Exercise Scientist's Masterclass On Building Muscle

Train each muscle 2–4 times per week Most muscles recover fully within 2–3 days. Training the same muscle group 2–4 times per week lets you accumulate enough total weekly stimulus without wasting recovery time. If you're still sore or noticeably weaker by your next session, either space sessions further apart or do fewer hard sets each time.

Use a 2–3 second controlled eccentric Lower the weight over 2–3 seconds on every rep. This reduces injury risk, ensures you hit the deep stretch position that drives growth, and prevents you from bouncing out of the bottom. If you can't control the eccentric, the weight is too heavy.