I started lifting weights consistently in 2008, and within just a few weeks, magic happened.

I saw changes to my body that I had never experienced before: a little definition in my shoulders, more shapely calves, and a tiny tricep bulge. I was rewarded instantly for my efforts and, man, oh man, it felt good.

But back then, I didn’t know much about the science of hypertrophy (muscle growth). I thought I was soooo smart for devising a plan that yielded instant results. I was well on my way to becoming She-Hulk.

Sadly, my little ego bubble soon burst. My results slowed and then screeched to a halt. I didn’t realize that what I had experienced in those first few weeks was what folks in the fitness industry describe as “newbie gains.”

When we first start a resistance training program, our bodies experience increased muscle protein synthesis and neural adaptations, which can lead to dramatic changes in strength and muscle size.

However, after a few months of hard work, those initial rewards faded, and I hit a plateau — and it was a long one.

Despite lifting five days a week, I experienced a grand total of zero signficant changes in muscle size or strength for eight years!

There were some minor changes, of course — some vascularity here, a bit more bicep definition there — but nothing to brag about.

Time for A New Plan

In 2019, everything changed.

A long-term relationship ended, which was enough motivation for me to lose the “relationship” 10 pounds, eat better, get stronger and become healthier.

In order to get there, I knew I needed to overhaul my entire fitness routine. My current plan just wasn’t moving the needle anymore; it had became routine, mundane, and kind of boring.

The first step was understanding the basic math of fat loss and the law of thermodynamics. I learned about Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) and how to adjust my caloric intake for fat loss, which I’ve written about extensively in this piece.

However, calorie manipulation was just one piece of the body recomposition puzzle. The training component was equally as important and therefore, deserves its own discussion.

The training plan I’m about to outline in this article helped me finally break my years-long plateau, helping me make some serious strength and muscle gains. I made transformational changes to my physique:

Like many others, I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information available, the scientific jargon tossed around, and trying to piece together the correct weights, exercises, and number of sets I should be doing.

When piecing together my DIY strength plan I had one criterion: it needed to be simple and efficient. Some people think you need to commit hours daily to make noticeable changes to your physique, but that isn’t true.

Most of my strength workouts were under 30 minutes, with some lasting only 15 minutes. Life is busy, and I have other fitness priorities so a shorter time investment kept me committed to the process and consistent.

Regardless of your motivation, you’re likely here to learn how to get stronger and build muscle. I hope to share some principles that helped me, and, hopefully, can help you too!

My training philosophy is that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. I won’t dictate exactly what you should do; I lack the credentials and don’t know your specific circumstances, genetics, exercise history, medical conditions, and goals, which leads me to my disclaimer:

While I used to be a personal trainer, my certification expired long ago. However, I have extensively researched this topic and used myself as an ongoing test subject. Yes, it’s a focus group of one, but many of these principles are supported by strong evidence. It’s always wise to seek medical clearance before starting a new fitness program. As you read through the principles, feel free to pick and choose the information that resonates with you, and disregard the rest.

Before We Dive In, a Glossary of Terms…

Fitness is full of jargon and can get confusing so I’ve listed out some key terms and definitions I’ll be covering throughout this article below:

