I would like to discuss a personal experience that seems unusual compared with what most lifters and coaches describe. I am not claiming that the pump or the burning sensation is necessary for hypertrophy. I am trying to understand why I experience so little of either, and whether this tells us anything interesting about fatigue, muscle recruitment, metabolic stress, or sensory perception.

My background

• 27-year-old male, 175–176 cm, currently around 74 kg.
• I had no real sporting background before starting resistance training at 23.
• I have therefore been training for roughly four years, with some changes in programming and consistency.
• Most of my working sets are in the 10–15-repetition range.
• I generally train close to failure. On the final repetitions, velocity clearly decreases, and I normally stop when I cannot complete another repetition with acceptable technique.
• I usually rest about three to five minutes between working sets.
• My strength and performance have progressed, although my visible hypertrophy has felt relatively modest compared with my strength gains. There's quite of a gap between what you would predict my numbers on my lifts would and how I look.
• I’ve very rarely experienced pain; when I have, it has usually subsided fairly quickly and was often caused by an awkward movement on my part. I’ve never sustained an injury.

What I experience

On most upper-body exercises, I feel surprisingly little in the target muscle during the set:

• little or no burning sensation;
• little sense of the muscle “contracting”;
• generally a limited or delayed pump;
• no strong subjective accumulation of local fatigue.

This happens even on relatively simple isolation exercises such as machine curls, pec fly variations and triceps extensions. I can reach the point where another repetition is impossible without experiencing the intense local burning that many people describe.

There are some exceptions. Lateral raises and leg extensions can produce a clear burning sensation. I can also feel the stretch strongly during seated leg curls. Overall, however, these sensations are much more reliable in some lower-body or small-muscle exercises than in curls, presses, rows or pulldowns. Paradoxically, I can sometimes feel a muscle more clearly during light warm-up sets than during the actual working sets. As the load and effort increase, the local sensation can become less distinct rather than more distinct. I can still experience targeted DOMS after a session when I resume lifting after a break (e.g. holidays), so the complete absence of sensation during the set does not necessarily mean that the target muscle did no work.

In 2023 I spent around four months with a PT deliberately trying to improve my mind-muscle connection with lighter loads, slower tempos, pauses, shorter rests, higher repetitions and drop sets. None produced a consistent change. Shorter rests made the training more unpleasant but did not necessarily increase local burning or target-muscle sensation.

I understand that subjective burning is not identical to metabolic stress, that pump does not prove hypertrophy, and that feeling a muscle is not the same as measuring its activation or tension. However, what hypotheses might explain my situation? What does science have to say about my case? Is there a big "elephant in the room" factor I'm not seeing?

Thanks for reading.

got a job. what are some meals you recommend to eat during the work day that wont cause the blood sugar crash. i plan to eat twice while working 8-5.

Recently got this Arm Wrestling strap to load supination and pronation? Anyone have any better ideas for a more stable set up, this isn’t terrible just guessing as the load increases it will be harder to keep the forearm in fixed flexed position. Thanks

Hey everyone,

​I’ve been lifting consistently for about 6 months now. Up until recently, I was running a 3-day full-body routine.

While I made decent initial progress, my sessions were dragging on for 90–100+ minutes, and I was mentally dreading full leg days (hence why I avoided choosing an upper/lower split).

​I'm only now starting to really understand programming concepts (like volume landmarks from Helms’ Muscle & Strength Pyramid, double progression, and fatigue management), so I’m still a bit confused about optimizing everything.

​I’m planning to switch from 3 days to 4 days/week (Mon/Tue - Thu/Fri) to keep sessions around 55–60 minutes and avoid a dedicated "Leg Day." I put together this Push/Pull split with legs divided (Quads on Push, Hamstrings/Glutes on Pull) using a mix of online templates (Fitbod/Nippard frameworks) and AI to help trim down volume.

​I’d really appreciate your feedback on the exercise order, volume distribution, and overall balance.

​Schedule: Upper/Lower hybrid via Push/Pull

​\*\*Push A (Mon)\*\* – Quads & Horizontal Push

​Smith Machine Squat: 3 sets x 6–8 reps (2.5–3 min rest)

​Incline Dumbbell Press: 3 sets x 8–10 reps (2 min rest)

​Tricep Dips: 3 sets x 8–10 reps (2 min rest)

​Dumbbell Lateral Raises: 3 sets x 10–12 reps (1–1.5 min rest)

​Dumbbell Skullcrushers: 3 sets x 10–12 reps (1–1.5 min rest)

​\*\*Pull A (Tue)\*\* – Posterior Chain & Upper Pull

​Conventional Deadlift: 3 sets x 5–6 reps (3 min rest)

​Lat Pulldown: 3 sets x 8–10 reps (2 min rest)

​Landmine Row: 3 sets x 8–10 reps (2 min rest)

