christian baniaga
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Heavy lift vs. light lift for muscle growth
anybody want to be a bodybuilder but don't nobody want to lift no heavy ass wait conventional wisdom has us convinced that high reps and light weights builds muscle endurance and makes little contribution to gains in muscle mass heavier weights in the low to moderate rep range on the other hand has long been accepted as the best way to maximize muscle growth in fact many of you are probably familiar with simplified charts like these showing that moderate to heavy loads leads to greater hypertrophy and strength whereas lighter loads leads to more muscular endurance with less contribution to hypertrophy so based on this it may seem that heavier loads is the way to go in terms of hypertrophy but to determine whether this is a valid perspective or not in this video we'll cover the research behind the use of heavy weights versus light weights and which is more optimal in terms of muscle growth so let's start by quickly covering the research behind it which is pretty clear cut a lot of the initial findings regarding this topic was done by stuart phillips and his colleagues in their 2012 study they gathered 18 male subjects to train their legs on the leg extension machine three times a week for 10 weeks with one group using 30 of their one rep max for thirty to forty reps and the other group using eighty percent of their one rep max for ten to twelve reps the result as seen in this graph quadriceps muscle growth was nearly identical in both the lightweight and heavyweight groups but although this was a novel finding at the time it attracted a lot of criticism most notably because it used untrained beginners as subjects who often grow no matter what they do so in response phillips and his team performed a similar study in 2016 but this time using 49 men with an average of four years lifting experience and a similar protocol as a previous study but this time using a whole body resistance training program but surprisingly once again the results showed that low did not dictate hypertrophy meaning that both light weights and heavy weights elicited equal amounts of muscle growth in addition both protocols led to similar increases in type 1 and type 2 fiber growth which are typically believed to be low dependent after this study several studies and a large meta-analysis have been done on the topic with all concluding the same result light weights and heavy weights lead to similar muscle growth when volume is equated for and sets are taken close to failure so based on this it might seem as if lifting light weights is equally as beneficial as heavy weights however there's a couple things to consider one when looking at strength this meta-analysis of eight relevant studies comparing heavy versus light weights show that the use of heavy weights tends to be better in terms of strength gains which in the long run i think would lead to better hypertrophy when compared to lighter weights and two keep in mind that these studies involve the use of pushing to near failure regardless of the weight used and training to failure in a higher rep range is a lot more uncomfortable than doing so with lower reps and heavier weight due to the increased metabolic stress in fact some of the subjects performing the lightweight protocols even ended up throwing up after high rep sets it it could happen i threw up many times while i was working out but it doesn't matter because it's all worth it so again in the long run unless you have arnold's mindset it's not really a viable option given that it's just generally unenjoyable to train to failure with higher reps especially on compound movements i know you might be a little confused now as to what to do with these findings so let's take a look at how you can apply this to your workout in order to maximize muscle growth two of the main mechanisms of muscle growth are mechanical tension and metabolic stress these two mechanisms are basically in a constant tug of war during your workout meaning more of one generally means less of the other when you lift heavier weights you induce more mechanical tension when you lift lighter weights but for more reps you can cause more metabolic stress this is probably why lighter weights and heavier weights leads to equivalent muscle growth when equated for volume since they each target separate mechanisms but leads to the same outcome of muscle growth so in order to maximize muscle growth it may be beneficial to target both mechanisms in your workout since heavy loads are more beneficial for strength gains and mechanical tension and are easier to take close to failure increasing strength on your heavy compound movements should be the foundation of your long-term training but in addition as stated by hypertrophy expert and researcher brad schoenfeld it is likely that exercise centered on achieving a pump via higher rep sets with low weights and short rest also provides a potent hypertrophic stimulus that is synergistic to heavy compound lifting therefore you should also consider utilizing higher reps with lower weights in your accessory movements after your heavier sets on compound movements are done as this will enable you to take advantage of the multiple pathways involved with muscle hypertrophy some ways to achieve this are through the use of drop sets reverse pyramid training or also including a couple sets of 25 to 40 reps to near failure towards the end of your workout but let's take a look at a more in-depth example of how you can apply this to your workout for example let's say you're doing the following chest workout the first two compound movements should utilize heavy weight in the moderate rep range and a focus should be placed on getting stronger with these movements this will cover the mechanical tension mechanism of muscle growth in this workout and then to cover the metabolic stress mechanism of muscle growth
By christian baniaga10 months ago in Motivation
Honey chicken meal prep for a week
