Every jacked person has one thing in common.
And I'm willing to bet you're going to be very disappointed when I tell you.
It's not some secret behavioral hack that you might pick off of a motivational Instagram account, and it's not some superfood or supplement.
And, to be clear, I’m also not saying it’s the only thing that matters.
I’m just saying that it’s the one common denominator among everyone who has built a very muscular physique.
Are you ready for it?
Every person with a well-built physique trains hard.
Truthfully, I wish I could modify that adjective to say something like "intelligently" or "strategically" or "in a periodized fashion with a well-planned diet," but that's just simply not the case in my experience.
Jacked people train hard...
Even if the training program was wack.
Even if their diet was suboptimal.
Even if their recovery could have been better.
And when I use the term hard, I mean some combination of heavy lifting (usually in the 6-20 rep range), lots of sets (usually 10-20 per muscle group per week), and plenty of intensity.
And this is actually really annoying to me.
Why?
Because training hard (for whatever reason) was pretty much the last thing I tried over the years in my efforts to gain muscle.
I know that sounds stupid.
You're probably wondering what exactly I was doing if I wasn't training hard, but for whatever reason I just had this notion that I could outsmart the discomfort of training.
I would think things like…
"Maybe if I do the perfect number of sets and time my perfectly macro-calculated meal post-workout to ignite maximum anabolism, I'll get jacked."
"Maybe if I train 7 days a week, I'll get jacked."
"Maybe if I sleep 9 hours per night and eat 200g of protein a day, I'll get jacked."
It just doesn't work like that because...
The training stimulus is what ignites the adaptation.
That is by far the most important thing for you to take away from this article today.
The training stimulus is what ignites the adaptation.
The training stimulus is what ignites the adaptation.
The training stimulus is what ignites the adaptation.
Get it?
So as much as I want to encourage you to optimize as many things as you possibly can in order to get the most out of your body recomposition endeavor, none of that stuff really matters meaningfully unless you introduce an incredible training stimulus.
A good analogy might be to think of it like a general and his army.
The General and his army analogy
You could have an infantry of 100,000 of the most skilled soldiers in the world, but if they don't have a general to tell them what to do, they'll never be as effective as they could have been with good direction.
Does that make sense? You need both a clear signal and an effective response to that signal for optimal outcomes..
In this case, the general represents the training stimulus - the thing that communicates the mission to everything else down the line.
And the army represents your caloric intake, your protein intake, your overall diet quality, your hydration, your recovery, your sleep, etc.
If the general says, "Grow muscle," then your army of food, water, and recovery will know exactly what to do.
And if you have an incredible army to support an incredible general, you'll get amazing results - arguably the best results you could possibly get!
But let's consider the other combinations:
A great general with a terrible army
This basically means you're training really hard but you're not optimizing the rest of your lifestyle for muscle growth. It's slightly better than the second option, but it's still sub-optimal.
A terrible general with a great army
This is the mistake I made for years. I had everything dialed in except for my training quality and intensity. Because of it, I still got decent results because my training wasn't a complete disaster. But it wasn't as good as it could have been is the point I want to make here. Again, it was sub-optimal.
A terrible general with a terrible army
Hopefully you aren't this person! This would mean your training is wack and you're literally not taking care of your diet, hydration, or recovery in any meaningful sense. But if you do find yourself thinking, "Yeah, that's me," don't fret! Just make the necessary changes and redefine your narrative. That choice is always available.
So to make the best of your situation, be sure to:
Maximize your training quality. This includes exercise selection and execution/technique.
Optimize your training volume. This usually refers to how many sets you do per week.
Optimize your training intensity. This means performing most of your sets within 0-3 reps of technical failure.
Eat well.
Drink well.
Rest well.
Repeat until jacked.
Is this true for women too? Or just guys who want to get huge?
This absolutely goes for you all well, ladies! The same muscle-building principles apply.
This is not some exclusive tip for dudes who want shoulders that no longer properly fit through a doorway.
This is for any woman who wants strong and aesthetically pleasing legs and glutes (or a strong, attractive back) as well.
In fact, unless you came out of the oven with satisfactorily enormous buns (to your own standards and desires), you're going to have to squat, lunge, hinge, and thrust your way to glory just like every gym bro had to curl his way to making his biceps look like mutant chickpeas.
Summary
Every jacked person trains hard.
It’s not the only thing that matters, but it’s what matters most if building an impressive amount of muscle mass is the goal, and it’s the one common denominator among all well-built physiques.
However, if you’re less interested in building muscle and more interested in losing body fat while maintaining your muscle mass, energy balance will be the most important factor in achieving that goal. But that’s for another article.
If you’re here to get jacked, be sure to dial in your training quality, workload, and intensity first. Then eat well and rest well consistently until you reach your goal.
Not sure where to start? Check out this article about How to Build Muscle Effectively Using the Rule of 7’s and 11’s.
You’ll be on your way to sporting the best body composition you’ve had in years (or ever).
I sincerely hope you found this article helpful or illuminating in some way!
If you feel like it brought you value, consider sending it to a friend or family member - especially someone who might be failing to optimize a few important aspects of their body recomposition journey.
Later, friends.
-Andrew