Brad Murphy

Rep Variations for Boosting Muscle Size Gains

Updated on March 15, 2022 by Brad Murphy

Muscle curls vary reps to boost muscle size

Increase Muscle Hypertrophy with Repetition Variations

These days, most coaches, bodybuilders and strength athletes will recommend that you train with different rep ranges to maximize growth and strength gains.

There was a time not too long ago when a large population of the gym community believed specific muscle strength and growth goals were achieved through the execution of specific repetition ranges.

Somewhere along the road, you’ve probably heard something similar to this:

1 to 5 reps builds strength
8 to 12 reps for hypertrophy
12+ reps for strength endurance

A lot of people have taken that literally and decided to live their gym life in the 12 rep range, because they “want mass gainz, bruh”.

Recommended Article: Legal Steroids – Bulking, Cutting and Strength Stacks. Hardcore BodyBuilding Supplements that will take your workout to the next level. Read more on legal steroids

Problem is, scientific research and real world practices are constantly evolving and finding the best way of doing things. Those repetition counts, it turns out, might not be so accurate…or important in terms of hypertrophy.

What’s more important is varying your rep ranges to stimulate greater adaptation and change within the muscle tissue.

Where absolute strength gains will probably always involve lifting heavy, hypertrophy seems to have a lot more to do with factors such as:

Metabolic stress
Time under tension
Anaerobic respiration
Range of motion

When you look at a modern, progressive bodybuilding program, you can definitely see a shift towards a new kind of training.

Periodization – Rep Variations for Boosting Muscle Size Gains

Periodized training programs are nothing new, but in the world of bodybuilding, they have taken a while to fully set in.

Amongst other things, some forms of periodization can involve the weekly changing of repetition ranges in order to stimulate maximum muscle growth and never let stagnation set in.

Some variants of periodization include:

Classic Linear
Reverse Linear
Undulating

Undulating periodization is one type of program that involves the weekly shifting of rep ranges, where you might stick with high (15+) reps for a week, then drop to a more power/strength range of 1 to 5 the following week, and so on.

You can even perform different rep ranges for different muscle groups within the same workout.

All of this is to say that the number of repetitions you do can be varied to enhance your results. The idea of rigidly adhering to old school methods is counterproductive, unless you adhere to the training program better if those methods are utilized.

Some people even mess with their repetitions from set to set, or within the sets themselves, and that’s the discussion I want to get to now.

Tri-Set Pyramids

Remember tri-sets from my article on manipulating set design?

Tri-sets are three exercises performed back to back with no rest. They are like a compound set in that the same muscle group is worked for all of it.

Mostly, people perform the same number of reps per exercise within the tri-set, so an example set would look something like this:

Dumbbell shoulder press x 8
Dumbbell lateral raise x 8
Dumbbell front raise x 8

With the tri-set pyramid you actually increase the number of reps each time you change the exercise.

This also means that you begin with heavier weight for the first exercise, and use lighter weight with each change – also known as a descending pyramid or reverse pyramid (because of descending weight).

A typical example would be 5-10-20, where you do 5 reps on the first exercise, 10 on the second and 20 on the last.

Many people perform a compound movement, such as bar and dumbbell presses (shoulder/bench), squats, deadlifts, pull-ups etc. followed by a couple of movements that involve less muscles each.

The third and final exercise is usually an isolation movement. As usual though, there are many different exercise choices you can make. The general idea is to treat it as a modified tri-set and use the same muscle group throughout. So, using a similar example to the one above:

Standing barbell shoulder (military) press x 5
Dumbbell seated ‘Y’ shoulder presses x 10
Cable lateral delt raise x 20

By doing the tri-set in this pyramid fashion, three repetition ranges are used in a single set. This means you hit those ranges that are classically associated with strength/power, hypertrophy and endurance strength.

Twenty Ones – 21s or Sevens – 7s

It doesn’t really matter what you call these, as long as you get the idea.

These sets change the range of motion of the muscle you are working every 7 repetitions.

The first seven reps are actually half reps, performed from beginning of the movement up to the halfway point
The second seven reps are also half reps but this time from the half-way point to the full contraction point of the muscle.
The last seven reps are whole reps, through the entire range of motion, from full extension to full contraction.

These are best done with single joint movements like arm and leg curls. Also, they are more effective if machines or cables are used to ensure constant tension through each group of seven reps.

Dumbbells are not as great because there is little resistance in the first half of the rep. During a bicep curl, for example, there is a lot less tension on the muscle in the first half of the rep when using dumbbells. Cables and machines apply equal tension even at full flexion.

The beauty of twenty-ones is that each part of the set benefits you in a slightly unique way.

The first half of the rep improves flexibility and stimulates muscle growth at full flexion, thereby increasing muscle size along the full length of the tissue.

The middle seven reps are in the range of motion where you are strongest, thus allowing you to put a lot more effort into forcing a maximum contraction.

The last seven reps should burn progressively stronger as you come to the last rep. Ideally, you would not be able to perform another with good form.

Those last repetitions, which are performed deeply in anaerobic respiration, will cause a strong pump and trigger anabolic processes for muscle hypertrophy.

Large multi-joint movements like the benchpress and squats don’t work as well with this because they use too many other supporting muscles that wouldn’t benefit from it. Those movements are better performed as complete range of motion repetitions nearly all of the time.

Twenty-ones increase the working muscle’s time under tension as well as pushing the full range of motion. You should take this into account and lengthen the recovery period for that particular muscle.

Every major muscle group can be trained with 21s, and you can even follow it as a program for a few weeks at a time, adding it as the first 3 or 4 sets of your workout or even the last ones to finish off a group.

The following examples are muscle group and exercise pairings that can be used to perform twenty-one style training.

Chest – Cable crossover, pec-deck and fly machine
Shoulders – Cable lateral/front/bent-over raises
Back – Lat pull downs, straight arm pull-down, cable row
Triceps – Cable push-downs, rope cable extensions
Biceps – Cable curls, rope cable curls
Quadriceps – Leg extensions, hack squat, leg press
Hamstrings – Leg curls

If you’re starting out with 21/7 sets then you might find you can only complete one in fullness at the beginning.

Don’t worry if this is the case; just complete the rest of your sets in straight-set fashion and go for adding another one the next time you hit that muscle group.

Muscle Fiber Types 1 and 2 - An Overview

100 Reps Training – Hundreds

The concept of Hundreds training sort of takes a massive dump on traditional approaches such as 3 sets of 12.

It’s pretty much what it looks like – 100 reps.

Thankfully, you do just one set per muscle group, but if you’re thinking that still sucks, then you’re only partly correct.

There are some benefits to throwing down some hundreds that aren’t readily available by any other means. So while it might not seem like your favourite thing to do, it might still be a good idea to incorporate it every now and then.

Hundreds training was once a well used strategy to break through plateaus. It can do this because the results have carry-over to your regular strength and hypertrophy training:

It trains slow-twitch muscle fibres as well as fast-twitch
It increases capillarization, the growth of blood vessels that feed you muscles with blood and oxygen, nutrients and hormones

The majority of your muscles are comprised of roughly an even proportion of slow-twitch and fast-twitch muscle fibres.

Research into the hypertrophy of muscle tissue tells us that growing both fibre types will increase the overall size of the muscle.

Given that slow-twitch muscle fibres are normally used for endurance type activity, the very high repetition aspect of hundreds training actually recruits them for the first half of the set.

