Pump Training vs. Strength Training
What is Pump Training & Strength Training
Pump training consists of lifting light weights for a high number of sets and reps with short rest periods. The goal is to deliver a wicked pump to the working muscles to trigger an increase in muscle growth via sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. This type of muscle growth increases the fluid like substance within the muscle cells, allowing you to better handle a high volume of training.
Strength training consists of lifting heavy weights with long rest periods for maximum performance. Strength training usually consists of only a few sets per movement for 4-8 reps.
With strength training, you’re triggering what is known as myofibrillar hypertrophy. This results in an increase in size of the contractual filaments of your muscles, which has a direct effect on strength and power.
What’s Better, Pump Training or Strength Training?
What you must realize is that muscle gains from pump training only account for a small percentage of overall muscle growth. You see, there’s only so much sarcoplasmic growth you can trigger before you are maxed out. Afterwards, the only way to continually add muscle size is to get stronger. Usually you can gain about 6-10 lbs of this ‘pretty muscle’.
I call it ‘pretty muscle’ because it is just there to look good. It doesn’t have any direct influence on strength and power. Most people following pump training routines have already built about all the pretty muscle they’re ever going to get. Therefore to continue seeing results they need to direct their attention on heavy strength training and cut back on the pump n tone stuff.
With strength training, as long as you’re consistently lifting heavier in the 5-8 rep range, you will be building muscle. Your muscles will become bigger and more dense as they adapt to lift heavier and heavier weights. On top of that, all the muscle you’re building is highly useful. You’ll have the strength to go along with the look. Furthermore, you’ll be able to gain size and make progress on your physique with only a few short workouts each week.
This is why strength training is hands down more effective than pump lifting. So my recommendation is to focus 80% of your efforts on strength based training. In fact, I wouldn’t even think about any pump training until you’ve reached a decent level of strength and size. Then adding some pretty muscle strategically to your physique, where you need it most, will create an awe inspiring look.
Flipping the Script on Muscle Building
In my Greek God Muscle Building Course, the first three to six months are dedicated to strength and density work. The goal is to build up your weighted chin ups, incline bench and standing press. These are your core lifts! Weighted chin ups build an incredible wide back and sculpted biceps. Incline bench develops a masculine square chest. Standing press creates strong and powerful shoulders, triceps and core.
As your lifts start increasing each week, you can’t help but notice your muscles firming up and increasing in size. After three to six months of focused training you will become strong, powerful and you will possess incredible muscle density. Then you can supplement this size and strength with some strategic pump training to get the extra 6-10 lbs of pretty muscle. This is when the MEGA (minimum effort growth acceleration) workouts from the Greek God Program come into play.
That said, until you’ve built your base of strength and density, you are not ready for any of the pump work. You must build this ‘pretty muscle’ on a strong and capable physique. Otherwise you’ll end up gaining a bit of muscle only to see it disappear as you focus on gaining the necessary strength that your physique depends on.
Kinobody Strength Standards
How strong is strong enough? Good question! Let’s talk about upperbody, because after all, I’m not after developing super big legs. A huge lower body is easy to develop and plain and simple, doesn’t look aesthetic at all. You can’t fit into nice pants, your thigh’s rub together and everyone’s attention is drawn down to your bulky legs, instead of the physique as a whole.
I consider leg training to be accessory training, this keeps everything balanced and in proportion. Now the three main lifts for building a Greek god physique include the incline bench, weighted chin ups and standing press.
1. Weighted Chin ups*: 55% of bodyweight attached for 5 reps (180 lbs man = 100 lbs weighted chins)
2. Incline Bench Press: 125% of bodyweight for 5 reps (180 lbs man = 225 lbs incline press)
3. Standing Press: 90% of bodyweight for 5 reps (180 lbs man = 160 lbs standing press)
*When adding weight to chin-ups, it’s really important that you use a high quality weight belt that can support the weight with making you uncomfortable and distracting you from your training.
These are some pretty advanced lifts but most people can get there in one to two years of proper training. If you’re following my Greek God Program, you’re looking at gaining about 10-15 lbs per month onto each of these three lifts. So after 4 months of training, that’s 40-60 lbs onto your lifts! You can imagine the effect this will have on your physique.
