Dr. Bret Contreras

But what you're talking about is using my muscle connection to increase muscle force, putting more mechanical tension on the muscles through your mind, but your mind plays tricks on you.

It's not objective.

What is objective is the load on the bar, but that can play tricks on you too.

where you're setting PRs but using sloppier form, not controlling it, using a different tempo or a different range of motion.

So that happens too.

That's why you've got to have this yin and yang, the external and the internal, like the progressive overload with the mind-muscle connection.

Those two are the yin and yang that keep each other in check.

And those two pathways are necessary to optimize hypertrophy over the long run.

What you're describing is using progressive overload.

You're just keeping the same weight.

But I used to make, I remember writing an article like 10 different ways you can progressive overload.

And that's just confusing people.

No, there's two main ways to progress.

You use the same weight for more reps or more weight for the same reps.

But in a way, you are using progressive overload because you're using the same weight, not necessarily getting more reps, but having more control over it, which does produce more tension on the muscles and can lead to muscle growth over time.

It's just it's not as objective.

It requires you to come in fresh and work your hardest.

And you can

There's no studies on this topic, by the way.

It would be cool to see one group focus on just on the numbers, quantity, and the other group focus just on the quality for a whole year.