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How Much Do You Bench Bro?

 

PopAdamBonillaSitting quiz for all of you guys who are trying to build muscle out there...

Who is most likely to have a result of more muscular hypertrophy

(increase in muscle size) from the 2 options below?

 

A: Bench Press - 10 reps at 100 lbs for 4 seconds negative 1 second

positive and 0 transition time 4/1/0

 

B: Bench Press - 15 reps at 111 lbs for 2 second negative 1 second

positive and 0 transition time 2/1/0 

Answer: Trick question (sorry) they will both get the same result in

terms of muscular hypertrophy.

 

Equation for figuring out total weight per rep under tension WPRUT:

Reps x lbs x tempo

 

Example A: 10 reps x 100 lbs = 1,000 x tempo of 5 seconds per rep =

5,000 total WPRUT

Example B: 15 reps x 111 lbs= 1,665 x tempo of 3 seconds per rep =

4,995 total WPRUT

 

If you’ve ever talked with me about the proper way of training for

muscular hypertrophy you probably didn’t expect the hour long

explanation as to my belief in proven methods of time under tension.

There is no question that I take the nerdy approach to training for my

clients and myself, but if it’s proven to be the best method of

training then why aren’t we all doing it that way? “Bro Science” will

always run rampant in the gym. You know how it is in the gym where the

belief is that the biggest guy there has to know the most about how to

train, right? 

 

We’ve all been newbies at one point and finally worked

up the courage to ask the giant of the gym what his thoughts were on

lifting. Sometimes the big guys do really know their stuff; but, often

times they simply have a basic understanding of how to lift and will

have gotten their amazing results from hard work, great genetics, or

working with a top trainer. 

 

So it’s low reps for size and high reps to get cut still, right? Get ready 

to have your mind blown and…. BOOM!

 

Rep ranges really aren’t important at all. Muscle doesn’t know that

you’re doing 6 reps or 15, it only recognizes how much tension it’s

under. The more tension the more muscle breakdown and as a result a

need for a higher increase in protein synthesis for the muscle worked.

We've always heard the conflicting recommendations on rep ranges.

I’ve read 6-8 reps was the best and then later I read that 15 was the

best from the exact same magazine a few months later! What we rarely

hear about is repetition tempo and as you can see from the equation

above repetition tempo is HUGE for total time under tension. Guy A can

do 6 reps in 10 seconds and Guy B can do 6 reps in 50. Both by the

method mentioned in the magazine would be correct, but obviously Guy B

would get more muscle breakdown due to the increase in total time

under tension. So, let’s take this one step further! What is the best

rep range? Let’s change our thought process as to what is the best

time range and now we’re heading in the right direction.

 

The researched best time ranges are:

4-24 seconds for strength

32-48 seconds for growth

60-120 seconds for endurance

 

This doesn’t mean that your 6-8 rep range at faster tempos are

useless. With so many people still working that way, it has been proven

to give you some muscular hypertrophy. However, just as training

evolves science has now proven there are more effective methods. This

doesn’t mean that you will never go into a strength phase again. There

is always a time and place where you will need a strength phase to set

you up for your next hypertrophy phase.

 

So how do I apply this? What I always tell my clients is this: Go into

the gym and do 4 sets like you always do them. Don’t worry about time

under tension or tempos, just do them how you've been working normally.

On your 3rd and 4th set time yourself during that set and see how long

you kept your muscle worked under tension. Almost every time I’ve done

this with an advanced client they were always in the strength tempo

ranges even though their goal was to gain size. Now forget about reps

on your next exercise, DON’T COUNT! Counting reps sets you up for a

stopping point. Watch the clock and pick a weight that you can perform

3 second negatives with perfect form for 32-48 seconds. You’ll soon

realize that the amount of weight you are using will have to go down.

Oh well (shrug shoulders) I’m not a power lifter so who cares how much

weight I’m lifting? I know I don’t. Leave the ego at the door for this

workout and be prepared for some amazing results! Don’t stay in this

phase for too long.  I never recommend doing more than 3 workouts in a

row the exact same way and I never recommend staying in one phase for

more than 6 weeks.

 

-Adam Bonilla

Trainer of Team Elite Physiquez

Sponsored Body Fuse Athlete

Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist

NASM Certified Personal Trainer since 2001

NASM Weight Loss Specialist

NASM Performance Enhancement Specialist

NCSF Certfied Personal Trainer since 2002

ISSA Certified Personal Trainer since 2000

APEX Certified Personal Trainer since 2001

Master Trainer Qualified

Heatlh and Wellness Cal U Penn

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www.fitnesswithadam.com

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