{"id":8197,"date":"2021-03-05T16:20:04","date_gmt":"2021-03-05T22:20:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vshred.com\/blog\/?p=8197"},"modified":"2021-03-05T16:20:04","modified_gmt":"2021-03-05T22:20:04","slug":"why-i-stopped-doing-my-last-set-the-most-neglected-key-to-muscle-growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vshred.com\/blog\/why-i-stopped-doing-my-last-set-the-most-neglected-key-to-muscle-growth\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I Stopped Doing My Last Set: The Most Neglected Key To Muscle Growth"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8202\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vshred.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/210307IGThumbnailPosting.png?resize=1080%2C1080&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1080\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vshred.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/210307IGThumbnailPosting.png?w=1080&amp;ssl=1 1080w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vshred.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/210307IGThumbnailPosting.png?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vshred.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/210307IGThumbnailPosting.png?resize=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vshred.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/210307IGThumbnailPosting.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vshred.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/210307IGThumbnailPosting.png?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vshred.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/210307IGThumbnailPosting.png?resize=60%2C60&amp;ssl=1 60w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is beyond frustrating to have a muscle group that won\u2019t grow no matter how hard you train.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When this happens, most people fall into the mindset that they need to work the muscle even MORE.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Extra volume can be a great way to focus on weaker muscle groups, but you want to be careful that you never OVERTRAIN. Even more important\u2026 <\/span><b><i>you must ensure your muscles are recovering so they can benefit from your training sessions.<\/i><\/b><b><i><br \/>\n<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The word recovery could mean a lot of things:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Proper <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Post Workout Nutrition<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Overall Diet<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Quality Sleep<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Taking Rest Days<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All of those things are important&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, there is a different type of recovery we want to talk about, because it\u2019s something almost every gym-goer neglects!<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b><i>Not taking advantage of this very short window of time\u00a0<\/i><\/b><b><i>when your muscles are begging for a little love\u2026 could be what is holding you back!<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We are not talking about a supplement or post-workout meal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This type of recovery is something you need to do BEFORE you jet home to feed your muscles.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><i>Even if you don\u2019t have lagging body parts\u2026 <\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">skipping this step is most likely the reason you stay sore and stiff&#8230; despite sleeping, eating right, and taking rest days!<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b><i>THESE 10-20 Minutes Could Hold The Key To Your Best Physique EVER!!<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1170\" height=\"659\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SF_0G5AzdwU?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b><i>POST WORKOUT STATIC STRETCHING &amp; SELF MYOFASCIAL RELEASE (SMFR)<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><b><i>Static Stretching<\/i><\/b> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is when you hold a stretch for a longer period of time. The goal is to hold the stretch as long as you\u2019re comfortable. Ideally a minimum of 30 seconds.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">two types of stretching<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but this is the one you will want to focus on POST TRAINING.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><i>Self Myofascial Release (SMFR)<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is just a fancy name for using recovery tools (like a foam roller or compression round) to release tension in connective tissue (called fascia.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lifters usually rank these two things of low importance because of the extra time it tacks on to a training session.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b><i>Incorporating stretching and self myofascial release immediately following every lift <\/i><\/b><b><i>shouldn&#8217;t be viewed as an option\u2026 it really is a necessity!!\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We get it .. you only have so many hours in the day to get it all done.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You are probably thinking there is NO WAY you are going to be able to spend any more time at the gym than you already do!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><i>We don\u2019t want you to.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We believe that SMFR is so vital that <\/span><b><i>we believe you should CUT YOUR LIFT SHORT\u2026\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">if that\u2019s what it takes to get it done!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We aren\u2019t saying that you should skip necessary or assigned lifts. But if you are doing extra training thinking it will help your lagging muscle group.. <\/span><b><i>try ditching the extra set and use that time for recovery instead.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you insist on keeping the extra volume\u2026 look for other ways to make your sessions shorter (put your phone on airplane mode, limit socializing, etc.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do whatever you have to do to include this crucial step into every single one of your training days.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>TIPS FOR POST LIFT STATIC STRETCHING &amp; SELF MYOFASCIAL RELEASE<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you want to stretch and perform SMFR over your entire body .. go for it!\u00a0 But it\u2019s only <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">necessary<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to focus on the muscle groups you trained.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Start with SMFR first and then move into static stretching.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Using a firm roller or compression round, slowly roll until you find kinks\/knots and then sink into them. This is called compression. You can even do something called shearing, where you go slowly back and forth over the area. Do this until you feel the muscle release .. then move on.