If you go from incline pressing 140 lbs to 200lbs, standing pressing 100 lbs to 140 lbs and doing chin ups with 20 lbs to 80 lbs, well hot damn you’re going to look awesome! Then you can stack some pump training (standard pyramid or rest pause) onto your stubborn muscles and you’ll have that breath taking Greek god look. Plus you’ll walk around with the deep confidence that you contain a level of strength that very few people have witnessed, let alone possess.
Final Note
Stop concerning yourself with trying to build a ton of muscle. Instead, direct your attention on achieving advanced lifts. I guarantee that when you’re well on your way to possessing incredible strength on the kinobody lifts, you will be deeply satisfied with your development and progress. It’s likely when the point comes that you’re ready to incorporate some pump training, you won’t even need it at all.
I’ve only really needed to use pump training on my lateral and rear delts. With my coaching clients who are already at the intermediate/advanced level, I select one or two stubborn body parts to add a little bit of pump work to maximize their physical development over the 12 week program. This works gangbusters because it’s tailored and it’s calibrated. If you try to stack too much pump work into the mix, you’ll retard your strength gains, which will backfire on your muscle building progress.
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Greg, i’m having a really hard time lifting heavy weights. Most of the time my form is off. Will I still be making progress in spite of the sloppy form? I’m really confused between the balance of choosing light weights for form, and choosing heavy weights as they “force” the muscles to grow, but the disadvantage is pure form which may lead to injury. I’m weak, and can’t lift as heavy as 100 lbs. 30 lbs and i’m already struggling with it.
Greg…
Big fan of the principle of intermittent fasting, and getting my head around having more carbs, having been a low carb fan for years! Biggest challenge is low rep / high weight workouts. I moved from that around a year ago to just 2 insanely intense full body workouts each week. Lots of dynamic movements, zero rest, low weights, high reps to failure, full body both times (greater focus on upper)…. and I’ve had massive success – I’m stronger, leaner and more flexible then ever, with larger and more defined muscles, all in fewer workouts then ever before. Bottom line is do you think I can make the warrior programme work this way? Thanks in advance!
Greg,
Do you have any studies to back up the ‘sarcoplasmic hypertrophy’ / pretty muscle stuff? I’ve been unable to find anything about it aside from some broscience articles on bodybuilding.com and a study done on rats. I have however found at least one study and a plethora of articles suggesting that training specifically for sacroplasmic hypertophy is a myth. See: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3698998 for example.
Thanks,
Chris
A great read, and thanks for sharing.
Personally, I also think before choosing a path, we should understand our bodies well to see where improvements can be made. Sometimes strengths are genetic, and sometimes the lack of it as well, and I believe we should address our workout depending on our needs.
But this is just me.
Greg is there just thing as building dense muscle? am following rusty s visual impact program an in one of the phases he states do 2-4 reps per exercise, I know you can bloat the muscle using a pump (Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy) filling the muscles with fluid but the actual muscle growth itself, can you gain hard dense muscle by doing low reps? or is muscle just muscle?
Yes I believe there is a difference in gaining muscle via heavy strength lifting vs. gaining muscle from pump. But I don’t think it’s necessary to go down to 2-4 reps. It’s best to work with a heavy weight in the 5-8 rep range with long rest periods. This works better. And sarcoplasmic growth isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It can actually help improve your physique big time.
Greg,
I’m still a little confused which order is the best to follow your muscle building program
First it’s important to build strength: So it’s best follow first the Strength and Density Workout (for 6 months)
Second: change after 6 months to the 3 Day Workout Split (your Bonus Routine, for how long should I follow this routine)
Third: Mixed it up with some Mega training (btw why is even the Mega Training important?)
Thx in advance
Yeah that’s a good method.
Good morning, Greg! Hope you’re having a great day! How do you work through plateaus during the strength training phase? I feel like I quickly increased my weights during the first few weeks, but now I can’t seem to get passed my current weights. I was also curious if you’re supposed to move your entire body when you do heavy weighted military presses. I see a lot of people do this at the gym, and I’ve always wondered if that’s correct. Thank you for your time. Hope you have a great day!
No for military presses your entire body should remain stable. I think you’re referring to push presses or clean and presses.
Just build up the reps on the lifts and then you should be game to increase the weights.
