I am frustrated and disappointed that Ellington Darden, PhD would write something as contradictory to evidence-based exercise recommendations as his recent M3 Pure Muscle program to promote a bodybuilding supplement. I believe he discredits himself and damages the high intensity training community with this program.
https://forums.t-nation.com/t/m3-pure-muscle/278280
There is no evidence to support the claims in the introductory paragraph.
“M3 Pure Muscle is a strategy for training muscles while fully pumped with growth nutrients.”
The Surge Workout Fuel supplement providing the “growth nutrients” contains 25 grams of dextrin, a carbohydrate, 6 grams L-citrulline malate, 5 grams L-leucine, 2.5 grams betaine anhydrous, 2 grams beta-alanine, and 1.4 grams of an electrolyte blend. This might give you a little more of a pump, but will not provide any other significant benefit compared with drinking a generic sports drink.
“The system’s three repetition layers and specialized workout fuel potentiate muscle volume and protein synthesis for rapid hypertrophy.”
There is no evidence the repetition methods in the M3 program or the supplement promoted will stimulate muscular strength and size increases more effectively than normal, slow repetitions performed to failure, or static contractions performed with a similar intensity of effort and duration.
The M3 program contains far more exercises and weekly volume than anyone needs for best results; three weekly workouts averaging over two dozen sets each, not including the optional abdominal exercises.
“Each workout covers four body parts. A body-part block takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. With the suggested rest, each workout requires 25 minutes or less. Perform the workouts every other day (MWF or TTS) with two days off after three sessions.”
You do not need to perform more than one set to momentary muscle failure of 1-2 exercises for any muscle group in a workout. Most of the exercises recommended are good ones, but there is no need for many of the exercise variations included, and a few of the recommended exercises are poor and should be avoided.
- You do not need to perform squats or leg presses with different foot widths or arm curls with different grip widths.
- You do not need to perform squats with a variety of equipment, only the best piece of equipment available.
- The farmer’s walk is a very poor exercise, and it is silly to recommend performing it on your toes to work your calves instead of a regular, straight-legged heel raise.
“The plan includes three training phases. Each phase consists of six workouts (a total of 18 over 6 weeks) and uses the same body blocks but in a different order.”
There is no evidence that arbitrarily varying workouts or repetition protocols provides better results compared with performing a few basic, uncomplicated workouts consistently. Frequent program variation also unnecessarily complicates recording workout performance and evaluating progress.
There are no special repetition methods or training techniques that will provide better results in the long run than normal, strict, slow repetitions or static contractions performed intensely, progressively, and consistently. The only thing gimmick repetition methods provide which normal repetitions and statics do not is novelty, frequently at the expense of safety and efficiency.
“The program includes fast and slow reps. Regardless of the speed, move smoothly and avoid impact in the top and bottom positions. Explosive movements are safe when done correctly. So focus on feeling the muscles contracting and un-contracting while the joints move. Accelerate smoothly and carefully.”
There is no evidence that arbitrarily varying repetition cadence provides better results than using a consistent repetition cadence. You should never move fast, much less explosively, during exercise. To recommend moving fast during exercise is not only unsupported, but unethical and irresponsible due to increasing the risk of injury.
Explosive movements involve rapid acceleration by definition. If you are moving explosively during exercise you are not accelerating smoothly and carefully.
“Loaded stretches are major growth stimulators, so learn to do them well. For loaded stretches, hold a bottom position that feels safe. For pull-ups, most people can safely hang in a full stretch. For bench press, protect the shoulders with a hold that’s a little less than a full stretch. It’s a simple rule: Always be and feel safe, or don’t do it.”
There is no evidence to support the claim that loaded stretches are “major growth stimulators”. A recent review of the research on this states “…limited evidence suggests that when stretching is done with a certain degree of tensile strain (particularly when loaded, or added between active muscle contractions) may elicit muscle hypertrophy.
Emphasizing the stretch during some exercises can help improve flexibility in some trainees but is unlikely to make any significant difference for muscular strength and size gains. When in doubt, be cautious with the degree of stretch during an exercise.
“Don’t go to failure. Going to failure overtaxes the nervous system for no benefit. It depletes CNS (central nervous system) reserves and limits the amount of continued mechanical muscle-fiber stimulation. When in doubt, go lighter.”
Performing exercises to momentary muscle failure does not overtax the nervous system as long as the weekly volume of exercise is not excessive.
