5 Steps to Muscle Gain

Step 1: Develop a Program.

You need to consult a certified weight trainer before you decide which muscle gain and abs training would be best for you. You can also study weight training ebooks and videos and determine if you will be comfortable with any of the programs.

Prior to building your muscle training plan, make sure to get a general physical health check  from your doctor. This way, you will know if your physical condition can withstand the rigors of your preferred program.

Basic tip: Make sure that your program has exercises for all muscle groups. It should also include cardio exercises in order to sculpt your abs.

Step 2: Develop good form.

The key to quick muscle gain is to learn the proper techniques of performing and accomplishing each exercise set. The fastest way to gain muscle therefore is to master excellent form so you can maximize the benefits of your program.

Step 3: Prepare to break down your muscle.

To quickly build your muscle mass, you have to break it down first. Muscle fiber growth occurs after exerting extreme stress on your muscles.

Take note though that muscle build up does not occur during actual training. The growth starts during your rest periods. So make sure that you can have a few days of rest in order to allow full muscle recovery before you start to stress it again.

Step 4: Start revolutionizing your diet.

You will have to look at  your diet and develop new patterns of eating. You must really focus on proteins, complex carbs, and essential fats. Get rid of all junk, sweets, and stop unhealthy habit.

You must also eat big in order to gain big muscles. However, make sure to avoid non-essential fats in order not to defeat your abs training program.

Step 5: Mix up your exercise routines.

There will come a time that you will experience muscle growth plateau. This means that your muscles will stop growing because they were able to adapt to your training program. So it is best if you can change your exercise set every six weeks in order to avoid such plateau.

Learning the fastest way to gain muscle is not difficult. The key here is your diligence and dedication to your workout routines in order to get the full benefits of your training.

The 10 Commandments of Muscle Mass

1. Start Lifting Heavier Weights Progressively

There’s no way around this one. This one is universal for mass. You have to train with heavy weights in order to put on thick-dense muscle mass. Keep track of what you do from week to week and if it felt easy from one week to the next, up the weight and if it didn’t stay at the same weight until you do!! Never, stay at the same weight for too long. If its too heavy, back off about 10-15 pounds.

2. Utilize long rest periods

The power lifting aspect. Who says that building mass takes too long? Hey, you have to spend some amount of time building mass or you won’t at all. Keep that in mind!! Use a 30-45 second rest (upper body) and 45 seconds to 1 minute or more (lower body except calves). This is enough time for that lactic acid to get out of the system so you can attack another set.

3. More Power lifting and less Bodybuilding

This means that your rep ranges should be anywhere from 4 reps to 8 reps and your number of sets should range from 3 to 6 sets. This is for all body parts included. This also doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do any bodybuilding movements. Its just that you should do more power lifting or mass-builders than you should bodybuilding movements. I would say one bodybuilding movement per body part.

4. Love to do the HARD EXERCISES!!

You pretty much knew this coming into this article. This includes dead lifts, squats, heavy benching (most of you don’t have this problem) barbell rows, barbell calf raises, lat pulldowns, leg presses, barbell curls, , front shoulder press, dumbbell bench press, dumbbell shoulder press or anything that has nothing to do with a machine (except hammer strength they are good for mass and for going heavy too!!).

You won’t build mass on machines, you have to work the stabilizers on dumbbells and barbells . Oh, and don’t be afraid to use a power rack as well.

5. You got to Give 120%

Train as if you life depended on being massive. With what you have to work with in the gym, it will require you to be more focused and intense. Talk to you buddies at the gym later, when your in there, you have to be focused and determined on being a “freak” no matter what and go through your workout like your a robot.

6. Use Partners Belts, Wraps,  and Straps

Heavy training means more protection. You have to use belts, wraps, and straps to hoist the heaviest weight possible. Don’t try and do something you know you can’t do without any of these. These things should be tied to you if they aren’t in your bag. I don’t go anywhere in the gym without these.

For some of you, this should cut you excuses for not doing none of the big boys stuff!! You’ll need a partner for when you go insanely heavy to be a freak!! Partners will help with your spotting and keeping you safe and you’ll need one that just as or more intense and focused as your are.

7. DO NOT STICK TO THE SAME WORKOUT…change it up every two weeks!

I know by the textbook, you should stick with the same workout, but your body is going to get used to the workout . Change up the exercises every two weeks since your training for mass.

Change them up in one of two ways: change the exercise itself….or change how you do that exercise as far as reps and sets are concerned.

8. NO LIMITS

Don’t limit yourself in the gym as far as weights are concerned. Believe that you can and will be big as a house by the time summer get around. Use visualization techniques (like benching 600 or having 23″ arms!!) and motivational techniques like posting pictures of strong guys benching heavyweight or massive bodybuilders…anything that will give you a reason to be the freak of the gym!!

