[Hannibal]

Hey guys,

I've done a lot of learning and researching about different training methods, so it isn't every day that I stumble upon something new.

I was doing research on the "Escalating Density" training method (spoiler alert : it sucks) and I stumbled upon the "Myo-Reps" method by Borge Fagerli. Apparently it's touted even by the likes of Lyle Mcdonald, but figuring out what the actual method was (and what it does) took a fair bit of research.

What is it?

Basically, it's a very time efficient method to build muscle mass. It's definitely not good for every exercise, but for what it is good for, it works very well. I wouldn't do it for big exercises like squat and deadlift and I wouldn't do it for stuff like one armed dumbbell presses either. It would work very well like machine work, stiff legged deadlift, overhead or incline press, machine rows, chins, etc.

For older lifters, it allows you to do more quality work in less time with less total wear and tear on your joints.

How does it work?

According to exercise science, whenever it comes to lifting submaximal loads, the only reps that matter are the last couple when you hit failure. The last couple reps in a set of 10 or 12 will cause all your muscle fibers to fire, which supposedly is what you want to achieve to signal hypertrophy.

For this example I will use a traditional rep/set scheme, the 10x3 with 2 minutes rest between sets. This is directly copied from Borge's explanation. The assumption is that you're using the same weight for each set and you get close to failure.

Traditional rep/set scheme - 3 sets of 10 (attempted) reps.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Myo-Rep scheme with the same weight as the first example; a 10 RM
(10-15 seconds rest between sets)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4
1 2 3 4
1 2 3
1 2 3


In the traditional rep/set scheme, the lifter performed 29 total reps, of which 11 were performed with maximum muscle fiber activation. In the Myo-rep scheme, 24 total reps were performed, but 17 of the 24 reps had maximum muscle fiber activation. The traditional rep/set scheme also took about 5 minutes to perform whereas the Myo-Rep sets took about a minute and a half. Less total volume (24 vs 29), less total time, more "effective" reps.

The general rule with Myo-Reps is an idea of autoregulation ; if your rep cadence or speed slows down significantly, it's time to stop. You don't go all the way to hulksmash failure.

Supposedly, the first six or so reps are performed with the smaller muscles of the body, while the last couple reps are taxing enough that the bigger muscles come into play. Your muscles are already activated, so you limit the rest period in order to get as many "effective" reps in as possible. Instead of resting two or three minutes between sets, you rest just long enough to recharge your ATP so you can squeeze out some more reps.

Does it work? I don't know, haven't tried it yet. I'm excited to give it a go next time I do a mass building phase. Traditional bodybuilding type work bores the shit out of me so the thought of building mass with many sets of 2-4 reps sounds almost fun.

Has anyone ever tried out a method like this?