Strength Gain Myths vs Facts Reddit

The Only Strength Fact That Matters (And It's Not on Reddit)

You're scrolling through forums, trying to separate strength gain myths vs facts on Reddit, and your head is spinning. One post says lift heavy, low reps. Another says high volume. A third swears by “muscle confusion.” It’s frustrating because you’re working hard but your numbers on the bar aren’t moving. Here’s the only fact that matters: the single principle that forces your body to get stronger is progressive overload. This means systematically adding a small amount of stress over time-as little as 5 pounds to the bar or 1-2 more reps with the same weight. That's it. It’s not about being sore, lifting to failure every session, or changing your workout every week. Those are the myths that keep you stuck. True, lasting strength is built by making your workouts just a little bit harder than last time, consistently. For a beginner, this could mean adding 5 pounds to your squat every single week for 3 months. For an intermediate, it might be adding one rep to your three sets of five, turning 3x5 into 3x6. It's methodical, it's measurable, and it works 100% of the time. The reason you're stuck is likely because you're focused on feeling tired instead of focusing on lifting more than you did before.

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Why Lifting to Failure Is Sabotaging Your Strength Gains

You believe that to get stronger, you have to push every set to its absolute limit, until you physically cannot lift the weight another time. This feels productive. It feels like you’re giving 110%. But it’s the single biggest mistake preventing you from gaining strength. Strength isn’t built during the workout; it’s built during recovery. Think of it like this: your workout is the stimulus, your recovery is where the adaptation (strength gain) happens. Lifting to failure creates a massive stimulus, but it also creates an equally massive amount of fatigue. This deep fatigue requires a much longer recovery period-sometimes 48-72 hours or more for a single muscle group. If you train your bench press to failure on Monday, your nervous system and muscles are so fried that when you come back to train chest on Thursday, you’re still not fully recovered. You end up lifting the same weight, or even less, than you did on Monday. You’re spinning your wheels. The smarter way is to train submaximally. This means ending each set with 1-3 reps left “in the tank.” For example, if you can bench 185 pounds for 8 reps before failure, you stop at 5 or 6 reps. This provides more than enough stimulus to trigger adaptation but creates far less fatigue. The result? You can train more frequently, recover faster, and accumulate more high-quality volume over the week. Instead of one workout that destroys you, you get two or three workouts that build you up. That is the path to consistent progress. So the key is submaximal training-enough stimulus, less fatigue. But this creates a new problem: if you're not going to failure, how do you know you're trying hard enough? How do you measure progress if 'effort' isn't the metric? You need to track your numbers. What did you squat 4 weeks ago? The exact weight and reps. If you can't answer that in 5 seconds, you're not managing progressive overload. You're just guessing.

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The 8-Week Protocol That Adds 20lbs to Your Lifts

Enough with the theories and myths. Here is a simple, actionable 8-week plan based on proven principles that will make you measurably stronger. It’s not fancy, but it works. This protocol is designed to add 15-20 pounds to your main lifts in two months.

Step 1: Choose Your 4 Core Lifts

Stop doing 12 different exercises. For the next 8 weeks, your focus is on getting brutally strong at four key movements that work your entire body. Pick one for each category:

• Lower Body Push: Barbell Back Squat (or Goblet Squat if you're new)
• Upper Body Push: Barbell Bench Press (or Dumbbell Bench Press)
• Lower Body Pull: Conventional or Sumo Deadlift
• Upper Body Pull/Press: Overhead Press (or Pull-ups)

These four lifts will be the foundation of your training. Everything else is secondary.

Step 2: Find Your “Training Max” (TM)

Your Training Max is not your all-out, one-rep max (1RM). It’s a weight you can lift for 3-5 solid reps with good form. To find it, warm up and work up to a heavy set of 3-5 reps. Whatever weight you use for that set is your starting TM. For example, if you can bench press 155 pounds for 4 clean reps, your TM for the bench press is 155 pounds. We use a TM, not a true max, to ensure you’re training submaximally and managing fatigue. Use a calculator online to estimate if you need to, but it's better to test it. Don't ego lift here; an honest number is crucial.

