Bodybuilding: It Depends.

Heaton Strength Gym Workshop Takeaways

BODYBUILDING: Key word for your day.

The best phrase you’ll ever hear in bodybuilding? “It depends.”

There are 20 ways to skin a cat. From my experience, what I’m going to share here is the most efficient ways to build muscle but it’s not the only way. Don’t take it as gospel. Take it as a refined process after thousands of hours coaching and training.

Growth Requires Progression. But Why Isn’t More Weight Always the Answer?

Progression is key. But it doesn’t always mean “add more plates.”

Here’s why:

1.    Mobility. Your body might not be able to move efficiently through an exercise because of poor mobility. Adding more weight won’t fix that. Example: Shoulder press. If your internal rotation is poor, you’re fighting your body, not stimulating your shoulders.

2.    Weak Links. Think about your back squat. When’s the last time your squat failed because your quads gave out? Usually, it’s the lower back, core, ankle mobility, or glutes that give way first. That doesn’t mean you should skip squats, it means be strategic about which movements you take to true muscular failure.

3.    It’s Not That Simple. If only it was as easy as “add weight.” Bodybuilding is about manipulating as many variables as possible (load, tempo, volume, rest, intensity techniques) and periodising them across your sessions.

4.    Know What Works for YOU. Everyone’s structure, limb length, and biomechanics are different. Your best lifts are personal. Become exceptional at your exercises.

Why Intensity Techniques Exist

Homeostasis. Your body hates change. Your job is to disrupt it.

Just because a muscle failed at 100kg doesn’t mean it can’t fail again at 80, then 60, then 40.

That’s the logic behind drop sets, rest-pause sets, and extended sets…creating new failure points.

But here’s the key: Timing. Don’t drop set everything into oblivion. If you annihilate your body every week without recovery, especially as a natural lifter, you’re finished before you start.

• Slept well? Feeling good? Week ahead looks calm? Go all in.

• Poor sleep, high stress, underfed? Slow it down. Focus on control, tempo, and precision instead of chaos.

  
  

You don’t grow from chaos, you grow from well-timed disruption and complete recovery.

Periodisation for Bodybuilders

Unlike athletes, we don’t have strict “strength” or “endurance” phases. Our “periodisation” is about intelligently rotating stimuli while keeping the goal the goal: maximum damage → maximum recovery → repeat as often as possible.

That cycle, done consistently, is the fastest path to muscle growth.

Nutrition: The Hidden Side of Hypertrophy

Everyone talks training, few talk hormones. The big one - insulin sensitivity.

Why Insulin Sensitivity Matters for Hypertrophy

Insulin’s Role in Muscle Growth: Insulin is one of the most anabolic hormones in the body. It shuttles glucose and amino acids into muscle tissue for recovery and protein synthesis.

The Problem with Poor Sensitivity: If you’re insulin resistant, your body doesn’t use insulin effectively. Nutrients are stored as fat instead of feeding your muscle. You can train hard and eat “right,” but if sensitivity is poor, progress stalls and fat gain accelerates.

The Sweet Spot: The goal is to be insulin sensitive. Your muscle cells respond fast and efficiently, pulling in nutrients to build, not store.

How to Improve Insulin Sensitivity

1.    Stay Lean(er)The leaner you are, the better your insulin sensitivity.Sometimes a short mini-cut before a gaining phase can “reset” your metabolism, making every calorie work harder.

2.    Resistance Training: Every rep under tension improves glucose uptake in muscle. This is why consistent training is your number one tool for improving insulin sensitivity.  

3.    Carbohydrate Timing: Carbs are best used around training…pre, intra, post. Muscles are like a sponge post-session, soaking up glucose and amino acids for recovery. Outside that window? Keep carbs moderate and focus on protein, fats, and vegetables.

4.    Nutrient Quality: Go for low-GI carbs most of the time (rice, oats, potatoes, fruit). Save the faster carbs (cream of rice, cyclic dextrin, sweets) for around training. Combine carbs with protein, not fat-heavy meals.

6. Supplements (Optional, Not Magic)

• Creatine – improves glucose uptake in muscle.

• Berberine / Cinnamon Extract – natural insulin mimetics.

• Omega-3s – support insulin function and reduce inflammation.

• Chromium & Magnesium – aid insulin signalling.

Takeaway for Members

If you want to grow muscle without just getting fatter, you can’t ignore insulin sensitivity.It’s not about smashing calories blindly. It’s about nutrient partitioning. Sending fuel to muscle, not storage.

The more sensitive you are to insulin, the more anabolic your meals become.

Train hard. Stay lean. Time your carbs. Prioritise sleep and recovery. Do that and every single calorie you eat will work harder for you.

Jack