The single best way to increase muscle size is to focus on getting stronger.
That’s about as simple and straightforward as I can make it.
When you get stronger, know that you are on the path to getting bigger.
When I talk about getting strong, I don’t necessarily mean the amount of weight you can lift once.
As an example, let’s say that you start out bench pressing 100 pounds for 3 sets of 6 repetitions.
Every month, you add 5 pounds to the bar. In 12 months time, you’ll be pressing 150 pounds.
And your chest, shoulders and triceps will have increased in size in order to accommodate the extra weight.
Other than your body doing a better job of using the available fibers in a given muscle, the only way to continue to increase the number of reps you can do with a certain weight is for your muscles to get bigger.
You won’t always see this increase in muscle size on a daily or even a weekly basis.
But it all adds up.
And in a few months time, you will have more muscle than you have right now.
A great example of the link between size and strength comes from natural bodybuilder and World Natural Bodybuilding Federation Pro World Champion Jon Harris.
Not only does Jon have a contest-winning physique, he’s also freakishly strong. In this video, Jon is deadlifting 180 kilograms (396 pounds) for 18 repetitions at a weight of just 82 kilograms (180 pounds).
I know Jon personally (he lives just down the road from me) and, unlike a lot of bodybuilders, he’s 100% “clean” (i.e. no drugs).
Muscle is muscle. If you want it to grow, you have to train it heavy.
There’s another benefit to getting stronger.
After a few years of lifting weights, muscle growth does tend to slow down no matter how hard you train or how good your diet is.
This makes it hard to tell if what you’re doing is actually “working” as well as you’d like it to.
But training for strength is a lot more satisfying, mainly because your results are a lot easier to quantify. You can actually SEE the progress you’re making in the form of more weight on the bar.
And when you see your strength going up, you’ll have a totally new sense of focus and direction.
You’ll feel more motivated… driven… like your hard work is finally paying off.
Going to the gym will be exciting again!
Here’s what happened to Show and Go author Eric Cressey when he decided to focus on training for maximum strength.
“A buddy of mine introduced me to powerlifting, and I dumped all the stupid exclusively high-rep programs, silly time-under-tension guidelines, and single-joint exercises.”
“At that time, I was in graduate school and was fortunate to have access to a DEXA scan – which is generally viewed as the gold standard for measuring body composition. So, I was able to track exactly what happened to my body with a year of lifting heavy stuff – without any change in dietary practices.”
“In that first year, I gained 11.3 pounds of lean body mass and I dropped 5.5 pounds of body fat. Who says you can’t gain muscle and lose fat at the same time? I didn’t try to do either; I just trained to lift heavy s**t.”
The biggest muscles are created primarily by increasing the amount of weight you can lift in the 5 to 15 repetition range.
That’s why it’s crucial for you to focus on increasing the number of reps you can do with a certain weight, and not specifically an increase in the amount of weight you can lift once (although the two are linked to a certain degree).
If the weight you’re lifting in the 5 to 15 repetition range hasn’t changed, there’s a good chance your muscles haven’t either.
“To get big, you have to get strong,” wrote Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“The two are interconnected. Lift heavy, work hard, and size will come.”
“Like night follows day. It works.”
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