Training slow-twitch fibres is not a practice often performed by bodybuilders, especially amateurs who are mostly interested in lifting heavy for single or low double figures reps for multiple sets.

Those same people often avoid doing much intensive cardio, which would also build the slow-twitch muscle fibres in certain parts of the body.

However, hundreds training is a way of exercising those fibres over the whole body, and stimulating biochemical changes which promote muscle growth the likes of which would not otherwise be easy to obtain.

Capillarization is the formation of new blood vessels to feed the muscles with more blood flow, and the oxygen, nutrients, anabolic hormones and everything else that comes with it. [source]

This happens as a result of the metabolic stress that those hundred reps put the muscles through.

Such a long time under tension puts extra demands on the vascular delivery system. And capillarization is one of the fastest ways the body can respond in order to fuel those local increases in demand.

When you return to a more regular program, the benefits from your hundreds training carry over to enhance any other bodybuilding and powerlifting sets you perform.
Hence why it is known as a plateau buster.

Tips for Hundreds success:

Weight selection is important. You want to get about 3/4 of the way through before the muscle starts to fail
A mini break at the first sign of muscle failure is okay but you should only take enough breaths as yo have reps left to complete
Strict adherence to form is paramount. Sacrificing form to complete bad reps is pointless.
One set per muscle group means you can hit them all twice a week if you follow hundreds as a program
If you dedicate some full-time program to 100s then only do it for 3 to 4 weeks

Above all else: you need to have some lifting experience. This is not for noobs because anyone who has been lifting for less than a year should not need to break stagnation yet.

Also unless you have some solid experience lifting high-rep sets then you probably won’t complete a hundred reps.

Even one hundred body squats are too much for some. You will want to at least get to the point where you are squatting weight for 20 rep sets before considering hundreds training.

Pyramid and Pump – Rep Variations for Boosting Muscle Size Gains

Pyramids are just ways to describe the sequence in which you lift weights. For the purposes of this explanation:

an Ascending Pyramid is where you start with a specified weight and increase it incrementally with each set
a Descending Pyramid is where you decrease the weight with each set

Confusingly, most ascending pyramids involve descending reps and descending pyramids involve ascending reps.

Just think of the load you are lifting as going up or down in weight and you’re there.

Pyramid and Pump is a cool way to trigger some serious growth, while incorporating some varied loads, varied reps and a set to failure.

Basically, there are two ways to do this, and both have their advantages.

Perform an ascending pyramid of 3 sets, followed by a 4th set of high reps for maximum muscle pump
Perform a descending pyramid of 3 sets, followed by a 4th set of high reps for maximum muscle pump

As you can see, the only difference in the two approaches is whether you increase the weight with each of the first 3 sets or decrease it.

I’ll lay down some examples of both methods.

Tip: It helps to know your 1RM (one rep max) for the exercise you are going to do. If I’m honest you should have a pretty good idea if you are at the experience level you need to be to consider doing this in the first place.

Ascending Pyramid Pump

For this one you’ll do 3 sets of ascending weight (and descending reps) followed by a 4th set of 20 reps.

The reps should go something like this:

Set 1: 10 reps
Set 2: 8 reps
Set 3: 6 reps
Set 4: 20 reps

Now, you need to select a load for that first set of 10 so that you’d have one or two reps in the tank after completing it. A good guideline for 10 reps is to choose about 60% of your 1RM.

Follow the same logic for Sets 2 and 3. Again, a guideline would be 70% 1RM for 8 reps and 75% for 6 reps.

When you come to the 4th set you need to select a load that will get you at least to 15 reps. This means you will get a really good pump by 20 and possibly even fail. A guideline for this is about 50% of your 1RM.

Descending Pyramid Pump

This is where you start heavier and drop the weight with every set.

Your reps should look something like this:

Set 1: 6 reps
Set 2: 8 reps
Set 3: 10 reps
Set 4: 20 reps

If you apply the same reasoning as for the ascending pyramid, you would start with roughly 75% and descend to 60% of your 1RM before finally doing a set of 20 at about 50%.

Remember, those are only examples. You can play with the numbers to find what works the best for you, but the ultimate goal of the exercise is to finish on a massive pump.

What this achieves is to prime your muscles with the first 3 heavier sets. Changing the load and reps slightly activates the muscle more completely.

The 4th and final pump set then floods those primed muscles with blood, oxygen and nutrients. The pump fills the cells of the muscles, thereby creating tension and stimulating the cascade of reactions that results in anabolic growth.

For some people, staring heavy with a descending pyramid is difficult. If that is the case then the ascending pyramid might be a better match.

What I find with the ascending pyramid – where you increase the load per set – is that the change from the 3rd set (with the heaviest weight) to the 4th ‘pump’ set (with the lightest weight) is dramatic, and really lets you put some power into the last set.

However, on days when you are feeling good and feel you can lift heavy first, i.e. with the descending pyramid, you can put some bigger lifts in at the start because you haven’t fatigued yourself.

Of course, it’s always best to ramp up to the heavy weight with some warm up sets, but you should not do to many reps in the warm up so that you don’t waste energy.

After warming up, you can rack a heavier weight than 75% 1RM for the descending sets – maybe start with 80% and add a little per week. This makes you work a little harder on strength building for the first set, before moving on to hypertrophy with the following sets and then the muscle pump set at the end.

When you hit the heaviest sets first, you will recruit the most muscle fibres possible, which results in greater muscle growth and strength improvements. You can also take each set to near failure, or failure, which is again great for stimulating growth. In that sense, it’s a bit like a drop set.

Following an ascending pyramid, you cannot work to failure on each set because the next set will be heavier and you will miss the first rep if you do.

The downside of descending pyramids is that you are more prone to injury because you are beginning with the heaviest weight. To reiterate, a good warm up is crucial for heavy lifting.

For people who have been lifting less than 6 months, I would advise sticking to ascending pyramids for the time being.

Once you are confident that you have developed your core strength, stabilization muscles, and accustomed your ligaments and tendons to heavy lifting, you can think about doing descending pyramids.

By the way, some people call descending pyramids, ‘reverse’ pyramids. It’s all the same.

Diamonds, Octahedrons and Triangles

Pyramids are a linear way of looking at progressive load selection relative to repetition count in weight lifting. You don’t really have decide between ascending or descending pyramids at all.

You can do both.
Ascend then descend.

I call these “diamonds”, but other people call them triangles (they are wrong). If you put two pyramids base to base you get an octahedron. Basically an 8-sided 3 dimensional diamond (or rhombus).

Why does that matter?
It doesn’t.

Anyway, it’s probably best to stick with 2 dimensional descriptions given that all we’re talking about here is a visual representation of increasing and decreasing weight.

Diamonds it is.

With these, you get most of the best of both worlds. You can ascend from about 60% of your 1RM to your 75-80% weight and then descend back to 60% and then finish with a 50% pump set.

This allows for the slower increase to heavy weight, but also lets you let the failure sets loose on the backside of the workout.

The only drawback of diamonds is that you aren’t getting maximum muscle recruitment because you aren’t hitting the heaviest weight off the bat.

Nonetheless, they are excellent for stimulating muscle growth. and the pump is ridiculous.

Four and Five Rep Volume Increments

Before we get into this, let’s just recap on Tri-Set Pyramids and Pyramid Pumps.

With tri-set pyramids, you decrease the weight WITHIN the set itself, not resting until the 5-10-20 reps have all been completed. You also change the exercise WITHIN the set, generally moving from compound lifts to isolation movements as you go.