Hey Greg,
I know this might be a dumb question… I have done pump training primarily for the past year or so and obviously i havent really grown in strength, I have grown in size but not in the way i want,
Here’s my question. will all this pump training have negative effects on the way I look permanently or will I still be able to reshape my physique to have the golden ratio look?
As long as you focus predominately on getting stronger and use pump training strategically then you will be fine.
Hi Greg,
As a former buyer of Rusty’s Visual Impact course, I’m now offered the discounted pre-release of his new program ‘Visual Impact Frequency’. What are your thoughts about doing his program 2 months a year, since it’s very opposite to your method?
Thanks man!
It’s very opposite but it can work because it’s just for 2 months and then you’re supposed to go to a more minimalist routine. I think it could be effective if you have some decent muscle and are around 8-12% body fat. If you don’t have much muscle then you’ll see the most visual change gaining some solid muscle. IF you’re above 12% body fat then the only way you’re going to see more definition is by dropping fat through proper diet.
Thank you for the reply.
Hi Greg,
Is it normal when strength training that you sometimes have to lower the weight , meaning sometimes you can’t lift what you lifted few days back. Or that you stall for a couple of weeks on an exercise.
Is this normal?
I’m also struggling with increasing weight on the incline bench, I can squeeze 4 reps but thats it(for 3 weeks now). Should I increase the weight for set 2 and 3 or lower the weight for the first set?
Thanks man.
That can happen. Lower the weight and work on higher reps before coming back to the low rep stuff. I think your cns probably needs a break.
I bought your Greek God Program. I want to follow it for a year. So with which training schedule should I start? I miss an order.
Thx
PS: The strength and density workout is better than the mega workout because it produces muscles that remains? right
Start with the strength and density program. I wouldn’t say better. You’ll still maintain all of your muscle size with the mega workouts so long that you are hitting the gym a few days per week. And some of that muscle growth will be structural and some of it will be training dependent.
Hi Greg you might be interested in this: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/02/magazine/the-last-disposable-action-hero.html?smid=fb-nytimes&WT.z_sma=MG_TLD_20140303&bicmp=AD&bicmlukp=WT.mc_id&bicmst=1388552400000&bicmet=1420088400000&_r=0
And btw, whaddya think of this “hypertrophic training”?
Thanks, best!
Cool. What’s hypertrophic training?
DUDE, YOU’RE AWESOMEEEEEE.
Thank you for the tips!
Keep doing the good work..
Thanks Myke
Hey Greg. Kind of a side note, but you mind checking out my current routine? I’m curious to know what you think. I did your Phase 1 and Phase 2 Blueprint workouts for the last couple of months and really liked it, but I’ve kinda created my own based on that. My main focus is chest and biceps.
M –
Incline BB Bench – RPT (4-5,5-6,6-7)
Flat BB Bench – RPT (4-5,5-6,6-7)
Inc DB Curls – 3 x 5-8
Skull Crushers – RPT (6-8,8-10,10-12)
Hammer Curls – 3 x 5-8
W-
Depth Jump to Box Jump – 3 x 5
Deadlifts – RPT (3-5,4-6)
DB One Leg Calf Raises – 3 x 8-12
Pistol Squats – 3 x 4-6
Back Bridges & L-sits
F-
Chin Ups – RPT (4-5,5-6,6-7)
OHP – RPT (4-5,5-6,6-7)
Dips – RPT (6-7,7-8,8-9)
Barbell Curls – RPT (6-8,8-10,10-12)
I’ll throw in some abs and HIIT on Saturdays. Thanks for all you do man!
Looks gerat Eric!
I think pump training is also useful for increasing mind-to-muscle connection. I have a hard time feeling my side delts, upper chest, and rhomboids (back thickness). What do you think is the best way to increase mind-to-muscle connection through pump training? Should I focus on the burn, should I squeeze and flex the muscle, or should I do no pause between reps?
Sets of 10-15 with short rest periods tends to help. But the mind to muscle connection tends to work itself out with lots of experience.
I know Phase 1 of VIMB will work best for this, but will the MEGA workout from your Greek God Program suffice? Can I add more Pump exercises to the MEGA? Or do I need to have more volume like Phase 1 if I really want to increase the mind-to-muscle link?
Yes the MEGA workout will work incredibly well. You don’t want to over do the pump stuff. Don’t add anything else to it.
