What is the Minimum Effective Exercise for More Muscle?
- Mar 15
- 2 min read
Minimum Effective Exercise for More Muscle?
What is the absolute least amount of resistance exercise you can do, and still be able to build muscle? i.e. the minimum effective exercise for more muscle?
A recently published study, small but very well designed, offers new insight.
🗝️ Key Study Features?🗝️
Participants were already resistance trained - which is critically important, as many studies us untrained participants, from which very little can be learned for experienced exercisers
Both men and women were included! Also critically important, avoiding the assumption that there are no gender differences.
42 'young' participants were either in group A or group B, and both performed 8 weeks of 2x weekly resistance workouts of just 30 minutes duration, with one exercise per major muscle group
Group A: Trained to Failure - which means they could not safely perform a single additional repetition on each exercise. This is intensiveness level 10.
Group B: Trained to 2 Reps In Reserve (RIR)- which means if they could have completed 10 reps, they would stop at 8.
📒 Key Outcomes? 📒
Both groups gained muscle mass AND strength
Group A, training to failure, gained marginally more muscle mass, but not more strength
🎯Key Takeways? 🎯
👉 Just 2x 30 minutes of sufficiently intense, well programmed resistance exercise weekly is sufficient for even moderately experienced exercises to gain muscle and strength
Compare that to routines calling for 5x per week, and long gruelling sessions in the gym. There is benefit in more volume & greater frequency, for maximal gains, but for many people, knowing that 2x 30 minutes provides huge benefits could be the tipping point to it feeling realistic.
👉Training to failure is very helpful for muscle mass, distinct from strength
Whilst this study was small, it is only adding to the science showing that for muscle mass, hypertrophy, training to failure improves gains.
I know a lot of people struggle to find the time to exercise. Parents. Dedicated careerists. People with caring responsibilities. Long commutes.
If you are a health practitioner, would this encourage you to recommend resistance exercise to more
clients? 🤞
If you are not already resistance training, does this give you encouragement to consider starting? 🤞
References
Without Fail. Muscular Adaptations in Single Set Exercise
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