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GO SLOW! If you aren\u2019t moving in a slow and controlled manner .. the muscles won\u2019t have time to adapt to the pressure and you won\u2019t release the tension. Do NOT rush!<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After you are done using the recovery tools, you are then ready to move on to static stretching. The ideal time to hold each stretch is 30 seconds or longer.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is normal for SMFR to be a little bit painful. It should have the same feeling as a deep-tissue or trigger-point massage .. a GOOD KIND OF HURT!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the pain is too intense\u2026 use less pressure.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If something feels \u201coff\u201d&#8230; stop.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>WHY POST TRAINING (and not before)\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We are always looking for ways to optimize (or should be.) Static stretching should ONLY be done when your muscles are warm. SMFR has benefits no matter when you choose to do it! However, post training is when you will get THE MOST benefit.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Taking time to incorporate SMFR and static stretching post lift will give you \u2026\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increased flexibility &amp; overall range of motion\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Improved Blood Circulation\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Elimination of Lactic Acid<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Enhanced Recovery (less delayed onset muscle soreness)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Decreased Risk Of Injury<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mental Clarity<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of course you can stretch and roll anytime! In addition to recovering after each lift, it\u2019s never a bad idea to incorporate stretching and SMFR into your weekly plan.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We suggest a minimum of 1-2 days a week dedicating 20-30 min to your entire body.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rest days are a great time for this!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><i>But the crucial time to make sure you get it done\u2026 is as soon as you are done lifting!<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One question you may be asking yourself is if you really need to do this the second you are finished training, or if you<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">can get home and do it later.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is best if you knock it out while you are at the gym. Once you leave, there is a much higher chance of making an excuse, or letting too much time pass. <\/span><b><i>The prime time to do SMFR and static stretching is when your muscle is tense, worked, and warm.\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>WHAT ABOUT PRE-LIFT<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The type of recovery we are focusing on in this video and article is POST LIFT.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before you hit the weights, you do always want to warm up. But this will be a totally different type of session.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before training you want to do something called <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">DYNAMIC STRETCHING.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> This type of stretching is movement based. You aren\u2019t holding a position like you would with static stretching\u2026 you go fluidly through an entire range of motion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you want to learn more about this type of stretching, check out this video!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SMFR does have its place pre-lift. There are benefits to spending a <\/span><b><i>short <\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">amount of time loosening the fascia surrounding your muscles before a workout.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1-2 sets, spending at most, 15 to 20 seconds on whatever body part you are training is enough to work out any areas that may be bound up. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many people also find great benefit in doing this between sets if they feel like they can\u2019t get a muscle to activate!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b><i>SKIP YOUR LAST SET<\/i><\/b><b><i> (and do this instead)<br \/>\n<\/i><\/b><b><i>You will feel better.. prevent injury.. and with time and consistency.. LOOK better!\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you want to know more about proper nutrition and how you should be training, recovering, and supplementing for your body type &#8212; check out this <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/vshred.com\/sp\/survey\/survey-aka1\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FREE body type quiz<\/a>!<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8150\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vshred.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/ezgif-2-f96ea057d666.gif?resize=700%2C394&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"394\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It will tell you what training program is best for YOU and even what type of diet you should be following to achieve the best results .. in the quickest time!!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Would you like to see more videos on proper ways to stretch and perform self myofascial release? Leave a comment and let us know!\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It is beyond frustrating to have a muscle group that won\u2019t grow no matter how hard you train.\u00a0 When this happens, most&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":129,"featured_media":8200,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,25,27,53,26,29,28,34,1,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-body-workouts","category-build-muscle","category-fat-loss","category-full-body-workouts","category-get-toned","category-healthy-lifestyle","category-increase-energy","category-stretching","category-uncategorized","category-weight-loss"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vshred.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/210307YTThumbnailPosting.png?fit=1280%2C720&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9NWy7-28d","jetpack-related-posts":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vshred.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vshred.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vshred.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vshred.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/129"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vshred.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8197"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/vshred.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8197\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8204,"href":"https:\/\/vshred.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8197\/revisions\/8204"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vshred.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vshred.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vshred.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vshred.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}