How would you like to build more muscle mass by spending less time in the gym?  Sound too good to be true?  In this article, Sean shows us that unlike most things in life, more isn't always better when it comes to lifting weights. In the article below, Sean Nalewanyj explains that the majority of trainers are either working out too often, or are performing to high of a volume in their workouts.  Training less often with a lower volume may actually help accelerate muscle gains, and could be exactly what you need to get to the next level.

The more effort you apply to something, the better results you will achieve.  This statement is widely accepted, and can apply to most things in life.

The longer you practice playing an instrument, the better musician you will become.  The harder you study in school, the better your grades.  The more time you spend playing sports, the better an athlete you will become.

So with that being said, it would only make sense that weight training more will result in a stronger more muscular body, right?

Contrary to what most beginners assume, the answer is no!

Now I realize that you're probably asking yourself...

"Spending less time training will actually help me build more muscle?

Absolutely, and when we take a closer look at the science behind building muscle, you will quickly see why this is the case.

The goal of every process in your body is to keep you alive, healthy, and functioning efficiently.  Over thousands of years, the body has become extremely good at adapting to demands that we place upon it.

For example, when we don't consume enough food or water our body tells us that we are hungry or thirsty.  When we walk for long distance in our barefeet, or body develops calluses to protect our skin.

So what exactly happens when we weight train?

If your answer was something in the link of "I get stronger and my muscle grow", then you are spot on!  By forcing your muscle to lift weights heavier than it is accustomed to, it perceives this as a threat.  In order to "protect" its self, it's natural response is to increase the size and strength of the muscles.  This way, it will be more prepared the next time it faces a similar situation.  as we progressively overload the muscles by increasing the intensity of the workout, the body will continue to adapt, and increase the size and strength of your muscles.

Sounds simple enough?

Theoretically it is quite straight forward, but what you have to understand is that your muscles will only increase in size and strength if you allow them sufficient time to recover and rebuild tissue.  

Insufficient recovery time makes building muscle impossible!

So just how much time should you spend in the gym?

Ultimately, the goal is to train with the minimum amount of volume needed to stimulate muscle growth.  Once you exceed this amount of training, you will be hindering your progress, as you are simply increasing the amount of time it will take for your muscles to rebuild.

The majority of people in the gym either train too often, or  perform many more sets than are necessary.  This ultimately slows their muscle gains substantially.

Training at a high intensity for a shorter duration is more stressful on the muscles, and will break down muscle tissue enough to stimulate muscle growth and maximize recovery time.

Follow these three weight training tips to maximize your muscle gains:

1)  Only train 3-4 days a week.

2)  Aim for workouts that are no longer than 45 minutes.

3)  Make sure you train smaller muscle groups less than larger muscle groups.  

Aim for concentric failure at the end of each set, and make sure you are increasing in strength every week.  If you are consistent, and train with a high intensity, spending less time in the gym could be exactly what you need to accelerate your gains.