• Repetition (reps) -the number of times you repeat an exercise before taking a break.
• Sets — a collection of reps.
• Load – the amount of weight we lift.
• Training volume is the amount of work we do in a training session, which is the combination of the repetitions, sets, and the amount of weight we lift.
• Progressive overload means doing more work over time to achieve our training goals by changing the training variables. This could involve increasing the weight, doing more reps or sets, adjusting rest times between sets, slowing down the tempo, or adding extra training days.
• Training Split refers to how you divide your workouts throughout the week, focusing on different muscle groups or types of exercises.
• Isolation Exercises (single-joint exercises) focus on a single muscle group (ie. bicep curls, triceps extensions, lateral raises, calf raises).
• Compound Movements (multi-joint exercises) train multiple muscle groups simultaneously (ie. presses, squats, pull-ups, rows).
• Rep Maximum (RM) is the maximum number of reps you can perform consecutively before muscular failure. In other words, the amount of reps you can lift until you physically cannot perform another rep.
• Intensity refers to how hard you’re working and can be determined using one of the following methods: Percentage of your 1 Rep Maximum (1RM), Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE), Reps in Reserve (RIR) — we’ll review each method later this article.
• Eccentric Movement —the part of your lift where the muscle fibres lengthen.
• Concentric Movement — the part of the lift where muscle fibres shorten.
• Time under tension (TUT) is the duration when the whole muscle is under tension in both the concentric and eccentric part of the lift.
• Accentuated eccentric loading is the overloading the muscles during the eccentric phase of an exercise.
• Drop sets involve performing a set of an exercise until failure (or close to failure) then immediately dropping the weight and continuing the repetitions until you hit failure again.

Now that we’ve gotten some terminology out of the way, let’s get into the good stuff!

1 — First and Foremost, Why Even Strength Train?

You may already have your reasons for wanting to start a strength training program or optimize your existing routine. However, getting crystal clear on your intentions is crucial for maintaining consistency in any training program — or endeavour, for that matter.

When I first started strength training I wanted to look hot and build confidence, but as I became stronger, I discovered many other benefits beyond aesthetics.

Carrying heavy bags of groceries, maintaining good posture, and improving my ability to tackle long ascents while climbing mountains has been incredibly rewarding. Recently, I’ve also learned how vital a role resistance training plays as we age.

Whether your goals are to build confidence, increase strength, achieve athletic goals or simply become a holistically healthier person, strength training can check all of those boxes.

Here are 2 crucial points to add to your motivation arsenal:

1.1 — Resistance Training Slows Down the Body’s Natural Decline

Our bodies decline as we age. No surprise there.

Sadly, we cannot take a potion like Goldie Hawn and Meryl Streep in Death Becomes Her, which will stop the aging process in its tracks and “force it into retreat.”

Unless we take deliberate action, we’re going to experience a depressing phenomena called sarcopenia, which is a condition characterized by the loss of muscle mass, strength, and power as we age.

Here are some alarming statistics to note:

• In aging adults, sarcopenia can progress rapidly in those who don’t engage in regular resistance training, beginning as early as age 30.
• According to the NSCA’s Essentials of Personal Training, individuals in this group can experience a 5–10% reduction in muscle mass every decade, leading to a potential 90% loss in strength and a 30–40% decrease in muscular power.
• Sarcopenia can also lead to osteopenia, which is the reduction of bone mineral density. We could experience a 10–30% reduction in bone mineral density every decade as well. That’s highly concerning.

But wait! Our futures aren’t completely bleak. There’s a way to prevent all this decline, or at least, slow it down, and that’s engaging in…you guessed it, regular resistance training.

Resistance training (RT) can help us offset the negatives of aging, increasing our strength, muscle, power, and bone mineral density. RT can also help reduce the risk of metabolic diseases, cardiovascular disease, and many other health issues.

There’s so much more to strength training than getting lean, jacked or swole, bro.

1.2 — It Helps You Lose More Fat While at Rest

Resistance training doesn’t typically burn as many calories as aerobic exercise, but if my goal were to get lean or lose weight, my number one priority would be resistance training.

Why?

Research shows that resistance training can significantly impact resting energy expenditure (REE). Resting energy expenditure is defined as the energy needed to support our body functions while at rest.

When we strength train, we need more energy to recover and repair our muscles, resulting in a boost in REE. The actual increase varies depending on the individual, but a rough average, according to NSCA’s Essentials of Personal Training, is about 7% for older adults, equating to approximately~100 calories per day. (*note: the average boost in REE can vary widely in individuals.)

