Latest news with #hypertrophy
The Independent
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
I tried Alan Ritchson's three-move workout for ‘hypertrophy and longevity'– and it only took 30 minutes
Alan Ritchson receives daily questions about his workout routine. His role as Reacher, the muscle-bound (and t-shirt-averse) former military man, probably has something to do with this. I, on the other hand, don't receive daily questions about my fitness routine. I'm a fitness writer, so I like to think I'm in decent nick, but unlike Ritchson I don't need to stand side-on to fit through a standard doorframe. So how does one build this kind of hulking physique? To help us answer this question, the 42-year-old actor recently started sharing examples of the time-savvy home gym sessions he uses to pack on mass. Given his latest offering only involved one piece of equipment and a few minutes of hard graft, I figured it would be rude not to give it a try. Here's how it went. How to do Alan Ritchson's workout for 'hypertrophy and longevity' Complete the sequence below for four rounds without any breaks between exercises: EZ bar biceps curl x15 EZ bar standing overhead triceps extension x15 EZ bar upright row x10 Rest 60-120 seconds 'Low(-ish) weight plus higher volume equals hypertrophy [or muscle growth] and longevity,' Ritchson writes, later adding, 'This works for me.' He then finished the session with some leg-focussed exercises, followed by core work. Previous workout videos on Instagram suggest the selectorised leg press machine is a regular feature in his exercise routine. What happened when I tried Alan Ritchson's workout Luckily, strength training has been a regular fixture in my life for the last 12 years, and a quick glance at Ritchson's chosen trio of exercises left me looking forward to the session. Why? Because on paper it's a fun way to pump up your mirror muscles without taxing the nervous system too aggressively – compare how you feel after a challenging set of curls, as opposed to a set of heavy squats, and you'll find the latter is far more likely to knock you for six. I loaded up a lighter weight than Ritchson – because, unlike him, my biceps aren't the size of bowling balls – then hit his workout as instructed. The biceps curls and triceps extensions lived up to their reputation as tried and tested muscle-builders for the arms. They represent an antagonistic pairing too, meaning they target opposing muscle groups – as the name suggests, the biceps curl primarily recruits the biceps on the front of the upper arm, and the triceps extension hits the triceps on the reverse. For this reason, Ritchson's protocol allows you to work your biceps to near failure, then toss the bar overhead to do the same to the triceps without any rest in between, making for a more streamlined workout. The father-of-three previously revealed his gym sessions tend to top out at 30 minutes, so efficiency is clearly a priority. By the end of these first two exercises, my arms were suitably fried. For the last few reps of each, my tempo had slowed and the EZ bar felt considerably heavier than it had at the start – a solid sign that there is enough mechanical tension present to provide the stimulus needed for muscle growth. Then I switched to the upright row. While it did toast my anterior delts (the muscles on the front of the shoulder) fairly effectively, this isn't a favourite exercise of mine due to its slightly unnatural feel. Many fellow lifters I've spoken to have also ditched it due to discomfort and potential shoulder impingements. However, in a social media-led world where science-based lifting is king, it's worth noting Ritchson's parting words: 'this works for me.' Everybody is different, every body is different, and if you find something that feels good while delivering results then there is no need to change tact just because a talking head on Instagram said you should. Alternatively, if it doesn't float your boat, you can always swap it out for an exercise which targets similar muscles like a front raise. Would I do Alan Ritchson's workout again? Yes, but not on a regular basis, purely because it doesn't align with my current fitness goals. I love movement in all its forms, so my main aim in the gym is to be able to say 'yes' to any physical challenge going, whether that's running in a 10K race, taking part in a CrossFit competition, learning a new gymnastic skill or climbing a mountain. For that reason, my strength training efforts tend to revolve around compound lifts and various accessory exercises to develop a combination of strength, power and muscle. This is supplemented by conditioning work, from running to mixed-modal circuits. Ritchson's workout, on the other hand, is dead set on building you a bigger set of arms and shoulders. The target number of reps fall comfortably within the five to 30 range – regularly touted as the zone responsible for muscle growth. He also hits each set hard, maintaining strict form and performing reps until he is forced to slow down by fatigue. This is a solid sign that he is creating adequate mechanical tension, which is the primary driver of hypertrophy. However, by avoiding heavy loads and instead hitting a higher number of reps with a lighter weight, he can craft a workout that is slightly gentler on his joints, marrying up to his goal of 'hypertrophy and longevity'. How does Alan Ritchson build muscle? Ahead of the first series of Reacher, released in 2022, Ritchson built a gym in his house to ensure he never missed a workout, then proceeded to pack on 30lb of muscle in just eight months. 'It's a full time job to eat enough to put on 30lb,' he said on The Kelly Clarkson Show. 'I had an assistant whose only job was to bring me food. It was like a conveyor belt of smoothies and protein.' Interest in his workout routine was piqued further when he returned for series two and three even larger and leaner than before. However, Ritchson admits he 'ravaged' his body while training for the first series, leaving him with a succession of injuries and a note from a doctor that he had 'no testosterone'. So, ahead of the second series, he started testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). 'I didn't even know that it was considered an anabolic steroid to some people,' he told Men's Health. 'It was just: there was a hormone that was missing for me, and I needed it.' Ritchson previously said he trained 'every day for a year' in high school, but nowadays a typical training week involves five weekly workouts taking up to 30 minutes each.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
5 Science-Backed Reasons Your Chest Won't Grow