After a few months of heavy lifting my joints start to bug me even if I shift to alternative lift variations.
What about Westside Barbell Repetition Method advocated by Louie Simmons? These guys are some of strongest lifters on the planet, so this seems like a valid supplementary work protocol for building joint and tendon resiliency of primary and secondary support muscles.
This has worked ganbusters for me with joint pain – https://kinobody.com/workouts-and-exercises/flexibility-training/
WSB is great too.
Hey Greg!
I’m following GGMB and I’m three weeks in. I’m loving the lifting protocols and I am feeling stronger. That being said I’m feeling flat and not as “pumped up” as usual. I’m fighting off the temptation to start the MEGA phase. What do you recommend I do if I’m feeling flat. I want that Kinobody by summer!
Give it some time. You’re only 3 weeks in. By the 6 week mark you will have added enough dense muscle to replace the pump that you had before. THen the following 6 weeks will allow for some pretty remarkable changes. After that, when you go to do 2-3 months of MEGA training, your physique will reach a whole other level. Stick to the plan buddy, it works :)
Greg, I’ve posted a comment but for some reason it ‘disappeared’. Now I can’t post it again because I receive a notification about ‘duplicate comment’. Did you get it? I asked there 3 questions, thanks.
Yes I got it, but I have to manually approve and respond to them that’s why it doesn’t show up right away.
Hey Greg awesome article. Love reading your stuff. So how many times a week on these core lifts?
Well I recommend lifting 3x per week and hitting a couple of these core lifts each workout.
Hey Greg, I’ve been doing the standing barbell press for about 6 months now. I think I’m trying to progress too fast because I’ve noticed a bend in a my back; it’s messing up my posture. Any suggestions for a good, quick way to straighten my posture back out?
Thanks, man! Keep the great articles coming!
First off, I’d suggest reducing the weight so you can use flawless form. Try doing some L sits, that should balance out your posture.
Thanks for the advice, man! I can’t get myself off the ground for L-Sits yet. Would anything else help?
Do them on a pair of dip bars and only hold your legs up as high as you can.
Hi Greg,
I was bulking with your Greek God program and I’ve added around 8 kg during 5 months. Now I’m at 88-89 kg and 11-12% BF. My next goal is to get shredded: reach 8% BF but stay at similar bodyweight (90 kg would be perfect). I just don’t want to lose muscles I’ve gained during that period. I want to accomplish it in 4 months and I’ve got a couple questions for you:
1. How would you do it? Recomp protocol + Strength & Density workout? Or maybe a small deficit of -300 calories everyday (it’s easier, maintaining recomp protocol is a little more challenging)? The lowest BF percentage I’ve had was 9,9% and I still couldn’t see my abs – my shitty problem is that most of my ‘stubborn’ fat is stored around my lower parts of belly (and some on chest).
2. Can you recommend any pre-workout supplement to help me maintain my strength while getting leaner or just a cup of coffee is enough?
3. Do you talk about workouts in your Warrior Shredding program? How different is it from your Greek God program?
Thanks a lot and keep rocking, great website.
1. Yah, I’d recommend eating at a slight deficit of around 300 calories under maintenance. You should be able to lean down really slowly while still making strength and muscle gains. You could do a 4-6 week phase of slow cutting followed by 4-6 weeks of slow lean bulking.
2. Pre workouts won’t do a whole lot. I just drink coffee beforehand. You can consider stacking coffee with l-2 grams of L-tyrosine. Tends to amplify the caffeine.
3. I do talk about workouts in WSP but there’s only one main routine. The warrior shredding program is all about dropping fat while holding muscle and making it as enjoyable as possible. It’s for people who want a very effective and sustainable approach to getting lean. It’s about 50% nutrition, 20% psychology, 20% lifting and 10% cardio.
Thanks man!
Then I’ll eat at 300 calories deficit until I get to 8% BF. I get fat easily while bulking so I don’t really want to do it when summer is just around the corner.
Have you ever tried L-tyrosine and noticed any positive effects?
Is the routine in WSP similar to Strength & Density (Greek God) workout? Would you recommend doing only strength training or add some pump training too while leaning down?
Thanks for all your answers! Take care.