You should do nothing more but eat, sleep and think  big ..but like freak 24-7. Think nothing more than eating iron , I recommend all of the above techniques and getting a training partner.

9. Take a good supplement stack….

Creatine and Protein should be at the top of anyone’s list. With hard training and the right supplements you should see results you want.

10. You must Eat like a FREAK!!

This does mean eat everything, but eat smart. Junk foods are still out and you can eat those on the days you can cheat, but during the week, its  meat (steak, chicken, beef, and turkey),Eggs, complex carbs (breads, cereals, etc.) Rice, baked potatoes, etc.

Well, those are the 10 Commandments for Muscle Mass.

With these 10 Commandments printed out and in your bag, you’ll have a guide with you in the gym. Take the time to plan out the workout and nutrition plans for the week. Oh, and if I have to say it….keep cardio down to a minimum. You’re building mass, you know becoming a freak!! You can do cardio once a week only and not as long. But remember, you’re in construction for this summer. Well, until next time fellow freaks…stay big!!!

Best Repetition Range To Build Muscle

If you’re really trying to get stronger and build muscle mass, what repetition range should you be striving for? When do you know it’s time to add more weight?

I think these questions are more prone to beginners and intermediate weight trainers who aren’t really sure when they should be adding more weight or what repetitions range they should be aiming for when they add more weight.

Back in my early days, I didn’t really have a clue what repetition ranges worked best for me. I’d just load the weight on and go for 6 reps.

However, as I soon learned, I would usually hit a plateau because my body simply couldn’t handle the heavy weight, day in and day out for months at a time, with no change to my routine. Since than, I’ve come up with a plan that allows for me to lift as heavy as possible, keep improving month after month and spare my joints and connective tissues.

I’ve been in this game long enough to know when it’s time to add more weight and what repetition range I should be striving for. With that in mind, let me give you some of my personal guidelines as to when you should be thinking of adding more weight and what repetition ranges you should be trying to complete. By following this kind of progression, you will always keep improving and you will be sparing your joints and connective tissues.

The following technique is a wonderful way to build muscle and strength. It will spare your joints and connective tissues while providing an environment for muscle growth. I’ve used this technique for years when I want to improve one of my compound movements and it works like a charm.

Let’s take the bench press for an example. I’m going to assume, in this example that the max, single rep bench press is 205 pounds.

Warm up: 1 set of 20 repetitions:

The warm up is exactly that, a warm up. Under no circumstance should this set be difficult or hard to complete. This set is to warm the muscle tissues up and get the blood flowing in your connective tissues and muscles.

You should be using about 40% of you max. So, if your max is 205 pounds, you should be using 100 pounds for this warm up.

You should rest about one minute before attempting the next set. Have a drink of water and concentrate on that last set – Which of course is the growth set.

First set: 1 x 12 repetitions:

I like to think of this set as a second warm up. I use this set to prime my muscles up and get the blood flowing. Really, this set – sets the stage for my growth set (the last set). Remember, you should be using a weight that’s light enough to not cause any discomfort or hardship. These reps should be very smooth with no bouncing or going too fast. In terms of weight, you should be using about 55% of your maximum. For our example, you should be using about 115 pounds.

As you get stronger and stronger, you’ll add more weight over time but remember that you should not be struggling with this weight. This weight should be light enough to not to cause any burn or stress but heavy enough to get the blood pumping. Remember, you want to use 55% of your maximum and no more.

You should rest roughly for about 1 minute before attempting the next set. Have a drink of water and concentrate on that last set – Which of course is the growth set.

Second set: 1 x 8 repetitions:

Personally, I look at this set as my second warm up. I’ll add more weight than my previous first set, but this set is to prime my muscles up and get them used to handling heavier weights. Now, you will notice that the repetition range has dropped down to 8.

The reason I’ll drop the weight down to 8 is because my muscles are warmed up with two prior “warm up” sets. What I’m doing now is setting the stage to handle heavier weight. I don’t want to tire my muscles out because my ultimate goal is to tackle that last set with primed up triceps, shoulders, and chest muscles. By the time that last set comes around, I want my muscles to be warm but not tired. Very important.

Now, you may be wondering why these sets are easy to do. Well, they’re supposed to be relatively easy because this isn’t where the growth occurs. The real growth occurs on that very important last set. So, you want to conserve all of your energy for that last set.

Third set: 1 x 8 repetitions:

Now, we’re starting to get into heavier weight but at this stage you shouldn’t be anywhere near your maximum. Yep, you shouldn’t be approaching failure or having a super hard time with this set. Now, you may be thinking, “What’s the point?” Well, as I said previously, the point is the last set. All your effort will be aimed at completing the repetitions for this set and that’s what your getting your body primed for.