Let’s go through a quick example. If you performed four 30-minute resistance training sessions per week and burned 250 calories per session, that would total 1,000 calories per week or 4,000 calories per month.

On top of the 4,000 calories from resistance training, you can capitalize on the boost in REE. This means you would burn an extra 100 calories per day from the energy it takes for muscle remodeling, which adds up to around 3,000 calories per month.

The total monthly expenditure would be 4,000 calories from resistance training plus 3,000 from the REE boost, equaling 7,000 calories per month (approx. 2 pounds of fat loss).

Wowza!

Now that we’ve covered just a few of the many benefits of resistance training, let’s venture into the science of muscle growth.

2 — The Core Issue that Caused My Training Plateau

When analyzing all the flaws in my plateau-inducing program, the biggest issue was sameness.

I was performing the same exercises with the same weight, in the same order for a very long time. I wasn’t pushing myself hard enough, and was simply going through the motions, which prevented any significant changes from materializing.

My mistake was not incorporating the principles of progressive overload.

In terms of progression, you don’t need to make each training session harder than the last; instead, it’s more important to aim for a gradual build-up over time. There are different ways to approach this using various models of periodization, which we’ll cover in more depth shortly.

In a nutshell, progressive training means increasing the training stimulus over time, and it was the key catalyst for my body transformation.

The remainder of this article will focus on each of the training stimuli I manipulated to achieve my hypertrophy and strength goals — goes far beyond just “heavier weight and higher reps”.

3— My New and Improved Resistance Training Plan

3.1 — Goals, Goals, Goals

It’s important to first define my goals because the plan that I formulated was based on what I wanted to achieve.

When I was crafting my shiny new plan, I kept in mind the following objectives:

1. Build lean muscle (body recomposition)
2. Gain strength
3. Develop specific body parts, like my shoulders and back, which were weaker points for me.

I therefore formulated my plan to focus on muscle growth (hypertrophy) and strength. The first part of my plan I wanted to change was how I structured my workouts, specifically my training splits and frequency.

3.2 — Training Splits & Frequency

My previous training split was broken out into upper body and lower body days, where I’d include 5 to 6 training sessions per week. I would perform 3–4 upper body workouts and 2 lower body workouts, with one day of rest.

While there’s nothing inherently wrong with this split (it did work for a while), it contained a major flaw: I wasn’t able to generate sufficient set volume for specific muscle groups due to fatigue. Doing back, biceps, chest, shoulders, and triceps all in the same session was kind of exhausting.

After some research, I decided to experiment with a combination of splits, creating my own hybrid model based on the areas I wanted to train and develop most (upper body). The options I could choose from included full-body, push/pull, or hybrid splits.

• A full body split involves using all major muscle groups in a single session.
• A push split involves pushing movements, working the chest, triceps, and shoulders.
• A pull split involves pulling movements, working the back and biceps, and rear delts.

It’s typically recommended that beginners focus on a full body or lower/upper split, but as you progress, you can advance to a push/pull or hybrid model.

I decided to do give a push/pull/legs split a go which looked something like this:

• Upper body push (chest, triceps, shoulders) — 2x per week
• Upper body pull (biceps, back) — 2x per week
• Lower body and core — 1-2x per week

If I felt tired on a particular day, was training for an endurance race, or simply couldn’t fit in six days of resistance training, I scaled back to five days and performed a lower body workout only once a week.

3.3 — Scheduling My Workouts

Decision fatigue: it’s a real thing. Research has shown that scheduling our workouts helps us maintain a consistent workout regimen.

I make enough decisions in my day so keeping my training schedule consistent minimized planning time, helping me avoid wandering around the gym aimlessly.

Here’s a rough outline of my training schedule I devised, although I did keep it flexible and adjusted as needed:

• Monday: Upper Body Pull
• Tuesday: Lower Body
• Wednesday: Upper Body Push
• Thursday: Lower Body
• Friday: Upper Body Pull
• Saturday: Upper Body Push
• Sunday: Rest

I tried spacing out my upper body days to allow for recovery — except Friday and Saturday — as back-to-back upper body days often left me feeling sluggish.

