If you have an injury, seek professional help ASAP

You would think this goes without saying, but apparently it doesn't. I'll link to the thread I created directly on this here but I'd also like to give a couple of pointers under this point in general as well.

If you have an injury, or perhaps an underlying issue that's aggravating some area of your training / body, at least research thoroughly what it is so you can half-diagnose the problem. It is true that a lot of things are preventable and sometimes only miniscule problems that can easily be rectified, but if there's one thing this game has taught me - and as you can see from my post I linked too - consistently ignoring problems just serves to exacerbate them and prolong the pain.

The worst part? Eventually, it'll start to affect other parts of your body and be detrimental to life quality, as was / is the case with me. I can't emphasise this strong enough so please take heed to what I'm saying: get your problems assessed by a well qualified professional before it's too late.

Make foam rolling a staple in your training

Nicely leading on from the previous piece of advice is the concept of foam rolling / self-myofascial release.

It's been wrongly tarnished as "poor man's massage in some quarters" quite ignorantly. Foam rolling is a fantastic activity that everyone - in my sincere opinion - should be dedicating at least 5-10 minutes to on a daily basis. This can be as part of your warm-up in the gym, before bed, or at any time, really. You just need to set time aside to do this.

So what does foam rolling actually do? The list of potential benefits is very long: increase flexibility, alleviate adhesions and tightness in muscles, break down accumulated scar tissue and improve tissue quality. If that's not appealing to you, then you're either already incredibly healthy or you're in the wrong sport. Make this a staple and reap the rewards. Foam rollers are cheap, last a long time and don't require much attention. It's nothing complex so there's no excuse.

Use descending pyramids

Don't get me wrong, ascending pyramids have their value. They stimulate the CNS, allow you to master technique and also incorporate volume steadily in a safe, progressive manner. However, descending pyramids are, in my sincere opinion, far superior for most bodybuilders!

Why is this?

If you're training in a conventional rep range of 6-12 reps, then starting on 12 reps and going to failure / close to simply isn't as conducive towards muscle growth as it is starting in your heaviest, most likely growth-potentiating set of 6 reps and working backwards.

Here is a better template you can use for more effective results in hypertrophy and strength using descending pyramids if you're currently using ascending one's:

1st set: 90-95% effort of 5-6 rep max.

2nd set: 85-90% effort of 8-10 rep max

3rd set: 75-85% effort of 10-15 rep max

A 4th set is optional and certainly not necessary by any means for most programmes, and I'd also note that you should be intuitive with how much effort you put into each set to make your workouts consistently effective and progressing. For example, going to failure on each of these three working sets for every exercise would inevitably end in stagnation or regression relatively quickly. Vary the intensity, be sensible, and start heaviest first!

I hope you like this tip in particular and can feedback on how effective it is right away.

Get enough sleep each night to make efficient progress

This goes without saying but it's still worth repeating: literally, force your ass into bed every night if you have to to ensure you get ample rest time. It really is a necessity to living a healthy life and certainly to making excellent training progress. If you want a more in-depth, excellent explanation, check out the brilliant Rob Clarke's article on the effects of sleep deprivation here.

That's all for this week folks. Like what you hear? Ask me any question you like in my column here.

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