With regular pyramids and the pyramid pump, you increase or decrease the weight AFTER each set. You also perform the same lift/exercise with each set change.

The Four and Five Rep system I’m about to talk about has 2 variants, and they are both blends of the two I’ve just re-capped…sort of.

Variation #1

With this program, you perform exercises in the usual order: compound/multi-joint lifts, followed by lifts of increasing muscle isolation, for example:

Bench press
Incline dumbbell press
Cable cross over
Seated machine fly

Do 3 sets of each, like a regular chest/whatever workout, but each time you change to the next exercise, you add 4/5 reps to your sets.

The whole thing looks something like this:

Bench press – 3 sets x 4 reps
Incline dumbbell press – 3 sets x 8 reps
Cable cross over – 3 sets x 12 reps
Seated machine fly – 3 sets x 16 reps

The basic idea is to do your heaviest sets with your strongest lifts and continue increasing the reps as the number of recruited muscles drops, until you are doing isolation movements in the last round.

If you do this correctly, you should reach near failure on the last rep of each set and failure on the final16-rep sets, which should also give you a great pump.

By changing the rep count with each change of exercise you are hitting each of the classic rep ranges of bodybuilding to stimulate gains in both strength and size.

If I’m following this program for a while, I tend to go with 5 rep increases on lower body exercises and stick with 4 rep increases on upper body work. The bigger leg muscles really benefit from those 20 rep finishers!

Variation #2

The other way to do this is to do all the rep ranges for all the exercises. This means doing 4 sets of the same exercise with incrementally increasing rep-counts.

That means doing something like the following:

Back squat – 4 sets x (5, 10, 15, 20) reps
Landmine squats – 4 sets x (5, 10, 15, 20) reps
Leg press – 4 sets x (5, 10, 15, 20) reps
Knee extensions – 4 sets x (5, 10, 15, 20) reps

The drawback here is that you must strip weight off the machine or bar, or select different dumbbells after every set. But if you can handle that then it’s an awesome way of hitting all the rep-ranges for each part of the muscle group within a single session.

Fixed Load – Target Reps

This is a nice program you can follow for a while to help you see your goal coming closer week by week.

I like this approach because it’s really simple and adds some depth to your training and growth that you might otherwise forego. You can also do it alongside other training methods so that you don’t feel you are putting everything else aside.

Here’s what it involves:

Your Big 4 compound lifts – Bench, Squat, Deadlift, Shoulder press – plus the Pull Up.
Find the weight for each exercise that you can complete 8 reps with. For the pull-ups, that might be bodyweight or assisted bodyweight – and that’s fine.
When your normal routine comes around to these exercises, you will complete as many reps with that original 8 rep weight as possible. Repeat this weekly until you reach your target reps.
I suggest 15 reps is your target.

NOTE: you can either add this in as a one-set test every time or you can follow it as a program and do 3 sets of maximum reps. Follow the rest of your training as normal.

REMEMBER: Always hit that exercise first and always use the same load/weight that you could originally perform 8 reps with.

The interesting thing about this is that you are taking a weight that is on the cusp of your strength / hypertrophy boundary in terms of repetitions, and taking it to the hypertrophy / strength endurance level.

During the process, you are gaining size, strength and stamina. Of course when you reach your 15 rep goal, you will be able to increase the weight that you can do for 8 reps. And on the other end of the scale you will be able to go deep into big 20 rep volume sets with weight that you could only do for 12 reps or so before.

Sticking to it for a few weeks is tough because you will be tempted to increase the weight on the bars. It’s okay to do that, as long as the first exercise you do is to perform this benchmark test.

For me, when you have a goal like XXX lbs for XX reps, it is better to focus on that and concentrate on this as a micro-cycle. It’s only for your bigger multi-joint lifts so you can continue as normal for your smaller muscle groups and isolation exercises.

You can do it for your isolation movements too – no-one is going to stop you – but I find that exploring different rep-ranges and varying loads on the machines and cables will help your progress because it will stimulate adaptations that will help the main Fixed Load Target Reps effort.

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YK11 Myostatin or YKBulk. If you want to build muscle quickly and thinking using YK11 Myostatin then use YKBulk instead – it’s just as effective, cheaper and won’t cause side effects. It’s also legal!

GAT Psychon Review – Pre Workout Supplement

Updated on November 24, 2021 by Brad Murphy

There is no doubting GAT Sports credentials and their pre-workout – Psychon. Maybe it is dosed too high? Read the review.

GAT Psychon Review — Mega dosed pre workout

PROS
Loaded formula.
Kitchen sink of sports nutrition.
Addition of Glutathione shows good research.

CONS
Quite a lot to consume in one scoop.
Jury is out on BCAAs in a pre workout

VERDICT
It’s good pre workout and up there with the best of them. There are just a few niggly little things that prevent Psychon from being a great supplement.

RECOMMENDED ALTERNATIVE

If you are looking for a pre-workout Crazy Nutrition Pre Train is currently receiving lots of media attention after being highlighted in the industry news.

GAT Psychon Review

I’ll start this review by saying I was never a huge fan of GAT. The way they used to label their bog standard ingredients like caffeine under their full scientific designation just rubbed me up the wrong way.

You’d have all this “1,3,7-Trimethylxanthine” crap on the label, and they’d do it for several of the ingredients too. Yeah guys, I make a cup of 1,3,7-Trimethylxanthine most mornings, wearing my Muppets pyjamas. It ain’t special.

Now, when I saw the ad for Psychon in one of the monthly BB mags, I immediately mumbled something negative under my breath.

I hate…HATE…preconceptions and assumptions, so it made me mad when I realized I was committing these heinous crimes. Hence, I launched into full-scale review mode on Psychon.

And this is what I found….

Recommended Article: Best rated pre workout is not GAT Psychon. Find out which pre workout supplement scores the highest marks. CLICK HERE

Why Use GAT Psychon?

GAT – German American Technologies – calls it their “Mega-Dosed Hyperemia Pre-Trainer”.

Don’t worry about that “hyperemia” part either. It might sound like you’re going to die if you drink something that causes hyperemia, but it’s actually a good thing in this case. Oh, GAT! Such cleverness you have.

Hyperemia here refers to “active hyperemia”, which is nothing more than increased blood supply to organs and muscles.

When you workout, these tissues need more oxygen and nutrients. Higher volumes of blood travel to the site, bringing the oxygen with it.

They’re probably also be referring to “passive hyperemia” which is when the blood builds up in the tissue and can’t exit as per normal.

Both the active and passive stages are what makes you pumped up and swole in the gym. Excess blood travels to the muscles and is trapped there by the mechanical action of repetitions.

GAT call it “reactive hyperemia”.

So, basically, GAT Psychon is a pre-workout that gives you pumps.

Can’t they just friggin’ say that!?

They go on to tell us that Psychon is perfect for:

Your Heaviest Lifts
Muscle Building
Optimized Hormone Levels
Increased Strength
“Monstrous Muscle Torque”

Psychon is definitely pitched as a one-scooper…an all-in-one pre-workout that requires you to add zero additional ingredients.

Let’s take a look at the formula then.

What Are the Ingredients and Dosages of GAT Psychon ?

Okay, Psychon is a great name. I’m all in for great names, and that’s something GAT certainly gets on the nose.

It makes me think I’m going to cause havoc in the gym, crushing PRs like a mental person on speed.

