The Look–Myogenic Tone

By: Josh Bryant

Brian Dobson and Ronnie Coleman showing some beautiful myogenic tone.

Timing and dosage are crucial, like getting the right blend for a damn good gumbo, nailing that pickup line for the blonde at Dollar General, delivering a swift knee to the methhead at the Conoco off the Indian Turnpike, or crafting a kickass training plan. You gotta hit the mark, or you’ll end up with a mess on your hands.

Remember, success leaves clues; look at the physiques of top-level sprinters like Ben Johnson or Harry Aikines-Aryeetey. Or, hey, just go to a high-level track meet and watch a 100- or 60-meter sprinter. These guys are jacked, often more so than competitive natural bodybuilders or those wannabe juice head bros at LA Fitness.

So, why do these sprinters have bodies that most rats only dream of?

Partially because their muscle has a much denser look. This is due to sprinters possessing a higher concentration of contractile muscle. This is noticeably different from gym bodybuilders who only train for a pump.

The reason Ronnie Coleman, Dorian Yates, and Branch Warren are pumped while also looking strong is because they come from a strength background. They train hard and have built up contractile muscle fibers. The aforementioned bodybuilders’ look of “density” is a result of myogenic tone.

Myogenic tone refers to a state of partial muscle activation.

Myogenic tone means that, even at rest, the nervous system keeps some tension on the muscle. Because the muscle is partially activated, it can and will be ready to instantaneously produce force, if needed. To develop this, the muscle looks like it’s in a partial state of contraction, as opposed to a muscle looking like a balloon filled up with air. 

So the way in which Dorian, Ronnie, and Branch separate themselves from the crowd can be attributed to the same factor that causes sprinters to be built like brick shit houses—myogenic tone.

Build Myogenic Tone with the right timing and dosage HERE.

For the most part, myogenic tone results from two mechanisms.

Neural efficiency: The more efficient your nervous system, the greater your myogenic tone will be. Sprinting improves the neural aspect of running much more than a Kenneth Cooper inspired, testosterone-robbing jog; heavy lifting is superior to light lifting for improving the neural aspect of force production. 

Fast-twitch fiber development: Research has shown that fast-twist fibers are more superficial (closer to the skin surface), in contrast to slow-twitch fibers deeper in the muscle. By developing fibers closer to the surface, your muscles aesthetically have a more solid/dense look. This effect is amplified with a low percentage of body fat.

This is why the physiques of pump and pose chrome palace machine junkies look different from those of real lifters. 

Admittedly, 15 minutes into a workout, a fluffer will look much more impressive than when he’s in a relaxed state, but catch him two hours after training, and he deflates back to normal. An athlete with myogenic tone does not have these fluctuations.

Myogenic tone for the win!

Twice a day training to maximize myogenic tone HERE.

The bible of myogenic tone HERE.