How to Build Muscle: An In-Depth Look at Gaining Mass

When people go to the gym, they generally have one of two objectives:

1) Lose weight

2) Build muscle.

This article is all about the latter – how to build muscle. Something that should be rather straightforward has been overly complicated.

Everyone claims they have a better way and it can be downright confusing! We’re going to go over the fundamentals of muscle hypertrophy and concentrate on the foundations that have been working ever since the first person picked up a weight.

how to build muscle mass

What Is Muscle Hypertrophy?

“Hypertrophy” simply means the enlargement of an organ or tissue. Therefore, “muscle hypertrophy” means the enlargement of a muscle. Two types of hypertrophy can occur.

Sarcoplasmic: Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy refers to the enlargement of the sarcoplasm and non-contractile units. This is “show muscle” because it does not actually make you stronger but instead expands the existing muscle
Myofibrillar: Myofibrillar hypertrophy consists of the addition of contractile units, which can increase muscle density. This can make you bigger AND stronger.

Both types of muscle hypertrophy occurs by training with multiple rep ranges.

Primary Drivers Of Muscle Growth

So, what triggers muscle growth?

This question isn’t as simple as you would think, especially considering how much we talk about it. The truth is, we don’t know for sure. In fact, there seems to be several factors that can influence muscle growth.

1. Mechanical Tension seems to be the most influential factor of muscle growth. It’s simply the tension exerted on a muscle when it contracts against a load.²

Mechanotransduction- Activates mTOR, FAK, and MAPK pathways Leads to increased muscle protein synthesis
Sarcomere Remodeling- Rebuilds and reinforces muscle fibers Results in structural growth
Motor Unit Recruitment- Activates high-threshold motor units Engages fast-twitch muscle fibers with high growth potential
Time Under Tension- Extends the duration of anabolic signaling Increases overall hypertrophic stimulus
Stretch at Long Muscle Lengths- Enhances growth signals through stretch-sensitive pathways Increases passive tension, further stimulating hypertrophy

2. Metabolic Stress refers to the build up of metabolites in a working muscle during vigorous activity. These can include the buildup of;

Lactate
Hydrogen ions
Inorganic phosphate
Reactive oxygen species

If you have heard of “blood flow restriction” training (BFR), this is the primary means by which it can be effective. By decreasing blood flow, it enables greater build-up of metabolites.

The exact mechanisms aren’t entirely understood but are believed to be due to a combination of;

Cell swelling
Hormonal release
Increase muscle fiber recruitment

3. Muscle Damage used to be believed to be the primary factor in muscle growth. You’ve probably heard the explanation before;

“When you lift weights, it breaks down your muscle and causes little tears. You then eat and rest so that your body fixes those tears and your muscle grows a little”

While this sounds reasonable, new research shows this doesn’t seem to be the primary means of muscle growth. However, it could still play a smaller role.

how to build muscle woman

Progressive Overload: The Most Important Principle for Muscle Growth

Here it is. The single most important thing you need to follow to put on some serious mass. And, this is not hype – it is the single greatest determinant of muscle growth.

This principle is called progressive overload.

It’s a simple concept that simply means; in order to continue progressing, you need to continually place slightly greater stress on your muscles over time.³

Otherwise known as, lift more weight!

This seems obvious, but people mess it up all the time.

Your Body Does Not Want Muscle!

At first glance, that statement might seem crazy; of course your body wants muscle!

But it doesn’t. Ponder these questions;

When you build muscle, what happens when you stop going to the gym?
While we’re at it, why do you even need to go to the gym? Why can’t you sit at home and just play video games?
Still, even if you go to the gym, why does it seem so hard to put on muscle!?

You see, our body doesn’t want muscle, it needs muscle.

Our body is an amazing machine that has physiological and metabolic processes that allow it to adapt to the environment it is in. At the same time, it wants to be as efficient as possible and this is the problem.

Having excess muscle is metabolically demanding and is a disadvantage from a survival aspect. Being able to bench press 3 plates is cool for Instagram but serves no real advantage.

However, your body will adapt to the environment it’s in so it’s up to you to place that demand on it – give it a need.

If you sit at home all day, it adapts to that
If you go to the gym and lift the same weight, it will adapt at first but then stop progressing.
If you go to the gym and lift a little more weight over time, it will have to continually adapt.

