Whether you want to increase muscle mass for performance or aesthetics, you still have to follow hypertrophy protocols. You need to stress the muscle, you need spend time under tension and you need to do loads of sets, right?
When I first entered a gym as a college rugby player I simply wanted to get big. Back then I was told 3-5 sets of 8-12 reps was best. However, many other methods have been used, promoted and discussed over the years. German Volume training of 10 reps of 10 sets seems to be a popular method. However this is a large amount of volume! Is this necessary or can you achieve the same amount of progress with a small dose of fatigue?
5×10 or 10×10?
A simple question. Researches recently tested out a 6 week program to compare which was best for lean muscle gain. 2 groups completed compound exercises over a split routine, and the results may surprise you.
Overall the 5×10 group added 1.8kg of lean muscle mass, while 10×10 on added 1.2kg. 5×10 increased their muscle mass of both the trunk and arm. Additionally they improved their 1 rep max in bench press, lat pull down and leg press.
The leg press improvement was +23.1kg for 5×10 and only +12.5kg for 10×10. This is a massive difference!
5×10 Is Better, But Why?
When looking to maximise hypertrophy, it appears that training more than 4-6 sets leads to a plateau. Not only will you fail to put on any more mass, you are likely to regress due to over training!
Strength & Hypertrophy
I’m not saying you should only ever do 5×10. However if you want to get the most gains from the lowest stimulus then 5×10 is the way forward. You are also likely to improve strength to a larger degree, a win win situation!
If you would like to know more about the study you can find it here. If you would like to know more about the application and give it a go, get in touch with our Personal Trainers in Twickenham for a FREE Consultation!