You should be able to do 8 complete repetitions in a very fluid fashion. You don’t need any spotter for this set and shouldn’t need to. If you’ve reached failure at this set, you’ve peaked too early and your set is shot. You don’t want this because it will throw your bench press session off. Remember, you want to constantly improve and to do that, you need to concentrate on that last set.

You should be using about 75% of your maximum for this set. For our example, you should be using about 155 pounds. You may be able to complete this set and find it was relatively easy. Well, don’t worry too much about it because your working up to what is called “work set” in body building. This is all that matters.

Now, your body chest and triceps should be feeling tight, but loose. Your upper torso should be warm but not burning.

Do a bit of light stretching and rest for about a minute and a half because your going to tackle our work set next.

Final set – Work set 1 x 8 repetitions:

Well, we’ve reached our final set and this is where all the magic happens. What you want to do here is add enough weight that you are barely able to get out 8 repetitions. You will need a spotter because you might hit failure at your 7th or 8th repetition. This is very important. You shouldn’t be hitting failure on your 4th, 5th, or 6th repetition because your going to heavy. You want to be able to complete at least 6 repetitions on your own before hitting the wall on your 7th or 8th repetition.

On the other hand, if you can complete 12 repetitions with this weight, your going too light. For your next session, add more weight to the bar – say 20 pounds.

You should be using about 85% of your maximum. In this example, you will be using 170 to 175 pounds. You should be working hard at this set and it should be hard to do. If it isn’t, add more weight the next time you hit the bench press.

Now, this is where the magic of this type of training occurs and how you get strong. What you should be doing is keeping track of your weight and sets with a journal, you are, right? Once you log in the weight and sets, your going to tackle this same regiment for your next bench press session but with one big difference. All of your sets, reps and weight will remain the same except on the last set.

This is where you really start to grow. Your ultimate goal for you last set is to get 12 repetitions with that weight. Remember that magic number…12 repetitions with the same weight for the same rest period on your last set. So, let’s say in this session, you barely get 8 repetitions with 175 pounds. What you want to do for your next bench press session is to get maybe 9 repetitions. A week after that, you want to get 9 maybe 10 repetitions using that same weight. A week after that, you want to get 10 maybe 11 repetitions. A week or two after that, you want to get 12 repetitions. Remember, these are all un assisted repetitions. These should be clean with no help from a spotter. Of course, for safety sake, there should be a spotter but they shouldn’t be helping you.

Now, once you’ve reached 12 repetitions with that same 175 pounds you’ve basically increased your one rep maximum to about 230 pounds – congratulations. You’ve saved your joints from unnecessary stress and you built up a lot of strength. In about another two weeks, you should start to see more muscle growth.

Now, it’s time to add another 15 to 20 pounds to the bar for your last set and do the whole thing over. Remember, you want to keep everything else the same as before except that your going to add another 15 to 20 pounds to the bar for your last set and barely get out 8 repetitions. For this example, you’ll need to use about 190 to 195 pounds.

I know, you’ve heard that you need to do 4 repetitions and go to failure in order to build maximum muscle mass. No need. All your going to do is injure your connective joints and ligaments.

There you have it. If you want to build muscle mass and strength, this is a sure fire way to do it, without damaging your ligaments and joints. However, I will say that after every 12 to 14 weeks of this kind of training, you need to take a 2 week break. Go out and show off your new muscles and take some time to enjoy it because after 2 weeks, you’ll be back to break new personal records.

If your looking to build muscle, this is how your standard weight progression should look like if your wondering how much weight you should use. If everything is on track, you can only get stronger. That’s right, your body will adapt for the next workout by getting a little bit stronger.

Now, if you’ve stopped getting stronger and you are stuck at 8 repetitions, something is wrong. This can be due to a variety of factors which can include your diet and rest. Now, I’m not going to get into these here, but more than likely, these are the causes for your plateau.

Good Luck Chris

Weight Training Guide For Teenagers

If you are a teenager seeking to gain weight then you need to maintain discipline in all areas such as weight training, diet, aerobics, rest and supplements. As a teenager you could experience great difficulty trying to increase your body weight, especially if you have the genes of a hard gainer.

Teenagers usually have a faster metabolism than older people and this is why it becomes hard to gain weight. Some actually end up using steroids so that they can increase there weight. The use of steroids is not recommended since they can lead to the following side effects; shrinking of the testicles, low sperm count, decreased libido, enlargement of the clitoris, disruption of the menses, growth of breast in males, growth of facial hair in females, acne, insomnia, depression, increased rage, kidney problems, liver problems, and heart conditions. You should only use natural means to gain weight.

If you are seeking to gain weight you should concentrate on increasing your muscles and not your body fat. Weight gain arising from an increase in muscles will make you develop a good body physique.