Of course, that’s plain ridiculous, but there it is.

Ingredients are the key though. Will they get your psych…on?

L-Citrulline Malate 2:1 – 8200 mg

BCAA Matrix 2:1:1 (total – 6000mg)

L-Leucine – 3000 mg
L-Isoleucine – 1500 mg
L-Valine – 1500 mg

Plus:

CarnoSyn (beta Alanine) – 3200 mg
Creapure (creatine monohydrate) – 3000 mg
Choline Bitartrate – 500 mg
L-Ornithine HCl – 500 mg
N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine 500 mg
Caffeine Anhydrous – 350 mg
L-Glutathione – 200 mg
Black Pepper Extract – 5 mg

Plus, it’s 10 calories per serve. Each scoop is 26.6 grams and of that, just over 23 grams are active ingredients. It has a blend of Vit B6, Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc and Sodium in there, and the whole formula is open label.

Okay…what!?

That’s a phenomenal product, GAT. I’m absolutely thrilled I nipped that negativity in the bud and investigated this gem of a pre-workout.

Will GAT Psychon Work for You?

If you’re human, it will work.

This is up there with the best of the best pre-workout formulas. Packed, absolutely packed, with powerful, fully dosed, research-backed ingredients.

Glutathione, have you heard of that one? Check this study out and come back to me. Glutathione at 200 mg appears to boost the pump effects of Citrulline Malate, which is already in the blend at a ridonkulous 8200 mg.

There’s a full BCAA supplement within the supplement. It’s even got creatine monohydrate (still the best by the way) at a dose that will actually do something for you.

Full clinical doses of beta-alanine, ornithine, choline…and caffeine is in there kicking and punching.

I know it’s only a pre-workout but I get excited about these things, and GAT have blown my balls off with Psychon. I’m massively impressed.

Will it work? Yeah, it’ll work! I’m already ordering more!

I checked out some customer feedback and I was surprised to see it not faring too well on some prominent bodybuilding websites.

One guy says you should stick with Nitraflex (another GAT pre/pump). Another complains about the amount of ingredients and that there might be too many. Yet another says something about feeling sick when he drinks that much.

Guys, start with a half serving. Hell, half a serving of Psychon will still outstrip most other pre-workouts.

It pisses me off when I hear dudes complain about quality products, especially when they then go and rave about another that’s complete shite (not talking about Nitraflex, by the way). I just don’t get it.

No wonder some companies get lazy and put nutrient-light, stimulant-riddled junk on the shelves. It seems to be what some bros want.

When it comes to fuelling your workout, igniting a good pump and triggering the anabolic process of muscle growth, you want fully dosed, scientifically supported ingredients.

Psychon is that.

Well played, GAT. You’ve won me back….sort of.

Recommended Pre Workout

There are hundreds of pre workout supplements on the market with a hundred different ingredient profiles.

We consider CrazyNutrition to be a premier supplement as it contains high dosages of the ingredients to get the most from your workout.

It is suitable for men and women and for people of all levels from the beginner to the competitive trainer

What Food Will Help to Increase Testosterone Levels

Updated on March 23, 2021 by Brad Murphy

The most effective way to increase testosterone levels is through food. Here is a list of foods that are easily acquired that can added to your pre or post workout meal to boost flagging T levels.

What Food Increases Testosterone Levels

You could opt to go for a supplement that increases testosterone levels, or you could do it with food. Then again, you could go the whole hog and try a combination of the two. The way you choose to boost your testosterone is entirely up to you.

Choosing a testosterone boosting supplement is easy. The label on the bottle will let you know in no uncertain terms what the supplement is meant to do.

Knowing what food increases testosterone levels is much harder. If it comes in a can or a packet, the nutritional information will let you know some of the main nutrients the food provides. If you are buying it from a fruit and veg store, a fishmonger, a butcher, or some other place that sells fresh food, there will be no information at all.

Even when the label does tell you a food is high in protein or contains X amount of zinc or Vitamin B that won’t help a lot. Try looking for canned goods sold with the promise of boosted testosterone levels and you won’t have much luck. That’s not what the average person is looking for when they head to the shops for a can of beans.

As bodybuilders, we have more exacting needs when it comes to choosing the way we get our nutrition. We do look at things like the protein and fat content and if a food is going to boost our testosterone levels we want to know.

We also try to eat strategically. We choose our pre workout food and post workout food with specific goals in mind.

A lot of food has this ability. The list below shows some of the options available to us, but it’s best considered a starting point. When it comes to testosterone boosting food, when you look into it you could find you are spoiled for choice.

Must Read: Natural testosterone booster supplement – rediscover lost libido, gain muscle mass and restore the energy of your youth – read about Testo Prime

10 Testosterone Boosting Foods You Should Try

1. Oysters

Oysters are famous for their alleged abilities as an aphrodisiac. This being the case, perhaps it is not so surprising that oyster consumption also boosts production of the male sex hormone. But why can this be?

Although there could also be other unknown factors involved, oysters are known to be incredibly good sources of zinc. In fact, a single serving of six oysters can provide 32 mg of zinc. That’s close to a third of the RDA for a man.

The relationship between zinc and testosterone production is well known. It’s also well studied. After six months of supplementing with zinc, the elderly men who took part in one clinical trial almost doubled their levels of serum testosterone.

The same research team also conducted a 20-week study on younger men. This time they restricted the amount of zinc the men consumed each day. The restriction caused a significant decrease in serum testosterone concentrations.

Eating oysters may be an expensive way to support increases in your testosterone levels, but it should work. [SOURCE

2. Ginseng

Ginseng is an adaptogen herb that has a long history of use in traditional Chinese medicine. It’s used for promoting good health as well as treating a variety of ailments. Ginseng also has a longstanding reputation as an aphrodisiac.

Research suggests consuming ginseng may produce respectable increases in testosterone. Some scientists have speculated the adaptogenic properties of ginseng may be due to the way it affects the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and elevates plasma corticotropin and corticosteroids levels. Who cares about all the geek talk? The important thing to know is ginseng appears to be good stuff. [SOURCE 1, SOURCE 2]

The problem is, fresh ginseng can be hard to obtain. So although it’s a food that can produce good increases in testosterone you may have to compromise.

If you are lucky enough to live near health food shop that sells ginseng leaves, you could try adding some leaves to a salad. Alternatively, you could try drinking ginseng tea. As a final resort, you may have to make do with some ginseng tablets.

3. Beefsteak

Beef is also a food that increases testosterone levels, but if you decide to go for a steak try to keep it lean. The fat beef provides is the saturated kind, so it’s not good for your waistline or your health.

So, what is it about beef that makes it such a good food for producing increases in testosterone levels? As with many other testosterone boosting foods, it all boils down to the amount of zinc it contains. A three-ounce steak (braised) provides around 7 mg.

Let’s not forget steak is a good source of protein as well. When you eat a serving of steak, all that zinc helps push up your testosterone levels, creating a superior anabolic environment. Then the protein the steak provides gives the muscles the amino acids they need for muscle building and bulking up.

4. Spinach

Ugg-ug-ug-ug… It seems Popeye was onto something when he used spinach to get his muscles pumped up and ready to go.