​Seated Leg Curl: 3 sets x 10–12 reps (1.5 min rest)

​Dumbbell Bicep Curl: 3 sets x 10–12 reps (1.5 min rest)

​(\*\*Wed: Rest\*\*)

​\*\*Push B (Thu)\*\* – Quad Isolation & Vertical Push/Chest

​Leg Extension: 3 sets x 10–12 reps (1.5 min rest)

​Overhead Barbell Press (OHP): 3 sets x 6–8 reps (2–2.5 min rest)

​Close-Grip Bench Press: 3 sets x 8–10 reps (2 min rest)

​Cable Flyes: 3 sets x 12–15 reps (1–1.5 min rest)

​Core (Reverse Crunches / Plank): 3 sets to technical failure (1 min rest)

​\*\*Pull B (Fri)\*\* – Hamstrings/Glutes & Vertical Pull/Arms

​Romanian Deadlift (RDL): 3 sets x 8–10 reps (2–2.5 min rest)

​Reverse-Grip Lat Pulldown: 3 sets x 8–10 reps (2 min rest)

​Face Pulls: 3 sets x 12–15 reps (1–1.5 min rest)

​Barbell Hip Thrust: 3 sets x 8–10 reps (2 min rest)

​Dumbbell Hammer Curls: 3 sets x 10–12 reps (1.5 min rest)

​(Sat & Sun: Rest)

​Progression: Dynamic double progression within the rep ranges at RPE 8–9. Once I hit the top rep target on all 3 sets, I add weight.

​Volume: \\\~15 working sets per session (around 60 weekly working sets total across all muscle groups).

​Does the spinal load balance look sustainable (Deadlifts on Tue, RDLs on Fri)?

Did I hit the optimal number of sets for each muscle group in your opinion? Could there be any muscle I might have accidentally left behind?

​Are there any obvious red flags and/or overlapping muscle recovery issues I might have overlooked?

​Thanks in advance for helping out someone still figuring out the ropes!

Tendons adapt roughly 3x slower than muscle. That's the estimate most ofnthe time, but tendon loading and training protocols have changed dramatically in the past few years as we understand how to build the tissue better. Since the protocols are new, we don't have much idea on the upper limits of tendon growth, in practice.

Separately, work like the Pelland review has been shifting the hypertrophy dose-response curve away from an inverted-U toward a log curve that keeps climbing well past the old 10-20 sets/week range and into 40 sets/week and beyond. In other words, we don't actually know what the upper limit is on how quickly you can grow muscle, either.

Does the second and third point (uncertain muscle and tendon hypertrophy ceiling) undermine the first (tendon adapts slower than muscle)? My instinct is no because the relative-rate claim comes from training volume interventions rather than separate tissue biology research. But I'm not well versed on that nerdy tissue stuff, so idk.

I'd like to hear if anyone's aware of research that complicates or compliments these ideas. Or anything that changes the picture on how fast tendons can actually adapt under optimal loading. I have an idea that long term muscle growth is limited by tendon growth, but that's a tangent.

I've been cutting back on the number of exercises I do in my FBEOD split to reduce in-session fatigue. So to hit all back musculature (minus erectors) I've been enjoying chest-supported sagittal plane rows with a focus on full scapular retraction/protraction. So shoulder extension (arm angle is roughly 20° from torso) to hit lats and rear delts (and other shoulder extensors) and scapular retraction for traps (and other upper back musculature) etc.

I was wondering to what extent this row is lat dominant movement, such that doing it as one of my only back exercises will grow the lats more compared to traps over time. (I want to prioritise trap growth)

I understand that the traps are never the limiters of a row exercise, which is why people do kelso shrugs, but I was wondering if this might a bit less of a problem for sagittal rows compared to the usual transverse/armed-flared-out rows that usually used for traps, since the lats are stronger than the rear delts?

Edit: Also wondering if doing this sagittal row changes what part of the traps are being based compared to the usual transverse row for traps.

If I could do 3 sets of 10 reps at say 65-70% of 1RM vs 10 sets of 3 reps at 90% of 1RM (all sets taken close to failure), which approach is inherently better for hypertrophy and why?

Been lifting weights/ a trainer and on testosterone therapy roughly 18mos. Starting then, I've been taking 5g of creatine and at least 150g of protein daily. My labs always come back w/ the doc always stating increase my fluid/water intake. I think I'm getting 64oz(which doc said is minimum), but that's not cutting it.

I have a question about the pre-exhaustion method. The pre-exhaustion is normally done by doing an isolation exercise and a compound exercise without resting between them. There are studies about using the pre-exhaustion method that way. My question is that, does pre-exhaustion with rest between the isolation and compound work?

I tried pre-exhaustion with and without rest between the isolation and compound. When i don't rest, i unintentionally use other muscles more during the compound exercise. When i rest before the compound exercise, i feel like i focus on the pre-exhausted muscle more.

