Arnold Schwarzenegger continues to break down the intricacies of exercise and recovery. In his latest Arnold’s Pump Club newsletter, Schwarzenegger discussed ‘junk reps’ and explained why soreness after a workout isn’t an indicator of muscle growth.
“Stop Chasing Soreness
Have you ever worked out, not felt sore, and then thought you needed to spend more time in the gym and do more exercises, reps, and sets until you hurt the next day? It’s time to retire that mindset.”
‘The Austrian Oak’ is always spilling his secrets to getting fit. As he has gotten older, his focus has shifted towards implementing diet and lifestyle changes to increase his longevity. Thankfully, Schwarzenegger finds that working out is the best medicine to help with aches and pains while staying youthful and agile, something he refuses to give up even in retirement.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Says Workout Soreness ‘Not an Indicator of Muscle Growth’
With decades of experience at the highest level combined with science-based research, Arnold Schwarzenegger provides his followers with workout and nutrition tips to help further them on their fitness journeys. His spectrum of knowledge ranges from workouts that help with insulin sensitivity to the benefits of creatine and everything in between.
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In his latest effort, Arnold Schwarzenegger discussed the relevance of soreness after a workout while warning his fans to be careful of ‘junk reps.’
“New research (once again) found that soreness is not an indicator of muscle growth.”
“The study compared “advanced” training methods—drop sets and pre-exhausting a muscle—with traditional straight sets (where you do a set, rest, and repeat).
The researchers made sure that each group lifted the same total volume. In other words, while the drop sets included more reps, because the weight was lighter, the total work completed (reps x sets x weight) was similar in all groups.”
Despite incorporating different techniques, Schwarzenegger said both groups in the study did not see a change in strength or muscle.
“Even though some participants utilized the most exhausting and challenging techniques, there wasn’t any change in strength or muscle. However, the groups doing the drop sets experienced more overall fatigue and soreness.”
“The takeaway? There are many ways to build muscle and strength, and advanced techniques can be very effective if programmed correctly.”
Instead of basing your workout on soreness, Schwarzenegger recommends focusing on controlled workouts and allowing for enough recovery time between sets and training.
“At some point, doing more reps might create more soreness, but that doesn’t mean you’re building more muscle. So you want to be mindful of “junk reps” that will increase fatigue, slow your recovery, and possibly cause your next workout to suffer.”
“A great program will have you push yourself near failure, give your body enough time for recovery (either between sets or workouts — or both), select the right exercises, and help you improve over time — instead of just feeling more exhausted.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger reminds his followers that workout routines are individualistic and can vary depending on exercises, experiences, rest time, as well as reps and sets.
Program design has many nuances, and no single amount of reps and sets will apply to everyone. It depends on exercise selection, training experience, reps, sets, rest periods, and load.
But if you want a good range, research suggests that about 6 to 8 hard sets per muscle per workout is more than enough to maximize growth (you can do more or less depending on workout design and how often you exercise).
In addition to building muscle, it is important to focus on mobility and flexibility. That is why Schwarzenegger has previously shared the benefits of implementing a foam roller into training routines. With consistent use, the foam roller can help alleviate aches and pains while increasing overall range of motion.
With so much information circulating through the fitness community, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s advice is a breath of fresh air. Coming from either his personal experiences as a seven-time Mr. Olympia champion or scientific research, fans can trust that the guidance they receive from Schwarzenegger is tried and true.
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