The literature suggests slotting in a minimum of 1 day of rest between training the same muscle groups, with a maximum of 3 days.

3.4—The Criterion to Choose My Exercises

Training splits ✓
Training frequency ✓
Training schedule ✓

I now needed to choose the exercises.

My old plan consisted mostly of isolation exercises and very little compound movements, which made my workouts kinda inefficient.

Why?

Isolation exercises target one muscle group at a time, while compound movements engage multiple muscle groups, providing more bang for my workout buck in terms of effort and results.

While isolation exercises helped me develop areas that were lagging, they shouldn’t have been my main priority.

For my new plan, I decided to flip the ratio: instead of performing 80% isolation and 20% compound exercises, I did the ol’ reverse and did 80% compound and 20% isolation.

I started my workout with compound movements first while my energy was high then moved to isolation exercises towards the end of the workout.

I chose exercises based on 2 factors:

1. I needed to enjoy them
2. They needed to be easy to learn

I omitted some exercises because they weren’t very fun or I couldn’t nail down the form easily. For example, rear delt flyes hurt my wrists, and my deadlift form was horrendous, so I chose alternative exercises instead.

I discovered a ton of exercises from the Anabolic Aliens YouTube channel, and gradually built up exercise arsenal over time.

Here’s a list of exercises I rotate through for each specific workout, organized by training day and muscle group (with links instructional videos included):

3.5 — Exercises For Upper Body Pull Days:

For the back musculature:

• Wide-grip pull-up (body weight)
• Lat pull-down (machine)
• Seated row (machine)
• Reverse-grip dumbbell row (dumbbells)
• Reverse fly (machine)
• W-back (~8:00min in the video)
• Shoulder shrugs (dumbbells)
• Overhead shrugs (dumbbells)
• Front shrugs (dumbbells)

For the biceps and brachialis:

• Bicep curls
• Alternating dumbbell curls
• Hammer curls
• Reverse curls
• Barbell drag curl
• Dumbell straight curl

3.6–Exercises For Lower Body Days

For the quads, hamstrings, and glutes:

• Calf raises
• Split lunges
• Squats
• Leg extensions (with machine)
• Leg press

For the core and abs:

• Hanging leg raises
• Reverse crunch
• Side bends
• Flutter kicks
• Toe touches
• Bicycle crunches

3.7–Exercises For Upper Body Push Days:

For the chest:

• Bench Press
• Dumbbell Flyes
• Dumbbell Chest Press
• Reverse grip dumbbell press
• Svend Press

For the triceps:

• Tricep extensions
• Tricep Pushdowns
• Tricep dips (on bench)
• Skull crushers

For the shoulders:

• Shoulder press
• Arnold Press
• Lateral raise
• Bent Over Dumbbell Reverse Fly
• Prone Rear Delt Y-Raise

To keep things interesting and to mix up the training stimulus, I aimed to incorporate at least one new exercise every few weeks.

3.8 — Training Volume (Load, Reps, and Sets)

Training volume, is arguably the most important determinant in achieving muscle growth, so I paid close attention to each variable when devising my new plan.

The formula is simple: volume = total reps (reps x sets) x load (weight).

Choosing the correct load, reps, and sets depends on your goals— whether they are strength, hypertrophy, muscular endurance, power, or a combination of these.

My rep ranges and number of sets remained consistent between my old and new plan, but I focused on increasing the load and overall set volume. I selected the weight for each exercise based on my goal rep range, using a trial-and-error approach guided by a chart like the one below:

As a reminder, RM stands for “rep maximum,” which is the maximum number of reps you can perform until muscle failure.

Since my main goal was muscle growth (hypertrophy), I would aim for the 8–12 RM range, and determined the load (the amount of weight lifted for each exercises) through trial and error.