Does spinach boost testosterone? You betcha. Although it’s not a particularly potent source, it contains zinc. It’s got some magnesium too and that’s a testosterone booster as well.
However, don’t go selling it short, spinach does a lot more for your muscles than you may think. For one thing, it’s a good source of nitrates. This allows it to boost nitric oxide and improve blood flow to the muscles.
In addition to all of the other good things spinach does for your muscles, it provides a powerful plant steroid called phytoecdysteroids. It’s good for muscle growth but does not present the side effects anabolic steroids do. [1]

So, if you want to take a leaf out of Popeye’s book and be strong to the finish, maybe you should start eating your spinach.

5. Tuna

If you want to see some respectable increases in your testosterone levels, tuna is an ideal food to help. It’s a good source of Vitamin D. Even if you do things the quickest and easiest way and chow down on tuna from a can, three ounces will provide around 50 percent of the RDA.

Research shows supplementing with Vitamin D can have a very beneficial effect on testosterone levels.

Forget the pills though. Tuna is better because it’s a good source of protein too.

To help put things into perspective, many people are Vitamin D deficient. For starters, it’s a fat-soluble vitamin. That means your body can’t store it like it does with water-soluble vitamins. You need to top-up on Vitamin D often, but a lot of people’s diets don’t provide enough.

Your body can make it’s own Vitamin D. All you need to do to make it happen is get some sunshine on your skin. Cloudy days can really screw that up. On sunny days, sunscreen can ruin things as well and most people use it these days. If you are Vitamin D deficient Tuna can help set things straight.

6. Ginger

Whether you want to be a king in the gym or a bedroom ninja, ginger will see you right. People have been taking advantage of its many medicinal properties for centuries. So if you thought it only had value in the kitchen, shame on you.

Research shows ginger enhances testosterone production and works particularly well in conditions of oxidative stress. The only downside is, researchers are still trying to figure out how it works. [2]

If you are looking for a quick way to spice up your life with a little ginger, the easiest thing may be to drink ginger tea. Ginger cake will do it too, but it’s not the best idea. Apart from the increases in testosterone levels, that sort of food may cause increases in waist circumference too.

7. Pineapple

Believe it or not, pineapple is also a food that increases testosterone levels. Its succulent yellow flesh provides an enzyme called bromelain that’s very good for boosting testosterone in a natural way.

Bromelain is present in many other fruits as well including bananas and avocados, but pineapples are a particularly good source.

As you may or may not be aware, when you exercise hard it brings testosterone levels down. For this reason, when researchers at the University of Tasmania wanted to explore the way bromelain effects testosterone their study group consisted of 15 trained cyclists. All of them had to cycle 100 km per day.

The researchers gave some of the cyclists daily does of bromelain and the rest got a placebo. After six days of this treatment, the placebo group showed a significant drop in testosterone. The drop was less pronounced in the bromelain group. This suggests the enzyme was boosting testosterone production.

Not surprisingly, the members of the bromelain group reported less feelings of fatigue

8. Eggs

On a serious quest to find food that increases testosterone but want to do it on the cheap? No worries. Shell out on a few boxes of eggs. They are cheap and nutritious and the yolk delivers a helping of that “sunshine vitamin”, Vitamin D.

Some bodybuilders say four eggs a day works best, others say they get good results with three. However, the way this cheap and versatile food increases testosterone levels may not just be down to Vitamin D.

As you are no doubt aware, eggs also contain cholesterol. Okay, cholesterol has a bad rep, but the truth is your body needs it to complete a number of biological processes. One of them is making Vitamin D when the sunlight hits your skin. Additionally, your body needs cholesterol to manufacture testosterone and other important hormones. [3]

Obviously, it may not be smart to start eating eggs day in and day out. However, nor is there a need to be chicken about taking advantage of this highly nutritious food. Eating a few extra eggs in moderation could do wonders for your testosterone levels. Eggs are also an excellent source of protein and that’s good for making your muscles grow. You can only take so much protein powder

9. Mung Beans

Mung beans are yet another food that increases testosterone levels. These little, green nutritional wonders are also a very good option for vegans and vegetarians.

Apart from being a good source of the testosterone boosting minerals zinc and magnesium, mung beans also provide many other important vitamins and minerals. They are high in protein as well, so they are a good muscle-building food.

Need a further reason to add some mung beans to your diet? Here’s one: they are a good source of antioxidants. That means they can help rid your body of free radical toxins and protect you from disease.

If you are new to mung beans, the other thing to know is there are two types you can buy—sprouted and unsprouted. I suggest you go for the sprouted type.

Unsprouted mung beans contain higher levels of phytic acid. It’s an anti-nutrient. That means it reduces the absorption of minerals, including the zinc and magnesium you want.

Apart from containing less phytic acid, sprouted mung beans provide more vitamins and amino acids than unsprouted ones do and are also lower in calories. [4]

10. Beetroot

If you already have a knowledge of bodybuilding nutrition, you will probably be aware beetroot boosts nitric oxide. In so doing, it improves blood flow to the muscles helping you to train longer and heal faster. Additionally, it can help you enjoy a better pump.

However, beetroot is doubly good for your muscles because it’s also a food that increases your testosterone levels. Not many people know that, but it’s true.

Beetroot’s power as an NO booster is due to its high nitrate content. Its ability to boost testosterone is due to its ability to provide boron.

Apart from boosting testosterone, boron does a lot of other good things for the body. For one thing, it helps give you strong bones by aiding the absorption of magnesium. It’s also known to be good for increasing levels of Vitamin D.

Concurrent Training – Does Endurance, Cardio Exercise with Resistance Training Hurt Your Gains

Updated on February 14, 2020 by Brad Murphy

Concurrent Training will it hurt my muscle gains

What is Concurrent Training?

Concurrent training is when you go for a jog with your shake weights and do some star jumps every 2 minutes.

No it’s not. I am, of course, messing with you. No-one should do what I just described unless they’ve got the mullet, sweatband and short-shorts to go with it.

Concurrent training is where you undertake two different forms of exercise discipline – namely resistance weight training and some sort of cardio-vascular/endurance training – within the same session, day or fitness program.

Some people avoid doing any cardio for fear that it will reduce their gains in muscle strength or hypertrophy.

Others blast out a fierce cardio session immediately prior to lifting weights, seemingly unfazed (or, dare I say it, mindless) of other, more productive methods.

Choose Your Main and Secondary Goals

The fact that you’ve come to this site means you are probably more interested in growing muscle than your aerobic engine for a fast 5 km run, but it pays to outline things from the start.

If strength is your main goal, it should be your primary focus. This means the majority of your training will be geared around building strength.

Using the same 5 km run example, it won’t serve you well to aim for an 18 minute 5K if what you want more is to squat 350 lbs within the year.

One type of training would inevitably eat into the other – both in terms of time and physical progress – possibly resulting in neither being achieved.

So, pick your poison. I’m assuming it’s muscle hypertrophy (both strength and size), and always keep it in mind when you are engaging in concurrent training.

Science and Concurrent Training

Scientific studies are a controlled setting in which the theories, concepts and methodologies that are played out in the empirical world, can be put to a statistically measurable test.

There is no shortage of scientific studies that have investigated concurrent training, and more importantly drawn conclusions about the impact of cardio/endurance exercise on muscle strength and size gains.

Happily, for people like me, there has also been a couple meta-analyses of said studies.

A meta-analysis is where some or all of the individual studies are analyzed and statistically compared to determine agreement between their findings, root out the outliers, and ultimately, calculate the average of all of the results.

Meta-analyses are at the very top of the scientific study hierarchy because of the confidence level in the results.