I found caffeine stacked with l-tryosine to be a little more powerful than just caffeine. But it’s not at all necessary, I just do coffee. The workouts are different in the WSP course. It’s a 3 day split because recovery is hampered when dieting so you’re not hitting the lifts as frequently.
Hi Greg!
Thanks for this outstanding strong but solid article!
I love doing Incline dumbbell flies, very heavy in the 5-8 reprange as it give me a great pump as well as a lot of muscle soreness the next day!! can I still incorperate these heavy incline flies in the RPT, after doing Incline bench?
Yep you can definitely do heavy incline flies if that works well for you! Just be careful with going too heavy on incline flies because it can put a lot of strain on the shoulders. So make sure to let your elbows bend naturally to take the strain off.
Hey Greg,
Another great article, thanks! And I want to echo Jordan’s sentiments above, much respect from me in the industry as well, props.
2 quick questions:
First, does pump training or trying to bring up any kind of lagging bodypart have any part in a cutting program?
Second, the intensity of RPT seems to burn me out/fry my nervous system fast. It seems to be the lack of periodization and intensity cycling – I just can’t go all out all the time like RPT calls for. Even short deloads don’t help as much as a properly cycled program. Any advice?
Thanks, and stay cool Greg.
With RPT, make sure to stop one rep shy of failure. If you’re missing reps that will cause to much neural fatigue. Also I like to do just 2 sets for RPT. In the past I made great results with 3 sets but now I find it better to do just 2 sets. Limit your workout to only 4-5 exercises. And on your second set and third set, stop 1-2 reps before failure. So don’t go completely all out. Also every month I’d suggest taking about 4 consecutive rest days.
Oh and you’re going to want to switch the exercise variations every 4-6 weeks. This will keep things fresh! Works gangbusters.
Just doing some pump work on 1-2 exercises that need it most while cutting. I pretty much just do it with shoulders.
Hi Greg,
When I do pump training for lateral raises I just never feel the burn in my lateral deltoids. I know you did a video on pump training for lateral delts and said that the technique didn’t matter much as long as you feel the burn. But i can never feel the burn, I think my traps might be doing most of the work. I’ve looked on youtube at loads of different videos but that hasn’t helped, the mind to muscle connection never seems to be there. Any tips for really making sure you are working the lateral delts when doing lateral raises? Do you think switching to upright rows could be just as effective, I might get some joy there?
Thanks
You’re probably not doing them properly. Start with the dumbbells in front of your crotch. Maintain a slight bend in your elbows. At the top of the movement, your upper arm should be right in line with your shoulders and your forearm should be at the same plane as your upper arm. Also turn your pinkies up at the top, like you’re pouring a drink, to really hit the laterals.
I believe there is a role for both types of hypertrophy, as you’ve pointed out in the past. In fact, this article pairs very nicely with your recent article on RPT lifting, where you’re essentially starting heavy and finishing lighter in the 10 rep range. I used to do RPT years ago and your article reminded me of how effective it was at that time. I’ve gone back to it, coupled with your suggestion of 3 workouts per week, and the first few weeks have been excellent for strength gains. Taken as a whole, your articles spell out a very solid philosophy!
Great to hear things are going well Greg! (Greg name btw)
RPT is definitely the way to go.
After reading the above and speaking of diet options, it did remind me of I question I wanted to ask.
Greg, have you ever noticed a drop of sex drive when following a stricter kind of diet? And if so, have you found a simple staple food to add in, to bring it back?
A little background in my case – I’m naturally lean. Could eat burgers every day and still be on the verge of visible abs. But I primarily don’t because
A. It’s not good for you, of course. And
B. I get incredibly tired and lethargic from too many dirty carbs.
Anyhoo, I’m a clean eater for the most part. On a constant ‘lean’ bulk, if you like. Heaps of chicken and brown rice, clean meats here and there, nuts, fruits, sweet potato, etc. In this case however, if I keep up the super clean eat and avoid processed flours, I notice my sex drive very rapidly dies in the absolute weeds. Come cheat day, I’ll have something like a gourmet sandwich with seedy bread, avocado, cheese, a bit of bacon etc, or even a sweet baked treat, and it will come roaring back… but I can’t keep eating that stuff and one day isn’t enough.
I’ve even added in wholemeal pasta and plenty of ‘cleaner’ wheat bread, and it’s still only slightly better through the week.
