Bodybuilding legend Phil Heath is never short on wisdom when it comes to maximizing workouts. In a recent Instagram post shared on November 10, 2024, he laid out his three most beneficial aspects of muscle growth without lifting heavy.
Phil Heath boasts one of the best bodybuilding records of anyone to compete in the IFBB Pro League. From 2011-2017, he reigned supreme over the Men’s Open class at the Mr. Olympia, sporting cartoonish density, proportions, and 3D muscle volume.
Heath battled with legends en route to becoming an all-time great, which included his predecessor, former four-time titleholder Jay Cutler as well as his staunch rival, Kai ‘The Predator’ Greene. Suffice it to say, Heath has seen it all on stage and made a career out of perfecting muscle growth.
Phil Heath’s 3 Most Beneficial Aspects of Muscle Growth Without Lifting Heavy
Find his three mantras to muscle growth below:
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- Good Technique
- Change the Tempo
- More Time Under Tension
First, Heath began by emphasizing that breathing is the single most important thing you can do while training, especially if you intend to go up in weight over time.
“A lot of people train and they forget to breathe. It’s the most important thing you should be doing. When you’re training and before you actually want to go up in weight, you want to do a few things.”
His first aspect for spurring muscle growth is ensuring good technique and form. His second tip is to focus on the tempo, which could mean going faster or slower throughout sets and repetitions.
“Number one you need to make sure your technique is good. Number two, you want to change the tempo, meaning up, down, up, down, you can actually go slower if you like.”
Lastly, ‘The Gift’ explained why time under tension is paramount to growth because it allows the body to build muscle maturity with consistency.
“And the last thing, you want to have more time under tension, therefore, you can use different tempo, one, two, three, but then you can actually hold it. The longer you can hold it with actual good form, you’re actually developing more muscle maturity through mind-muscle connection,” explains Phil Heath.
Heath stands by these aspects being the most important for muscle growth. He also says to remove the ego and always focus on quality over quantity.
“Some of the most beneficial aspects of growth come from simply slowly things down, removing ego, breathing and focusing on quality over quantity.
The principles described within this video are my mantras for creating exponential growth.”
He adds that without proper breathing, our chances of injuries increase.
“Without breath we can’t live and without technique, we lose form and become more susceptible to injury. Time under tension provides more muscular activation and strength.
Add in the discipline and consistency and you’re well on your way.”
This isn’t the first time Phil Heath has offered his millions of fans important guidance inside the gym. In addition to sharing his blueprint for building an Olympia-worthy back, he also demonstrated his two top exercises for growing huge triceps.
Having reached the top of the sport and remained there for almost a decade, when Phil Heath offers workout advice, fans listen. The next time you push the pace with a training session, try utilizing proper technique, changing the tempo, and focusing on time under tension.
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