My process looked like this:

1. I intuitively chose a weight for each exercise, improving my judgment over time.
2. I performed a set of reps.
3. If could barely reach 8 reps, the weight was likely too heavy. Conversely, if I easily surpassed 12 reps, it was too light.
4. I adjusted the weight up or down for each exercise accordingly.

While there are more sophisticated methods for selecting load, trial and error was a practical approach I could manage on my own.

The National Strength and Conditioning Association offers guidelines on how many reps and sets to perform based on your specific goals and experience level, which I’ve compiled here for your reference.

3.9 — Crucial but Ignored —The Rest Between Sets

To be honest, I’m not great at resting between sets.

While much of the literature suggests longer rest periods, I often jump right back into my next set after just 30 seconds to 1 minute — an approach that leans more toward muscular endurance training.

Am I missing out on GAINS? Perhaps. But I prefer not to wait 2 minutes between sets. Personal preference.

The exception is for my more challenging compound movements like chest presses, pull-ups, lat pull-downs, and seated rows, where I usually rest for at least 1.5 to 2 minutes. But when it comes to isolation exercises? No way.

Here’s a general guideline, pulled from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), which is a better guide to follow than my own experience:

Following these guidelines can help optimize your training based on your specific goals. For example, longer rest periods are beneficial for strength training because they allow for greater recovery of both the muscles and nervous system, enabling you to lift heavier loads in subsequent sets.

But hey, even though I didn’t follow the recommendations, I was still able to achieve some good results.

I’m a big proponent of experimenting. If the idea of sitting around for 2–5 minutes between sets doesn’t appeal to you, try shorter rest periods and see how your body responds.

3.10 — Gauging The Training Intensity (aka “How Hard You Train”)

The last change I made in my new and improved plan was how I determined my intensity, that is, how hard I worked in each set of reps. There are a multitude of ways to determine this, but the method I chose was RIR or “reps-in-reserve.”

We can determine our intensity using the following methods: Percentage of your 1 Rep Maximum (1RM), Repetition Maximum, Rate of Perceived Extertion (RPE) Scale, or my tried and true method: Reps in Reserve (RIR).

Let’s briefly go over each.

• Percentage of your 1 Rep Maximum (1RM): Your 1 rep maximum (1RM) is defined as the maximum weight you can lift in a single repetition (hence the name, 1 rep max). Knowing your 1RM allows you to calculate weights for various training intensities based on percentages of that maximum. Say my 1RM for a lat pull-down was 150 lbs. Here’s what training at various various intensities (percentages) would look like for that specific exercise:

P.S. Studies suggest that beginners don’t need to train with 1RM because it’s important to first build a fitness foundation. Intermediate lifters may want to understand their 1RM and incorporate it as part of their compound movements. Advanced lifters will likely want to know their 1RM to optimize performance. If you do any 1RM testing, it’s important to recruit an experienced spotter.

• Repetition Maximum (RM): To find your RM, you typically perform trials to identify the heaviest weight you can lift for a given rep range, as we’ve discussed. While hitting your RM or getting close can effectively induce muscle growth, doing so in every workout may increase recovery time and the risk of overtraining. Therefore, incorporate variability in load — such as alternating between high-rep, low-weight days and low-rep, high-weight days.
• Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE): The Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale rates how hard you’re working on a scale from 1–10. An RPE rating of 10 indicates an all-out effort, while an 8 or 9 suggests you’re close to your limit but could still perform a few more reps. While an RPE scale is useful, research shows that we tend to overestimate our fatigue levels. Oftentimes, when I feel like I’m at a 9, for instance, I can still handle 3 or more reps before failure.

• Reps in Reserve (RIR): The last method is Repetitions in Reserve (RIR) or in other words, nonfailure training. RIR is the inverse of RPE: a rating of 1 means you have one rep left before muscle failure, while a rating of 2 means you have two reps left, and so on. I use the RIR method in my training, stopping a certain number of reps short of failure.