Seems to be a direct correlation between sugar/flour/fats combination that absolutely sends drive through the roof, and sends it running when they’re taken away.
Any advice?
As a 26 year old, I’ve just started eating more of the above-mentioned for a happier sex life at the sacrifice of a little definition and tone. But I’ll be damned if I still don’t want the best of both worlds.
I also take all the usual/expected male supps/vits.
Carbs and fats have the most profound effect on testosterone. So when you’re keeping your diet very clean you are probably not getting in as many fats and carbs. Then when you do your cheat day, you’re probably getting a lot more calories, fats and carbs. This is what boosts your testosterone.
I would recommend including more fats and carbs in your diet. You don’t have to eat perfectly clean either. But have some potatoes with butter or cooked potato wedges. Incorporate some treats that you enjoy in moderation. Have more fats like bacon and advocado. Just don’t eat too many calories and emphasize mostly healthy foods and you’ll be fine. But I think you’re tryign to be too strict that you’re not getting as many calories, fats and carbs that you need.
Strength training wins every time. I only started to enjoy my workouts after I read the articles on this website. I look forward to seeing how stronger I get week on week. Before, I stressed out about putting on muscle and the whole image aspect of it. Now I couldn’t care less, all I care about is getting stronger (looking good is just the by product)
Awesome Laurence!
Hey I have been following the Greek God Program but have been honestly having a hard time with balancing out macro portions due to my life. was wondering what you think of this diet to go with it? ohttp://boldanddetermined.com/2011/11/15/the-old-school-steak-and-eggs-diet-for-fat-loss-balanced-energy-and-increased-testosterone/
Or Vince Gironda’s Meat and Egg/Water diet? I know you are a fan of Gironda as well. I know you say having carbs are good but instead of having them every day these programs cycle them in or ‘carb up’ once a week or every few days. I think Lean Gains somewhat does this as well (only on training days) and John Kiefer has a book called Carbnight or something like that too but his is allowed more than meat and eggs….anyway thoughts? I want to follow your advice as I like your program and am looking for other ways to go with it as far as working best with my lifestyle
I’m actually not really a fan of Gironda.
But I definitely recommend keeping carbs in your diet on a daily basis. There’s just no reason to cut them out completely. It’s about the calorie intake and getting ample protein. If you get those two right then you’re better off having carbs in your diet than no carbs.
Interesting. Can I ask why you feel that way? I would think that as long as you get the ample amount in every week it would keep everything in check. I just feel it would be easier to not go too over in calories if you go 0 to no carb on say non lifting days then kind of fun to load up and almost feel like ‘cheating’ on lifting days and keeping leptin and hormonal levels reset…just would like to know why the “Kinobody” method =) doesn’t agree with the other peoples methods i posted
Well from my experience balanced macros are king. Going super low in carbs, even for just one day, can cause a lot of draw backs. Difficulty sleeping and relaxing at night and not feeling satisfied after eating. As well, going super high in carbs and low fat on training days sucks. Because you have to go low in fat the meals don’t taste as good. Carbs are best when combined with fat. Think steak, potatoes and a little butter. Way better than chicken and rice if you ask me.
So I prefer to keep things balanced and from my experience and working with many clients this has proven to be a much more enjoyable approach. As well, it works better for fat loss since you can maintain a steady, yet modest deficit. You don’t have to go into crazy big deficits on your rest days to keep fat loss moving.
Damn, keep forgetting to finish my post, sorry. But what is your opinion on the standing press vs. the seated dumbell shoulder press? I have gone up from 40 lb on each arm x4 to 75×5 and it seems to be building them nicely but I wanted your thoughts on the superior exercise.
Damn that’s an awesome strength increase Cole!
I think they’re both great movements and I utilize both in my routine. Usually I’ll perform standing presses for 4 weeks and then switch to seated dumbbells for 4 weeks.
God damn genius. I’ve had such a wrong mentality no wonder I didn’t go anywhere in my physique and lifts the past FOUR years. Literally made more progress in the last 5 months since taking your lessons than I did working out (pretty intensely I may add) on my own. All my other friends think they know whats up but then ask me how I make such quick progress. I tell them its simple. I’m after that KINOBODY. ;) Thanks for the article, Greg.
