The science of strength training and building muscle

Being the youngest of a large family, and having health problems at a young age, I always was a fighter, and a plotter. I had to be. I have also been underweight for much of my life, despite an active lifestyle, being incredibly strong for my weight division, as well as lifting weights and practising various styles of martial arts. A couple of years ago, I started experimenting with Strongman training, and achieved 74/5kg (165lb). That was a huge step for me, and, training 2/3 days a week with a strenuous routine, it took me months to gain that, and I stayed around that weight, no matter what I did, or how much I ate. Then I went from 74kg to 82kg (180.7lb) in the space of a month, and I never touched steroids. What changed? I have no idea how much I weigh now, as it's been months since I took the time to check. But I'm getting bigger, have more endurance, and I'm getting stronger. Size isn't my overall goal, but it's part of the package. My main goal is superhuman strength, or at least as close to it as I can get, since I don't have ready access to a gym. But getting back to my weight gains; what changed, is simply the way I approach training. Muscles grow from the fibres tearing down and rebuilding thicker. It's similar to those who train in mantis kung fu; they harden the tips of their fingers by hitting them against trees, over time causing micro-fractures, which heal as hard callouses. Your muscles thicken in a similar way; you lifted heavy, the fibres thicken over time, and you have increased your size. The problem with many people, is that they lack consistency in their training, and soon lose the muscle they think they have gained. If you lift three days a week for a month, you will gain some size, but most of what you see in the mirror is just pump. If you are lax for just one week, the pump will go down before your muscle fibres have had a chance to truly thicken. So, after learning all about that, I decided to train the same series of lifts every day. The secret is to NOT train to failure, so I'm ready the next day to do the same thing. Heavy weights, low reps, one set each lift, working what I considered the basic muscle groups all over my body. I did this full body workout every night before bed, except for the weekends. In the morning, I would be doing bodyweight training, and in the evening, I would focus on my core, and do some boxing. By the end of a month, I would have done more to thicken my muscles than the most persistent gym bro would, as I trained every day, not merely three days a week. I started replacing my general regime with strongman or old school bodybuilding every Friday (still doing my general routine every other week day). The results were amazing. I was building muscle, but in a way that gave me muscular density, not just size. I was building functional muscle, because my strength, speed, and endurance increased dramatically, but mostly, strength. Now I'm doing something a little different, but with the same principle of doing it every day to increase muscular thickness over time. Right now, my program consists of compound movements. Push ups and wrist curls in the morning. and in the afternoon, I grab a plough axle which, if my scale is correct, weighs about 35kg (roughly 77lb), and do 5x5 training. My movements are simple; there are only two. Push presses, and Reeves deadlifts. This Friday, I replaced it with a more strongman orientated routine after taking the axle,and doing simple overhead presses to failure. In summery, my method is to avoid training to failure except for just prior to the weekend, when I rest. Every other day, I have a quota that works my entire body. This method builds size and strength way faster than standard weight training. Over time, with this method, I am way ahead of where I would be if I followed everyone else. My muscles get hit more times each week, greatly encouraging the thickening of the fibres. I have protein powder, when I could be bothered with it, but other than that, I take no supplements. My routine may change from time to time, but the guiding principle, that of training to before failure every day, remains the same.