As a natural bodybuilder and powerlifter, Jeff Nippard, like the rest of us, has hit plateaus with his training. The good news is that the popular trainer and biochemist has a way to boost muscle growth even when it’s been stalled for weeks or months. This may come as a surprise to some, but Nippard says it’s all about adding volume at the right time. Ask yourself these three questions to find out if your time has come.
While adding volume is usually not the first method that individuals adopt for building muscle, the questions below will provide the necessary checks and balances to make sure that adding volume doesn’t just serve to increase the frequency to your mistakes.
Are you pushing hard enough?
“Are you pushing hard enough?,” asks the Canadian coach. “Are you taking your last set all the way to failure?” Of course, muscle needs to be broken down before it can rebuild itself stronger, so if you’re not forcing those adaptations, then don’t expect to make gains in lean mass. Still, how do we know where true failure lies in a rep? “That means, if there was a million bucks on the line, you couldn’t possibly get another rep,” explains Nippard. If you are not pushing hard enough, fix this error but if you answered “Yes,” then move on to question 2.
Are you using good technique?
“Are you using good technique,” is your second point to consider, says Nippard. “So, you’re controlling the negative and you’re using a reasonably full range of motion that includes a deep stretch.” If your answer is “No”, then you need to fix this error, but if you answered “Yes,” you can move on to question 3.
Are you using progressive overload?
“Are you using progressive overload? Are you just chasing the pump?” asks Nippard. “Or are you actually trying to beat your log book each and every week, adding a rep or some weight? If all your answers are ‘Yes,’, and assuming that you are eating enough calories and you’re sleeping enough, the next move would be to add a little volume,” explains the trainer. Lifting heavy, with proper form, and progressive overload is the tried and tested way to build muscle, so if you have all of those bases covered but aren’t making gains, then it’s time to add volume to force those muscle adaptations.
How to add volume:
“If you are hitting your biceps twice a week, try adding a third workout with a few bicep sets,” explains Nippard. In other words, throw in some extra sets, even if you are working a different part of the body, to keep the biceps or any lagging area taxed. “That should get your weekly direct bicep volume up between 10-20 hard sets per week,” concludes the coach.
Intent on helping people power through their plateaus. Jeff Nippard developed this Yes/No approach to figuring out when it’s time to add volume for his new eBook, The Muscle Ladder, available for pre-order now.