Tip Build Your Rep Strength Build More Muscle Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Training Tip Build Your Rep Strength Build More Muscle Chances are if muscle growth has stopped it' s because you adopted too many fancy techniques instead of just getting stronger Here' s what to do by Akash Vaghela December 29, 2017August 18, 2019 Tags Bodybuilding, Tips, Training No Strength No Muscle There are several reasons why muscle growth can slow to a crawl, but here's one most people never think about: you've stopped getting stronger. When you first start training, watching the weight on the bar go up each week is a great feeling. The problem is, once these "newbie gains" wane, most people stop putting an emphasis on strength and start wasting time with so-called advanced protocols that typically leave them spinning their wheels. Until you reach an advanced level of physique development, your sole focus should be on developing strength in exercises that suit your mechanics, over a wide variety of rep ranges. Remember, if you're lifting the same weights you were three years ago, chances are you probably look exactly the same. If you've lost your focus on this single most important factor in building muscle, use this method of goal setting to get you back on track. Test Your Rep Strength Then Train It Pick 2-3 exercises that suit your mechanics in each of the following movement patterns: Upper Body Push: Dumbbell Incline Press, Dip, Military Press Upper Body Pull: Bent-Over Row, Chin-Up, Dumbbell Row Quad Dominant: Front Squat, Leg Press, Walking Lunge Posterior Chain: Romanian Deadlift, Lying Leg Curl, Hip Thrust Once you've picked your exercises, test your 6-8 and 8-12 rep maxes in each of them. Then train hard for 12 weeks and focus on progressing the lifts as much as possible while maintaining perfect form. In a world full of fancy training techniques and "cutting edge tricks" to build muscle, it's easy to forget that progression is the foundation of the hypertrophy pyramid. Once you keep this at the forefront, you'll start growing again. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training Tip Stretch the Hip Flexors Sit on your butt most of the day? Try this dynamic stretch that'll get you ready for smooth, heavy lifting. It Hurts Fix It, Tips, Training Mike Sheridan May 28 Training Tip Do the French Press for Triceps It's a classic exercise, but most people are doing it wrong. Here's how to do it right. Tips, Training Lee Boyce May 24 Training The First Sexy Posture Article A few postural checks, balances, and adjustments can have you looking a whole lot sexier in just a few minutes. It Hurts Fix It, Training Geoff Girvitz August 19 Training Bigger Stronger Arms The Poliquin Way An in-depth look at strength coach Charles Poliquin's new arm training book. Bodybuilding, Training Bryan Krahn March 10