No need for scientific nonsense, just straight-to-the -point advice on how to get jacked ? Two doctors of stature, Pak and Israetel, discuss the five steps to maximum muscle growth. Here it is stated that how many gains you can make also depends on your genetic circumstances and the amount of time you can or want to invest in it.

1. TRAINING FREQUENCY

Train four times a week and train each muscle group twice. The latter because it is probably better to spread your training volume (the number of sets) over two or more workouts.

Five workouts is fine too. And six or seven? Only if you don’t have a social life.

2. EXERCISE SELECTION

Make compound exercises the foundation of your training program. That way, all your muscle groups are trained to a greater or lesser extent.

As you require more training volume (see step 3), add isolation exercises.

3. TRAINIMNG VOLUME

Start with a minimal volume: one set per muscle group per workout, so two sets per week.

When to add sets?

• If you feel like you’re not exercising;
• Or if you’re not making any more progress in strength. And so you go to three sets, four sets and so on.

In short: as long as training is challenging for you, you are good, if not, do more sets. As you get more advanced, you are between 10 and 20 sets per muscle group per week.

4. REPRANGE

For muscle growth, anything between 5 and 30 reps per set is okay. For most, 5 to 10 reps is ideal.

5. EFFORT

For muscle growth, you need to train close to failure. If you train almost or completely to failure as a standard, you will do fewer sets. If you train a bit further away from failure as a standard, for example 3 RIR, you can do a few more sets. The average results will probably be the same.