SECOND: Lay off the Squats and Deadlifts

 

I know this sounds crazy, after all squats and deadlifts are the KINGS of exercise right? Well, let’s get something straight, both squats and deadlifts are GREAT exercises, but research has shown us that the little increases in Testosterone caused by going heavy with these exercises do very little to help us gain muscle. It’s like adding a few drops of water into the ocean.

The truth is building muscle requires CHRONICALLY elevated anabolic hormones - not little spikes here and there. Sure, they can help, just not nearly as well as we would like. What’s worse is that by pushing too hard for too long with squat or deadlift sessions you can actually INCREASE the levels of inflammation in your body, which can decrease your ability to build muscle.

There's a smart way to use squats and deadlifts that doesn’t destroy your recovery time or your ability to build muscle, and I’ll tel you how in the next pages...

 

References:

West DW1, Burd NA, Churchward-Venne TA, Camera DM, Mitchell CJ, Baker SK, Hawley JA, Coffey VG, Phillips SM. Sex-based comparisons of myofibrillar protein synthesis after resistance exercise in the fed state.J Appl Physiol (1985). 2012 Jun;112(11):1805-13.

West DW1, Phillips SM. Associations of exercise-induced hormone profiles and gains in strength and hypertrophy in a large cohort after weight training. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2012 Jul;112(7):2693-702.

West DW1, Phillips SM. Anabolic processes in human skeletal muscle: restoring the identities of growth hormone and testosterone. Phys Sportsmed. 2010 Oct;38(3):97-104.