And The Fundamentals Shall Set Your Free...

The other day, a Fully Optimized Health Community member asked me about the finer points of a muscle-building phase.

For those who don’t know, the weekly AMAs are an opportunity for our members to ask Jay and me all their burning questions about health optimization.

And one of our amazing members asked us this:

“Do both of you still use Positive Muscle Failure resistance training during a bulking phase? If you do, can you please describe what that looks like regarding sets and reps?”

Now, this is a fairly basic question and something that I can (and will) answer fairly succinctly.

But I’m including it in this email because I think it’s quite telling.

The answer:

Yes.

Jay and I both use Positive Muscle Failure during a bulking phase.

For those unfamiliar, “Positive Muscle Failure” involves “being unable to perform the lifting portion of a weighted movement (i.e. concentric phase of a lift) without sacrificing proper technique, getting assistance from a machine, having a spotter help you, or resting”.

In other words, taking the muscle to the point of complete and absolute exhaustion.

To the point where you literally cannot perform one more rep.

I’m obviously a pretty well-muscled guy, and I’ve used a lot of lifting protocols over the years to build my body.

But I’ve NEVER come across something so effective for building muscle - and for FORCING the body to grow 💪

It works regardless of whether you’re in a fat-loss or muscle-building phase (and no, the sets and reps do not change).

That’s the simple answer.

The longer answer is this:

The fundamentals are the fundamentals.

Look, I hear this all the time…

"Hunter, I just picked up 30 Days 2 Shredz, and I’m STOKED to get started! How should I change my training protocol'“

“Hunter, I’m in my 50s and ready to get into the best shape of my life 😎 How should my training be different than the young guys?”

“Hunter, I’m finally ready to take the plunge and get on therapeutic testosterone, but I have (insert issue here). How should my protocol be different?”

And every single time, my answer is the same:

The fundamentals are the fundamentals.

✅ There is NO difference in training protocol between a bulking and cutting phase

If you’re bulking, you focus on gaining as much muscle as possible.

If you’re shredding, you’re focused on losing fat while preserving as much muscle as humanly possible (or even ALL of it).

Either way, the fundamental principle is the same here:

👉 You need to stimulate your body to build and/or preserve muscle.

That stimulation is ALWAYS going to be done by taxing the muscle fibers within an inch of their lives.

✅ There is NO difference between how a young man or woman should train and how an older man or woman should train.

Again, the fundamental principle is the same here:

👉 You need to send a signal to the muscle to grow

👉 You need to be doing cardio to maximize heart health (and all of the other benefits that come with cardio)

👉 You need to be sleeping 8 hours a night and giving your body enough nutrients to recover

✅ There’s no difference in how men should approach testosterone optimization therapy

👉 You need to do your bloodwork and find out where exactly you’re at

👉 You need to find a doctor to work with who’s not a complete quack

👉 You need to continually monitor your blood work and symptoms and make tweaks to your protocol until you get everything locked in

Now, does that mean you can’t make ADJUSTMENTS along the way?

Does that mean there aren’t nuances?

Absolutely not.

If you’re in a cutting phase, you may not perform as well or feel as good in the gym as you would be in a gaining phase.

It doesn’t mean you change the FUNDAMENTALS.

It just means that you make adjustments.

Get more sleep, use supplements like GAC Extreme (use code hunter20 for 20% off), etc.

If you’re an older man or woman, you might not be able to tolerate the crazy training routines young people follow.

A 25-year-old guy can get away with more nonsense in the gym than a 55-year-old guy…

But that doesn’t make squatting 500 pounds a smart idea.

If you’re a younger man getting on testosterone and you want to remain fertile and have a child one day, you may indeed need to do more than an older guy.

But (you guessed it) the PRINCIPLES of testosterone optimization therapy remain the same.

You need to be proactive in maintaining your fertility (regular semen analysis, fertility-maintaining medications, etc).

So, in conclusion, don’t get so bogged down in the details.

Keep the big picture in mind, and you’ll be well on your way 💪

Best,

Hunter Williams