It’s no secret (hopefully) that to build muscle, you have to get stronger. That doesn’t mean that you need to increase your 1 rep max on a specific set of lifts e.g., the squat, bench, and deadlift. In fact, you don’t need to do those lifts at all. What it means is that you have to improve your 1-rep, 3-rep, or even 10-rep max at the particular movement of your choice – it doesn’t even have to be a barbell exercise.

For instance, if you go from doing 10 bodyweight pullups to doing 10 pullups with a 50-pound weighted vest, it’s almost guaranteed that you built muscle. You would be hard pressed to avoid developing significant size in your lats, biceps, and even your core. More likely than not, your body composition also significantly improved i.e., your muscles are more defined, and your abs are more visible.

People spend many years toiling in the gym trying different exercises and jumping from one routine to another without seeing much progress. Worse yet, they wear themselves out on cardio machines such as the treadmill, which can not only be catabolic (muscle-wasting) but can also result in excess secretion of the stress hormone, cortisol. This can lead to a loss of muscle mass coupled with an increase in appetite, which is a recipe for disaster.

Instead of aiming to “get a good workout” in the gym, focus on 2 specific exercises (1 upper body and 1 lower body), and strive to get stronger at those exercises over the coming weeks and months. You will be pleasantly surprised with the results!