Once you fully grasp this simple concept, improving gets a lot easier; at least in theory.

tips for building muscle

How To Use Progressive Overload To Build Muscle

There are several ways to implement progressive overload;

1. Increase Load. This is the most obvious option and simply means you add weight to the bar. When you first start training, this will be the primary method by which you progress.

Week 1: 3 X 10 X 100lbs
Week 2: 3 X 10 X 105lbs
Week 3: 3 X 10 X 110lbs
Week 4: 3 X 10 X 112.5lbs

2. Increase Reps. With this method, you simply increase the number of reps you do. You can add one rep to all your sets or add a rep to just one set. Now, we will sometimes combine this with load to do what we call “ladders”. You add reps up until the top of a rep scheme and then add weight.

3 X 8-10 X 100lbs
Week 1: 3 X 8 X 100lbs
Week 2: 3 X 9 X 100lbs
Week 3: 3 X 10 X 110lbs
Week 4: 3 X 8 X 105lbs

3. Increase Sets. This is similar to adding reps except you add sets instead.

Week 1: 2 X 10 X 100lbs
Week 2: 3 X 10 X 100lbs
Week 3: 4 X 10 X 100lbs
Week 4: 5 X 10 X 100lbs

4. Decrease Rest Time. Decreasing rest time is the least used method. However, it can be very useful when you have limited weight

Week 1: 3 X 10 X 100lbs @ 2:00 Rest
Week 2: 3 X 10 X 100lbs @ 1:45 Rest
Week 3: 3 X 10 X 100lbs @ 1:30 Rest
Week 4: 3 X 10 X 100lbs @ 1:20 Rest

Increase Volume For More Muscle Growth

Regardless of what method you use, the primary goal is to increase total working volume.⁴

Working volume refers to the total amount of load that’s placed on the muscle. It’s found by the simple equation;

Sets X Reps X Load = Volume

So, this is what it would look like if you used load for progressive overload;

Week 1- 80 KG (load) X 3 (sets) x 8 (reps) = 1920kg (Total Load)
Week 2 - 82.5 KG (load) X 3 (sets) x 8 (reps) = 1980kg (Total Load)

Research has shown a clear correlation with volume and muscle growth. In fact, there’s a clear dose-response meaning the more you do, the more your muscles grow!

How to gain muscle mass fast

Training Variables For Hypertrophy

Should you lift heavy weight for less reps or lighter weight for more reps?

First, let’s be clear. You can build muscle with just about any load and rep scheme. This depends on two things;

Training Age- New lifters can put on muscle easily while more advanced trainees need more specificity
Intensity- You must train with intensity. This means bringing your sets to near-failure. Your intensity will beat worrying about the perfect load.

With that in mind, let’s look at the ideal variables.

Best Load For Muscle Growth

As mentioned, research has shown that load doesn’t matter if volume is equated for – any rep you do will contribute to total volume.

However, using loads of around 70-80% of your 1RM are likely ideal, especially for those who have passed their beginner stage. This is due to the fact that;

These loads are heavy enough to recruit more muscle fibers
They’re still a moderate load that allows more reps per set

Best Rep Range For Muscle Growth

As 70-80% of your 1RM is the ideal load, this will equate to an 8-12 rep range.

However, keep in mind this is only because this is when you will approach failure. Doing 8-12 reps with 50% of your 1RM will do nothing.

Best Rest Time For Muscle Growth

Back in the day, the theory was that shorter rest times (30-60s) were ideal for muscle growth.

A lot of this was built on the idea that muscle damage was the primary driver – less time allowed less recovery which meant more damage.

However, we now know that to not be true. New data has suggested longer rest times of at least 1:30 and as high as 2:30. These longer rest times allow greater volume of greater loads.

Advanced Tactics

Another topic that is often seen practiced by bodybuilders is the use of special sets. These include;

Drop Sets- Perform a set to failure and rack the weight. Take off 10-20% of the weight and immediately perform more reps until failure. Repeat 2-3 more times.

Forced Repetitions (assisted)- Use a partner or body motion to help assist you perform more reps once you reach failure.

Eccentric Loading- Research suggests that the eccentric contraction of an exercise has a greater impact on muscle growth. At the same time, you can control heavier weight. Therefore, this tactic has you use a heavier load and concentrate on a slow, controlled eccentric.⁵

Compound Sets- A compound set has you perform two exercises that train the same muscle back-to-back.

