| I've just read yet another article about bodybuilding | | | | compensatory size increases. |
| which only shows more evidence that writers of this | | | | Notice I used the word 'possibly'. If we break the tissue |
| sport or hobby are only too happy to regurgitate the | | | | down and don't allow enough recuperation to not only |
| same old tired out information that's useless at best | | | | repair the damage done but also build compensatory |
| and a complete crock of doodie at worst. Frankly, I'm | | | | strength and size, our muscles simply won't grow. |
| getting a little tired of it. And I don't like seeing other | | | | They'll stay the same size or even worse, become a |
| natural bodybuilders spin their wheels by latching onto | | | | little smaller. That's what can happen from extreme |
| pseudo-scientific malarkey that only keeps them | | | | over-training. |
| groping in the dark for something that works. | | | | Where did "Muscle Confusion" Originate? |
| You'll probably be surprised to find out which | | | | The stimulus that started and perpetuates the muscle |
| widely-embraced and beloved theory I'm prepared to | | | | confusion lie is another common phenomenon and |
| debunk. No, it's not the one about muscle being | | | | myth in bodybuilding: the "pump". This is a phenomenon |
| incapable of turning into fat or fat turning into muscle. I | | | | because it really occurs; people do get a feeling of |
| think even your average five-year-old knows that by | | | | expansion in their muscles after working them. It's a |
| now. Neither is it the one about muscles not growing | | | | myth, however, from the standpoint of believing that |
| directly from workouts but rather from recuperating | | | | this sensation represents evidence of muscle growth. |
| between workouts. I have non weight-training, nerdy | | | | A pumped sensation in a worked muscle is caused by |
| friends who already have that figured out. | | | | a back pressure of blood flow and lactic acid in the |
| No, this is about the much coveted, yet completely | | | | capillaries. It has nothing to do with inter-workout |
| erroneous "muscle confusion principle". For clarity, let's | | | | recuperation and compensatory tissue growth. |
| look at some common assertions that this silly concept | | | | Therefore, regardless of whether a change in our |
| hides within: | | | | workout routine causes us to imagine or actually feel a |
| "You need to 'shock' your body by changing your | | | | better pump, it's not an indication of real progress. |
| routine." | | | | But the facts haven't stopped it from feeding the |
| "Once you do a routine for awhile, your muscles get | | | | muscle confusion myth. People will swear up and |
| used to it and stop growing." | | | | down that their change of routine has given them a |
| "You need to change your bodybuilding exercises to | | | | better pump and a subsequent resumption of |
| keep your muscles guessing." | | | | progress. My objections are only proven correct when |
| "Muscles won't continue to grow unless you keep | | | | these individuals possess muscles that haven't grown |
| them 'confused'. | | | | at all six months or a year later. |
| Let me straighten this out: Muscles don't need to be | | | | Why "Muscle Confusion" can hold you back |
| confused, baffled, perplexed, puzzled, bewildered, | | | | Frankly, too much adherence to the muscle confusion |
| disconcerted or befuddled. | | | | principle can cause feedback confusion. If we change |
| They also don't need to be "shocked". | | | | our exercises and routine too often, we won't |
| What they need in order to continue growing is to be | | | | accumulate enough feedback to tweak our volume |
| systematically overloaded and recuperated. Let me | | | | strategy and put it in to the momentous gaining zone. |
| repeat that: Systematically Overloaded and | | | | I've seen people change their exercises every week. |
| Recuperated. | | | | I've even been one of those people (years ago). |
| Here's another piece of startling information. In order to | | | | Would you like to know where all that "muscle |
| systematically overload and recuperate your muscles, | | | | confusion" got me? Absolutely nowhere - nadda - |
| you could feasibly use the same exercises in the | | | | Zilch! I had good workout pumps. But I experienced no |
| same sequence for the next twenty years. I'm not | | | | gains at all from massive confusing and befuddling of |
| saying you need to or should - only that you could. | | | | my muscles and entire body. |
| You could do it and keep gaining muscle mass as long | | | | Some people claim they need to change their |
| as you know how to accurately and unremittingly | | | | bodybuilding exercises once in a while to alleviate |
| overload and recuperate your muscles. | | | | boredom. That's fine, as long as it's not so often as to |
| To check the validity of my claim, simply apply your | | | | hamper the ability to read feedback and make |
| rational faculty. Why would your muscles need to be | | | | adjustments that lead to actual gains. |
| "tricked" or "confused" in order to grow? Although they | | | | Personally, I never get bored in the gym. There's |
| might be connected to neuro-transmitters present in | | | | something so exciting about seeing continuous muscle |
| the nervous system, they're not equipped with little | | | | growth happening naturally and directly on my formerly |
| micro-brains that need to be fooled. | | | | hard-gainer body. It blows away any fleeting sensation |
| Simply put, they're made out of actin and myosin; two | | | | I might have once gotten from merely changing an |
| proteins that need to be broken down in order to start | | | | exercise in the name of... "confusion". |
| the process of recuperation that possibly leads to | | | | |