You will get far better results if you perform exercises to momentary muscle failure and reduce your workout volume and frequency to allow adequate recovery and adaptation, than if you attempt to perform a large volume of exercise weekly and reduce your intensity of effort to avoid overtraining instead.
The exact stimulus for increasing muscular strength and size is still not completely understood, but we do know you do not need to do anything fancy to stimulate a muscle to get bigger and stronger, that normal, strict slow repetitions and static contractions work as well as anything else and are safer and more efficient.
“You want to create layers of effects in targeted muscles. To do that, you have to avoid excessive fatigue to keep the muscles performing during each phase (set).”
This contradicts what is known about intensity of effort, volume, and exercise effectiveness.
During an exercise you want to inroad the target muscles deeply enough within a relatively short time (1-2 min) to recruit and stimulate improvement in all the motor units. If you perform an exercise to momentary muscle failure you do not need to perform additional sets. If you perform exercises to momentary muscle failure, additional sets are at best a waste of time and energy and frequently counterproductive.
“The correct resistance falls within about a 20-percent range. The best way to describe it is, you’ll know when the weight is too heavy or too light – so if it’s not too heavy or too light, it’s just right.”
This is subjective, and most trainees are not accurate judges of intensity of effort or appropriate loads when exercises are not performed to momentary muscle failure. The correct resistance for an exercise is the amount which allows you to achieve momentary muscle failure within the time range your body responds best to.
“Reduce the weight a little if you’re getting anywhere close to failure. In contrast, add a little weight if you’re not feeling the resistance working.”
You should only reduce the resistance for an exercise if you are achieving momentary muscle failure under your target repetition or time range. If you are not “getting anywhere close to failure” within your target repetition or time range the resistance is too low and should be increased.
Ell then describes the pump, stimulate, and flutter “layers” (protocols) used for each block of exercises.
The muscular pump experienced during exercise is the result of increased blood flow to the working muscles, which is beneficial, but getting a pump is not the goal of an exercise.
The goal of an exercise is to efficiently and safely load the target muscles to inroad their strength levels deeply within a relatively short time to stimulate the body to produce an increase in the strength and size of those muscles and improvements in the other general, trainable factors of functional ability. This is what determines the correct process, the proper way to perform exercises, not what produces the best pump. For pumping Ell recommends performing,
“…smooth, rhythmic reps, going about one second up and one second down for most exercises”.
This repetition cadence results in a movement speed which is way too fast.
Exercise needs to be performed with a slow enough speed of movement to allow for strict control of body position and path and range of motion and minimal acceleration during the start, turnarounds, and end to minimize peak forces and allow for more consistent tension on the target muscles. None of this is possible with repetition cadences anywhere near as short as 1/1.
Ell calls the next set of protocols the “stimulate layer”, which is redundant. The purpose of performing an exercise is to stimulate the body to produce the desired adaptations. There is also no evidence the three protocols recommended are more effective for stimulating increases in muscular strength and size compared with normal, strict, slow repetitions or static contractions. These are also gimmick protocols.
“Standard Stimulate Method
Again, select a weight that allows for laser concentration and optimal feel. Use this rep style:
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Stretch/Hold Bottom for 10 Seconds: Start the first rep in the bottom position with a 10-second stretch/hold. Make sure to breathe during the hold.
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Launch to the Top Position: Ease out of the bottom stretch and launch the resistance with force to the top (activating the fast-twitch fibers). Don’t throw the weight. Be quick, but then slow down toward the top.
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Slow Down the Last-Half Negative: Lower in about one second from the top to the halfway point, where you slow down and take 5 seconds to lower to the bottom stretch.
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Stretch/Hold Bottom Briefly: Stretch/hold the bottom position for about one second before you ease into the launch of the next rep.
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Repeat Steps 2-4 for 8-10 reps.
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End Like You Began: End the last rep with a 10-second stretch/hold in the bottom position (like you did on the first rep).”
There is no need to hold the stretch for 10 seconds before starting an exercise or after momentary muscle failure.
It is not necessary to move quickly during exercise to recruit and stimulate the fast twitch motor units. Fast movement should be avoided to minimize risk of injury and keep the target muscle groups under more consistent tension.
There is no evidence to support the recommendation to alter movement speed mid-phase and only move slowly during the second half of the negative. This unnecessarily complicates exercise performance for no benefit.
The next “stimulate layer” protocol Ell recommends is his 30-10-30 protocol which involves performing a 30 second negative, followed by ten repetitions at a 1/2 cadence, followed by a final 30 second negative. There is no good reason to vary the cadence between repetitions like this or to use repetition cadences anywhere near as short as 1/2.