If you want to gain muscles you need to ensure that you start weight training. You should not focus much on prolonging your weight training session. You should instead focus on power lifting because this is the only way through which muscle hypertrophy takes place. When you prolong the workout sessions, you will end up losing the muscles you had already acquired because of catabolism.

When you train for long there will be an accumulation of lactic acid in your body and this has the effect of making the muscles to grow slowly. Your muscle growth occurs during the phosphate phase which is the first phase of the lift. If you are not able to cause muscle hypertrophy during this periods then you are not going to succeed in stimulating your muscles to grow. Train for approx 1 hour per session.
You need to perform aerobic exercises as well but this will only help improve your body endurance and the health of your heart. It will not make you gain weight.

You need to increase the amount of calories you take in your diet. Your diet should therefore comprise mostly of proteins, carbs, and healthy fat. Proteins are the building blocks of muscles. Proteins are also rich in calories which are needed to undertake intense training. Carbohydrates are also very rich in calories which fuel the body to undertake intense weight training. You should choose the slow energy releasing carbs which are simple carbs because they will not be easily converted into body fat.

Simple carbohydrates will also help your body to be able to withstand prolonged weight training session. You need to take bodybuilding supplements as well such as Creatine supplements, and whey protein supplements(protein drinks) which will help you to build your muscles fast.

In order to gain mass, you should provide your body with adequate rest period. You need to sleep at least 8-9 hours each night. Your body grows while at rest, make sure you have 2-3 days off per week, maybe train Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday off, train Thursday and Friday, weekend off, this is just an example.

Effective Weight Gain Supplements

Although weight loss has been the trend in the past few years, more and more people are now getting into gaining weight because they can easily achieve the body that they want. They believe that once they gain weight, they can have firmer muscles through a set of rigorous exercise. However, gaining weight is not as easy as it may seem to others that is why they resort to weight gain supplements.

Just like other supplements, weight gain supplements are used by people to give their bodies support during the rigorous process of gaining weight. For other users, weight gain supplements serve as a complementary to the program they are enrolled in just to gain weight.

If you are one of those people who are getting tired of waiting just to gain weight, here are some weight gain supplements that can help you gain weight . They can be found in the fitness areas of supermarkets, in healthy options stores, internet, as well as in various fitness places and gyms that offer weight gain programs. Although some of these weight gain supplements are proven to show positive results, always be careful in buying one because you might not get the worth of your money on it.

1. Weight gainers. These refers to drinks such as “protein shakes” that is primarily composed of whey which is a rich source of protein. Aside from whey, other weight gainers also include proteins coming from milk and other poultry products along with high levels of carbohydrate content that comes in the form of “maltodextrin” which is a complex carbohydrate that has high glycemic content. These are very helpful for those who want to gain weight fast because they are pure sources of calories needed to build muscles fast.

2. Creatine. This is a weight gain supplement that promises results as early as two weeks. A metabolite product by the body consisting of important weight gaining amino acids, creatine is preferred by more and more people who looking forward to gain weight because it has the ability to regenerate ATP, which is the body’s ultimate energy source.

3. L-glutamine. This is known as the most abundant amino acid that is present in a person’s muscle cells. When taken in a form of capsule of tablet, L-glutamine can give protection to your muscles during rigorous workouts and can also enhance your immune system to make it more susceptible to increase body mass.

4. Liver tablets. With beef liver as its primary source, liver tablets are used by many people as one of their favourite weight gain supplements because they can be easy to use. With regular intake of liver tablets that contain the highest and purest grade of protein, you can gain weight in no time.

5.Testosterone boosting supplements. Experts say that this is one of those weight gain supplements that would best work on adults especially to those who are into bodybuilding.

Testosterone boosting supplements are perfect for those people 25 years or above because there is lesser possibility of hormonal imbalance. People who are less than 25 years of age should stay away from these types of weight gain supplements because their body cannot fight off its possible side effects.

Teenagers are also advised to stay away from these types of weight gain supplements because these can greatly affect their hormonal growth and balance.

Muscle Building Foods That Help Build Muscle

Eating muscle building foods does help you get the edge and build muscles much faster than just eating normal foods. Muscle building foods that is refereed here is not some engineered freak food, it just carefully selected natural foods that contain high in protein that can help you accelerate your muscle building process. Building muscle is not as simple as just hopping into the gym, lift a few weights and you will get results. It requires much more than that. Number one, you need an excellent workout plan and then, you need a solid diet.

You get results from your workout when you rest, not when you are working out. During your workout, you are tearing your muscle in microscopic scale, and your muscles will recover and grow bigger when you feed them with muscle building foods like protein. You cannot get big muscles by just eating bread and beans. You need foods that contain complete amino acid profiles.