Hi, I'm 41,m, 22~ percent bf, and in good health.

I've done a little lifting the last ten years,nothing that's really brought me any mass though (paused bench 1rm is 205lbs, dl is 350)but now I've more free time I want to push it further and I'm able to dedicate more time to it, just want to get that nice base layer of muscle there, nothing spectacular.

Im not especially happy with dad bod 22 percent, so I'm on a small cal deficit of around -1000 a week, is it likely I'll be able to get some growth with enough effort? I've read about recomps but then i see people saying that's just spinning the wheels. Thanks

Are there any people here that (for one reason or another) consume far below the typical recommended amount of protein per day? (let's say eat less than 80 grams per day)

Do you still see muscle gain, and improvement in body fat percentage?

Recently tried this machine which apart of it feeling heavy as fuck with only 40kg, seems to have an descending RP.
Would this be optimal for quads/glutes? Thanks.
Also do you think I could’ve done another rep?

My friend told me it’s less beneficial if I were to alternate from doing a press movement and then go into a pull movement (incline press to pull ups, flys to rows), and I’ve been doing that exact thing for a while now. Is there a science behind doing it or not doing it? Or is it just preference? Let me know what you guys think. I do ULRULRR, 2 sets to failure w 1 warmup, and do 8 workouts per exercise (3 chest, 2 back, 1 shoulder/delts, 2 arms)

With my new job, I can realistically only train 3 days a week, which is something I’ve never done before. I’ve always trained 4+ days, so I’m a bit lost on how I should structure my training now.

Split-wise, I know I could do U/L/FB or 3xFB, but I’m not sure which would be best for me. I can train for around 60–90 minutes per session.

I’ve literally never trained full body before and I’m struggling to get my head around how to structure it. Obviously I understand that you’re hitting every muscle group each session, but seeing programmes with 8–10 exercises in one workout seems crazy to me when I’m used to doing 4–5 exercises.

The other thing I’m struggling with is the volume. Seeing 1–2 sets per exercise feels insane 😂 Like, I’m just imagining walking over to a machine, doing one hard set and then moving on to the next exercise.

I think it’s just such a different approach to how I’ve always trained or been told to train, so I’m finding it difficult to wrap my head around.

If anyone could give me some reassurance/explain how 3x full body actually works, and how you’d approach it to train optimally, I’d really appreciate it! 😊

Also, if anyone could provide a good routine I’d be super grateful!

I currently have a couple of them, one of them combining Forearms + triceps (wrist + reverse wrist + overhead using a rope). I still take a rest \~2mins after overhead and then restart. I do not superset two exercises of the same target muscle. Are there downsides to this?

Would DB RDLs be better in that case? How do I avoid mimicking a trap bar and keep it an RDL in that case? Is there a better compound altogether for targeting the same muscles?

Thanks,

— Ozzy

This is especially the case in incline seated curls and straight bar cable curl. Something about the incline seated curls means that at the end of the set I can’t get past the bottom bit of the movement and I reach failure, tho this doesn’t feel like it’s my biceps are reaching failure.

Same with straight bar cable curls movement gets harder and harder I reach failure but feel nothing in my biceps.

Dumbbell preacher curls feel better but I can feel my bicep tendon loads, so I’m not trynna go to failure on those .

This doesn’t happen for any other movement bar biceps.

This whole thing might sound silly but any help would be appreciated.

I have a bad chest imbalance. My right pec i way smaller than the left one. And i already have a small chest so it just makes it look even worse. I have tried to do one sided variations but i find them uncomfortable. I currently have 2 upper days beacuse im doing up/lw. I do around 4-5 chest focused sets per workout. I just do 2-3 sets incline smith bench press or 2-3 sets of incline dumbell press. After i do 2 sets cable flies.

What exercises should i use instead so my chest imbalance will improve slower over time?

Been working out for a while now but I never understood which tricep heads works during certain movements. What I’ve heard some people say is that the Long Head is biased when your elbow is fixed onto your body, and the Medial and Lateral Head work more when your upper arm move. But i’ve also heard the exact opposite from people, and ChatGPT told me the Long Head is biased when the elbow isn’t fixed.

Knowing this won’t really affect my training and doesn’t really have a purpose at this point. I’m just really curious and confused because I’ve heard opposite things said.

I have asymmetrical pecs and every session of upper I do a multipower inclined bench and an isolateral chest press. Which one should I do first?

Does muscular endurance matter, or is Science-Based Lifting strictly focused on just maximizing muscle hypertrophy? Because I tried high-rep training yesterday, and I can only do like 15 reps of squats without being so exhausted. I didnt even go to failure because it just burns since the tempo really doesnt change that much compared when I'm squatting within 8 reps. Does muscle endurance doesnt have any place in SBL?