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Why the conventional wisdom on how to grow muscles is wrong

mennohenselmans.com

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Re: Why the conventional wisdom on how to grow muscles is wrong

#101

Post by ezconnect »

epistemer wrote: post #66
jasondigitized wrote: post #7

"Everybody wants to be a bodybuilder, but nobody wants to lift no heavy-ass weights." - Ronnie Coleman I have gained quite a bit of muscle mass after building out a home gym during covid. I'm no scientist but following the Reddit PPL[1] workout and eating lots of protein did the trick for me. [1] - https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/comments/37ylk5/a_linear_pr...

I have lifted for 30 years. The standard bullshit line in the fitness industry has always been "everyone else is wrong". Practically what every single trainer ever in the world has said. The reason is because of all the things I have done in my life, lifting is the most trivially simple activity there is. It is as complex as shoveling dirt. The only way to differentiate if trying to make money is to bullshit. Pick th…

Their BS is the value add you get for paying them more money.

Re: Why the conventional wisdom on how to grow muscles is wrong

#102

Post by beezle »

aesclepius wrote: post #69
dhr wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm planning out a home/garage gym now. Is there any equipment you recommend? Or ones that people should stay away from?

Rogue is the gold standard but I honestly haven't seen any deficiencies with other smaller brands like Rep or Titan Fitness. I don't know your fitness level, but if you have the space I always recommend the basics: squat rack if you have the time (can also function as pull-up and bench), dumbbells, curl bar if possible, and free weights. I'd keep an eye on used/craigslist listings as well, with the pandemic lifting,…

I've picked up a bunch of things from Titan the past year. The weights and equipment themselves seem fine and will probably stand the test of time.

The one issue I have had with their weight lifting subsidary is shipping Can be a clown show - really banged up boxes, sometimes with holes punched through.

That may be the case with others too - large and heavy items are a problem at FedEx UPS. In fact, my FedEx delivery guy is required to be able to lift more than the people in the distribution center who end up handling these items more times en route. Another issue with shipping is the tie down straps. Titan tapes them over which means the large awkward packages are more difficult to move.

Also, Titan appears not to have any way to send you parts should something have gone missing. I bought a bench (its really nice, love it) and the box was hammered on the way. Though it initially looked like everything inside survived, one small metal plate was missing but absolutely necessary for assembly. After a week Titan sent me an entirely new bench and I had to send the first back. Definite PITA and so wasteful of time/money for all involved.

Re: Why the conventional wisdom on how to grow muscles is wrong

#103

Post by erybodyknows »

dr_petes wrote: post #45
goalieca wrote: post #26

21 comments and not one person mentioned steroids. These are extremely common and are an open secret. All of these bodybuilders who share their routines and meal plans rarely mention what cycles they are on and the long term health consequences of such after their career has finished.

Steroids are illegal in most countries. You don’t win an award by sharing your illegal hobby in the open. For perspective, if a top pro shared their exact stack, there would be tons of teenagers who have never lifted do the exact stack. Which, as you mention, would have negative long therm consequences.

I disagree. As it is now, they will strive to achieve a result that is forever unattainable without performance enhancing drugs. In my opinion, this is like people who make millions selling their how to make millions courses.

Re: Why the conventional wisdom on how to grow muscles is wrong

#104

Post by naasking »

LanceH wrote: post #74
CyberDildonics wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't eat carbs for the pump. It's right there in the paragraph -- you eat carbs to have glycogen, so you can lift more. Then you stop eating carbs to get shredded. Your own quote just says it is an effect, not that it's the purpose.

"It’s not uncommon for a guy to gain 4 pounds of what looks like muscle when they go from a low to a high carb diet. This is probably the main reason high carb diets are so popular among bodybuilders" from the article. The main reason for high carb diets is the energy to lift more. It is not for a brief pump. (among bodybuilders)

> The main reason for high carb diets is the energy to lift more.

Body builders are physique athletes motivated by aesthetics. Assuming body builders do indeed prefer high carb diets, we currently have two hypotheses here:

1. They've tracked their energy levels and the data convinced them that high carb diets improved their energy levels in the gym, which ultimately improves muscle growth over the long-term (your hypothesis).

2. They are motivated by the clearly visible improvement in aesthetics (article's hypothesis).

Gotta say the second seems more plausible on the face of it because it's directly tied to the motivation that defines this group, and doesn't require disciplined long-term data collection.

Re: Why the conventional wisdom on how to grow muscles is wrong

#105

Post by GavinMcG »

texasbigdata wrote: post #88
Attummm wrote: post #62

Please be aware that scientist brad schoenfeld that is being cited throughout the article. Has changed his opinion on some topics and other topics he even did a 180. The human body is very complex system with balances and counter balances. So almost any statement can be true and false, depending on the context. Interview with Brad schoenfeld where he explains his latests thoughts on training. https://youtu.be/SUy6HwO…

That’s literally how science works? Hypertrophy has largely been settled and the main mechanisms and science underneath are well known by now. Call is post-2017. Source: up 40lb of Dexa scan muscle from 2014-2023, at 15lb greater body weight. Not rocket science. Strongly recommend Renaissance Periodization (the hundred of hours of lectures on YouTube if that’s your thing, the two main textbooks, the training template…

Yes, that's how science works. The point the comment was making is that it's not enough to be citing a reliable source. That source has said contradictory things, so someone could build an argument on incorrect premises.