The more individual studies there are, the higher the value of the meta-analysis. A single study can be flawed and therefore give a skewed result, but a meta-analysis of many studies cannot.

Meta-Analysis Findings

Wilson et al completed a meta-analysis of 21 individual studies that examined the detrimental effects of concurrent endurance/cardio training on resistance training outcomes.

The 21 studies involved were chosen because the matched certain criteria, namely they:

Compared strength training alone to strength-plus-endurance (concurrent) training
Compared combinations of concurrent training
Measured at least one parameter from strength, power or hypertrophy

“Effect Size” – ES – is a simple way of quantifying the difference between groups of results rather than just using statistical significance.

For example, the Wilson meta-analysis found the average ES for hypertrophy amongst the concurrent training results was 0.85.

On its own that might mean very little, but it works when you also know that the average ES for hypertrophy in the strength-only groups was 1.23; and for the endurance training it was 0.27.

For clarity, the Effect Sizes for hypertrophy are summarized as:

Strength training only = 1.23
Concurrent training only = 0.85
Endurance training only = 0.27

Additionally, the strength-only and concurrent training results effect sizes are significantly larger than the endurance-only training.

Here are the mean ESs for strength improvements:

Strength training only = 1.76
Concurrent training only = 1.44
Endurance training only = 0.78

Again, strength and concurrent training ES is significantly greater than endurance with respect to strength gains.

Finally, the mean ESs for power development were:

Strength training only = 0.91
Concurrent training only = 0.55
Endurance training only = 0.11

This time, significant differences were found between all three groups.

What Are the Takeaway Points from the Wilson Meta-Analysis?

The results show a very obvious pattern with strength-only training winning on all 3 measures: Hypertrophy, Strength and Power.

Also clear is that endurance training by itself led to significantly less gains in all 3 measured as compared to concurrent training (although endurance still led to positive effect on all 3).

Furthermore, where power was concerned, strength-only training resulted in significantly greater improvements than concurrent training, which in-turn was significantly more effective than endurance only.

Wilson notes that concurrent training, where running was the endurance type training, there were significantly smaller gains in muscle hypertrophy and strength (although they were still gains).

However where cycling was the endurance training, this decrement didn’t reach significance. Interpretation: concurrent training with cycling preserves muscle gains better than running.

No form of training resulted in decreases in muscle size, strength or power, i.e. all effect sizes highlighted positive change.
The only decrease, which is not discussed above is that VO2max – a measure of maximal aerobic output – actually reduced with strength-only training.

That’s important from a health perspective, and from the perspective of someone designing their training program.

Given strength, power and hypertrophy can be increased no matter what style of training, but cardio fitness can be reduced in strength-only training, can you really afford not to add some endurance/cardio to your routine?

Perhaps the most important point to make here is that concurrent training does not result in complete negation or “robbery” of muscle gains. Is not the reason you are not making muscle gains!

Continue reading for some information that’ll really make you question your pre-conceived notions that “cardio hurts my gains”.

Cardio will definitely not completely rob your gains, as many gym bros seem to think.

Daylight Robbery or Downright Complimentary?

The concurrent training meta-analysis discussed in the first part of this article gives us hope that we can have our endurance training and our strength training in the same program and not significantly slow our muscle growth or strength.

Cardio will definitely not completely rob your gains, as many gym bros seem to think.

There are, of course, some signs to watch out for when you decide to go down a concurrent training path.

We don’t really know too much about the effects on people with a lot of training experience.

Most studies involve untrained individuals, and their progress tends to reflect that. Noobs, after all, make the best gains of their life in the first 6 months. I don’t believe the results can be flipped on their head if you are, say, a 5 year veteran of the gym.

In the case of experienced lifters, it might be the case that you would have to monitor your measurable factors a little closer if you decide to add some more cardio into your routine.

Another point to consider is that the longer your session of endurance/cardio training, the more it will effect your muscle strength and hypertrophy gains.

Technically, you can still improve strength and size if you do an hour of endurance a day, but combined with your gym sessions you are looking at a lot of time spent exercising, and the potential for over-training.

Overall fatigue and over-training can have detrimental effects to both your progress and your health. Downtime wasted because you are sick is not the same as downtime for recovery and growth.

Getting the right balance is key, and that is a program design issue, and one that can vary from one individual to the next.

Experts Agree – Concurrent Training Works

Data gathered from all the studies of concurrent training doesn’t support the popular belief that cardio or endurance exercise will ruin your muscle gains.

It’s great to see when experts in the field bash out opinion articles like the one Murach and Bagley did in 2016 (don’t you just love recent scientific literature? It leaves a fresh taste of nerd in your mindbrain).

These papers allow them to expand on the number crunching and offer forth what can be considered as extremely educated opinions.

Perhaps the most exciting figure from that report shows that combining aerobic training with strength training of the quadriceps leads to greater muscle hypertrophy gains than strength-only training.

This doesn’t mean concurrent training is better for muscle hypertrophy than strength training alone. That’s far too broad a statement, and we’ve already seen from the Wilson meta-study that all muscle related measurements point to strength-only training as being most effective.

For one thing, the data was from the measurement of quadriceps size. i.e. one muscle group and one measurement criterion.

Secondly the strength training volume was rather low with 2 days of lifting per week, and aerobic at 3 to 4 days per week. Most strength athletes would balk at the very suggestion.

Designing Training Programs from Scientific Studies

What’s interesting is the potential for program design that comes out from an analysis of the last few decades of studies.

Murach and Bagley highlighted previous research into the optimal timing of concurrent training, which found that a minimum 3 hour separation time between aerobic and resistance training should be observed.

Waiting 6 hours or more is even more beneficial and 24 hours is optimal. It’s logical of course, but again not always practical for a great number of people, who have time for one session a day for 4 days

However, we’re not really discussing those people. We’re discussing people for whom muscle and physique conditioning is extremely important.

For this reason, it’s not beyond the realm of sanity to recommend a 7 session week, at one session per day, alternating between aerobic/cardio and resistance training. The emphasis would be on resistance training with 4 out of the 7 days.

The logical 24 hour waiting time holds with this pattern, as does the strength training volume required for quality gains.

Provided sleep and diet are sufficient, there shouldn’t be a problem with following 7 a week.

That said, individualities do come into play, as does work/life balance. The above idea is merely an indication as to what can be done.

Bodybuilding and Body Fat Management

It occurs to me that I haven’t really focused on the benefits of concurrent training. That’s mainly because if you’re looking to pursue it, you already know why, and what you’re really looking for is information about how aerobic training affects your resistance training.

Hopefully the health aspects of aerobic training doesn’t need to be discussed in depth here anyway. I’m sure you know them.

Fat management is key to the bodybuilding physique though. And that’s definitely a goal only achievable through some formula of concurrent training.

It’s true that raising the intensity of your resistance training will increase metabolic turnover and fat burning, but to really torch fat you are going to need to add some cardio to your gym game.

Unfortunately, walking on a treadmill for 20 minutes every other day won’t really cut it. If you’re eating an anabolic diet for maximal muscle growth, you’ll need to hit the cardio accordingly.

Interval training, where you complete burst of intense cardio interspersed with steady state low-intensity cardio works well.

Alternating lower body and upper body aerobic work relative to resistance work is preferable as well.

For example: on your bench press day, you would use a power cycle or spin bike, and on your squat day you might use the rowing machine.

Final Word – For Now

I’m going to get into training programs, periodization and balance in further detail as this website matures, but I wanted to put this, albeit two-part, article up in order to leave a signpost for concurrent training.