Super Sets- A super set has you perform two exercises that train different muscle groups, usually agonist and antagonist (i.e. chest and back, biceps and triceps)

Ultra-High Rep Schemes (20+)- These are more common with leg training. It simply means you choose a lighter load and perform ultra-high reps.

Rest-Pause- Choose a weight that allows 6-10 reps and perform a set until failure. Rest 15-20s and perform another mini-set. Repeat this process 2-3 times.

Breakdown Of A Muscle Building Session

Even though 8-12 reps is the ideal rep range for muscle growth, you still want to use the entire range. This means using some heavier loads for increased strength adaptations.

A basic layout with the recommended amount of exercises for a given rep range is given below:

1-2 Big Compound Movements: Strength (4-6 reps @ about 85-90% 1RM)
3-5 Smaller Compound Movements: Hypertrophy (8-12 reps @ about 70-80%1RM)
1-3 Isolation Movements or Lagging Body Parts: 12+ reps or Special Sets (failure, drop, etc)

how to gain muscle fast for skinny guys

What Are The Best Exercises For Muscle Growth

You’ll hear a lot of answers when you ask about the best exercises for muscle growth – some of this is due to bias while some is actually based in research.

Further, there are a variety of variables to consider when choosing the best exercise for you. This includes;

Training age
Skill level
Equipment availability
Injuries or mobility issues

So, while we can’t tell you with 100% certainty what the best exercises are for you, we can lay out some ideal guidelines for most people.

Compound Vs. Isolation Exercises: What’s Better For Muscle Growth

There tends to be a belief that isolation exercises are better for muscle growth; this is not true.

While isolation exercises definitely have benefits and can play a crucial role in building muscle, they should not be your go-to. This is especially true for beginners.

When you first start training, your muscles don’t need isolation as they’re trained sufficiently with compound movements.

Rows and chin-ups train biceps
Bench press and shoulder press train triceps
Squats train your quads

There have been numerous studies that show that single-joint exercises offer little to no benefits for beginners when they’re using compound movements – bicep curls don’t necessarily add any extra muscle growth.⁶

Benefits Of Compound Movements For Muscle Hypertrophy:

Works Large Amounts Of Muscle Mass At The Same Time: This will cut down the time you need to spend in the gym a lot
Increases Hormone Production: Compound movements can optimize your hormones due to the stress it places on your body.
Use Larger Loads: Since you are using multiple muscles, you can use heavier loads which translates into more strength gains and more volume

Now, beginners can still possibly benefit from isolation, even if from a joint health perspective.

Therefore, to optimally put on serious mass, you will use a combination of big compound exercises, smaller accessory exercises, and some strategic isolation movements.

Related: 8 Best Compound Exercises

The Best Exercises For Gaining Muscle Mass

Here’s a list of what we consider to be some of the best exercises to build muscle. We’re breaking these groups into “Must-Do” and "Accessory".

You don’t have to do the exercise if it’s in the “must-do” list, but you should definitely include some variation.

MUST-DO UPPER BODY EXERCISES:

Bench Press/Incline Bench Press
Dips
Bent Over Barbell Row
Chin-ups & Pull Ups
Overhead Shoulder Press

MUST-DO LOWER BODY EXERCISES:

Back Squat
Front Squat
Deadlift
Barbell Hip Thrust
Lunges
Leg Press

ACCESSORY MOVEMENTS FOR HYPERTROPHY:

Quads:

Hack squat
Split Squat
Leg Extensions
Goblet Squat

Glutes/Hamstring:

Romanian Deadlift
Stiff Leg Deadlift
Good Mornings
GHD

Chest:

Dumbbell Pullover
Pushups
Cable Flies (Decline, Incline, Middle)
Pec Deck

Back:

Rack Pulls
T-Bar/Landmine Rows
Frontal Shrugs
Face Pulls
Reverse Flyes
Lat Pulldowns

Shoulders:

Seated Dumbbell Press
Arnold Press
Upright Row
Lateral Raise

Biceps:

Hammer Curl
Bicep 21’s
Reverse Curl
Preacher Curl

Triceps:

Close-Grip Bench
Skull Crusher
Tricep Pushdown
Overhead Rope Tricep Extension

TRAINING THE CORE

Similar to “arm-day”, many people put way too much focus on core training.

