#15 - How Do You Measure Growth? Powerbuilding & the Importance of PR's
1Description
The goal of physique training, or hypertrophy training, is pretty simple -- get bigger. Increase the size of the muscle bellies. Measuring progress is a trickier proposition, however. Muscle growth takes time, and you cannot expect to see the measuring tape on your biceps going up on a weekly, or even monthly basis. So how DO you measure progress and know if you are getting anywhere?
Similar to strength training, setting PR's consistently over time is an excellent predictor of progress. Just like driving up your accessory lifts over time can lead to increases in your 1RM, increasing the amount of weight and/or reps you can do on a well-chosen selection of exercises will lead to muscle growth over time. To that end, Andy recommends all physique athletes closely track their progress on every exercise, preferably keeping a written log and tracking PR's.
Check out Andy's Upper/Lower Hypertrophy Split Program here:
https://www.andybaker.com/product/the-baker-barbell-upper-lower-hypertrophy/
Andy Baker
Blog: www.AndyBaker.com
IG: @bakerbarbell
Owner of Kingwood Strength & Conditioning
Co-author of Practical Programming for Strength Training
Co-author of The Barbell Prescription: Strength Training for Life After 40
Dan Flanick
IG: @coachdanflanick
United States
