"Stop Overthinking It: Lift Heavy, Go to Failure, and Lose the Fancy Workouts.

When it comes to gaining muscle, many people get caught up in the endless search for new, "innovative" exercises. They think that in order to make progress, they need a constantly evolving workout routine. However, the truth is simpler than that – gaining muscle is more about consistency and intensity than variety.

A recent study came out where participants performed two exercises for their workouts (leg presses and stiff-legged deadlifts) three times per week. The other group performed different workouts with more exercise variety. One program was more "basic" and the other to maximize "exercise confusion".

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39388663/

After ten weeks, both groups saw the same increases in muscle and strength.

While it’s true that variety can help prevent boredom and target muscles from different angles, the key to muscle growth lies in performing a few simple, compound exercises and pushing your muscles to failure. Compound movements like squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and rows recruit multiple muscle groups, allowing you to lift heavier weights and stimulate more muscle fibers. These exercises are tried and tested for a reason: they work.

When you focus on these fundamental movements and push yourself to failure – the point where you can no longer complete a rep with proper form – that’s when real muscle density is built. It's about stressing your muscles enough to force them to adapt and grow stronger.

You don't need a ton of exercises, or different work outs each week. A good program custom made for you will make all the difference in your muscle gains.

You go from good to great, when you take your custom program and train like a beast- until failure. Those last few reps are what create the magic of strength and muscle density. Not prancing around the gym with a bunch of fancy exercises.

If you're over the cookie cutter approach and want a program custom for you: your goals, your personal needs, limitations, gym or home equipment, etc, then shoot me DM on IG @toughcookie4life or email me at dani@toughcookielifestyle.com to book a short 20 min consult to get you started.

Ready, set, bake!