How to evolve a training program to achieve better results in strength and muscle mass?

Bodybuilding and strength sports in general, are based on complex associations between the stress imposed on the body by the loads of an exercise and the adaptation to stress by this same physique. Think that your evolution in muscle mass depends essentially on the stimuli that you impose on your body and its capacity to adapt to them. The training program that you have created must be adapted to your level of experience and physical condition. Your body and its neuromuscular system alternately move from a stressful situation to compensate for towards a process of active recovery by muscular hypertrophy . With this in mind, the physical evolution of bodybuilders is not linear in terms of muscle mass and strength. From there, how will you evolve your exercise program? This is a question we will try to answer…

Indeed, every athlete has already had to face periods of physical stagnation, or even regression. However, there are many training methods to progress more steadily in muscle and strength. Remember that your body and its muscle mass are constantly trying to adapt to the physiological stress imposed on it. But sometimes, your training will not produce the expected results. So what are the main factors that can cause bodybuilders to experience a period of decline or stagnation in their performance?

There are several factors you need to consider when it comes to improving strength and muscle growth.

The goal of bodybuilding is to stimulate muscle mass gain . To do this, there are several methods based on common principles. These principles are known to all athletes but they are not always applied with sufficient rigor. Thus, we will cite stimulation by exercise, post-training recovery and diet, the third being linked to the second. These three general factors also obey fairly rigid rules in their implementation, based on our knowledge of the rules of human physiology. Explanations…

The volume and intensity of exercises determine the amount of stress experienced by the trained muscle groups.

From a fairly basic perspective, the load lifted, training volume (the number of sets of exercises in a given workout), and exercise intensity (the volume-to-time ratio) are the two main factors determining the quantity (and quality) of stress placed on muscle mass during an exercise session. Of course, your initial goal will be to try to increase the load over time. However, as you age, you will realize that the load cannot increase indefinitely. Thus, the factors of exercise volume and intensity will have to be considered on the same level as the load lifted.

The greater the stress (and micro-tears), the greater the muscle's potential for hypertrophy and strength growth. If either the volume or the intensity of exercise are too low, muscle protein synthesis will be unlikely to occur, as will strength gain . But here too, exercise intensity and total exercise volume cannot increase indefinitely. Note, however, that some athletes will rely more on exercise volume, while others will optimize their efforts based on the intensity of their weight training sessions. These variables can also change over time. It is not uncommon for experienced bodybuilders to go from a phase of increasing intensity to a phase of increasing volume over several years. In the end, physical fitness, strength, and muscle mass benefit.

Post-workout recovery is essential for muscle growth and strength gains

Obviously, you will not be able to gain strength and muscle if your post-exercise recovery is insufficient. This way, you will easily understand that hypertrophy gains are made outside of the weight room. In addition, recovery times are not limited to the time it takes for soreness to disappear; this means that a well-stimulated muscle cannot be trained again 48 hours after a workout. This error bodybuilding beginner also explains why many young athletes complain of no longer progressing after only 2 or 3 years of bodybuilding.

After this short experience, the body quickly adapted to the exercises performed, whereas the too frequent succession of weight training sessions and the accumulation of stress on the muscles block any new form of progression in mass or strength. In this case, observing a delay of 72 hours between two training sessions is advisable, or even perhaps 4 days after the age of 40. This simple rule will reduce the risks of overtraining. Remember that the older you get, the more your training program should take into account a maximum volume or intensity of exercises, allowing you to recover completely between exercise sessions.

Change the volume and intensity with a training program where the exercises prevent you from stagnating

In this way, adapting your training program (by changing exercises or their order of execution) with longer or shorter sets of exercises to break habits will allow you to quickly regain positive hypertrophy. In addition, avoid focusing on clichés like 6 repetitions to gain strength, 8 to 10 repetitions to gain lean muscle and 12 to 15 repetitions for muscle volume. These generalizing ideas have only a very relative meaning. Indeed, after a few years of bodybuilding experience, some athletes will tend to stimulate sarcomere hypertrophy (the growth of the muscle fibers themselves) or, on the contrary, sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, that is to say the increase in volume linked to the sarcoplasm, the reserve of fluids and nutrients that feed the fibers.

Your training program will also evolve depending on your age and bodybuilding experience.

You will also notice that over the years of bodybuilding, your muscles will tend to naturally become stronger. This observation is often observed in athletes with 10, 15 or more than 20 years of experience who were not gifted for strength at the start. This is easily explained by the modification of muscle fibers over time (IIa to IIb fibers), which is never more than a physiological adaptation to resistance exercise. These changes in muscle mass itself have also been scientifically verified. However, take the time to perform muscular endurance phases from time to time to avoid impasse and neuromuscular exhaustion. Your muscle fibers, even those geared towards strength, also need to see their mitochondrial number increase. Your bodybuilding training program will necessarily have to take this into account.

Lack of post-workout recovery leads to stagnation of weaker muscles

That said, it's not uncommon for some bodybuilders to complain about their weak points for 10 or 15 years before realizing that they're simply overtrained muscles. Generally speaking, smaller muscles like the biceps and triceps will require a lower training volume than larger muscle groups. To this end, try to develop your training program accordingly. Conversely, muscles that are very resistant to change, like the calves, for example, will have a very difficult time hypertrophying. For example, for the calves, two workouts per week with varied exercises will help you develop them more effectively.

Train your arms with intensity but without neglecting recovery...

Conversely, an intense arm workout once a week, followed by a maintenance session at the end of the week, will have a better chance of giving you long-term results. Just remember that your body is constantly adapting to the unexpected, especially when it comes to habitual stress. In this case, you have no other solution than to change your exercise routine, change the exercises themselves, take more rest between each workout, or on the contrary, improve the intensity or training volume of muscle groups that react easily. But in any case, be wary of overtraining. It is your worst enemy, especially since it doesn't announce itself until it has done maximum damage to your physique. Generally, when you start talking about overtraining, it's because it has already been going on for several weeks, or even months.

Obviously, we can only encourage you to put these few tips into practice if you are stuck or looking to push yourself further in terms of strength and muscle mass. Simply remember to review your training program every 6 months to progress again. However, don't forget that time and the experience that comes with it are your best allies. Both will always be good advice...

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