WHICH FACTORS ARE MODIFIABLE FOR GLUTE GROWth?

FREQUENCY, INTENSITY AND VOLUME:

TO ACTIVATE THE MUSCLE GROWTH, WE HAVE DIFFERENT POSSIBILITIES:

THE TRAINING HAS TO BE EITHER FREQUENT OR HIGH INTENSITY OR HIGH VOLUME OR A COMBINATION OF THOSE 3 VARIABLES. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN CONCRETELY?

IT MEANS THAT YOUR GLUTE MUSCLE HAS TO HAVE ENOUGH STIMULUS TO GROW. THIS CAN BE REACHED BY VARYING THE 3 FACTORS:

FREQUENCY: TRAINING 2 OR MORE TIMES A WEEK

INTENSITY: TRAINING HARD (GOING MORE OR LESS NEAR TO ACTUAL FAILURE) (4REPS OR LESS)

VOLUME: AMOUNT OF EXERCISES AND SETS

THIS MEANS FOR YOU, IF YOU LIKE TO TRAIN HARD, MAYBE YOU DO A FEW MORE SETS, BUT ONLY TWO TIMES PER WEEK, THAT`S PERFECT. IF YOU TRAIN A BIT LESS HARD (NOT GOING OFTEN TO ACTUAL FAILURE) AND YOU DO FEWER SETS, BUT YOU DO IT A FEW TIMES PER WEEK, THAT`S GREAT AS WELL. WHAT WON`T WORK IS TO WORKOUT INFREQUENT, NOT HARD AND WITH NOT MUCH VOLUME AT THE SAME TIME.

IN GENERALLY WE CAN SAY THIS ABOUT THE FACTORS VOLUME, FREQUENCY AND TRAINING TO FAILURE:

VOLUME PER WEEK SHOULD BE MINIMUM 10SETS (TO MAINTAIN) - 20 SETS PER MUSCLE GROUP OR FOR A WELL TRAINED PERSON EVEN 25 OR MORE! (THERE IS NO RESEARCH FOR PAST THAN 30 SETS, BUT IF YOU CAN MAINTAIN CONSISTENCY, THERE IS TECHNICALLY NOTHING SPEAKING AGAINST MORE SETS)

FREQUENCY: IT IS VERY HARD TO TARGET THE VOLUME ONCE PER WEEK, STUDIES SHOW BETTER RESULTS WITH 2TIMES PER WEEK OR MORE (2 OR MORE: DEPENDING ON INTENSITY AND VOLUME, BUT IF VOLUME HIGH IT DOESN`T MATTER TO MUCH IF IT IS TWO OR MORE TIMES PER WEEK)

FAILURE: THIS IS THE POINTE IN WHICH YOU CAN NOT MOVE THE WEIGHT ANY MORE IN THE CONCENTRIC PHASE WITH A GOOD FORM AND WITH A COMPLETE RANGE OF MOTION). GOING TO FAILURE IS, IF THEN, ONLY NEEDED IN VERY TRAINED INDIVIDUALS (ATHLETES). FOR MUSCLE GROWTH IT IS ENOUGH TO GO CLOSE TO FAILURE. BUT OCCASIONALLY IT CAN BE HELPFUL (EVEN PSYCHOLOGICALLY) TO GO TO OR FOR VERY CLOSE TO FAILURE. IF YOU DO SO, MAKE SURE TO TAKE A SAFE EXERCISE AND DO IT IN THE LAST MOVEMENT OF THE DAY, TO NOT INFLUENCE THE REST OF YOUR TRAINING. (FOR EXAMPLE: CABLE KICKBACK WITH PYRAMID)

EXERCISE CHOICES:

THE SAME EXERCISE DOESN‘T ALWAYS LEAD TO THE SAME MUSCLE GROWTH FOR EVERYBODY. FOR SOME PEOPLE ONE EXERCISE TARGETS THE GLUTE BETTER THAN FOR OTHERS. THAT`S WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO LISTEN TO YOUR BODY AND FEEL, WHERE ITS BURNING MOST.

GENERALLY SPEAKING WE CAN SAY, THAT THE MUSCLE THAT GOES FURTHEST FROM THE MIDLINE OF THE BODY IS MOSTLY THE ONE WHICH WORKS MOST DURING A WORKOUT.

ALSO IMPORTANT IS TO BE AWARE OF THE EXERCISE ORDER DURING A TRAINING. MOSTLY IT MAKES SENSE TO START WITH THE EXERCISE IN WHICH YOU ARE MOST INTERESTED IN. THAT MEANS IN OUR CASE THE EXERCISE WHICH PROVIDES YOU THE BEST GLUTEGROW. BUT ALSO KEEP IN MIND, THAT IF YOU WANNA IMPROVE IN AN EXERCISE, IT CAN BE HELPFUL TO START WITH THAT ONE. CAUSE IN THE BEGINNING OF YOUR TRAINING, YOU WILL HAVE THE MOST POWER.

