Rusty Moore takes muscle building conventional wisdom and turns it on its head by debunking the need for the Big 3.
Of course, all bodybuilding and powerlifting purist know what the big 3 are - squat, deadlift, and bench press.
These three exercise form the core of any workout routine recommended by all the guru's out there.
Except Rusty Moore.
To be frank, I have always recommended that those starting a progressive resistance training program focus on those three exercises.
I have also recommended focusing on strength building.
My logic was that the amount of muscle one can add on is too genetically driven.
However, by systematically increasing the resistance and training frequency, one can have direct control over strength gains - although still within one's genetic limitations.
And much like the old wives' tale regarding spot reduction for fat loss, I've not been much of a believer in targeted muscle growth.
You can get much bigger triceps doing bench press or incline dumbbell presses than you can doing tricep extensions.
But there has always been potential red flags with doing the Big 3.
Bench press can give you that droopy pec look.
Squats can work your glutes and hips as much as it does your quads, potentially giving you a large rear end.
Deadlifts strengthens your core muscles but can also widen and thicken your midsection.
And it is those concerns that drives Rusty's thought process.
He has a point.
Muscle building should be about aesthetics as much as it is about function.
It must go hand in hand.
For anyone not happy with their body; their first goal must be in determining what look would make them happy.
Rusty would suggest that the kind of physique that most men should aspire to is the Hollywood Look.
The Hollywood Look is essentially wide shoulders, muscular arms, flat square pecs over a small midsection, and mostly slenderized, yet muscular legs.
This is the look that many male models and today's action actors have.
A method for achieving this look is something that Rusty Moore has spent 20 years perfecting.
And it requires working through a 4 phase system:
The sets and reps are very specific.
Rapid muscle growth comes from cumulative fatigue and muscle pump.
The total sets per body part is high, around 15, and reps range from 6 to 15 - again, to induce fatigue and get that pump.
Strength building approach lowers to set volume to 10 while the reps are lowered to 5 to 6.
It is not the pump but poundage that matters.
The reps must be lower.
Finally, muscle density and hardness comes from shedding fat while focusing even more on strength training by lowering the rep scheme down 2 to 4.
Lower caloric intake while power training seems counter-intuitive yet it fundamental to achieving muscle hardness.
So, if your current training approach is not producing results, perhaps it's time for you to question conventional wisdom and give Rusty Moore's approach a try.
Of course, all bodybuilding and powerlifting purist know what the big 3 are - squat, deadlift, and bench press.
These three exercise form the core of any workout routine recommended by all the guru's out there.
Except Rusty Moore.
To be frank, I have always recommended that those starting a progressive resistance training program focus on those three exercises.
I have also recommended focusing on strength building.
My logic was that the amount of muscle one can add on is too genetically driven.
However, by systematically increasing the resistance and training frequency, one can have direct control over strength gains - although still within one's genetic limitations.
And much like the old wives' tale regarding spot reduction for fat loss, I've not been much of a believer in targeted muscle growth.
You can get much bigger triceps doing bench press or incline dumbbell presses than you can doing tricep extensions.
But there has always been potential red flags with doing the Big 3.
Bench press can give you that droopy pec look.
Squats can work your glutes and hips as much as it does your quads, potentially giving you a large rear end.
Deadlifts strengthens your core muscles but can also widen and thicken your midsection.
And it is those concerns that drives Rusty's thought process.
He has a point.
Muscle building should be about aesthetics as much as it is about function.
It must go hand in hand.
For anyone not happy with their body; their first goal must be in determining what look would make them happy.
Rusty would suggest that the kind of physique that most men should aspire to is the Hollywood Look.
The Hollywood Look is essentially wide shoulders, muscular arms, flat square pecs over a small midsection, and mostly slenderized, yet muscular legs.
This is the look that many male models and today's action actors have.
A method for achieving this look is something that Rusty Moore has spent 20 years perfecting.
And it requires working through a 4 phase system:
- Focusing on rapidly increasing muscle volume over a 2 to 3 month period.
- Once desired muscle volume is achieved, adopt a strength building approach.
- As strength significantly increases, shift to achieving the hard look by shedding excess fat while simultaneously focusing solely on strength training.
- Shrink wrap skin over muscle for the ripped, Hollywood Look.
The sets and reps are very specific.
Rapid muscle growth comes from cumulative fatigue and muscle pump.
The total sets per body part is high, around 15, and reps range from 6 to 15 - again, to induce fatigue and get that pump.
Strength building approach lowers to set volume to 10 while the reps are lowered to 5 to 6.
It is not the pump but poundage that matters.
The reps must be lower.
Finally, muscle density and hardness comes from shedding fat while focusing even more on strength training by lowering the rep scheme down 2 to 4.
Lower caloric intake while power training seems counter-intuitive yet it fundamental to achieving muscle hardness.
So, if your current training approach is not producing results, perhaps it's time for you to question conventional wisdom and give Rusty Moore's approach a try.
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