You have to include these power muscle building foods in all your meals. Consuming them bit by bit, spread throughout the day can increase the absorption rate of these foods in you body. Eating a large portion at once will not work because your body cannot absorb all the nutrients at once. Here are mini lists of muscle building foods that can help you build lean muscle that is rock solid in no time!

Muscle Building Foods 1

A fantastic lean source of protein is poultry. Chicken and turkey is a very good source of protein, low in fat, cheap and easily attainable. Although some parts of the chicken are high in fat, like the thigh, it is ok to eat it if you take the skin. 100 grams of chicken can give you 30 grams of high quality protein. The good thing about poultry is that it taste really good in sandwiches, salads, roast as well as stir fried.

Muscle Building Foods 2

Famous body building food number two is the all time favourite, eggs! Eggs are such a power food for building muscles because it the eggs whites contain no fat and although the egg yolk is high in cholesterol, it provides Omega 3, which is good fats. Eggs are also a source of protein, which contains a complete amino acid profile. Eggs are very easy to get, dirt cheap and convenient to bring around. One egg contains 6 grams of protein, 3 grams in the yolk and 3 grams in the white. There are tons of ways to cook eggs. The best way to cook eggs for dieting is to cook in hard boil or half boil, then eat it with a bit of soy sauce, this is good method of cooking because it contains low fat. To kick out of the boredom, make scrambled eggs or omelette.

Muscle Building Foods 3

Beef is an all time favourite in a body builders diet. Roughly, 100 grams of beef contains 30 grams of high quality protein. These proteins are high BV protein, which means that, if you consume 100 grams of steak, 30 grams of protein will be absorbed by the body and utilized for protein synthesis.

Muscle Building Foods 4

When your parents say, eat your fish, they are right. Fish is also a powerful muscle building food because it is low in fat, high in protein and high in omega 3. Although fish is slightly more expensive that the other sources, having fish twice a week is good enough. If you want convenience, go for tuna fish. Tuna fish is also very high in protein; a can of tuna can easily supply you with 30 grams of protein. Tuna have become a more desirable choice because it can be use with sandwiches, salads and other dishes. Tuna comes in handy cans than be ripped open. Some even comes in airtight packet so that you can carry it around.

Muscle Building Foods 5

Do not forget about milk and soy! This stuff is good stuff. Although they may appear as liquid, they are a good source of protein and when taken with meat, they compliment the amino acids supplied by the meat. 100 grams of tofu made from soy contains 8 grams of protein. One glass of low fat milk contains roughly 8 grams of protein. You have to be careful not to over do the milk because milk does contain lots of fat. Choose the low fat or the pasteurized version.

There you go, five choices of muscle building foods to fill up your menu. Make sure you include protein in all your meals, spread them out evenly in a day. Try to shot for 2.0 to 2.6 grams of protein per kilogram of  body weight for positive nitrogen balance. This will give you optimum results along with intense weight training.

15 weight gain tips

WHY CAN’T YOU GAIN WEIGHT?

Though there may be many reasons why you may be thin, the
most apparent reason is because of your genetics. If your
parents are naturally thin or have a small body frame, then
you will most likely have the same small body type.

To some degree, your size can also be controlled by your
metabolism. If you have a difficult time gaining weight of
any kind (fat or muscle) then you most likely have a fast
metabolism. That simply means that your body burns calories
at a faster than normal rate. You must take this into
account whenever you are considering a particular diet or
training program. Is it geared towards someone with your
metabolism and goal?

Now as you know, there are many ways to train. Hundreds,
thousands even. Some work and some do not, but for the
specific goal of gaining weight, there are a few UNIVERSAL
things that all skinny guys/girls must do.

Though much of the information I cover here is not as
“magical” as you may like, I consider these rules to be the
basics with regard to weight gain. These are not all of the
answers, but they are definite elements that MUST be
addressed in any successful weight gain program.

You should be able to easily integrate these rules into your
current program to make it more suitable for your particular
body and goals.

GENERAL RULES

1. Get the proper information that pertains to your SPECIFIC
condition and goals.

The first big problem I find in most people is the lack of
correct information. Yes you are motivated and doing things,
but your effort is wasted on incorrect dieting and training
information. Basically, skinny guys are taking advice from
people who have never had a weight gain problem. Want to
know how to gain weight? Then find someone who has walked
your shoes. Someone who has been where you are. Speak to a qualified

Trainer.

2. Set a specific goal and create a plan of attack

If you were to another city, would
you just start driving randomly, or would you plan a route
that would get you quickly and efficiently?

Think of your plan as a road map and your goal as your
destination. Without a plan and a specific goal you will be
without focus and can easily get lost or side tracked. This
happens more often than you know. I see many people in the
gym just doing whatever, or just eating whatever — no plan
or specific goal. They wonder why they don’t make progress.
They have NO focus.
Having a specific program to follow allows you to take
action each day. This action is focused on specifically
getting you to your destination quickly. There is no
thinking, debating or guessing. You just do it. A specific
plan provides necessary daily structure that not only keeps
you on the road moving forward, it also helps to develop
good eating and training habits that will benefit you long
after you have reached your destination.

