Gain Slabs of Muscle, Make an Undersized Bodypart Grow Massive, or Improve Your Strength on a Specific Lift with High-Frequency Specialization Workouts Sometimes it’s a good idea to specialize on a muscle group that is lagging behind your other bodyparts or to follow a specialization program for a specific exercise that you really want to get stronger on. If you’re struggling to gain weight in general, it can also help to follow a “squat and pull” specialization program, as heavy leg and back work is often what is needed to produce big-time mass gains. High-frequency training combined with high-volume workouts can be great for quick gains in muscle size or strength as long as you don’t try to do the workouts for the entirety of your body.. The key is to increase the frequency and the volume on a certain muscle group, maybe two, or a specific lift while also reducing the work on the remainder of your muscles. ...
Variations in Training with 8 to 10 Sets of 3 to 5 Reps I have written many times that I believe the best form of training—at least, when it comes to building boatloads of both massive size and serious strength—is high-set, low-rep training. If someone is starting out with this method of lifting, I generally advise 8 to 10 sets of 3 to 5 reps. The reps are low enough to build strength—if you want to be really strong and powerful, then it’s essential to do most of your training with 5 reps or lower. For instance, in my recent Go Heavy or Go Home essay, I discussed Pavel Tsatsouline’s 7 “Russian rules” of strength training. And rule #2 is “you must limit your reps to 5.” But to build muscle mass, you need (along with the low reps) a volume high enough to generate a hypertrophic response. That’s where the (relatively) high sets come in. To paraphrase Pavel again: “If you get a pump with heavy weights, you’ll get b...