The Forgotten Fundamental of Muscle Building

Bodybuilding is a sport that very few can describe as "fun". Grueling workouts executed with excessive frequency, incredibly restrictive diets, and at the top levels, copious drug use are the norm within bodybuilding. While being the next Ronnie Coleman may not be one of your goals, the vast majority of us want to look better naked (ain't no shame in admitting that!). Let's discuss one thing we can steal from bodybuilders to help reach that goal.

Maximal Muscle Contraction and Intent

Here's something top bodybuilders know that you're not applying:

The key differentiator to getting the most out of a program is the quality of execution of each and every exercise.

The popularity of social media has created a vast number of people I'd call ego lifters: those consistently posting their latest 1 rep max, often with form and control that'd make a professional strength coach vomit. Ego lifting perpetuates a common mistake: thinking lifting weights is simply moving the bar (or dumbbell) from point A to point B. If strength is your goal, this might not be a bad way to execute your technique. However, when it comes to building muscle and burning fat in the process, this method of execution limits results.

Vince Gironda aka the Iron Guru was the first to popularize the idea of maximal muscle contraction. This physique was built without heavy weights.

So, how do we get the most bang for our buck when body composition is our goal? First, we need to understand which muscle we want to work - this is not difficult for most people. A simple online search will tell you which exercise targets which muscle or muscle groups.

Secondly, and most importantly, when executing said exercise, it is important to maximally contract the muscle, irrespective of the weight used. Actively think about flexing your muscle against the weight. Quality of execution is paramount. This requires not only perfect form but incredible focus and concentration. 

Want a real-life example? Curl your arm as if doing a bicep curl. You should be able to make your bicep contract so hard that it feels like cramping up - even with no weight. If you can't do this, your ability to hypertrophy your bicep will be limited. Adding weight to your curls won't do much to solve the problem, you'll recruit other muscles to help complete the movement (such as the forearm, anterior shoulder, and others). 

Ultimately, the best stimulus for hypertrophy is maximal muscle tension. 

Try this: for your next workout, use a 3-0-3-3 tempo. This denotes a 3 second concentric (lift), 3 second isometric squeeze after the concentric, and a 3 second lowering (eccentric). This tempo can be applied to just about any lift. This technique works especially well for muscle groups that you have difficulty building.

As crazy as it may seem, bodybuilding, muscle hypertrophy, and fat loss require some level of skill. That skill is your ability to squeeze a muscle as hard as humanly possible. It does take time to develop. Give the above tempo and execution cues a shot; be prepared to use significantly lighter weights and be humbled.