3. Have confidence in yourself and belief in what you are
doing.

Let’s face it; we live in a cruel world. Hate and jealously
is everywhere. For most people who begin a fitness program
to improve themselves, getting started will be half the
battle. The other half will be staying motivated throughout
the constant onslaught of negativity from others. A few
negative words can do serious damage if you allow it.

The most insulting things you hear may be from friends,
co-workers and acquaintances at the gym. People hate change.
It makes them insecure, because they suddenly discover
there’s more to you than they were probably willing to
admit. They fear that you may actually achieve your goal. It
makes them look less “superior”.

Once you have begun your plan, you must have faith and
believe in what you are doing. Stay focused and avoid overly
critical or negative people. If you have to, keep your
business to yourself. When I first began my program, I
stopped talking about what I was doing because I got tired
of hearing things like “you can’t do that”, “that’s
impossible”, “you’re wasting your time and money”. Funny
thing is, now those people are constantly asking me for
advice.

4. Stop listening to every ridiculous piece of advice you
hear in the gym or read on a message board.

Recently a client of mine informed me that someone in the
gym stated that he was training all wrong and he needed to
train 5-6 days a week, and aim for more reps during his
workout. Somewhere in the range of 15-20 reps per set.

The person giving the advice was quite confident about his
recommendations, and he had an impressive physique that
typically elevates him to the elusive “listen to me if you
want to look like me” level in the gym. He was bigger than
my client, so even though my client’s “intellectual” mind
knows that advice is absurd; his “unrealistic dreamer” mind
took this information very seriously. So seriously that he
changed his program and didn’t inform me until a week or so
later. This particular person had been making great progress
on his current program, yet he allowed this one person’s
comment to overshadow that progress and convince him that
his program was inadequate. This is a mistake and it showed
in his lack of further progress.

In addition, don’t judge the validity of what a person says
by how they look. Just because the guy is huge doesn’t mean
he is spewing pertinent advice for you. Many people that
have big physiques are big despite of their training, not
because of it. I know some huge guys that know very little
about training and dieting correctly. They can do whatever
and still gain muscle; unfortunately we are not that way, so
we much approach things in a more intelligent way.

WORKOUT RULES

5.Workout Infrequently

This is the most difficult concept for many to grasp simply
because it involves less action, instead of more. When we
get motivated and start a new program, it’s natural to want
to do something. We want to train and train and train.
Thinking all along that the more you train, the more muscle
you will build. Unfortunately, this could not be farther
from the truth.

More training does not equal more muscle growth. Understand
that the purpose of weight training is to stimulate muscle
growth. That takes very little time. Once that has been
done, the muscle needs to be repaired and new muscle needs
to be built. That only happens when you are resting! You do
not build muscle in the gym, you build muscle when resting!
If you never give your body any essential “non active” time,
when will it have a chance to build muscle? Think about
that.

Now, add in the fact that you have a difficult time gaining
weight and the importance of rest increases. Individuals who
are naturally thin and have difficulty building muscle tend
to require less training and more rest.

6. Focus on Multi-Jointed Lifts

Multi-jointed exercises are those that stimulate the most
amounts of muscle fibers. Unlike isolation exercises which
only work individual muscles, multi-jointed lifts work many
different muscle groups simultaneously. For those needing to
gain weight, this is ideal because these lifts put your body
under the most amount of stress. This is the stress that
will shock your nervous system and cause the greatest
release of muscle building hormones. This results in
increased muscle gain all over the body.

You can still do some isolation work; however it should not
be the focus of your workouts, and should only come after
your multi-jointed lifting is complete.

7. Focus on Using Free Weights

Free weights are preferred over machines for many reasons,
but most importantly because they allow the stimulation of
certain supporting muscle groups when training. Stimulating
these stabilizer and synergistic muscles will allow you go
get stronger, and ultimately build more muscle faster. Yes,
some can most likely still build large amounts of muscle
using machines, but why make it more difficult if you
already have a difficult time gaining weight?

8. Lift a weight that is challenging for you

Building mass involves lifting relatively heavy weight. This
is necessary because the muscle fibers that cause the most
amount of muscle size growth (called Type IIB) are best
stimulated by the lifting of heavy weight. A heavy weight as
one that only allows you to perform 4-8 reps before your
muscles fail.

Using a lighter weight and doing more reps can stimulate
some Type IIB fibers, but again if you have a difficult time
gaining weight, why make it more difficult? You need to try
and stimulate as many as you can with the use of heavy
weights.

