5 Things You Might Not Know About Exercise and Building Muscle

I've been working out for almost 20 years, and I'm still learning things about exercise and how to get better results.

Here are five things worth understanding, whether you've been lifting for a few months or a few decades.

1. The Last Few Reps of a Weightlifting Set Are the Most Important

All of the reps count, but the reps that are very challenging and close to failure generally provide more muscle-building stimulus than easy reps.

You don't have to take every set to absolute failure. But if you stop when the set gets uncomfortable, even though you could still do a bunch more reps, you're probably leaving some results on the table.

Your sets should be challenging enough that those last few reps require some real effort.

Here's what your sets should look like.

2. Exercise Is a Pretty Ineffective Way to Lose Fat

An hour of training or a sweaty cardio session doesn't automatically cancel out a high-calorie meal.

Exercise is fantastic for your health, strength, and helping maintain weight loss. But it's surprisingly easy to eat back the energy you burn.

Most of us have proven this to ourselves firsthand. 🍕😆

That doesn't mean exercise isn't important for fat loss. It is. But if losing fat is your goal, paying attention to what and how much you eat will usually have a bigger impact than trying to burn off extra calories in the gym.

3. Muscle Doesn't Turn Into Fat When You Stop Training

They're two completely different tissues.

If you stop lifting, you can lose muscle over time. If your eating habits and calorie intake change, you can gain fat.

But your muscles don't magically turn into fat when you stop working out.

It's one reason I think it's worth building a sustainable training routine you can maintain for the long haul, rather than going all-in for a few months and then giving up when life gets busy.

4. More Workout Variety Doesn't Necessarily Mean Better Results

Your body adapts to repeated, consistent training.

Keeping some exercises consistent every week lets you measure progress and gradually improve. You can add reps, increase the weight, and see whether your training is actually working.

Constantly switching workouts makes it harder to tell whether you're getting stronger. And despite what you might have heard, you don't need to confuse your muscles to make them grow.

You need a program you'll stick with long enough to see results.

5. Getting Stronger Doesn't Always Mean Building Bigger Muscles

When you start lifting, your body gets better at recruiting muscles, coordinating movements, and performing specific exercises.

That's why beginners can get significantly stronger without adding much muscle size, especially early on.

Building muscle you can actually see takes consistent training, enough challenging sets, adequate protein, and time.

If your goal is to look like you work out, simply moving heavier weights isn't the whole story. You need to train for muscle growth, too.

We identified 10 reasons you might be working out, but you don’t look like it. Learn more here: www.digitalbarbell.com/looklikeyoulift

Need help?

If you’re tired of spinning your wheels without getting the results you want, we can help.

We have options for all budgets. Click below to learn more.

All the best!

Jonathan