More Exercises, More Muscle? Why Natural Lifters Should Think Twice

Many natural gym-goers make the same mistake: they watch a professional bodybuilder perform four or five exercises for one muscle group and assume they need to follow the same routine.

A chest workout may include bench press, incline press, machine press, cable flyes and pec-deck, while a back session can involve six or seven movements.

Training volume should, however, match an individual’s recovery capacity, experience and overall weekly programme rather than simply copying a professional bodybuilder.

Research shows that increasing resistance-training volume can promote muscle growth, but the relationship is not unlimited.

A meta-analysis found a dose-response relationship between weekly sets and hypertrophy, while other research in trained men has found that moderate volumes can produce similar or better outcomes than very high volumes for some measures.

For many natural lifters, two or three well-chosen exercises for a muscle group in one session can be sufficient, particularly when performed with high effort and good technique.

A chest session, for example, could include a flat press, incline press and fly or cable movement instead of five separate exercises.

Weekly volume matters more than simply counting exercises in one session. Compound movements also train supporting muscle groups.

Bench presses involve the triceps and front delts, while rows and pulldowns work the biceps and rear delts.

Adding several isolation exercises on top of compound movements can push total workload higher than expected.

Enhanced bodybuilders also operate under different physiological circumstances.

Anabolic-androgenic drugs can increase muscle protein synthesis and support muscle growth or retention under conditions that may be harder for drug-free lifters.

Natural lifters therefore should not automatically copy the training volume of enhanced bodybuilders.

The goal should be enough quality work to stimulate growth while allowing adequate recovery. More exercises do not automatically mean more muscle.