Hypertrophy Past and Present 021 Why Counting “Half Sets” for Secondary Muscles Doesn't Make Sense
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Oct 13, 2025 Jake and Chris delve into Dick DuBois' 1954 full-body training routine, highlighting unique exercises like behind-the-neck presses. They tackle the flawed idea of 'half sets' for secondary muscles, explaining how muscle growth responses differ between beginners and advanced lifters. The duo explores the mechanics of multi-joint lifts and how to steer them for specific muscle targeting. Additionally, they discuss the evolution of training styles, arguing that full-body workouts were once the standard before the rise of splits.
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DuBois' 1954 Full-Body Routine
- Jake describes Dick DuBois' 1954 full-body routine using 12 exercises and three weekly sessions.
- The plan mixes behind-the-neck press, bench, dips, squats, pull-ups and varied single-arm presses with three sets of ten (squats 15).
Why 'Half-Set' Counting Fails
- Chris defines 'limiting factor' as the muscle maxed in recruitment that determines the load in a multi-joint lift.
- He explains secondary muscles receive identical per-fiber stimulus but far fewer recruited fibers, so 'half-set' math is invalid.
Training Status Changes Recruitment Effects
- Beginners hypertrophy many fibers across muscles so multi-joint lifts produce broad growth early on.
- As lifters advance, more high-threshold fibers plateau, so secondary muscles stop growing from the same multi-joint lift.