9. Focus more on the eccentric portion of the exercise.

When you lift a weight, it can be divided into three
distinct periods. The positive, the negative and midpoint.
The concentric or “positive” motion usually involves the
initial push or effort when you begin the rep. The midpoint
is signaled by a short pause before reversing and returning
to the starting position. The eccentric, or “negative”
portion of each lift is characterized by your resistance
against then natural pull of the weight.

For example, when doing push-ups, the positive motion is the
actual pushing up motion. Once you have pushed all the way
up, you hit the mid point. The negative motion begins when
you start to lower yourself back down. Most would simply
lower themselves as fast as they pushed up, but I recommend
extending and slowing down this portion. Slowing down the
eccentric part of the lift will help to stimulate more
muscle growth. It actually activates more of the Type IIB
fibers mentioned about in Rule 7.

10. Keep your workout short but intense.

Your goal should be to get in, stimulate your muscles and

11. Limit your aerobic activity and training

Honestly, I do not do any aerobic activity when I am trying
to gain weight. This is mainly because it interferes with
the important “non-active” time my body needs for muscle
building and recovery. I do understand that people have
lives and other activities that they don’t want to give up,
so it must be kept to a minimum. It won’t hurt your progress
as long as you don’t over do it. If you find that you are
doing more aerobic activity weight training, that’s
overdoing it.

I also don’t recommend it because people tend do it for the
wrong reasons. Many start aerobic activity because they
believe it will help them to lose fat. While that is true,
it won’t do so on a high calorie mass diet. To lose fat, you
need to be eating fewer calories.

12. Don’t program hop

Here’s how it usually happens. You’ve just read about a new
exercise or workout that is supposed to pack on the mass.
Now, even though you had already started another training
program a few weeks ago, you are tired of it and really want
to start this routine instead because it sounds better.

I call these people, “program hoppers”. They are very
enthusiastic when starting a new program, but they never
follow it long enough to actually see any results. They are
easily distracted and love to drop whatever they may be
doing to follow the latest “hot” workout or exercise.

My advice is don’t do it. This is a bad habit that never
leads to a positive outcome. Understand that it takes time
for any program to work. To be successful, you must follow
your program consistently. Yes, there are many different
training methods and interesting routines out there, but you
can’t do them all at the same time and jumping around won’t
allow enough time for any of them to actually be effective
for you. Pick one that is focused on your current goal and
stick with it. There will be plenty of time to try the
others later, but NOT NOW.

EATING RULES

13. Eat more

This rule is pretty simple, but usually the one that is not
done correctly. If weight gain is your goal, then you will
need to eat more food. Period. In most cases, you will need
to eat more than you are normally accustomed to.

One large problem that I had when starting out is I just had
no appetite. I knew I needed to eat more, but I just did not
want to. I had to force myself to eat at each meal.
Thankfully, after about 2 weeks, my appetite grew. I was
becoming hungry before each meal, and if I didn’t eat my
meal at the normal time, my body knew it.

If you have this problem, you still must eat something, no
matter how much. Start off making yourself eat something
small like fruit every few hours. Then, as your appetite
becomes more active, gradually move into more real food.

What this will do is gradually get your body accustomed
eating at regular intervals. Eventually you will be hungry
before each meal time.

When eating more, you will need to make sure that you are
getting plenty of good quality protein. Protein is a
nutrient that is essential for building muscle. Every meal
that you eat should contain some form of protein. Meal
Replacement Powders are excellent for this
purpose. They enable you to eat large amounts of good
quality protein in a very convenient manner.

14. Eat more often

In addition to eating more calories, you should also strive
to eat more often throughout the day. Eating infrequently,
or going long periods without eating, will cause your body
to breakdown muscle tissue for the calories it needs. This
is especially true for those with fast metabolisms.

Spreading your meals throughout the day will give you more
manageable meal sizes, improve nutrient assimilation, and
make sure that your body always has the calories it needs
for muscle building and repair. I recommend eating a high
protein meal every 3 hours. During normal waking hours, that
usually equals about 6 meals.

Now, I know what you are saying, “I’m too busy to do this”,
or “how can I do that with a full time job.
Don’t let the thought of this being too difficult keep you
from doing it. It may seem very inconvenient at first, but
once you get in the habit of doing it, it becomes second
nature and you don’t have to give it much thought. Trust me,
I’ve been doing it for years and do not feel that it’s
limiting or time consuming.

15. Use Nutritional Supplements.

Before you buy any product, remember that supplements are
not magic. Too many people think that just because you buy
the latest product, it guarantees that you will
automatically begin to pack on the pounds. The truth is that
supplements are only there to enhance an already solid diet
and workout program.

