Muscle Building Rules

After 30 years of being involved in bodybuilding and fitness,
I feel the following are the basic laws of building muscle
and are what make any muscle building program work or not
work.

Muscle Building Rule 1: Muscles are composed of bundles of
fibers with the ability to contract and relax.

Muscle Building Rule 2: By contracting and relaxing muscles
can perform work, which is measured by force time distance
(Foot Pounds).

Muscle Building Rule 3: A muscle's power is measured by work
divided by time (Foot Pounds per Second).

Muscle Building Rule 4: The power of a muscle is in direct
proportion to its size.

Muscle Building Rule 5: When muscles are subjected to stress
they will attempt to adapt so they can better deal with
similar stress in the future.

Muscle Building Rule 6: When the stress is the progressive
generation of power the muscle attempt to adapt by increasing
in strength and size.

Muscle Building Rule 7: Muscles stressed beyond their ability
to adapt will not gain strength and size and may even lose
strength and size.

Muscle Building Rule 8: Muscles too long without exercise
stress will atrophy and lose strength and size.

So how to you progressively force your muscles to generate
more power and thus grow?

Always use good form to make sure the targeted muscles are
actually doing the work.

Use a full range of motion (maximum distance) while still
keeping the muscles under tension (maximum force).

Progressively increase the weight used (more force).

Increase reps (more distance).

Progressively shorten rest between sets (less time).

That is the simplicity of it, gradually but progressively
make your muscles do more work in less time and they will
grow.

Some great techniques that make your muscles do more work
in less time are pre-exhaust, super sets, tri sets, drop
sets, giant sets, rest pause, negatives, escalating
density training, etc.