Sorry, meant to add my own experience. Exercises like shrugs and tricep pulldowns have responded very well for me using pump/burnout methods. All my other lifts I’ve always kept at the 4-8 range and still get an awesome pump. Nothing better than getting a huge arm/chest workout in before you go out on a date with a girl. haha.
Haha love it Cole! Happy I can help.
You know why I respect the shit out of you Greg? Because not only do you work hard, and that passion shows in your enthusiasm, knowledge AND the way your body looks… but the fact that you are quite literally one of the very few 100% natural guys out there is enlightening. 95% of the ‘muscle men’/kids out there should be looking towards yourself, to see what kind of a true, real-world body example can be achieved with hard work and dedication. People have really lost their way and completely forget what a naturally good physique is. Plus, you share your knowledge.
I just think that’s really cool.
Especially in this day and age when I literally can’t go out without seeing 20 year old ‘kids’ walking around with arms bigger than my legs, and legs bigger than my waist.
Thanks a lot man, I appreciate it :)
Great article Greg!
I’m current amidst a 3 month shredding routine period (I did 1 month of Strenght and Density before this) because I want to get lean before I start a lean bulk period.
However, i still don’t know what routine to use during the lean bulk: a shoulder and back specialization (I’m a little skinny so I think focusing on those two areas will have the greatest effect on how big I look) or the MEGA routine? So, strenght focus or pump focus?
Thanks!
I’d focus on some specialization first for 6-8 weeks then go into the MEGA routine.
Yo Greg, those are the “greek god standards” listed above? wonder what “warrior” or “superhero stats” would be?
Nope, those aren’t greek god standards. That’s just a good level to aim for before thinking about doing pump training.
Hi, Greg! I purchased your Greek Muscle Building program and I’m very happy with it.
I was doing 50 lbs with each arm on standing press but I felt it was too hard on my lower back, I think my core isn’t strong enough. What exercises would you recommend?
Also, I was lifting 85 lbs with each side on bench press, but adding 5 extra lbs seems very difficult right now with your recommended increases. What should I do to keep getting stronger in order to reach 90-100 lbs?
Thanks!
You can do seated shoulder press or standing barbell press.
It’s actually only 2.5 lbs extra. Or you are to add 5 lbs but only do 1-2 of your 3 sets. Start with adding weight to your second and third set first.
The big major compound straight bar lifts in progressive poundage is what delivers the goods is the motto of Stuart McRoberts, a contributor to Iron Man Magazine, therefore you are right.
could I do back squats/box squats without gaining muscle growth but for strength? or is it impossible to avoid growing big legs with squats?
The only way to do it would be to use a weight that’s pretty light and just do 3 reps focusing on exploding. Or you could just do box jumps. Up to you! But if your’e training max effort, even for 2-4 reps, you’ll still promote size. Look at the legs of power lifts and olympic lifters who do low rep squats, they’re very big.
That’s true but power lifters don’t really bulk or diet, they just aim for strenght. So if I were cutting or on maintenance, legs would grow as much but strenght would. Is this correct?
Yah that’s the right idea but my legs can grow while dieting, at-least for a little while. You could do sets of 1 rep with a weight that you can explode. That will ensure very little hypertrophy. I’m starting to do that on pistol squats and it’s working quite well.
So do maximum weight on squats for 1 rep for 3 sets? I know that 1 rep max are usually a test of strength like power lifting meets.
No don’t do your 1rm max. Do about your 3rm, but just do 1 rep. So you’re looking at about 90% of your 1rm for 3 sets of 1 rep.
Nice post dude. What I’m doing to get the best of both worlds is sticking in the 5-8 range for my main workout, then adding a drop set at the end (trying to stay in the 8-12 range) to blast some fluids into the muscle right at the end.
Good strategy.
Hey Greg,
Thanks for the vidéo, very insightful!
I did pump training for 6 weeks and lost most of it after 1 week of slacking off.
Quick question: I have a hard time finishing my 3 sets of 8 body weight chin ups. Should I start adding weight anyway or wait for more strenght?
Thanks!
Yah you’re at the point where you can add weight. Start with 10-20 lbs on your first set and then perform a couple bodyweight sets.
I can work on increasing strength and at the same time try do as many body weight chin ups as you can, even if you can do 5 that’s good enough. Eventually you will be able to do more. Takes time, same with most exercises :)