The third “stimulate layer” protocol is 1-1/2 repetitions, which involves alternating between performing repetitions over only the first half of the range of motion and the full range of motion. There is no good reason to alternate between partial-range and full-range repetitions like this, either. He also recommends performing these repetitions with a 1/3 and 2/5 cadence, which are too short (except for the 5 second negative, which is just long enough).
After performing the “stimulate layer” protocol he recommends resting for 1-2 minutes before performing more unnecessary sets for the same muscle group.
The next “flutter layer” protocol involves performing fast partial-range reps in the middle of the range of motion with a light weight. This is another gimmick repetition protocol without any supporting evidence.
“Flutter Layer
Flutter reps activate fast-twitch fibers while further increasing the pump. This is the block’s last phase, so stay focused. Take some time to experiment to get the feel of this technique.
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Use Lighter Weight: The weight needs to be light enough to do midrange flutters for about 20 seconds.
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Set Up in Midrange Position: You’re going to do a burst of quick finisher reps in the midrange, traveling only about 4-8 inches (depending upon the exercise).
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Take Advantage of Stretch Reflex: The stretch-reflex effect plays a role when bouncing up and down in the mid position of a calf-raise finisher (flutter) set. Most of us have seen or done that. The action loop is a controlled drop, followed by a reflex-assisted launch, followed by a controlled drop.
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End When Performance Slows: Flutter reps, done correctly, should feel automatic and almost effortless. Continue until you begin to slow down naturally, usually after 20 seconds, when you end the set.
At the end of the Flutter phase, you should feel a growth-stimulating super-pump that can last long after the workout ends. Rest 60 seconds before the next body-part block.”
Again, you do not have to move quickly during exercise to recruit the fast-twitch motor units. You must not bounce up and down or drop the weight during the negative to elicit a stretch-reflex to “launch” the weight. Moving faster during exercise provides no benefits, only increases risk of injury.
“At the end of the Flutter phase, you should feel a growth-stimulating super-pump that can last long after the workout ends. Rest 60 seconds before the next body-part block.”
The pump is just the result of increased blood flow to the working muscles and inflammation following exercise; it is an effect, but not the stimulus for muscular strength and size increases. It is possible to get a significant pump performing light, low-effort sets without effectively stimulating growth.
Next, Ell claims your results are dependent on using the Biotest Surge Workout Fuel supplement.
“I saved Surge Workout Fuel for the end because I want to leave you with a lasting impression of its importance. Saying your results are dependent on Surge Workout Fuel is an understatement – and that assessment is based solely on my personal and professional experience.”
There is no evidence to support this. None of the ingredients listed will do more than give you a little better pump, compared with drinking a regular (and much less expensive) sports drink like Gatorade.
If a large group of people performed this program and half used the Surge Workout Fuel as recommended and the other half used a generic sports drink with the same amount of carbohydrate and electrolytes, there would be no significant difference in their results.
“I wouldn’t have and couldn’t have developed my Pump Stimulate & Flutter training system without Surge Workout Fuel.”
I believe this is true, because the primary purpose of this program appears to be to promote the supplement.
“Pumping a muscle with supraphysiologic levels of blood filled with agents that stimulate intracellular growth signaling and protein synthesis, optimize intracellular pH, sustain boosted nitric oxide, and markedly extend work capacity and performance is beyond my educated comprehension.”
I do not believe this. Ell’s degree is in motor learning and he did post-doctoral studies in nutrition. He could very easily review recent research on the ingredients and their effects on exercise performance and hypertrophy and know the claims are unsupported.
A proper, evidence-based, safe and efficient exercise program requires only one set to failure of one or two exercises per muscle group per workout, with a workout frequency of no more than 3x/week for beginners and 2x/week or less for intermediate and advanced trainees. Exercises should be performed using normal, slow, strict repetitions or statics for greater efficiency and safety. Exercises, equipment used, and order of performance should be consistent between workouts, only changing when progress evaluation indicates it is necessary.
While some nutritional supplements like creatine monohydrate and protein powders can improve exercise performance, recovery, and adaptation, no nutritional supplements are necessary for a proper exercise program to work.
If you have any questions about anything in this post or want to learn more about proper exercise programming and performance, join the forum. I will be recording a video discussing all of the above in more detail and answering members questions about it next week (October 2022).