So I can go to the gym and work out for hours on all the different muscles. Work out to exhaustion for five days straight. Then next two days is almost like coma. And the next week is a light one. Should I just stick to 3-4sets and call it good and feel better? Or rip it up? Do you gain more mass from killing yourself or just doing reps?
Okay: First of all there are 2 types of muscle fibers, fast twitch and slow twitch. Slow twitch fibers are aerobic; they use oxygen and burn fatty acids. They are used for endurance such as long distance running (think skinny-looking muscles). It is the fast twitch muscle fibers you are trying to grow for muscle size. Fast twitch muscles are anaerobic and burn the sugar glycogen; so sugar up before your workout. Ordinary activities, including running do not work the fast twitch muscle fibers. It takes heavy weights to activate them. This means either you lift your max weight once; or you lift 2 to 12 reps until you cannot do another one. Furthermore, the only time all of the fast twitch muscle fibers are all firing is when the muscle is in full contraction. This means most of your lifting action is useless, until you get your muscle into the fully contracted mode. Even this is not always enough; because in many exercises, such as presses, when you get your muscle into full contraction, your arm is locked out and there is no stress left on your muscle. You should look for exercises which put maximum stress on the muscle when it is in the fully contracted position. Take the bench press for example. Instead of full motion, just lift the bar out of its craddle and hold it up just under lock-out until the bar forces its way back down into its craddle. Another example, standing upright, bend forward a little and curl the weight up to your chest; hold it there in the fully contracted position until the bar forces its way back down.
IMHO, if you have fully exercised your muscle until failure, there is no need to do more than one set of each exercise. The growth signal (acetyl choline) has been sent to your muscle fibers telling them to grow. Don't forget to take a choline pill before your workout. Also, take 200 mg of caffeine (or a cup of coffee). The caffeine will increase the time the growth signal (acetyl choline) lasts on your muscle fiber. Keep in mind there is only one muscle growth signal regardless of who you are. It is also the same signal for all animals. However, different people will grow muscle at different rates, and reach different sizes. Part of the problem is the internal enzyme myostatin: It works to limit muscle growth. Without myostatin in our genetic code, we would all look like the Hunk, without having to work out. (But what fun would it be if everyone was muscled up?)
A workout tears down muscle tissue. You need time for repair. (If you cut your finger, it does not heal the next day). If you are sore the next day (probably), you should not workout again until the soreness is gone. Once the soreness is gone, the muscle is repaired and back to where it was before. However, now it needs an extra day to grow bigger. The mistake is to think more is better. Soon you are working out every day, 10 hours per day, 10 sets each; and wondering why you are not growing bigger. Yes, you are gaining endurance, if that is what you are after; but I think you want size instead.
Be careful; and workout slowly without jerking. It is easy to tear a joint or ligament with heavy weights; and you will be down for a couple of months. If you do get a strain, avoid working out until it heals (no more pain). A couple of asprin at night will help. Joints are made of gristle; so eat the gristle on your chicken bones and eat gelatin deserts (gelatin is made from gristle). You might like a cup of hot Jello for breakfast.
As for pills: They are not really necessary. Do they work? Some do, like the anabolics; but I do not recommend them. A multivitamin pill should be enough.
Keep a diary of your workouts: Dates, exercises, weights, reps, sets. You can see your progress; and this will help motivate you. Microsoft Accel works good for this.
Oh yes, don't forget to do a little cardio once a week; even a weightlifter should be able to run around the block without having a heart attack!
