I love when people ask me fitness questions. Good thing, too, because I get asked about the best way to lose fat or the quickest way to gain muscle all the time. But hey, I got into this business to help people reach their goals. So I enjoy letting people in on the tools, tips, tricks, and tactics that are going to help them crush it in fitness. Or, in the case of this article, my secret sauce to size.
I’m about to show you the secret sauce that’s elite-level athletes have used for decades. The secret sauce I’ve used to help average Joes and Janes outgrow their wardrobe—in all the right places. And the secret sauce that’s proven to pack on pounds of lean muscle.
Usually when I’m asked about gaining weight, people think the secret to getting huge is having the right supplements.
Should I be taking creatine? Protein? Pre workout? A mass gainer?
Sure, you could take all those and they could help you get bigger. But without the secret sauce to size, you’re leaving gains on the table. No matter what supplements you’re taking. The best part? The secret sauce to size is simple.
Squat.
That’s it. Squatting is the secret sauce to size. It’s silly how simple it is, but the most effective advice usually is. Squat often and you’ll see yourself grow. Here’s why squatting is going to help you pack on pounds of lean mass:
Three Reasons Why Squats Are the Secret Sauce to Size
Now, I could sit here and tell you about all the anecdotal evidence I have to support the claim that squats will help you grow.
I could tell you about how much I squatted when I packed on 20 pounds of lean mass in four months. Or about the guys I’ve coached whose quads have burst out of their jeans. Or the girls I’ve coached whose glute gains have sent them shopping for new pencil skirts.
But anecdotal evidence is just that—anecdotal.
It shows that it can work but fails to show you why it works. And let’s be real, everything can work in the world of health and fitness. That’s why I want to do you one better and show you why squatting is the secret sauce to size. To do that we’ll turn to anatomy, endocrinology, and studies.
1. Bigger Muscles Mean Bigger Gains
Your hips and legs are made up of a bunch of big muscles. Anatomically speaking, your gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in your body. Your sartorius is “notorious for being the longest muscle” in the body. (That’s how we remembered it back in anatomy class, at least.) The muscles that comprise both your quads and hamstrings—also big.
Larger muscles mean there’s more potential to grow.
Your body only has so much genetic potential for muscular hypertrophy (read: growth). Simply put, your muscles can only get so big. But it’s different for each muscle. Large muscles—like your glutes, quads, and hamstrings—have much more growth potential than small muscles. (It’s okay, though, nobody cares about having a huge subclavius.)
It doesn’t matter how many curls you do, your biceps simply don’t have as much natural potential to grow as the big muscles in your hips and legs.
When it comes to gaining size, squats take advantage of this fact. In a single movement, you hit some of the biggest muscles in your body. Especially your glutes and quads. Squatting can help both reach their full growth potential. According to this study, optimal hypertrophy comes from mechanical tension, muscle damage, and metabolic stress.
Take advantage of this by using a mixture of heavy loads, high volume, and time under tension. Combine that with high-frequency training and you’re well on your way to leveraging big muscles to get bigger gains—the first reason why squats are the secret sauce to size.
Yes, each of them have huge quads. But squatting does more than help you build massive legs. It can help you get bigger everywhere. Because testosterone.
2. Surging Testosterone Means More Muscle (And Less Fat)
Hormones matter a lot in fitness. And few are more important than testosterone. It’s a key player in body composition for everyone—doesn’t matter if you’re a guy or a girl.
More testosterone will help you build lean mass and shed body fat. There’s a reason why elite-level bodybuilders inject themselves with superhuman amounts of testosterone. It helps them achieve their superhuman physiques.
But it’s important for us normal people as well.
Having too much estrogen and not enough testosterone (called androgen imbalance) has a negative effect on our bodies. It makes gaining, or even maintaining, lean muscle difficult and storing fat all too easy.
Luckily, we can manipulate our testosterone levels without a syringe. (I’ve never liked needles anyway.)
One of the simplest ways is with exercise. Studies show that resistance training has a positive effect on testosterone levels. Everything from high-power resistance training to moderate and low-intensity weight lifting will acutely increase testosterone. That means more muscle and less fat. Thanks, science.
Studies also show that compound exercises are particularly beneficial for boosting post-exercise testosterone levels. A compound lift is one that involves movement in at least two joints. Lifts like cleans, snatches, deadlifts, bench press, bent over rows, and, you guessed it, squats.
Use squats to help testosterone surge and create an optimal internal environment for building muscle.
3. Absurd Appetite Means An Easier Surplus
You could stimulate all the muscle growth in the world with your workout, but you won’t get bigger if your nutrition isn’t on point. You need to be in a caloric surplus to fuel growth. It’s that simple.
Eating more calories than you burn creates that surplus. Without enough caloric energy, your body can’t gain lean mass.
Food is kinda my favorite.
Shooting for a daily caloric surplus is both a delicious and fun adventure. Usually. It’s a lot less fun when you’re absolutely stuffed and still need hundreds of calories to hit your nutrition goals. Muscle growth—and life in general—get a lot more difficult when eating becomes a chore.
The fix? Generate a massive appetite.
One study suggests, “long-term exercise stimulates compensatory increases in energy intake.” Translation: exercise—especially long-term exercise—makes you hungry. When you’re gaining size, this exercise-induced hunger is a good thing.
Truth be told, I eat a lot. Like, always. (What can I say? I’m a slave to delicious flavor.) But for me, nothing generates massive appetite like squatting.
It’s unreal how hungry I get after tossing a few hundred pounds on my back and making it move. After my last leg day, I was still hungry after eating a massive burrito bowl at Chipotle (double meat) and an entire pint of “deep chocolate” ice cream. So I kept eating. A few minutes, clementines, and Chick-fil-A sandwiches later, I was finally starting to satisfy my post-squat hunger.
Because I’m working on gaining lean mass, this absurd appetite is a good—nay, great—thing. It makes hitting my caloric surplus a lot easier.
The secret sauce to size—squatting—won’t merely help stimulate growth and create a fantastic hormonal profile. It’ll also help you feed that growth by generating a massive appetite.
Start Leveraging The Secret Sauce to Size: Here’s The Exact Workout I Did Last Leg Day
My last leg day was the best I’ve had in a long time.
Maybe it’s because my friend and fellow fit pro, Eric Bach, kept me accountable. Maybe it’s because my recovering knee felt great squatting. Or maybe it’s because I pushed a sled loaded up with all kinds weight.
Regardless, it was a magical workout—simple, effective, and exhausting in all the right ways.
I want you to experience the same squat magic during your next leg day. And I want you to start leveraging the secret sauce to size so that you can pack on pounds of lean mass.
That’s why I’m giving you the exact workout I did during my last leg day.
Question is, do you want in on this squat session?