This is another benefit of big compound lifts as they’re going to train the core as well – the person with the biggest squat has the strongest core!

With that said, you can definitely add some core specific training. Below are the top exercises.

The Best Core Exercises:

Roll Outs
Pallof Press
Decline Reverse Crunch
Hanging Knee Raises
GHD Sit-ups

best exercises to gain muscle

The Best Splits To Use For Hypertrophy

The best split is the one that fits your schedule and follows a few guidelines. The most significant factor a split regulates is how often you train a muscle group.

By training a muscle 2-3 times a week, you can get higher quality training volumes. And don't worry about how long a workout should be. Just put in the work, and when you're done, you're done. Below are some examples of how this could look.

Hypertrophy Split For 3 Days A Week:

Option A:

Monday: Full Body
Wednesday: Full Body
Friday: Full Body

Option B:

Monday: Upper Body
Wednesday: Lower Body
Friday: Full Body

Both of these can work. If you are a beginner, a 3 day full body workout routine could work better for you as you won’t be putting as much stress on your body.

If you have been lifting for a while, option B maybe your best bet. This works better when focusing on some heavier movements on the upper/lower day. Then, on the full-body, work with lightweight and high reps for accessory exercises. If you choose this, start with either squats or deadlifts on the lower body day and then begin the full body day with the other movement (deadlift or squat)

Hypertrophy Split For 4 Days A Week:

Monday: Upper Body (Emphasis on Pushing Movements)
Wednesday: Lower Body (Emphasis on Squats)
Friday: Upper Body (Emphasis on Pulling Movements)
Saturday: Lower Body (Emphasis on Deadlifts)

Even though you emphasize a specific muscle group, you will still work all the muscles for the Upper or Lower Body.

For example, on your upper day w/ emphasis on pushing, you might want to train bench press, shoulder press, and dips. Then for your back, you may do lat pulldown, rear delt raises, and face pulls.

Basically, think of this as doing your main movements for pushing and your accessory movements for pulling.

Hypertrophy Split For 5 Days A Week:

If you have 5 days a week to train, you can throw in a special day for arms and shoulders. This will look similar to the 4-day a week split EXCEPT; you won’t do shoulder-specific movements (I.e., Overhead press, Arnold Press) on the upper body days.

This will give you time to do more exercises for the back and chest. And, even though you only work shoulders specifically on one day, you still hit them on the back and chest day.

Monday: Upper body (Back and Chest)
Wednesday: Lower Body (Emphasis on Squats)
Thursday: Upper Body (Chest and Back)
Saturday: Lower Body (Emphasis on Deadlifts)
Sunday: Shoulders and Arms

Hypertrophy Split For 6 Days A Week:

First, look at the plan and then the rationale

Monday: Chest and Shoulders
Tuesday: Legs (Emphasis on Squat)
Wednesday: Back and Arms
Thursday: Chest and Shoulders
Friday: Legs (Emphasis on Deadlift)
Saturday: Back and Arms

You’ll notice we did the chest and shoulders together and the chest and shoulders together on this split. This is because since we have more days, we can train these muscle groups twice. The back has a lot more muscle to train, so giving it two days to focus on plus arms makes sense.

how to build muscle at home

Nutrition For Optimal Muscle Growth

It doesn’t matter how much you lift if your body doesn’t have the fuel to carry you through the workout and rebuild your muscles when you get home. Some will try to make this very complicated. Don’t let it.

Follow these steps.

1. Follow A Whole Good Diet- This will provide you with all the nutrients you need while also keeping you full. We really like the 80-20 diet or check out our partners if you need help with a meal plan.

2. Get In A Slight Caloric Surplus- You should be in a 300-500 caloric surplus. This will provide enough energy for muscle growth while limiting any fat gain.

To determine your caloric need is to simply use an online calculator and then track your weight.

3. Protein Intake- You NEED protein to support your recovery and muscle growth. To optimize muscle growth, we recommend 1.6-2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.⁷

4. Fat Intake- When it comes to fat, you have a bit more leeway but you should get at least 30% of your calories from fat.

5. Carb Intake- You need carbs to optimize muscle growth so it’s not the time for keto or low-carb diets. With that said, you can fill in the rest of your calories with carbs.

