The 7 Pillars of Perfect Lifting Technique for Maximum Muscle Growth
If you’ve spent any time in the gym, you’ve heard the term “good form.” But what does that actually mean? Is it just about avoiding injury, or is there a way to lift that actually makes you grow faster?
Dr. Mike Israetel of Renaissance Periodization breaks down the science of lifting technique into seven core elements. For lifters looking to maximize hypertrophy and stay in the game for the long haul, these aren’t just suggestions—they’re the foundation of effective training.
Here are the 7 pillars of technique you need to master to stop wasting time and start building serious muscle.
1. Standardized and Logical Range of Motion (ROM)
Most people tell you “full range of motion or it doesn’t count.” While that’s a great starting point, the real key is logic and consistency.
Dr. Mike points out that “lengthened partials”—where you focus on the stretch at the bottom of a movement—can sometimes be superior for growth. For example, pulling a chin-up all the way to your clavicles might actually add more fatigue than muscle stimulus compared to stopping at the chin.
The Rule: Choose a range of motion that hits the muscle where it’s stretched and standardize it. Every rep should look the same so you can accurately track your progress.
This is where tracking becomes critical. If your ROM changes from workout to workout, you can’t tell if you’re actually getting stronger or just using more momentum. Standardized technique is essential for implementing progressive overload—you need consistent form to measure true strength gains. Apps like SetsApart help you track not just your hard sets, but ensure you’re comparing apples to apples when measuring progress.
2. Controlled Eccentrics (The Lowering Phase)
If you’re “dive-bombing” your squats or letting the bar drop on your chest during a bench press, you’re throwing away half your gains. The eccentric (lowering) phase is arguably the most muscle-growth-inducing part of the lift.
The Benefit: Controlling the weight on the way down reduces injury risk and keeps tension on the muscle fibers when they are most vulnerable to growth. You don’t need a 5-second count, but you must be in control.
Research shows that eccentric training produces significant muscle damage and metabolic stress—both key drivers of hypertrophy. If you’re not controlling the eccentric, you’re missing a major stimulus for growth.
3. Eliminate Cheating
We’ve all seen the guy “humping” the air to get a barbell curl up. That’s cheating. Cheating happens when you use momentum or secondary muscles to hit a rep goal.
The Reality: Your muscles don’t care about the number of reps; they care about tension. If you’re using your hips to curl, your biceps are doing less work. Establish a “culture of no cheating” in your own training. If the form breaks, the set is over.
This is why tracking hard sets (sets taken close to failure with good form) matters more than total volume. One clean set of 8 reps beats three sloppy sets of 10 any day. Learn more about optimizing training intensity in our guide on how close to failure you should train.
4. Autoregulate Your Positions
Stop following dogmatic “one-size-fits-all” advice. Some people need their toes pointed out to squat deep; others need a narrower grip to bench without pain.
The Fix: Adjust your stance, grip, and path based on your unique anatomy. If a specific position allows for a better pump and zero joint pain, that is the “correct” form for you.
This is where experimentation and tracking come together. Try different positions, note what feels best on the muscle (not just what looks “right”), and stick with what works. Your training log should reflect these adjustments so you can replicate success.
5. Target Muscle Limitation
If you’re doing rows to grow your back, but your grip gives out first, you aren’t training your back effectively—you’re training your forearms.
The Strategy: Use tools like lifting straps or VersaGrips to ensure the target muscle is the one that hits failure. Good technique means the muscle you want to grow is the one stopping the set.
This principle applies to exercise selection too. If you can never feel your chest on bench press because your shoulders dominate, switch to a variation where your chest limits the set. The goal is to accumulate hard sets for the target muscle, not just hit arbitrary exercise benchmarks.
6. Prioritize Joint Health
Lifting should feel heavy on the muscles, but “right as rain” on the joints. If an exercise causes a “shearing” sensation or sharp pain, your technique (or the exercise choice) needs to change.
Example: If stationary-arm skull crushers hurt your elbows, try allowing your upper arms to move slightly back as you lower the weight. If it feels better on the joint, it’s a better technique for long-term growth.
Longevity in the gym requires protecting your joints. An exercise that causes pain today won’t build muscle tomorrow—it’ll sideline you. Adjust technique or swap exercises to keep your joints healthy.
7. Find the “Goldilocks” Loading
Weight that is too light won’t provide enough tension, but weight that is too heavy will force your body to use momentum and break form.
The Sweet Spot: Certain exercises, like lateral raises, feel terrible with heavy weights (sets of 5) but feel amazing with moderate weights (sets of 15-20). Experiment to find the weight range where you feel the muscle working the most without your form falling apart.
This is another area where tracking hard sets becomes invaluable. Instead of chasing numbers on exercises that don’t suit heavier loading, focus on accumulating hard sets in the rep range that allows the best muscle connection and form.
Related: How Heavy Should You Lift for Muscle Growth?
The Bottom Line
Good technique isn’t just a safety protocol; it’s a framework for maximizing muscle growth. If you can check all seven of these boxes, you aren’t just lifting weights—you’re setting yourself up for consistent, long-term progress.
The key is to standardize your technique, track your hard sets, and focus on what actually drives growth. That’s how you build muscle efficiently without spinning your wheels.
Want to track your hard sets and ensure you’re hitting these technique standards consistently? Check out SetsApart—the app designed to track what actually builds muscle.
Source
This article was inspired by and summarizes key insights from the following video. Check out the video for more detail and subscribe to the channel—it’s a great resource for evidence-based training.
Watch the full video: The Core Elements of Good Technique
