g. for 1-6 week cycles - unless
your goal is to specifically improve strength-endurance or
absolute strength, respectively.
Let your instincts guide you.
Lifting closer to a 1RM with low reps will usually yield the best
gains in 1RM due to the principle of specificity, and skill
(practicing the test more often) plays a big role in the ability to
display true 1RM strength.
If you for various reasons want or need to get in a higher weekly
volume you would probably be better off increasing frequency
instead of volume per workout - unless you are already training
3x/week - but experiment to see what works better for you.
If you’re not consistently getting stronger (improving reps or
adding weight) AND generally feeling under-recovered, you
should reduce volume, frequency or both.
This goes for all of you who for whatever reason are suffering
from compromised recovery, whether it be:
Sleep deprivation (personal experience from when my son
was a year old and would wake up every hour, every night)
calorie deficits (planned diets or unintentional undereating)
poor stress management (create awareness around your
work/study habits, boundaries and what you say Yes or No
to, work on mental resilience and fortitude).
EXAMPLE TRAINING PROGRAM
I have provided an example program to demonstrate how you
can put theory into practice. This fullbody template done
3x/week is the most universally applicable for everyone with at
least a year of training experience, normal jobs/studies,
family/social commitments and average stress levels.
Programming for youth/elderly, people with extreme stress
levels, for natural bodybuilding/fitness competitors or athletes
is beyond the scope of this guide.
The exercises are just suggestions, and can be substituted with
whatever you prefer or equipment you have available.
I suggest 1-2 days of rest between workouts, so e.g. Mon-WedFri is one format that works great for those who wants their
weekends off.
Saturday+Sunday and then another workout some time during
the week is also workable for the Weekend Warriors.
I also suggest 2-3+mins of rest between each working set.
For warm-ups, unless you’re walking or riding a bike to the gym,
3-5mins on the treadmill is a good idea.
Dynamic movements such as shown here can also be a great
way to warm up.
EXAMPLE TRAINING PROGRAM - CONTINUED...
You can pair up exercises with opposing muscle groups or
upper/lower and reduce rest periods slightly, so instead of
waiting 3 minutes between each set of bench press on Day 1,
you can rest for 60-90secs, do a set of pulldowns, rest 60-90secs
and then do the next set on bench press, and so on.
After the general warm-up, do at least 1 warm-up set per
exercise, 2-3 if you’re going to lift heavier weights. Don’t wear
yourself out on these warm-up sets.
My recommendation:
50% of working set weight x 5-8 reps
70-80% of working set weight x 3-5 reps
(optional) 90-100% of working set weight for 1-2 reps
If you’ve already done an exercise for a muscle group, 1 warmup set should be enough.
Example: If you did bench press earlier in the warm-up and
you’re going to do a pectoral fly or triceps pushdown, 1 set at
70-80% of the working set weight is sufficient.
EXAMPLE TRAINING PROGRAM - CONTINUED...
For volume, I recommend starting with 1 set to failure (where
safe) the first 2-4 weeks, even if you’re used to training with
higher volumes. This will ensure that you have recalibrated your
ability to train to failure, so that you can truly train at 1-2RIR
going forward.
Then, add 1 more set to all exercises, or just the ones you want
to prioritise, and stay with 2 sets for another 3-4 weeks,
evaluating your progress.
If you’re happy, stay there. If you want to explore your volume
limits, add 1 more set every 3-4 weeks until you reach a
maximum of 5-6 sets OR begin to stagnate or regress. The next
step would be to experiment with different frequencies and
repeat the volume exploration, but that is beyond the scope of
this guide.
Hope this was valuable, and if you have any questions - don’t
hesitate to contact me at: coach@borgefagerli.com
Finally, let’s look at my suggested program template.
EXAMPLE TRAINING PROGRAM
Resources:
www.BorgeFagerli.com - English Homepage
www.BorgeFagerli.no - Norwegian Homepage
Connect with me: