How Do You Build Muscle Without Using Heavier Weights?
When one thinks about trying to build as much muscle as they can, they believe they have to work their way up to being able to bench press a maximum lift that competes with some of the strongest linemen in the National Football League – we’re talking close to 400 or 500 pounds total.
In addition, some linemen can have a maximum squat lift of around 600 or 700 pounds.
But like many different things, you don’t have to rely on just one way to get the desired results.
There are several ways to build muscle at the gym without having to stack the 45-pound plates on each side of the bar to the point where there’s not even enough room for the weight clips.
Some of these approaches will also allow you to reduce the risk of injury that can come with trying to lift hefty weights.
Use lighter weights on bars.
While so many people in the gym are used to lifting heavy to build strong muscles, recent studies have found that you can receive just as many muscle-building benefits from lifting lighter loads as opposed to going heavier.
That doesn’t mean you should only lift small, especially as you continue to develop as an advanced lifter with a lot of experience – it only means you can alternate between heavy lifts and quicker and lighter exercises.
Focusing on speed for your strength workouts begins with using a lower percentage of your maximum lift’s weight and allows you to do more speed training with the bar and a little weight.
This stretches your muscles’ reflexes and allows you to develop the ability to build momentum on your lifts quickly.
Your body will also boost the recruitment of more muscle fibers in those areas you work out.
This faster weight training approach is used by several athletes who can benefit from being able to produce a lot of power in a short amount of time.
A perfect example is a baseball player swinging for the fences for a home run. Consider the power as a way of showing explosive strength.
The speed training usually starts with taking your maximum lift amount and calculating it to anywhere between 45 and 65 percent for sets of about two to six repetitions with as much explosiveness as you can muster.
The best way to accomplish this workout is to perform each rep with the most effort you can produce by picking up or pushing out – depending on the type of lift – as fast as you can and as explosively as possible.
Imagine squats in this speed realm; you will want to descend quickly into position and pause for a moment before getting up as fast as you can, using your feet to push the rest of your body from the ground.
At the same time, you must still maintain your proper lifting form without slacking. This is the best time to improve your lifting techniques overall.
Sprint lifting
The amount of work you put into the lifts requires a lot of intensity on your part, like deciding how many sets and reps you can handle.
Over time, the goal is to build on that workout capacity by performing much quicker sprints in your lifts regularly each week.
The beauty of this type of lifting is that it is an anabolic form of cardiovascular exercise that allows you to improve your cardio health and build muscle growth and overall strength.
At the same time, you won’t deal with the type of impact that running can cause while still providing a very intense workout.
You should use sprint lifting as an additional part of your workout without making yourself so physically tired that the rest of the week in the gym is compromised.
Even though the sprinting style can be utilized in the running on a track or even bicycle riding, you will burn a lot of calories making sprints on the lifts – as well as having a similar approach for work on prowlers and sleds (if your gym or fitness center has this type of equipment available).
When doing the sprint lift workouts, you won’t need to do any additional cardio exercises.
Afterward, make sure you get plenty of sleep that night and enjoy a few good meals for a good amount of calories – both will lead to a better recovery before you continue tomorrow with your overall training plan.
Develop lean muscle mass
Before you can have muscles of a similar size to big-name bodybuilders, you need to work on your body’s composition regarding how much fat you have and how much lean muscle you have in comparison.
If you add more muscle, you want to start with a lean and defined body frame.
Common sense does make a point to state that someone with more muscle will be stronger than someone with less.
But burning off the excess fat will allow you to have a reasonable starting frame to build on top of – maximizing the amount of muscle and potential strength per pound of your total body weight.
When building leaner muscle, you want to make sure you have sets that lift anywhere from eight to 12 reps.
At the same time, you will want to change your diet plan to be careful about how many calories you are consuming while ensuring you still get the necessary amount of proteins and carbohydrates to fuel muscle growth and development.
Focus on doing many major lift exercises – i.e., bench press, squat, and deadlift – but also add some exercises that provide some isolation movements to provide your entire range of body and enhance hypertrophy.
When one thinks about trying to build as much muscle as they can, they believe they have to work their way up to being able to bench press a maximum lift that competes with some of the strongest linemen in the National Football League – we’re talking close to 400 or 500 pounds total.
In addition, some linemen can have a maximum squat lift of around 600 or 700 pounds.
But like many different things, you don’t have to rely on just one way to get the desired results.
There are several ways to build muscle at the gym without having to stack the 45-pound plates on each side of the bar to the point where there’s not even enough room for the weight clips.
Some of these approaches will also allow you to reduce the risk of injury that can come with trying to lift hefty weights.