Read the literature I’ve linked out to if you have time. It’s well worth the ten minute read, and provides detailed insights that one can only really brush over in an article of this kind.

In the meantime, the best judge of your progress is you. If you feel you are doing too much cardio and it’s bringing fatigue into your program, then step it back.

Just be aware that there are definite positives to adding aerobic fitness to your strength and size training. The research tells us cardio is not the gains killer it was once thought to be.

It may even help in some circumstances.

Muscle Hypertrophy Explained – Myofibrillar and Sarcoplasmic

Updated on June 8, 2021 by Brad Murphy

Muscle hypertrophy = the increase in size of skeletal muscle via growth of its component cells.

It’s important that you understand at least the basics of the two ways in which your muscle fibers grow. They are:

Myofibrillar Hypertrophy
Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy

You’ve probably seen diagrams of muscle fibers in cross-section. Imagine a pipe with smaller cables running through it and you’re most of the way there.

The cables represent the myofibrils and the space between them represents the sarcoplasm.

What Are Myofibrils?

Myofibrils – the cables in our pipe metaphor – are long chains of contractile proteins. They are responsible for the actual contractions of muscle fibers, for example when you lift a weight in the gym.

Myofibrillar Hypertrophy is therefore the growth in size and quantity of the myofibrils within the muscle fibers.

It is often said that myofibrillar hypertrophy directly corresponds to increased strength and maximum force output.

Training specifically and regularly with heavy weight (near the one rep max – 1RM – weight) is known to trigger myofibrillar hypertrophy.

What is the Sarcoplasm?

Going back to the pipe visualization, the sarcoplasm would be the areas between the cable-like myofibrils, except that the sarcoplasm is not empty space.

It is in fact much like the cytoplasm of the cell, which is comprised largely of the gel like substance that surrounds the nucleus.

You can think of the sarcoplasm as the softer “gel-like” substance surrounding the tougher, “rope-like” myofibrils.

Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy can therefore be thought of as the enlargement of the sarcoplasm, or growth of the sarcoplasmic volume.

It can be assumed that sarcoplasmic hypertrophy directly corresponds to increased size of muscle fibers, and thus whole muscles.

There have been different theories offered as to the main purpose of sarcoplasmic hypertrophy.

You will find one generally accepted theory is that it increases the volume for muscle glycogen storage. Glycogen is basically globs of glucose, and a major source of energy.

For experts, the glycogen storage theory doesn’t paint the whole picture. The sarcoplasm is also a protein reservoir.

Expansion of the sarcoplasmic protein reservoir is probably a more logical explanation for sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, with increased glycogen storage being a concomitant or resultant benefit.

Training specifically for enhanced muscle size involves a lot more sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, and thus “high volume” training.

This usually means employing lower weight than specific strength training, but with higher reps, or “volume” sets, often to muscle failure.

Bodybuilders strive for aesthetic perfection

Strength versus Size Argument

Training predominantly for muscle size, i.e. bodybuilding is regarded by many as involving the growth of a lot of non-functional muscle mass.

That is to say a bodybuilder has huge muscles but can’t lift as much as someone much smaller who has trained as a powerlifter or weightlifter.

Physique goals are different as well. Bodybuilders strive for aesthetic perfection, muscle balance and symmetry, whereas powerlifters, weightlifters and strongmen train almost purely for strength and increased force output. Some bodybuilders turn to supplements to add muscle or burn fat, some turn to using steroids. The latter is bad idea for many reasons – unless they belong to the new breed of legal steroids – bodybuilding supplements that work like steroids but are safe and legal.

As such, the latter group tend to build physiques functional to their discipline or multi-discipline sport.

It follows that a bodybuilder has more sarcoplasmic volume and less myofibril density than a pure strength athlete.

The Skill Component

Much of a strength athlete’s ability to lift heavier weights than a bodybuilder is actually down to practice, and hence skill.

Powerlifters are regularly lifting weights that are high percentages of their 1RM (one rep max – the maximum weight they can lift for one rep only).

Furthermore, they use less movements than a bodybuilder because they strive primarily for the functional necessities of the sport.

By contrast, a bodybuilder must train every muscle of their body in various ways to grow each one to its maximum size.

So, where a strongman will squat, deadlift, pull, press and bench heavy weight in big compound movements, a bodybuilder will do that with moderate weight as well as working on all the satellite muscles of the smaller muscle groups.

Basically, the skill of regularly lifting bigger weight has a huge effect on the ability to do so.

Here’s an excellent article on the science of sarcoplasmic vs myofibrillar hypertrophy if you don’t mind getting into the technical stuff.

Mutually Beneficial but Not Mutually Exclusive

It turns out that sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is probably an inevitable function of resistance training. Whether you’re particularly aiming for size or not, there will be some increase there no matter what – after all, powerlifters aren’t exactly small.

The same can be said for myofibrillar hypertrophy. Of course someone who wants to get massive has to increase their strength significantly.

Bodybuilders also find it very easy to switch to all-out strength when they want to. Using the earlier metaphor again; this could be because they’ve built their pipes bigger, and so they can pack more cables in by changing up their training style.

If sarcoplasmic hypertrophy expands the sarcoplasmic protein reservoir then it stands to reason that this would serve the myofibrils well, if not providing direct functional strength in and of itself.

The non-contractile proteins in the sarcoplasm are heavily involved in anaerobic metabolism, which bodybuilding training relies on to a large degree.

Volume sets where the muscle tissue is worked way past lactate threshold and into the pure anaerobic zone would benefit greatly from increased sarcoplasmic proteins.

Sets of 3 or 4 reps with heavy weight you’re mostly remaining in the aerobic zone and using muscle creatine and phosphocreatine stores for energy. The sarcoplasm therefore doesn’t need to be as expansive if strength sets make up the habitual training regimen.

Summary – How Can I Use This Information?

Most people reading this won’t want to compete for the Mr. Olympia title, or indeed become the strongest man in the world, anytime soon.

The differences between sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar hypertrophy are important to understand because it gives you an idea as to how you should train for specific physique and strength targets.

I recommend a mixture of strength and volume training in order to get best of both worlds: functional and aesthetic.

In my opinion, sarcoplasmic hypertrophy shouldn’t be viewed as non-functional muscle growth because it obviously provides an energy pool for the muscles to tap into during anaerobic exercise.

Personally, I put more emphasis on strength training for myofibrillar hypertrophy because it provides a platform of stability and functionality, while helping to prevent injury and chronic exhaustion as you progress.

To get really big, you will need to lift heavy weight regardless of the weight’s proportion to your maximal output. Bodybuilders might squat, press and bench less weight than a pure strength athlete, but they still lift ridiculously heavy weights compared to the average person.

My advice: don’t choose between size or strength. Take the best of both.

Click here to read about the different muscle fiber types and what you should know as a lifter

Deca Durabolin for Bodybuilding – Uses, Dosage & Risks

Updated on January 1, 2022 by Brad Murphy

Deca Durabolin Review

Deca Durabolin is a brand name for the injectable steroid Nandrolone.

This article is written objectively about Deca Durabolin (also known as Deca). We are providing a balanced view on its use for bodybuilding. We have highlighted to most popular legal Deca here

Although it’s an incredibly popular bodybuilding steroid, Deca Durabolin was not created for use in this way. It’s a medicinal drug intended to be used as a treatment for osteoporosis and to prevent bone loss and muscle wastage.

