Volume load was tracked and properly defined as the amount of sets × reps per set × load used.

Hypertrophic progression was measured by changes to muscle thickness and arm circumference.

In the end, both ways of strength training resulted in similar increases in muscle thickness and arm circumference. I am saying similar because it was not identical. But the average progression was for all intent and purposes very similar, and both limbs improved noticeably across the 8 weeks the study lasted.

Which is great news, of course.

No matter how you go about your strength training, if effort load and volume are decent enough you will progress over time.

This is nothing new, but it is always a good thing to remind yourself of, and others too.

In the end, this study only tells us what you should always have known, there will not be much difference in hypertrophy no matter how strict, or not you train.

This is good, and no surprise to anyone that´s paid attention to the millions of people around the world who have succeeded in building vastly bigger muscles despite having extremely different technical approaches.

Despite the slightly less strict “cheat reps” involving greater volume load, muscle gain was similar to the stricter reps in this study, and this is the expected real-life outcome too, at large.

So now you might think that this means that going for the overly strict reps is the smarter choice.

Yes, it is, if hypertrophy is all you care about.

The same outcome in that case for a lot less work is a smart and educated choice. Using less load makes your strength training a lot less likely to end up in an injury, or bad wear, and tear. And it will also leave you with a much easier time recovering.

And those are two really nice positive aspects of less exhaustive workouts. Which is why hypertrophy focused trainees and fitness influencers love the isolated, extremely strict exercise approach. It allows maximal stimulus for the least possible fatigue and exhaustion.

But, just as how steady, daily walks builds better cardiovascular health and capacity it´s at the same time, not enough at all to make you the same high-level runner that you would have been if you had incorporated some higher effort weekly running too.

The human body needs a mix of all levels of exercise and physical capacity to truly thrive.

So, in the context of strength training this study has reaffirmed what we already knew, which is that strict enough but not super isolated, zero movement rep execution will not produce better hypertrophy.

Increases in lean muscle mass will be the same, not worse, and not better.

But there are fundamental differences, just as with my example of walking versus running, and this is why I wrote this article.
You see, what training with a bigger effort, and slightly more momentum and explosiveness throughout the real range of motion of your movement pattern will do is make you a lot fitter, physically capable, and stronger over time.

Why?

Because you are making your muscle chain and body move bigger weights, more explosively across more volume too if you wish to increase both load and reps per set.

Yes, this combo can easily be unlocked.

Not effortless mind you, but everybody can train like this for immensely much better athletic capacity and performance progression with the same lean muscle mass progression.

And dare I say, as a result, this will also provide far better health outcomes due to training harder ( but not too hard ).

This will over time create a more athletically capable body.

Not bigger, hypertrophy is the same.

But the outcome will be more athleticism, strength, health, and physical capacity.

And let us be clear on this.

In real life, it is ok to only care about hypertrophy, lots of people do that. This is perfectly fine.

You are allowed to have your own fitness goals, and it’s okay to just want to look fitter and be a bit fitter.

This too will unlock better health. and strength. So this is all good people.

No need to feel defensive or dismissive of the way other people strength train.

But at the same time.

Most, if not all people would be better off physically speaking as well as health-wise if they also cared about the actual physical capacity and performance of their bodies.

I do, and that is why this steroid-free coach has consistently out-trained most people and pro athletes that I have known, coached and trained with over the last 3 decades.

Train injury-free but allow your body to actually be as athletic and physically capable as it can become.

Do not rush it, go about it bit by bit, across years, and decades, and prioritize healthy, nutritionally complete high-protein foods rest, and sleep 👊👊.

This has been my fact-based motto for 3 decades and counting and with growing scientific knowledge and coaching experience this pillar remains as strong as ever.

This will in time allow you to become the biggest, healthiest and fittest, most physically capable you that you could ever have been, in body & mind.

Lift weights explosively and injury-free.

Combine that with running, weekly sprints, daily walks, some jumping, the occasional swim, climb stuff, boulders, mountains, ropes, do it indoors and outdoors, box and do martial arts on a weekly basis, it´s great fun, very athletic and stimulating.

Or do tai chi and yoga if you prefer those far calmer but similar movement choices.

Prioritize weekly rest days, eat healthy daily foods, sleep 6 to 9 hours per night, and enjoy a healthy fit life across your entire health span.

Because if you do, the outcome will be the healthiest and fittest you that you could ever have been across your entire health span, in body & in mind.

Body & mind people, because you are a growing, evolving ecosystem.

As such science & educated healthy habits are your best friend.

Read, learn, expand, and grow for all of life, but never forget that body and mind thrive when you actually allow yourself to work in the way that you are capable of.

Allow yourself to recover in full from that weekly exercise, because, the harder you train the higher your price of recovery, and this price can only be met with proper nutrition, sleep and sufficient rest days per week. Not to mention, if you train the way I propose, accept that rest times between sets will increase.

Hypertrophy doesn’t need much rest time in-between sets, and you can hit failure on every set. But when you train for strength, and performance you will progress much better with longer rest times. Think 4 to 6 minutes between each set.

Like with our planet, there is an essential need to keep things balanced in order to maintain a healthy thriving ecosystem.

Walking every day is great, both I and my wife do this every day all year round, on our rest days and before and after every gym session, every week of life.

But you also need explosive heart-thumping speed and power, which is why I do martial arts and we both do run intervals every week.

We also climb and hike on a weekly basis, and sometimes we swim in the ocean, and yes my wife does yoga too, both for her own sake and as a yoga teacher.

Lifelong health & fitness are all about balance, and we balance our weekly fitness, and physical activity by living a calm life, set-in-stone rest days, time spent in nature, and early alcohol-free nights with a set sleep and wake time.

We eat nothing but healthy, nutritionally complete high-protein foods every meal, all year round, full of satiating nutrients that effortlessly keeps us within our actual energy balance, unless we are consciously choosing to be in a small energy surplus.

As such, speaking of that balance.

Strict enough is needed to not break down and get worn out and injured. Because in due time a body that is physically neglected or abused by training too hard and recklessly will break.

But when you train too strict you also rob yourself perpetually of actual health and performance progress because too strict becomes, relatively speaking, not hard enough for your body as a whole. Remember, we are not talking about pure hypertrophy training now, but we are discussing how to achieve the same hypertrophic progression, together with a superior strength, athletic performance and progression of our physical capacity.

Training smart never meant do not push yourself, and this has been somewhat lost in this era of Instagram👊👊.

In the subject of rep execution, I think of it like this.