How to get dense muscles?

[thebrick]

Speaking from my own experience, looking back, I think I gained much more density when I started using a more "power" oriented routine. 4-8 reps, heavy as I could go, compound movements (deads, squats, bench). Those truly heavy, intense workouts will fire every muscle fiber you have deep down and you won't have the energy left to buzz away with set after set of the lighter "supplement" movements (cable flyes, etc.). Not there is anything wrong with the other stuff, but build your workout base on the power movements, IMO. With time a stronger muscle is a bigger muscle and over time and with consistency it gets denser.

 

[Enigmatic707]

After I've had a few days to think about this- I'm gonna put my money on protocols that support mitochondrial proliferation and the sustainment of it.

 

[RandomBear]

Speaking from my own experience, looking back, I think I gained much more density when I started using a more "power" oriented routine. 4-8 reps, heavy as I could go, compound movements (deads, squats, bench). Those truly heavy, intense workouts will fire every muscle fiber you have deep down and you won't have the energy left to buzz away with set after set of the lighter "supplement" movements (cable flyes, etc.). Not there is anything wrong with the other stuff, but build your workout base on the power movements, IMO. With time a stronger muscle is a bigger muscle and over time and with consistency it gets denser.

Would the 4-8 reps be more towards low amount of sets or high amount of sets?

 

[Enigmatic707]

4-8 is low to mid, also depends on intensity and load and time under tension. You can never solely look at rep count or set count... So many factors

 

[omegachewy]

I don't mean to give a dickhead answer, but this is something you really need to research. There are basic principles of strength training that are somewhat universal, but you need to read different protocols and simply try them. No one can tell you which is best for we because we don't know your phenotypic makeup. (How you're put together ie muscle fiber allocation, joint rom, anaerobic threahhold and more) I would try traditional training with 4-6 reps and 2-3 minutes in between sets. And dontforget to eat big as you lift.

 

[tripletotal]

I don't mean to give a dickhead answer, but this is something you really need to research. There are basic principles of strength training that are somewhat universal, but you need to read different protocols and simply try them. No one can tell you which is best for we because we don't know your phenotypic makeup. (How you're put together ie muscle fiber allocation, joint rom, anaerobic threahhold and more) I would try traditional training with 4-6 reps and 2-3 minutes in between sets. And dontforget to eat big as you lift.

This^^^

If you ask any good massage therapist, they will tell you that different people have different types of muscle, some of which are dense and hard top penetrate and sooner of which are softer and easier to penetrate.

My girl can grow muscle by just looking at weights, I have to work my ass off just to look like I work out. She has softer, less defined muscles than me and I tend to be leaner and drier more easily. It's based on our muscle fiber makeup.

Not to say that she (or you) couldn't get lean, dry, and dense, but it might take more work.

Unfortunately, experimenting is going to take a fair amount of time. A couple weeks on any protocol isn't really going to tell you anything. I think it was early in this thread that somebody mentioned how many years a lot of the pros have been 100% dedicated to their training to get where they are.

It's all in the journey...

 

[Zaven]

Well, the reason why i'm asking is because i have never done any strength training before. I have no idea what are the splits,the sets and the reps, the rest intervals and all those stuff and i don't know anyone in real life that has done any strength training either. So i was expecting like a rough guideline to it.

I would start with a basic Push, Pull, legs routine focusing on compound exercises. Squats, Deads, Rows, etc.

Right now forget about all the research studies. Your genetics are gonna dictate things for the most part anyways. Once you get a good routine stable, THEN you can learn to switch things up, with reps, sets, drop sets, pyramiding, hight intensity, low intensity, etc.

 

[Alfie]

My objective in muscle building is to modify to judgment that encompasses us as prevent leads without a two nerves for a synapse, Plus I know its frustrating to see some younger guy come in with information and blah blah saying he knows this and that....