Re: Why the conventional wisdom on how to grow muscles is wrong

#106

Post by halfmatthalfcat »

_trackno5 wrote: post #83
LanceH wrote: post #28

They seem to be talking about bodybuilding a lot, but then (at least some) of the discussions move to muscle growth among random groups of people. The two are not the same. Bodybuilders are trying to put on muscle, sometimes in specific places, long after they have stalled in workouts most people would do. >Going on a higher carb diet increases intramuscular glycogen stores, which attracts a lot of water into the mus…

Your comment makes no sense in the context of Menno’s work. He’s a bodybuilder, coaches bodybuilders, and his content targets bodybuilders. You’ve just built a straw man argument. When you say “then you stop eating carbs to get shredded” is just bollocks. No real bodybuilder stops eating carbs to get shredded. We (I say we because I am a contest bodybuilder) tend to reduce carb intake during a cut or show prep becaus…

You don't have to stop eating carbs, but not eating carbs has the possibility[1] to save off some gluconeogenesis by subbing fat for muscle while in ketosis, retaining more gains from the bulk.

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1373635/

Re: Why the conventional wisdom on how to grow muscles is wrong

#107

Post by HelloNurse »

_trackno5 wrote: post #83
LanceH wrote: post #28

They seem to be talking about bodybuilding a lot, but then (at least some) of the discussions move to muscle growth among random groups of people. The two are not the same. Bodybuilders are trying to put on muscle, sometimes in specific places, long after they have stalled in workouts most people would do. >Going on a higher carb diet increases intramuscular glycogen stores, which attracts a lot of water into the mus…

Your comment makes no sense in the context of Menno’s work. He’s a bodybuilder, coaches bodybuilders, and his content targets bodybuilders. You’ve just built a straw man argument. When you say “then you stop eating carbs to get shredded” is just bollocks. No real bodybuilder stops eating carbs to get shredded. We (I say we because I am a contest bodybuilder) tend to reduce carb intake during a cut or show prep becaus…

> Your comment makes no sense in the context of Menno’s work. He’s a bodybuilder, coaches bodybuilders, and his content targets bodybuilders.

I'd say that participants of studies in which they are asked to repeat well-defined weightlifting exercises with accurately measured rests and repetitions are bodybuilders by definition, not "random groups of people".

Re: Why the conventional wisdom on how to grow muscles is wrong

#108

Post by beezle »

SECProto wrote: post #59
Consultant32452 wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've gotten a ton of mileage out of just a dumbell set. I do all the things most people do with a full bar: squat, bench press, etc. Dumbells are a lot safer for solo workouts.

Using dumbbells instead of a bar also builds stronger stabilization muscles, and doesn't let your strong side compensate for weak side.

True but once you start getting heavy it can be difficult to get into the proper starting position for some lifts as well finishing safely. YMMV.

Re: Why the conventional wisdom on how to grow muscles is wrong

#109

Post by naasking »

texasbigdata wrote: post #88
Attummm wrote: post #62

Please be aware that scientist brad schoenfeld that is being cited throughout the article. Has changed his opinion on some topics and other topics he even did a 180. The human body is very complex system with balances and counter balances. So almost any statement can be true and false, depending on the context. Interview with Brad schoenfeld where he explains his latests thoughts on training. https://youtu.be/SUy6HwO…

That’s literally how science works? Hypertrophy has largely been settled and the main mechanisms and science underneath are well known by now. Call is post-2017. Source: up 40lb of Dexa scan muscle from 2014-2023, at 15lb greater body weight. Not rocket science. Strongly recommend Renaissance Periodization (the hundred of hours of lectures on YouTube if that’s your thing, the two main textbooks, the training template…

> Hypertrophy has largely been settled and the main mechanisms and science underneath are well known by now

No, it's nowhere near this settled. Mechanical tension is universally agreed upon as the main driver, but there are still poorly understood exceptions, like blood flow restriction.

Re: Why the conventional wisdom on how to grow muscles is wrong

#110

Post by halfmatthalfcat »

dhr wrote: post #36
jasondigitized wrote: post #7

"Everybody wants to be a bodybuilder, but nobody wants to lift no heavy-ass weights." - Ronnie Coleman I have gained quite a bit of muscle mass after building out a home gym during covid. I'm no scientist but following the Reddit PPL[1] workout and eating lots of protein did the trick for me. [1] - https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/comments/37ylk5/a_linear_pr...

I'm planning out a home/garage gym now. Is there any equipment you recommend? Or ones that people should stay away from?

Just built out a whole Rogue setup last October: rack, bars, bumper plates, bench, etc. Would never recommend anything else. It's the "Apple" of equipment. Yes, its expensive but it will last forever.
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