Last Updated on May 21, 2023 by Michael Brockbank
I decided to try something a bit different this week. Instead of constantly increasing the weight during my workouts, I’ll only move up by five pounds every Monday. I’m hoping this will give me the rest of the week to adapt and build lean muscle mass while getting buff.
Well, at least “buffer” than I was before. At this point, anything is better than where I was a year ago.
Anyway, the results today were a bit promising. I’m really looking forward to the six-week photos I’ll be uploading on Wednesday.
Is Getting Buff Possible at 5 Pound per Week Increments?
In reality, any amount of weight you add to workouts is going to intensify the experience. The result is that your body will try to compensate as best it can, especially if it’s a regular thing.
This means you’ll create more lean muscle that is more likely to sustain the workout while adding mass to adjust for the added weight.
Granted, I’d add a lot more muscle mass if I tried to vastly increase the amount I lift throughout the week. But, I’m not just working at getting buff. I’m also trying to burn off the excess fat.
To do this, I need a higher-rep workout that focuses more on increasing the heart rate through consistent movement than adding mass. The more often the muscles are activated, the more fat I’ll convert for energy.
Well, as long as I maintain a low-carb diet plan that is. Otherwise, I’ll just be spinning my wheels when it comes to slimming down.
If I don’t burn off the carbs, they’ll be stored as fat. And I don’t get a lot of time at the gym to really burn a ton of carbs.
Biceps Increasing in Size
At this point, I really wish I would have thought to take measurements when I started going to the gym. However, by increasing the weight by five pounds each week, it’s made a noticeable difference in my biceps.
And the best part about this is that I don’t even do bicep work when I go to the gym. All of the development recently has been from the lat pulldowns, which activate the biceps.
When I got back from the gym this morning, I noticed a significant difference in the size of my arms.
Struggled a Bit, But Powered Through
After increasing the weight by 5 pounds to all of the machine workouts, I did struggle somewhat on all of the exercises. Mostly, I was peaking out on the third set of 20 reps at around the 16 count.
This was especially difficult during the chest press and flys.
I was still able to power through to hit the 60 reps total for each machine, but it was pretty intense. Though, I suspect it’ll be much easier on Wednesday and Friday.
Less Issue with the Lat Pulldowns
One thing I did notice this morning, though, is that even after increasing the weight by 5 pounds, I had less of a problem cranking out all three sets during the lat pulldowns.
In fact, last Friday, I had to stop to relax my shoulders before doing the last five reps.
Today, I was able to grind out all 60 without stopping. And this was after increasing the weight. I’m also using a different pre-workout, so that might also be part of the equation.
Still, I was pretty excited that I was able to increase the weight without having to stop.
How I Increase the Weight Each Week
Every Monday, I increase the weight I plan to lift by five pounds. Then, I’ll do the same number of sets and reps at that weight throughout the week. On the following Monday, I’ll increase it by five more pounds.
It’s pretty simple, really.
For instance, if I was able to do the Lat Pulldown Machine at 90 pounds for a total of 60 reps on Friday, I would increase the weight to 95 the following Monday.
By the end of the month, I’d be able to lift an additional 20 pounds than when I started. Well, theoretically.
This is still a new experiment in progress. However, the results so far seem to support my theory, at least for myself.
Why not just keep increasing the weight as I had before? Because I am aiming for a higher cardio result while lifting weights. In other words, I’m trying to burn off the fat at the same time while elevating my heart rate through rapid movement.
This is an Experiment for Getting Buff
In reality, all of this is more of a personal experiment of self-discovery. This is because everyone is built differently. What works best for one may not be effective for another. That’s why I’d rather run experiments like this to see what works best for me, in particular.
Too many “experts” try to quantify workouts, diets, and supplements to sell to the masses as a product that will work. The truth is that everything from genetics to emotional status will affect getting buff and workouts.
There really is no one-size-fits-all answer, here. There are simply too many variables to take into account for someone else to figure out what works best for you.
And a lot of these douchebags will prey on personal insecurities to convince people to spend money on something that may or may not work. What do they care? They already have your money.
Sure, you can take the advice of others or simply read someone’s results with weight training on a blog. But it still comes down to finding the best methods that will provide optimum results for the gains you want, not what someone thinks you should have.
Before you start taking advice from anyone, set up a few experiments and case studies for yourself. Yes, it will take a bit of time to find the perfect groove for your workout and dieting needs. But the results will absolutely be tailored for you and you alone.
This is all based on how your body reacts to the things you want to try…not from some questionnaire that really doesn’t take a lot of things into consideration, such as genetic makeup.
For one thing, some people are just predisposed to being better at building muscle according to their DNA.
Fitness is Not All About Getting Buff and Toned
A lot of people out there have aspirations of becoming an underwear model or Instagram influencer using their body as their money maker. For me, it’s about staying alive.
Then again, once you survive your heart stopping, it kind of lights a bit of a fire under your ass.
Yes, I have fun talking about “Magic Miking” myself, doing a fireman calendar photoshoot, or looking like Ryan Reynolds’ handsomer older brother. But the reality is that I don’t want to die just yet.
Everything I’m doing, the increased cardio, weight machines for getting buff…it’s all about survival for me. Because I don’t think I want to check out just yet.
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Sounds good to me.
I’m pretty excited to see what happens over the next few weeks. 🙂