If we want to hypertrophy or what is equal, develop muscle, physical work is of great importance, but not any kind of work will help us achieve the goal. So, here’s how muscle training should be.

Intense training

To stimulate the creation of new muscle fibers and thus, gain muscle, our training must be above all intense. Although of course, that intensity must increase progressively as we work and gain experience.

Heavy work can only be done with high loads that require a great deal of effort on the muscles. It is usual to use between 70 and 80% of the maximum weight that we can mobilize in a repetition, that is, 70-80% of 1RM.

To estimate how much weight you should mobilize, you can see how to calculate 1RM and depending on it, know the loads that you should use to achieve the proper intensity to gain muscle.

Training volume

The volume refers to the number of sets and repetitions that must compose our training.

In general lines, many series and few repetitions of each exercise to hypertrophy are always recommended, a very named standard being 24 x 8, that is, 24 sets of 8 repetitions each, using high loads as indicated above.

However, among the different techniques of bodybuilding is also the use of high repetitions with light loads, that is, increase the number of repetitions by 20-30 per series but using lower loads and reducing the number of series.

The best thing is perhaps to combine both methods and vary the volume, using 1 or 2 times a week light loads and many repetitions and the rest of the training days high loads with few repetitions per series.

Type and order of exercises

To encourage a great muscular effort that produces the rupture of muscular fibers: the principle in the hypertrophy process that we are looking for, the ideal is to use basic or multi-articular exercises.

These will greatly encourage the release of hormones that allow us to gain muscle from there to hypertrophy, should not lack in our training this type of exercises.

Since mono articular exercises or specific muscle work will serve as a complement to the basic ones, it is advisable to perform the latter that demand a greater effort, first.

Training times and duration

To gain muscle respecting periods of rest is of great importance, because it is precisely at this moment when the muscle grows. So, it is not advisable to train every day of the week.

It is advisable to train one day and the next to rest or at least about three times a week if you are a beginner. As you gain experience and the muscle begins to grow, you may need more stimulation and more days of training. However, you should always respect the rest times of each muscle.

The training sessions can last between 40 and 90 minutes each, although it can be adjusted according to the intensity of work: at higher intensity less training time and vice versa.

Finally, it is said that slow repetitions in each series that increase the time of muscle tension, is very helpful, in fact it has been proven that when the repetitions take longer to perform, it stimulates more muscle growth.

And you may also need a good rest time between sets that can reach and exceed 60 seconds.

These are the characteristics of a good workout to hypertrophy, so if you want to gain muscle, consider all the above factors that will help you achieve results.

Of course, leading a proper diet and caring for other lifestyle habits are also important in achieving good muscle development and allowing our training the desired fruits.