3 Things YOU Need to Do to Gain Muscle

Before we get into the good stuff, let’s get real. No matter your gender, there is certainly an incentive to look a certain way based on societal expectations. Remember this: that incentive alone is not enough to sustain a long term goal like putting on pure muscle mass. I’d be lying if I said that I myself am not a little bit glute biased in my training regimen for aesthetic reasons. There isn’t anything inherently wrong with training for aesthetics, it’s just that intention matters when it comes to staying consistent. The “why” matters. Maybe for you it’s for mental health reasons or long term physical health benefits. Whatever the case, don’t underestimate the power of setting non-superficial goals, it will only propel you forward in your fitness journey. So now, let’s get into the good stuff:

1. Till Failure

This concept of taking your muscle till failure means that by the end of your set (could be the end of your last set or the end of all your sets) you do your absolute best to crank out another rep. It’s encouraged to do lengthened partials at the end of your set to fully take your muscle till failure; this looks like partial reps in the most lengthened position of the exercise. In simpler terms, at the end of your set, attempt at another rep without necessarily going through the full range of motion. At that point, your muscles should be EXHAUSTED and hardly physically capable of doing a full rep.

2. Range of Motion

If you’ve got a gym ego, allow me to burst your bubble! Lifting heavy is great, that’s what we love to see, however, if you can hardly complete an exercise with proper form… chances are you should lower the weight. Make sure you are completing the full range of motion for most of your sets. This is crucial for gains, don’t skip it.

3. Progressive Overload

All gym rats have heard of this concept, but what does it really mean? It is socially accepted that progressive overload means lifting heavier, but I prefer to think of it as a school of thought where you are constantly improving in some way at a given exercise. We can’t always hit a PR. So some days you’re improving your form so it can account for the full range of motion, some days you are increasing the range of motion, upping the weight slightly and or performing more repetitions. As long as in some way shape or form you are putting more tension on your muscles in the most lengthened position as you progress through your split, you are golden.

• Works Cited:
• Dupontgand, Sophie, et al. YMCA – FITNESS (Basic Theory). YMCA Canada.
• Set Volume for Muscle Size: The Ultimate Evidence Based Bible – Weightology, weightology.net/the-members-area/evidence-based-guides/set-volume-for-muscle-size-the-ultimate-evidence-based-bible/. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
• Wolf, Milo, et al. “Partial vs Full Range of Motion Resistance Training: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” International Journal of Strength and Conditioning, journal.iusca.org/index.php/Journal/article/view/182. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
• Robinson, Zac, et al. “Exploring the Dose-Response Relationship between Estimated Resistance Training Proximity to Failure, Strength Gain, and Muscle Hypertrophy : A Series of Meta-Regressions.” SportRxiv, SportRxiv, 18 Nov. 2023, sportrxiv.org/index.php/server/preprint/view/295.
• Refalo, Martin C., et al. “Influence of Resistance Training Proximity-to-Failure on Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis – Sports Medicine.” SpringerLink, Springer International Publishing, 5 Nov. 2022, link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-022-01784-y