6. Best Macro Split- A good macro split for most people it will look like 30/30/40 (Protein/Fat/Carbs). There can be some variance here but if you have no idea, start here.

food for building muscle

Food Timing For Muscle Mass

Now that you know what you need to eat, you’ll need to decide when to eat it. Under most circumstances, it doesn’t need to be too complicated. Just follow these simple steps

Spread your nutrition out evenly throughout the day
Most people will do well eating 4-5 meals a day
Each meal should include at least 20g of protein
Eat largest protein serving after your workout (ideally at least 30g protein)

With that in mind, here are a few more specifics concerning eating around your diet.

1. Before Workout- As long as you’re not training first thing in the morning, this won’t play a major role in most people’s training. However, it never hurts to get some carbs and protein in you. Our favorite is something light such as Greek yogurt, banana and/or chocolate milk.

2. Intra-Workout- Unless you are strength training for 2 hours, or you came in fasted, intra-workout nutrition for MOST people is not too important.

With that in mind, drinking a mixture of carbohydrates and EAAs has been shown to;

Increase muscle glycogen stores
Mitigate muscle damage
Improve adaptations

Use a 1:3-1:6 ratio of carbs to EAAS with at least 6 grams of EAA.

3. Post-Workout: The post-workout meal has gotten the most attention in terms of meal timing. Luckily, most of what you have heard about the “anabolic window” has been greatly exaggerated in the fitness industry.

While you don’t need to speed home and eat, it’s still a good idea to eat a high-protein meal within 60 minutes. This should consist of;

30-50 grams of protein
50-100 grams of fast-acting carbs

4. Before Bed: Pre-sleep protein intake is perhaps the newest area of concentration in sports nutrition. Scientists have found that protein ingestion thirty minutes before sleep can increase nighttime protein synthesis (study) and improve recovery (study).

Most research shows 30-40g of casein protein delivers the best results

Common Practices That Will Set You Back

Before we get into what you SHOULD DO for muscle gain, let’s go over some practices you SHOULDN’T DO when gaining muscle is your ultimate goal. To be clear, these practices aren’t necessarily wrong or bad when used in a different context; they’re just not optimal for bulking.

1) Following Low-Carb Diets or Keto:

Following a low-carb diet might help you lose weight, but it’s not going to do you any favors when trying to put on muscle.

While protein is the primary macronutrient involved in muscle protein synthesis, carbohydrates still play a very important role in muscle growth as well. Studies have shown that carbs and protein seem to have a synergistic effect when consumed around exercises in terms of muscle growth by improving;

Muscle protein synthesis
Hormone production
Glycogen storage

More important is that multiple studies have shown trainees having difficulty building muscle on these types of diets.

Not all studies have shown this to be true but there’s enough to be concerned about if you’re trying to optimize muscle growth.

2) Following Intermittent Fasting:

Following intermittent fasting, while trying to bulk up, has many of the same issues as being on a low-carb diet albeit through different mechanisms.

The main problem with following intermittent fasting is that it limits the time you are allowed to eat. This will obviously hold you back from a consistent eating schedule and even throughout the entire day.

In addition, it will almost definitely take out the possibility of having a pre-sleep casein protein shake that has been shown to increase muscle recovery and hypertrophy.

Now, you can still put on muscle while practicing IF but it could present some problems for some people.

3) Following Routines Made For Advanced or Enhanced Lifters:

If you’re just starting lifting and want to jump on a 6-day a week bodybuilding program split – don’t.

One of the more common problems is new lifters following programs built for advanced trainees or those who are “enhanced”.

To build muscle, you don't need to destroy your muscles – your goal is put a little more stress on it then the week prior and then go home.

If you do too much, your body is unable to adapt to the increased volume and you will not be able to recover and adjust.

4) Too Little Rest:

“Muscles are broken down in the gym and built in the bed”

In connection with number three, you need to rest more.

Muscle building is a cycle;

Go to the gym and train
Go home to eat and rest
Your muscle recovers
Go back to the gym

The Top Supplements You Need That Can Help You Grow

To get the ultimate results from your training, it would do you well to use all the help you can get. This includes supplementation.