Like any other drug, Deca Durabolin can cause a lot of nasty side effects and should never be used without a doctor’s supervision. Using it for bodybuilding purposes is steroid abuse. It’s also illegal and dangerous.

On a molecular level, Deca Durabolin is almost identical to testosterone. The only difference is it lacks one carbon atom at the 19th position.

This slight difference makes Deca Durabolin weaker than testosterone and reduces the chance of premature balding and certain other side effects. However, the steroid still has side effects including the infamous “Deca Dick”.

This form of steroid-induced erectile dysfunction is no laughing matter. It can stick around for a long time.

Men who use the Deca Durabolin steroid sometimes end up waving goodbye to their sex life for up to a year.

However, regardless of the risks its use presents and the fact that it has to be delivered via painful intramuscular injections, Deca Durabolin continues to be a popular bulking steroid.

A Short Deca Durabolin History Lesson

Like all the other anabolic bodybuilding steroids, Deca Durabolin has been around for a long time.

The Organon pharmaceutical company created its first esters of 19-nortestosterone (Nandrolone) during the 1950s and applied for a patent in January 1959. The license was granted in August 1961. [SOURCE]

Due to the fact that the steroid was so good at boosting muscle growth and enhancing physical performance, it was not long before its abilities were being abused by bodybuilders, powerlifters, and competitive athletes.

In fact, it was one of the first steroids used as a doping agent in sports. It’s been banned by the Olympics Committee since 1974. Nandrolone in all its forms is banned by most other sporting bodies as well. Yet many athletes continue to take the risk.

In fact, as recently as April 2017, Starling Marte from the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team was hit with an 80 game ban after tests revealed he’d been using the steroid. [SOURCE]

How Deca Durabolin Works

Two of the most important things Deca Durabolin does are increase nitrogen retention and support improved protein synthesis.

Protein synthesis is the all-important repair process that heals your muscles and makes them grow. However, healthy protein synthesis only occurs in a nitrogen-rich environment.

The problem is, your muscles lose nitrogen during exercise.

By boosting nitrogen retention and protein synthesis in the way that it does, the steroid makes sure your muscles have everything they need to grow.

Additionally, Deca Durabolin boosts red blood cell production. The red blood cells carry oxygen around the body. By increasing their numbers, the steroid improves oxygen flow to the muscles. This allows you to work out harder and longer. It also speeds up recovery times.

There’s also one more additional benefit and it’s one that’s unique to this particular steroid—it increases collagen synthesis. This provides extra strength to the tendons and ligaments.

In so doing, the steroid helps ease the joint and tendon pain that holds some people back during their workouts.

How to Use Deca Durabolin

Deca Durabolin is a bulking steroid. It’s most useful for providing rapid increases in muscle size and strength. It has to be injected into the muscle tissue one time per week.

Some bodybuilders recommend a dose of 600 mg per week and do a 12-week cycle. This dose is much too high and gives you a damn good chance of getting ED.

A dose of 300-400 mg per week works well for a lot of people. The lower dose also permits a longer cycle.

However, a better idea is to take 2 mg of the steroid for each pound of lean body weight, but that means doing some math.

Women who use this steroid don’t need nearly as much as men. In general, they should be looking at a dose of 50 mg per week or less.

However, the best way approach with this steroid is not to use it at all. This isn’t the 60s. There are safer and better options available.

Deca Durabolin Side Effects

Deca Durabolin has a reputation of being one of the milder anabolic steroids. That in no ways makes it a wise or safe option to use. It still has the potential to cause a lot of nasty side effects.

Apart from robbing men of their ability to get an erection, it can make women who use it develop very masculine traits. Increases in body hair and deepening of the voice are just two problems women may face. Deca Durabolin also causes some women to develop a clitoris that’s so swollen it resembles a miniature penis.

Other Deca Durabolin side effects include:

Fluid retention
High blood pressure
Acne
Nausea
Itching
Undesirable changes in blood lipids
Abnormal liver function
Changes in liver anatomy and/or tumors
Growth of man boobs
Abnormal blood tests
Heart problems

Using this steroid also reduces normal testosterone production by around 70 percent. So if you think you can use it without doing a post cycle therapy you need to think again. Your body will need a lot of support until it can start producing sufficient testosterone again.

Deca Durabolin Pros and Cons

Like other anabolic steroids, Deca Durabolin has its good points and its bad ones.

PROS	CONS
Milder than other steroids	Illegal
Increases strength	Slower working than other steroids
Improves muscle size	Results take up to 8 weeks
Good for joint pain	Causes side effects
Faster recovery after workouts	Competitions bans
Strengthens the bones	Water retention
	Can ruin your sex life
	Requires post cycle therapy
	Has to be injected
	Safer alternatives available

Is Deca Durabolin Worth the Risk?

Although it’s milder than other steroids Deca Durabolin is still capable of causing side effects and the health is too precious a thing to risk.

Apart from the fact that it may damage your health, this slow-working steroid doesn’t even provide that much growth. Your only looking at gaining around 15lbs in muscle. And that’s after a 26-week cycle.

Then, when you’ve finished your cycle you will need to spend several more weeks doing a PCT. If you don’t your normal testosterone production will be so low you’ll lose all the gains you made and more.

Got a competition coming up? Deca Durabolin is going to give you problems there too. It can remain detectable for up to 18 months.

There are more reasons not to use Deca Durabolin than there are reasons that may make its use seem worthwhile. If you need something to help you bulk-up, it makes more sense to go with a safe and legal steroid alternative instead. You’d get far superior results and no negatives at all.

An Alternative to Deca

In our view the risks are not worth it – we advise using alternatives that have the potential for side effects removed.

CrazyBulk have developed a range of legal steroids that have become major players in the supplement industry. Their Deca Durabolin alternative is called DecaDuro and it can provide the following benefits

Increases oxygen flow to the muscles
Quality muscle gains
Increased strength and endurance
Increases protein synthesis
Improves nitrogen retention
Soothes the joints and quickens recovery

You can read full review here

Deca Durabolin FAQ

How long does Deca Durabolin remain detectable in your system?

The Deca Durabolin steroid can remain in your system for a very long time. Some people may test clear a little faster, but it can stay with you for up to 18 months.

Can women use Deca Durabolin?

Female bodybuilders who use steroids are more likely to go for Deca Durabolin than any of the other options. It’s often considered to be the most female-friendly anabolic steroid there is.

However, it still presents the risk of virilization and once women start developing those masculine traits there’s no going back.

What’s the difference between Deca Durabolin and Nandrolone?

There is no difference. Deca Durabolin is a brand name. Nandrolone is the generic name for the same steroid. It’s also known as 19-nortestosterone.

Will I have to do a PCT when I stop using it?

Yes. You will definitely have to do a post cycle therapy after you stop using Deca Durabolin.

Can you use Deca Durabolin during cutting cycles?

People have tried it, but it’s a pretty pointless thing to do. It’s a bulking steroid. Although it’s not going to provide dramatic improvements, it’s primarily used for improving muscle size and strength.

You also need to remember, Deca Durabolin is a steroid that can cause water retention and bloating. Taking it during a cutting cycle would be counterproductive.

Do you really want a lot of puffy flesh ruining your vascularity and definition?

Is there any way to use Deca Durabolin without getting Deca Dick?

No, it’s just the luck of the draw. Using it is a bit like playing Russian Roulette with your sex life. If you get hit you could be down and out for up to a year.