PLATEAUS:

IF YOUR ROUTINE DIDN`T CHANGE FOR TO LONG IT CAN HAPPEN TO FALL INTO A PLATEAU (STOP OF RESULTS). IN THIS CASE IT CAN HELP TO CHANGE THE WORKOUT UP, BY DOING A WEEK A WHERE YOU GO DOWN WITH REPS AND VOLUME DOWN, BUT TAKE HIGHER WEIGHT. OR YOU DO THE OPPOSITE: YOU DO SETS OF 20 OR MORE REPS WITH LOWER WEIGHTS AND FOCUS A BIT MORE ON ENDURANCE. ALSO HELPFUL CAN BE TO CHANGE THE EXERCISES UP A BIT AND DO A DELOAD WEEK, WHERE YOU TRAIN A WEEK WITH LITTLE INTENSITY AND NOT NEARBY ANY FAILURE. IN THIS WAY YOUR BODY GET`S SOME REST AND CAN GET READY FOR MORE INTENSITY AGAIN.

REPETITION RANGES:

FOR MUSCLE GROWTH REPETITION RANGES ARE VERY WIDELY. IN FACT YOU CAN ACHIEVE MUSCLE GROWTH WITH RANGES FROM 4 TO 30REPS PER SET (OR EVEN HIGHER REP RANGES). IMPORTANT IS, THAT YOU HAVE TO GET CLOSE TO FAILURE. THAT MEANS, TO GET TO THE POINT, WHERE YOU COULD DO THE EXERCISE WITH GOOD FORM 4-2 TIMES MORE.

IN GENERAL WE RECOMMEND FOR MUSCLE GROWTH FOR MOST PEOPLE TO FIRST FOCUS ON A RANGE IN BETWEEN 8-15 REPS FOR MOST EXERCISES (IF PERSONALY COMFORTABLE), BECAUSE IT CAN BE HARD TO KEEP THE FOCUS AND GO NEAR TO FAILURE IF YOU DO MUCH MORE OR LESS REPS. WHAT CAN MAKE SENSE IS TO OCCASIONALLY CHANGE THE REP RANGES FOR SOME WEEKS AND SOME EXERCISES, ESPECIALLY IF YOU REACH A PLATEAU (SEE PLEATEAU). IF THE GOAL IS TO IMPROVE STRENGTH (NOT NECESSARILY MUSCLE GROWTH, THE REP RANGES HAVE TO BE LOWER. A GOOD WAY TO WORK ON STRENGTH AND MUSCEL GROWTH AT THE SAME TIME CAN BE TO CHOOSE REP RANGES FROM 5 TO 9 REPS PER SET.

ALSO INTERESTING: BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION TRAINING IS A METHOD, WHICH CAN BE USED TO GET VERY GOOD MUSCLE GROW RESULTS WITH LOWER WEIGHTS. EVEN WEIGHTS OF 30% OF YOUR MAX TAKEN TO FATIGUE FAILURE CAN LEAD TO EQUAL RESULT IN HYPERTROPHY LIKE TRADITIONAL WEIGHTLIFTING.

REST BETWEEN SETS:

REST PERIODS DON`T HAVE TO BE FIXED AND OFTEN IT MAKES SENSE TO LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. IN GENERALL WE CAN SAY, THAT FOR HYPERTROPHY (MUSCLE GROWTH) IT CAN BE BENEFICIAL TO STAY AROUND 2MIN, CAUSE THEN THE MUSCLE IS MORE CHALLENGED. BUT STILL: YOU CAN DO WHAT YOU PREFER! RESENT RESEARCH SHOWS THAT YOU CAN TAKE UP TO 3-5MIN TO REST IN BETWEEN SETS AND STILL REACH HYPERTROPHY! ONLY YOU’LL HAVE TO HIT THE VOLUME! THAT MEANS: IF YOU DO MORE REST IN BETWEEN SETS, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO GO HARDER, IF YOU DO LESS, IT’LL BE HARDER AND MAYBE YOU CAN DO LESS REPS.

BUT IF YOU ARE SHORT IN TIME, IT CAN HELP TO PUT THE REST DOWN. LIKE THAT YOU CAN GET TO THE BURN (HIT THE TOTAL VOLUME) IN LESS TIME! FOR MUSCLE GROWTH IT IS ESSENTIAL TO GET THE VOLUME IN! SO TRY TO REACH YOUR VOLUME OR IF YOU CAN NOT DO ALL, ALWAYS BETTER 50% THAN TO SKIP THE FULL WORKOUT.

REST IN BETWEEN TRAININGS:

GENERALLY WE CAN SAY, THAT THE MUSCLE NEEDS 48 TO MAXIMUM 72HOURS TO RECOVER. THAT MEANS THAT GENERALLY IT IS RECOMMENDED TO TRAIN THE SAME MUSCLE GROUP 2 TO 3 TIMES PER WEEK. AS ALREADY MENTIONED, MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE FREQUENCY IS THE VOLUME (EXCEPT 1 PER WEEK). ANOTHER CONCEPT WHICH IS NOT FULLY RESEARCHED YET IS THE CONCEPT OF MICRODOSING TRAININGS (4-6 TIMES A WEEK).