The first thing we have to talk about is how to lose weight. If we are trying to get leaner we have to discuss losing weight and analyze how losing the weight will take place. Talking specifically about exercise, people will look, consider, and think about specific types of exercises, like distance running, and hypothesize that they will get leaner. We need to acknowledge what is happening with fat and how fat is mobilizing inside the body over weeks and months based on two specific things. We have to look at total daily energy expenditure and consumption.

Total daily energy expenditure is based on how much energy we are expanding daily. Consumption is based on how much energy we are consuming. If we are in a caloric surplus, meaning we consume more than we are expending, in turn, we will gain weight. Even if we are running 25 miles a day, if we are consuming more than we are burning it will lead to weight gain.

Let’s try to figure out if hypertrophy-based training can help us get leaner.

First, realize there are two types of hypertrophy. We have sarcoplasmic hypertrophy and myofibrillar hypertrophy. Traditionally speaking, hypertrophy work is seen as sets within the rep range of 8 to 15 reps. Not the whole truth, but a lot of truth. 

A lot of people believe hypertrophy work ceases once exceeding fifteen reps. Not the case. Doing 20+ reps will still achieve hypertrophy, especially if the sets are carried out to failure. The new paradigm for hypertrophy-based training is that hypertrophy and growth of the muscle can be achieved through a wide variety of different rep schemes. It can be done through 4 to 6 reps up to 40 reps.

Brad Schoenfeld has found in some of his research that going above 40+ reps with 20% intensity is going to be suboptimal for actual muscular growth. Stay at 40 reps or below and muscular hypertrophy will still be achieved.

Remember, hypertrophy is growth in muscle mass. Doing rep schemes of 5 to 35 reps we will see overall growth in the muscular mass, but this does not mean an increase in overall strength.

One recommendation I make to everyone out there is to read the article, “Does a Hypertrophying Muscle Fibre Reprogramme its Metabolism Similar to a Cancer Cell?” 

Inside the study, the authors and researchers go into how larger muscles have a greater increase in glucose uptake, and in turn, it creates a negative association between diabetes and hypertrophying muscles. The research shows that resistance-based exercise can increase glucose uptake. The muscle fiber and a muscle cell is using the glucose for specific anabolism. It is using glucose to grow and as an energy metabolite. This leads to glycemic control, specifically for people at risk for diabetes.

What does that mean? That means that we should be lifting, especially if we are genetically prone to be diagnosed with diabetes. Partaking in hypertrophy rep ranges can help prevent us from getting diabetes. Essentially, the study is saying that there is evidence that hypertrophying muscles take up more glucose and have an anti-diabetic effect, and potentially, though this needs to be researched further, has an anti-obesity effect. 

We should all be exercising with resistance-based training if we want to prevent obesity and diabetes. 

Doing hypertrophy-based training requires burning quite a lot of calories. We will also see some specific mechanisms that will improve or enhance or increase the amount of energy we use daily because hypertrophic training can be very arduous. In turn, we have to be eating very well. We need to eat clean and track are overall macros. We also need to make sure we are crushing resistance-based training and that we are sleeping well. Sleeping well improves overall recovery.

To begin, to get lean we have to eat well. We have to make sure we are consuming in line with our total daily energy expenditure. We all have to make sure we are training those rep ranges from 5 reps up to 40 reps to make sure we are being more hypertrophic in our gains.

Here is a trick to get as beefy as possible with the hypertrophic gains. The trick is based on any lift that can be used, like a bench press, a back squat, or even a deadlift, and do the 80%/60% drop.

Let’s say your best bench press is 395 lbs. 80% of that is 315 lbs. So we will do 3 sets of 5 reps at 80%, and in the case of this hypothetical, we hit 315 lbs for 3 sets of 5. After the last set of 5 reps is done, we will drop to 60%, which is 235 lbs (225 lbs works fine) and we will hit 3 sets of 17 reps. And that folks is where we get the 80/60 drop. 

You now know how people can lose weight, how to define hypertrophy and a specific protocol that can be followed to lead to more hypertrophic muscle. We also gave you that nice “80/60 drop” rep scheme to utilize in the gym to get super swole, get lean, and get hypertrophic.