Erin Stern, a luminary in the competitive figure and bikini circuit with a venerable 14-year tenure, recently unravelled the intricacies of muscle and strength development in a compelling YouTube discourse. Central to her discussion is the pivotal theme of heavy lifting—an art form she meticulously elucidates, providing keen insights into the nuanced factors that delineate an effective workout regimen. In navigating the realm of weightlifting intensity, Stern’s expertise becomes a guiding beacon for fitness enthusiasts seeking to harness the transformative power of lifting heavy.
“We are going to broach the tough topic of how heavy should I lift in order to see results. I consider this topic tough because I am not there with you. I can’t see how difficult those last few reps are for you so instead, what I’m going to do is explain how to get to that point of lifting heavy enough, what it should feel like, and also demonstrate what it should look like.”
Erin Stern has excelled in both Figure and Bikini divisions over her 14-year career. Starting in 2008, she quickly reached the Olympia stage in 2009, placing 6th with aspirations for the top spot.
Undeterred by setbacks, Stern secured the Figure Olympia title in 2010. Despite a temporary loss in 2011, she triumphantly recaptured the title in 2012, becoming a two-time Figure Olympia champion.
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After conquering the Figure division, Stern strategically moved to the Bikini category. In 2022, she continued to dominate, winning gold at the Republic of Texas Pro. This showcased her formidable prowess in any competitive division. Erin Stern’s journey reflects resilience, adaptability, and an unwavering pursuit of excellence in the dynamic world of competitive bodybuilding.
Erin Stern’s Expert Advice on Weightlifting and Gains Muscle
In a recent YouTube video, Erin Stern, a seasoned figure and bikini competitor with over 14 years of experience, shares invaluable insights on optimizing gains through weightlifting. Her latest tips provide a roadmap, guiding enthusiasts to determine the ideal weight for their workout sessions. Here’s her checklist to maximize gains in the gym.
Warm-up
“First and foremost you must warm up. This is very important because if you just dive into the workout and put on a bunch of plates your circulation, your circulatory system is not going to be ready. Your cardiovascular system is not going to be ready, give those muscles time to get loose. Give yourself time to gauge how you are feeling on that day because some days are better than others.”
Monitor Your Weights
“The next point on the checklist is to make sure you are tracking your weights from week to week. A good rule of thumb as far as increasing volume or increasing weight is about a 5-10% increase per week.
Now understand that this is not infinite so we get to a place where we reach that ceiling of strength and at that point we can increase complexity, we can add bands, but also take a deload to allow our bodies to reset but tracking is going ot be so important” Erin Stern explains.
Proximity to Failure without Going Over
“Next point I would say that 90% of your lifts you want to go to close to failure but not hit failure. You do not want to hit absolute failure on every single set because this is not only tough on your muscles it’s also tough on your central nervous system.
Your central nervous system is going to take twice as long as to recover as your muscles do so you want to protect it. You want to make sure that if you are going to failure or it you are doing burnout perhaps it at the end of a workout its maybe once or twice a week or isolation exercises something thats not going to be so heavily taxing.”
“Now leaving one-four reps in the tank is going to be really important because it allows you to get close to that point of failure but not push you over the edge of failure. You always want to feel like you could do another rep, you could do another two reps or so and this is going to go a long way towards helping you achieve your goals and also gauging that difficulty.”
Erin Stern not only elucidates the concept of training close to failure but also reinforces its importance by providing a tangible example. In her explanation, Stern highlights the nuances of this approach and underscores its relevance in achieving optimal fitness outcomes.
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“Let’s say you are doing lateral raises and you stop at 10 but maybe you could do 20, now if that’s the case think about going up in weight so you get a little bit closer to failure because if you aren’t training close ot failure you’re really not going to be making gains.
In addition, Stern gives an extra tip to those working out at home or simply have limited equipment options.“An important note, if you are training at home training to failure becomes difficult when you are with limited equipment to consider adding bands, adding pause reps, half reps, or partial reps to increase what’s know as time under tension. That can be a really helpful way to get you that much closer to failure and help you to continue to see results.”
Distinguishing Between Two Forms of Failure
“Now the last point on the checklist. We have been talking a lot about failure, what is failure? We have two different types and it is important to know what the two types are so you can recognize it in yourself or help your gym buddy recognize it too.
So our muscular failure is when the target muscle gives out. So you absolutely cannot get another rep because you are doing lat pulldowns and your lats are just fried so maybe you get a half a rep and that’s it. So muscular failure I think is fantastic because it’s a great indication to where that point is. When you stop and you aren’t able to lift the weight with that targeted muscle that’s it.”
“Now mechanical failure is a bit different in that your able to perform more reps but on that lat pulldowns for example, you will be recruiting every other muscle other than your lats and it’s going to be ugly. So you are doing that last rep or two and you can feel your traps kick in and you can feel your rear delts kick in or your lower back you start swinging and it is ugly and you may feel it in your abs you may feel it somewhere else but those lats have checked out and you are done training that target muscle and you have moved on to training something else.”
Having meticulously ticked off her comprehensive fitness checklist, Erin Stern shares tailored video workouts to target specific muscle groups. Whether demonstrating her ‘boulder shoulders’ routine or mapping out a plan for stronger quads, Stern simplifies the path to a sculpted physique.
With a vast fitness background, Stern effortlessly shares her wisdom with a social media audience of over 300,000 followers. From navigating workouts with injuries to unlocking significant gains, her videos offer practical tips to enhance overall health and wellness. Plus, they provide valuable insights for a diverse range of fitness levels and goals.
Watch Erin Stern’s complete video link below:
Overview
In her recent YouTube chat, Erin Stern, a figure and bikini pro with 14 years in the game, explores muscle and strength development nuances, emphasizing the importance of heavy lifting. She guides viewers on ideal choices for effective workouts, introducing strategic training methods that showcase her expertise. Stern’s advice, spanning heavy lifting to targeted muscle training, is practical and clear, connecting with both seasoned fitness buffs and newcomers on their fitness journey.
Featured Image @2x_ms_olympia (Instagram)