meal prep is something i've been meaning to do for so long a delicious honey chicken this one makes five one liter containers they can be put in the fridge or in the freezer depending on what you want to do of it but let's get straight into this please sit back relax and enjoy all right as per usual let's start by prepping our ingredients with the first one being four cloves of freshly peeled garlic that can be ran across a fine microplane or box grater which is going to create a nice smooth paste extracting more of the allicin compound which is what gives garlic a strong flavor and aroma two medium sized heads of broccoli is also needed and can be substituted for a wide range of your favorite vegetables if you're using broccoli stand the stalks upwards and trim around them to remove the florets trimming any large ones making sure that they're all the same size then with the stalks themselves let's slice off both ends and cut around the stem removing the outer layer which can be bitter and save all of those scraps for compost if you have one with the remaining stalk this contains lots of nutrients and has a really nice sweet flavor so let's then trim this up making sure that they're all the same size for even cooking times next is an optional ingredient which is one spring onion or scallion which i had left over in the fridge we are going to use the green stem so save the root end for another recipe or stock and with the green stem this can be thinly sliced on an angle or straight if you prefer and this is going to be used as a garnish and like i said this is optional i'm only using it so it doesn't go to waste so don't go out and buy a whole bunch just for one onion unless of course you use them regularly with that out the way we're then going to need 1 kilo or 2.2 pounds of boneless and skinless chicken thigh which can be slapped onto a clean chopping board and trimmed into five or six diced pieces depending on size trying to be as consistent as possible so that it all cooks at the same time leaving us with all of this that can then be transferred to a mixing bowl along with one teaspoon or two and a half grams of onion powder for a pungent sweet concentrated flavor the minced garlic that we did before sea salt flakes to taste with myself using one teaspoon or five grams worth and of course cracked black pepper which i'm going to give 20 cracks worth get your clean hands in there massaging those thighs nice and deep like just until everything is evenly distributed and well coated mainly concentrating on the garlic as it can clamp up then pop this out of the way for the time being now in another mixing bowl to create a delicious sauce add in 70 grams or 2.4 ounces of honey which obviously creates sweetness but also helps it glaze the chicken really well 50 grams or 1.7 ounces of sriracha sauce to create a nice little tang which actually gets neutralized by the honey so it's not overly spicy at all 30 grams or 1.06 ounces of apple cider vinegar to give us a sweet acidic touch 10 grams or 0.3 ounces of sesame oil for a nice nutty flavor and a pinch of sea salt flakes give this all a mix with a whisk just until smooth and combined popping it aside and if you don't like sriracha it can be substituted with tabasco gotchu chang perry perry sambal olek or left out completely but i do recommend using at least one of those sauces at the very least as for cooking place a saucepan over a high heat and add in 350 grams or 12.3 ounces of washed basmati rice along with 700 milliliters or 700 grams of cold water and a small pinch of sea salt flakes give it a quick mix through to break up any clumps and bring it to a boil once boiling place on a lid or foil if you don't have one reduce the heat to low and cook this for 14 minutes undisturbed in the meantime place a large pan over medium high heat add in 1 tablespoon or 20 milliliters of peanut oil allowing it to get hot add in the seasoned diced chicken thighs scraping in anything that may be stuck in the bowl also spreading it out and whilst moving it around occasionally let's sear this for 10 minutes which will allow it to create and obtain a nice golden color of course cooking it through and still be nice and juicy in the center and nothing is worse than dry crusty chicken after 10 minutes our chicken is becoming nicely golden and has released quite a lot of moisture creating flavor in the pan let's then add in the honey sauce scraping it all in there to avoid waste and yes i did add it all in before anyone says anything then give this all a really good mix through allowing those flavors to become friends and bring the sauce to a boil and cook for one minute at a boil you may also be thinking that your sauce doesn't like it sticking to the chicken but once it starts to boil the natural sugars in the honey will start to slightly caramelize which will then become nice and sticky all right so this is now a boil when it's been cooking for one minute and the sauce has thickened up which is what i was talking about just before reduce the heat to low and this is optional but i'm adding in a light sprinkle of both black and white sesame seeds you really don't have to do this but they are high in protein fiber magnesium copper and zinc and they also do look quite nice through the chicken and sauce all we have to do with this now is mix them through turn this off the heat and remove it from the stove top at this stage the rice timer would have just gone off so turn this off the heat and let it sit for a final four minutes with the lid still on again undisturbed then carefully remove the lid give it a quick fluff up with a fork or spatula and remove it from the stovetop last but not least place another pan over medium-high heat add in half a tablespoon or 10 milliliters of peanut oil allowing it to get hot then slide in the broccoli florets and stems along with a small pinch of sea salt flakes and 10 cracks of black pepper and saute whilst moving it around regularly for about five to six minutes just until it starts to slightly soften and obtain a nice golden crust which creates the most beautiful flavor and aroma also depending on the type of pan and power of your stovetop you may need to lower the heat so just keep an eye out for that as a precaution anyway once that's done and this is nicely softened with a slight bite and golden in color remove it from the stovetop as for portioning you really can do it however you'd like but traditionally it's done in sections depending on which containers you're using i'm going with rice on one end sauteed broccoli in the middle and the delicious chicken on the opposite side make sure to add over any remaining sauce garnish with the spring onions or scallions if you're using them and you can also sprinkle over a few more sesame seeds too if you'd like and did you really meal prep if you didn't instagram it with storing once they're slightly cooled the lids can be put on nice and tight and you can also pop the little vent in the lid to prevent any condensation and once that's done these will last up to five days in the fridge and four months in the freezer so you can have a different option throughout the week if you'd like to change it up for reheating place them in the microwave and bursts until hot
By christian baniaga10 months ago in Lifehack