Aside from stubborn calves, there's one muscle group that seems to be hard to build for even the most dedicated lifters: the chest. You bench. You press. You even throw in cable flyes for good measure. And yet—nothing. No mass, no pop, no pec shelf to speak of. While you could blame your parents (yes, genetics play a small role), there's a good chance your chest is lagging for far less mysterious reasons. Recently, Mike Israetel, Ph.D., exercise scientist and co-founder of Renaissance Periodization, interviewed sports scientist Pak Androulakis-Korakakis, Ph.D., to break down the five common mistakes that explain why so many guys struggle to grow their pecs. Spoiler: They're not exactly groundbreaking, but they are probably what's holding you back from the ideal years, there's been a debate: Should you lift heavy or crank out more volume? While technically you can (and probably should) do both in the name of hypertrophy, Androulakis-Korakakis says bumping up your volume could be the real game-changer when it comes to building muscle. "If chest is one of these lagging body parts for you, hitting it with 20 or even 30 sets per week is a good educated bet," he says. When it comes to your session training volume, you don't want to do everything in one session, so when I say 20 to 30 sets, ideally split those in two to three sessions so you can get high-quality sets very close to failure." Compound exercises are a must in every man's routine. They hit multiple muscle groups, boost your pressing power, and build serious strength. But if you're trying to zero in on your chest—and only your chest—then isolation moves aren't optional, they're essential. "When it comes to bringing up your chest as a lagging body part, you want to keep roughly 50 to 60 percent of your exercises as isolation exercises," Androulakis-Korakakis adds. "Meaning things like double flies, cable flies, machine flies, exercise that pretty much isolates the chest, so you can make sure that your chest is getting as much stimulus as possible."It's tempting to go lighter, especially when you're chasing higher volume. But according to Androulakis-Korakakis, that's one of the biggest reasons your chest might not be growing. When it comes to building muscle, lifting to—or at least close to—failure is key. If you're not pushing yourself there regularly, you could be leaving gains on the table. According to Androulakis-Korakakis, bodyweight exercises are one of the most underrated types of exercises for building size. They offer an "amazing stretch, barely any warm-up required, super easy to progress, even if you're an advanced lifter, and in general, easy exercises that you can sprinkle on top of other sessions to get more volume," he says. Pausing during sets has long been debated—is it actually effective, or just a way to look like you're grinding harder? According to Androulakis-Korakakis, it's more than just show. Strategic pauses can boost time under tension, which has quite literally been shown to drive muscle growth. "Choose exercises that place a lot of tension in the stretch and do your best to pause stuff in the stretch," he says. "The pause is not going to take away from your gains, and it will likely allow you to be a bit more efficient with the weights that you use. It will make the exercise harder, and it will give you more space to progress." 5 Science-Backed Reasons Your Chest Won't Grow first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 3, 2025
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
You Might Be Sabotaging Gains If You Use The Same Rep Range Every Time
PLENTY OF PLANNING goes into a well designed strength training routine. You'll determine the number of workouts per week, take inventory of equipment on hand, and perfectly curate a lineup of exercises. The one factor that might come last on this list is determining how many sets and reps of each exercise to do. By far the most common wisdom dispensed to newbie lifters is the '3x10' rule. This holds that regardless of whether you're trying to build muscle, strength, power, or endurance, performing three sets of 10 reps per exercise is a good place to start. The scheme mostly works, especially if you're just starting out with strength training—because everything works in the beginning. Once your beginner's gains are behind you, though, you'll want to tailor your training to suit your specific goals. that might mean changing up your sets and reps from the classic 3x10 format. Target rep ranges will change depending on what characteristic of training you're looking to improve. Set and rep ranges should change based on what you're looking to achieve with your workout. There are three basic rep schemes that every lifter should know: If your objective is strength or power (think: heavy lifting or explosive movements), the textbook advice is to perform 3 to 5 sets of 2 to 6 reps per exercise. If your aim is hypertrophy (to build muscle), the sweet spot is 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps. If your objective is muscular endurance, shoot for 2 to 3 sets of 12 to 20 reps. In each case, the key is to use the heaviest resistance that will allow you to complete all of your reps and sets with good form. You also want to allow yourself just enough time to recover between sets to maintain a high level of performance: 2 to 5 minutes for strength and power, 30 to 90 seconds for hypertrophy, and just 30 seconds for endurance. Focus on the training scheme that best matches your fitness goals—but don't hesitate to include others in your workout plan as well. Why? Because their benefits overlap. If your goal is hypertrophy, for example, lifting primarily in the 6 to 12 rep range will help you target your type II muscle fibers, which are the largest and have the greatest growth potential. But if you want to maximize your gains, you can't neglect your more endurance-oriented type I fibers, which respond best to high rep sets. By including a range of reps and sets in your workout plan, you'll make sure that you optimize your training stimulus and fast-track your results. Not sure the best way to do that? Follow a ready-made training plan with the rep ranges built in. We've got plans for nearly every goal imaginable, and they're all ready for you to start right now. Find your best match by using our Workout Finder below. Get the Plan Get the Program Get the Program Get the Plan Get the Program Get the Program Get the Plan Get the Plan Get the Program Get the Plan Get the Plan Get the Program Get the Plan Get the Program Get the Program Get the Program Get the Plan Get the Program You Might Also Like The Best Hair Growth Shampoos for Men to Buy Now 25 Vegetables That Are Surprising Sources of Protein