Over the past few years, the RIR method has been my go-to for gauging intensity.

Despite my challenges in accurately assessing my maximal effort (which would hamper the RPE method), using RIR has enabled me to achieve strength and muscle gains while effectively managing fatigue levels.

3.11 — A Sample Training Day with My New Plan

So putting it all together, here’s what a training day-in-the lift of my new and improved plan looked like:

Warm-up (5 mins)

I would begin with some muscular endurance work, selecting one or two exercises for the specific muscle groups I was targeting that day. I’d perform 15 or more reps with lighter weights to warm up my muscles for lifting heavier.

Workout (20–30 mins)

• I chose 3–5 exercises per muscle group, 3–4 sets per exercise, totaling 15–25 sets each training day.
• I performed compound movements first, followed by isolation exercises, aiming for ~6–12 RM for most exercises.
• I rested roughly 30 sec — 1 minute between sets for isolation exercises and ~1.5–2 minutes for compound movements.
• I trained at an RIR of ≤ 3 on most days

3.Bonus: Some Advanced Lifting Techniques to Try

Since implementing my new plan years ago, I kept my lifting techniques simple, but after my progress became stagnant yet again *sigh*, I decided to research some new lifting techniques to try.

I was overwhelmed by all the different strategies, and some sounded a bit too complex for me to try on my own. However, three techniques with substantial research backing caught my attention:

1. Time under tension (TUT): Tempo refers to the speed at which you perform each phase of an exercise, including the concentric (muscle shortening), isometric (pausing), and eccentric (muscle lengthening) phases. Time Under Tension (TUT) is the total duration when the muscle is under tension during both the concentric and eccentric parts of the lift. A common tempo might involve lifting for 1–2 seconds, pausing at the top for 1 second, and lowering the weight for 1–2 seconds. Manipulating the tempo to increase TUT can help drive muscle growth.
2. Accentuated eccentric loading (AEL): Accentuated eccentric loading focuses on overloading the muscles during the eccentric phase of an exercise. Research suggests that emphasizing this phase — where the muscle lengthens under load — can create greater mechanical tension and muscle damage, leading to enhanced growth. I usually incorporate 1–2 exercises per session using the AEL method while maintaining a normal tempo for the rest of my compound movements. When lifting heavier weights with AEL, it’s wise to have an experienced spotter.
3. Drop sets: Drop sets are one of my faves and I use them frequently. To perform a drop set, you take a set to failure at a specific weight, then immediately reduce the weight and continue until you reach muscle failure again. One meta-analysis concluded that drops sets can be an effective strategy for individuals with hypertrophy goals, but don’t have a ton of time to train. While there were no significant differences in muscle growth between traditional training and drop set methods, drop sets can reduce workout duration to about half or even a third of the time compared to traditional approaches. Efficiency, baby! I’m here for it.

3.Bonus.2: Structuring Your Training Cycles

Thanks for sticking with me so far; I know it’s a lot of information to digest! The last concept worth mentioning is formalized periodization, or structuring your training cycles.

My approach to choosing training intensity and load has been mostly intuitive. If I felt strong and energized, I’d push myself; if I was tired, sore, or just not feeling great, I’d take it easy. Some days, I barely did anything at all.

However, there are more structured strategies which I’ll briefly outline. The way you sequence your workouts will depend on your specific goals and preferences, but here are a few methods to get you started:

• Within-week variation: “Within-week” refers to altering intensity and volume throughout the week. Many people get tired by the end of the week due to job stress, family demands, and well, life. It can be beneficial to schedule harder sessions earlier in the week and gradually decrease the intensity as the week progresses. For instance, I typically like to push it Monday — Wednesday, ease off Thursday to Saturday, and take Sunday as a rest day.

P.S. Daily undulating periodization is the fancy name for programming your training into light, moderate, and heavy days.

