What should I do in the gym to increase strength and muscle mass?
Researchers at INEF-UPM have analyzed different types of combined training practiced in the gym and have determined which is the most suitable for gaining strength and muscle mass.
15.07.2024
Increasing strength and muscle mass are two of the most sought-after goals by gym users. But ¿do we really know what we have to do in order to achieve it? Researchers at Effort Physiology Laboratory in the Facultad de Ciencias de la Actividad Física y del Deporte at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (INEF-UPM) have analyzed it and have the answer to those questions that we have all asked ourselves many times.
“In the world of fitness and gym training to increase muscle mass and strength there are two routines, which are the most common ones: full body training or full body routines and training in divided routines or Split routine”, explains Domingo Jesús Ramos Campo from the Department of Health and Human Performance of INEF-UPM and one of the authors of this study.
In order to determine which one of these two is more effective in achieving the proposed objectives, researchers at UPM included 14 studies, with a total amount of 392 participants who compared both routines.
“Regarding the effects of the training routines on both the bench press and the strength of the lower limbs and with respect to muscle growth, similar effects were observed after both routines in the cross-sectional area of the muscles of arms and legs and in the lean body mass”, explains Ramos.
About data, researchers are sure about both routines are equally effective in achieving a muscle mass gain or increase in strength during training: “The study provides clear evidence that the use of routines split and fullbody in a strength training program does not significantly impact strength gains or muscle hypertrophy when the volume is balanced”, researchers say.
Great impact on networks
The work, which is having a high impact on social networks, and has recently been published in the international magazine “Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research”, has already become one of the most read article and relies on the participation of the Universidad Católica de Murcia (Departamento de Fisiología del Deporte) and the Universidad de Almería (Health Research Centre).
The most important thing about the work for researchers is that it shows that “gym users seeking to improve their body composition can select a strength training routine based on their personal preferences with confidence, since both are equally effective for it", they conclude.
Reference: Ramos-Campo, Domingo J.1; Benito-Peinado, Pedro J.1; Andreu-Caravaca, Luis 2,3; Rojo-Tirado, Miguel A.1; Rubio-Arias, Jacobo Á.4. Efficacy of Split Versus Full-Body Resistance Training on Strength and Muscle Growth: A Systematic Review.