Step 3: Follow This 4-Week Wave (Weeks 1-4)

You will train 3-4 days a week, focusing on one or two of your core lifts each day. For your main lift, you will perform 3 sets of 5 reps (3x5) based on a percentage of your TM.

• Week 1: 3 sets of 5 reps @ 75% of your TM. (If TM is 200 lbs, you lift 150 lbs for 3x5).
• Week 2: 3 sets of 5 reps @ 80% of your TM. (200 lb TM = 160 lbs for 3x5).
• Week 3: 3 sets of 5 reps @ 85% of your TM. (200 lb TM = 170 lbs for 3x5). This week should feel hard.
• Week 4 (Deload): 3 sets of 5 reps @ 60% of your TM. (200 lb TM = 120 lbs for 3x5). This week feels light. Do not skip it. It’s essential for recovery.

Step 4: The Second Wave (Weeks 5-8)

After completing the deload in Week 4, you will increase your Training Max and repeat the cycle. Add 5 pounds to your upper body TMs (Bench, OHP) and 10 pounds to your lower body TMs (Squat, Deadlift). Then, run the same 4-week percentage wave again with your new, higher numbers. This is the progressive overload built directly into the program. By the end of Week 8, you will be lifting significantly more weight for the same reps and sets than when you started.

Your First 30 Days: What Strength Gain Actually Feels Like

Starting a structured program feels different from just “going to the gym.” Most people quit because their expectations don’t match reality. Here is what you should expect, so you don’t get discouraged and stop just before the progress happens.

Week 1-2: It Will Feel Too Easy

You will leave the gym feeling like you could have done more. This is the point. You are training with weights at 75-80% of your Training Max, which is not supposed to feel like a life-or-death struggle. You will likely not be sore. This is a sign the program is working, not that it’s too easy. You are accumulating volume and practicing perfect form without generating excessive fatigue. Trust the process. The goal isn't to feel wrecked; it's to get stronger.

Week 3: The Challenge Week

This is the first week that will feel genuinely hard. Lifting 85% of your TM for 3 sets of 5 is tough. The final reps of each set should be a grind. This is where the real stimulus for growth happens. Completing this workout is a huge win and proves the first two weeks of preparation worked. You might feel some soreness after this session.

Week 4: The Deload Discomfort

The deload will feel mentally harder than the heavy weeks. Lifting at 60% feels like you’re wasting a workout. You’re not. You are allowing your body to supercompensate-to recover and adapt, coming back stronger for the next cycle. Skipping the deload is the fastest way to hit a plateau. Your joints, tendons, and central nervous system will thank you. By the end of this week, you should feel fresh and eager to lift heavy again.

By the end of your first 30 days, you will have completed one full wave. You'll have proof on paper that you are progressing, and you will have a new, higher Training Max to attack for the next month. This is what structured, intelligent progress feels like-not random, exhausting workouts that lead nowhere.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Myth of "Muscle Confusion"

"Muscle confusion" is a marketing term. Your muscles don't get confused; they adapt to stress. Constantly changing exercises prevents them from adapting to any single one. The key to strength is consistency, not novelty. Stick to the same core lifts and progress them over months.

The Truth About Soreness (DOMS)

Soreness (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) is a sign of novel stimulus or muscle damage, not a productive workout. As you get more experienced, you will get less sore. A lack of soreness means you are recovering well, which is exactly what you want for consistent strength gains.

How Much to Eat for Strength Without Getting Fat

To build strength and muscle, you need a modest calorie surplus of 250-500 calories above your daily maintenance level. Aim for about 0.8-1.0 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. For a 180-pound person, this is 144-180 grams of protein and roughly 2,800-3,200 calories total, depending on activity.

The Role of Isolation Exercises

Isolation exercises like bicep curls or tricep pushdowns have their place, but they are accessories. They should be done after your main compound lifts for 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps. They should never take priority over getting stronger at your squat, bench, and deadlift. They account for maybe 10% of your results.

How Often You Should Actually Train

For strength, training a muscle group 2 times per week is optimal. A full-body routine 3 days a week (e.g., Mon/Wed/Fri) or an upper/lower split 4 days a week (e.g., Mon/Tues/Thurs/Fri) works perfectly with the protocol outlined above. This frequency allows for enough stimulus and recovery.