• Between-week variation: “Between-week variation” involves changing your training frequency, exercises, volume, and intensity on a weekly basis. A common strategy is the 3:1 loading paradigm, where you progressively increase intensity over 3 weeks, followed by a significant reduction in intensity and volume during the fourth week or take a full rest week. You’d then repeat the cycle. The pros of this method, especially when combined with the within-week variation, can help you maximize training adaptations and help reduce the risk of overtraining.
• Sequencing: Another effective method I’ve read about but haven’t implemented yet is sequencing your training focus based on your goals. For instance, since my primary goals are strength and hypertrophy, I could emphasize one goal for a few weeks before switching to the other. A type sequence would look something like this — Hypertrophy for Week 1–4. And then Strength for Week 5–8…

After completing this cycle, I could repeat it, alternating between hypertrophy and strength phases.

While I typically incorporate muscular endurance, strength, and hypertrophy training within the same session, some literature suggests that prioritizing training goals over set periods can yield greater performance improvements compared to unstructured training.

4 — A Quick Look at Nutrition

While I won’t dive into the nitty gritty of my nutrition plan (this article is already hefty enough!), I want to touch on a few key aspects that supported my strength and hypertrophy goals.

4.1 — Protein Intake

I covered how I calculated my caloric needs in this article, and while I’ve never really meticulously tracked my carb or fat intake, I have paid close attention to my protein consumption.

I aim for a daily intake of 1.8–2.7 g/kg of body weight and try to consume ~ 20–30 g of protein post-workout.

4.2 — Timing My Post-Workout Meal

The “anabolic window” refers to the optimal time to consume nutrients around your training session to maximize muscle recovery and repair. A widely circulated myth suggests that this feeding window is just 30–60 minutes post-workout, but recent research indicates that it’s much wider.

While there isn’t conclusive evidence on the exact timing, many studies suggest the window spans several hours, especially when considering the timing of the pre-workout meal.

A rough rule of thumb is a four- to five-hour window that includes your pre-workout nutrition.

In terms of protein quantity, guidelines recommend aiming for roughly 20–40 grams during the post-workout period, which is supported by several studies.

The big caveat here is if you train fasted. I sometimes do my strength training sessions fasted, especially when scheduled early in the morning, as I have a hard time eating at that time. If I train fasted, I aim to consume at least 20 grams of protein within an hour post-workout.

4.3 — Supplements

I’m not really a big supplement gal, but the one I’ve been using for several years is creatine monohydrate.

Creatine has been around forever and is one of the most popular and widely researched supplements on the market. It’s a substance that is produced naturally in our bodies and is commonly stored in our muscles and brain.

Creatine supplementation has been proven time and time again in scientific literature to help aid in muscle growth, improve strength during resistance training, and increase energy.

Creatine is also pretty affordable and is one of the safest supplements to ingest. When taking creatine, there’s typically a loading phase that lasts around five to seven days, when you’ll increase your creatine stores in the muscles quickly (typically 20 g per day).

Pre-workout, I drink coffee, and that’s it!

Final Thoughts

As I write this, I’m in the process of revamping my training plan, shifting my focus from hypertrophy to building strength, while prioritizing my lower body as I recover from some pretty major injuries.

Over time, I have gained more strength, but in terms of muscular size, I’ve hit a bit of a genetic ceiling which I haven’t been able to surpass — even after incorporating all those fancy advanced lifting techniques.

I still maintain a similar training structure, but try to manipulate the variables every 4 weeks to keep things fresh and challenging.

What keeps me motivated and consistent at the gym are two main factors: my genuine enjoyment of lifting weights and the strength gains that come from consistent effort.

Training theory is complex and individualized, so while elements of this plan have worked for me, you may find that it doesn’t quite fit the bill for your needs and goals.

As always, I hope you found this article helpful and picked up a few hot training tips along the way 🙂