The IMPORTANCE of Progressive Overload

The idea of the right programming is to yield as much progress as you can. By focusing on compound exercises while adding isolation exercises for the cherry on top. Remember, compound exercises will give you the results not isolation. Getting gradually stronger on the weighted dips will build bigger chest, triceps and shoulders. Not chest flies, tricep pushdowns and lateral raise (which are isolation exercises)

Forget about the idea of making the muscle burn and "finishing of the muscle" at the end of the workout. I worked with many people and they think by training the muscle to failure with isolation exercises will make it grow. But no. Getting stronger on a weekly basis will make it grow.

Let just say you did 10 sets of 15 reps on triceps pushdowns one workout to finish it off. But the next workout you are a bit tired, you didn't have your pre-workout and you only did 7 sets but you trained to failure. You will not make progress because you didn't put your muscles under MORE stress.

You don't grow muscle from one workout, you build muscle in between the workout when you make progress on your compound exercises. In the gym, you talk to the muscle (stimulus to grow) at home with your lifestyle and nutrition your muscle repairs and grows. Once you come to the gym recovered, your target is to get 10 reps on the weight you could only get 8 reps with last week. If you get 10 reps you will grow. If you do 8 reps again, there is no reason for your body to adapt and build muscle.

Albert Einstein once said " Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results"

The same thing comes to training, there is some people who walk into the gym. Do random exercises that they feel like doing and expect results year after year. Then someone like me comes around and tracks everything and is smart with training and makes the same amount of progress in 6 months as they did in 3 years.