Supplementation will only help you once you have your training program dialed in, your nutrition in check, and a good recovery plan. This is why they’re called supplements and not “foundationals” (If that’s a word).

That being said, these are the top supplements you could use to increase your gains; and yes, they are listed in the order of their importance.

1) Protein Powder: In reality, protein powder isn’t really a “supplement”; it’s an easy and cost-efficient (usually) way to get in all your protein.

2) Creatine: After protein powder, creatine is the one supplement that will almost definitely increase your muscle mass. It’s the most widely researched ergogenic aide with literally thousands of studies.

In short, it allows greater production of the high-energy compound ATP. This allows you to perform more work in the gym which translates to greater gains.

3) Caffeine: After protein and creatine, good ol’ caffeine is one of the most beneficial supplements to take. It’s a stimulant that provides energy but can also increase work volume and improve your overall training.

Also, consider that caffeine is the main ingredient in pre-workouts – it’s just a lot cheaper.

4) Essential Amino Acids (EAAs): EEAs are not nearly as useful as those above but it can be useful for some people who are extra active or have very intense training. It basically supplies your body with more amino acids to prevent muscle loss and promote repair.

Plus, they taste great which can aid in your hydration!

Build muscle fast supplements

An Overview On How To Build Muscle

That’s a lot of information. Here is a quick breakdown of the key muscle building points that we went over above:

Increase your volume through progressive overload
Use a split to train each muscle twice a week
Concentrate on compound movements
Use isolation and special sets for lagging muscles IF you have the time
Train across the rep range
Nutrition: Stay in a 300-500 caloric surplus
Protein (1.4-2.0g/kg/d), Carbs (4.0-8.0 g/kg/d), Fats (fill the remaining calories but at least 20% of your total diet
Most important time of nutrition is around your resistance training
Spread your meals evenly throughout the day. Protein should be eaten every 3 hours with 20-40g
NO special diets
Take casein protein (30-40g) for pre-sleep aide

Follow these "rules" and we are very confident you will gain some lean body mass and improve body composition. Now you just need to know how long it takes for muscles to grow.

Related:

SFS Hypertrophy Program

Prepare to maximize your gains with our exclusive 12-week hypertrophy training program. Choose between a 4 or 5 day training split and gain 2-12 pounds of muscle over 90 days...

View Now

References

Haun CT, Vann CG, Roberts BM, Vigotsky AD, Schoenfeld BJ, Roberts MD. A Critical Evaluation of the Biological Construct Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy: Size Matters but So Does the Measurement. Front Physiol. 2019;10:247. Published 2019 Mar 12. doi:10.3389/fphys.2019.00247 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30930796/
Lawson D, Vann C, Schoenfeld BJ, Haun C. Beyond Mechanical Tension: A Review of Resistance Exercise-Induced Lactate Responses & Muscle Hypertrophy. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology. 2022; 7(4):81. https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk7040081
Chaves TS, Scarpelli MC, Bergamasco JGA, et al. Effects of Resistance Training Overload Progression Protocols on Strength and Muscle Mass. Int J Sports Med. 2024;45(7):504-510. doi:10.1055/a-2256-5857 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38286426/
Baz-Valle E, Balsalobre-Fernández C, Alix-Fages C, Santos-Concejero J. A Systematic Review of The Effects of Different Resistance Training Volumes on Muscle Hypertrophy. J Hum Kinet. 2022;81:199-210. Published 2022 Feb 10. doi:10.2478/hukin-2022-0017 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8884877/
Schoenfeld, Brad J.1; Ogborn, Dan I.2; Vigotsky, Andrew D.3; Franchi, Martino V.4; Krieger, James W.5. Hypertrophic Effects of Concentric vs. Eccentric Muscle Actions: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 31(9):p 2599-2608, September 2017. | DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001983 https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/fulltext/2017/09000/Hypertrophic_Effects_of_Concentric_vs__Eccentric.31.aspx
Jäger R, Kerksick CM, Campbell BI, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:20. Published 2017 Jun 20. doi:10.1186/s12970-017-0177-8 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28642676/
Barbalho M, Coswig VS, Raiol R, et al. Does the addition of single joint exercises to a resistance training program improve changes in performance and anthropometric measures in untrained men?. Eur J Transl Myol. 2018;28(4):7827. Published 2018 Nov 2. doi:10.4081/ejtm.2018.7827