They can give you the extra edge by:

* Adding More Convenience: Using food supplements like
Protein help to eliminate the common
problem of ‘not enough time’, by providing you with a quick,
efficient way to get your required nutrients each day. They
make eating large amounts of calories and protein easier for
people with low appetites.

* Increasing Strength Levels: Products that contain
Creatine, enable you to
swing the odds of gaining more weight in your favour by
increasing your strength output. Creatine enables you to
lift heavier weights, which will stimulate more muscle
fibers and cause more muscle growth.

* Decreasing Recovery Time: Vitamin C is essential to
prevent free radical damage, which is accelerated after the
heavy trauma of weight training. It is also essential is
helping to repair connective tissue. All of this helps
decrease the amount of time you are sore.

* Enhancing Your Immune System: Weight training increases
the body’s need for many minerals like magnesium and
selenium. I always use a good multi-vitamin ensures that I
am not deficient in any major essential vitamin or mineral.
Deficiency symptoms include muscle weakness and suppression
of the immune system, muscle cramping and fatigue.

I can honestly say that I could not have built the body I
have today without the convenience and enhancements
supplements provide. I simply don’t have the time or desire
to do it any other way. This is a choice that you must
decide for yourself. You will be spending your money on
these products, so make sure that you know their place in
your program.

It’s your life. It’s your body. It’s your dream. Don’t allow
your success or failure to rest in the hands of others.

IS THIS POSSIBLE?

Yes, but I have to be honest and say that from my
experience, gaining weight is much more difficult than
losing fat. Even if you are doing everything right, it will
still be difficult because you are fighting against what
your body naturally prefers. If you are naturally thin,
building an impressive physique involves persistence and
determination, but no matter what anyone says, it is well
within your ability. Good luck and for more information on
how to gain weight, be sure to check out other information on my website.

The 3 Concepts To Get Big!

It takes time, dedication and discipline to build muscle and it is not that easy. And most importantly, building muscle that yields results is the key factor besides those other factors listed above.

Understanding correct muscle building techniques is the name of the game. There are three main concepts that you need to grasp in order to make the steps   for you to build muscle and to get big.

Interestingly enough, many gym junkies do not follow the right path to building muscle and in fact, could build muscle quicker if they followed the advice that I’m about to tell.

What are the 3 main concepts you ask?

The 3 main concepts are:

1) Exercises and Compound Weights

2) The Right Diet Management Plan

3) Dedication, Discipline and Motivation

Compound weights are the basis for most muscle building techniques. Compound weights are weight exercises which train multiple muscle groups and do not solely focus on one area of the body.

Compound weights will form a strong foundation for the rest of your body to grow, working mostly your inner core as well as your larger muscle groups. Compound weights should form  the foundation of your training regime. Unlike for example, leg press which only really works on one muscle group (legs), the bench press, which is a compound weight exercise, will work your chest, shoulders and triceps.

There are four main compound movements that you should do.

First being The SQUAT. These have long been the most annoying exercises you can do but one of the most profitable in terms of muscle improvement. They work not only to build your leg muscles but as well as some smaller muscles in the back. They are the foundation of your training!

The second being The BENCH PRESS. This exercise is one of the best all round exercises you can do.

The third critical compound muscle movements is The DEADLIFT , which improve your overall back muscles and legs.

The last is The MILITARY PRESS , which will work your shoulders. These four exercises are the most critical compound exercises and form the basis for correct muscle building techniques.

The next main thing which is as critical as correct exercise regimes is your diet. It’s vital to pay enough attention to what you eat. A general rule to follow is that one needs to eat one gram of protein for every pound your body contains. It’s important to avoid saturated fat (Junk food). But remember to get big you have to eat big, in short to eat enough calories so that your body can build the desired muscles effectively. Lots of Protein, Carbs, See more on this site for Nutrition.

And the last critical component of correct muscle building techniques includes ‘everything else’. Primarily: Dedication, Discipline and Motivation. Consistent action will produce good results, but inconsistent action will simply do nothing to help increase your muscles and achieve your goals. This is nearly the toughest component because if you have the necessary Dedication, Discipline and Motivation , the first two steps to increase your overall muscle strength and appearance will be much easier.

The steps outlined above form the basis for correct Muscle Building Techniques.

How To Gain Weight And Build Muscle Mass Fast

Millions of people struggle to gain weight and build muscle. Underweight issues are a real concern for a large part of the population. Everybody wants the perfect body and muscle tone although some have an extremely difficult time gaining or even maintaining body weight. The challenge of adding muscle can be overwhelming and confusing. There are any number of fitness magazines claiming to have found the quickest, easiest way to pack on muscle. Don’t fall for it! If it were this easy, millions of people would have already reached their goal and there would be bodybuilders on every street corner.

If you are serious about weight training and building muscle, the best way to gain weight fast is to:

1) Learn the proper diet and exercise methods needed to force your body to add muscle.

2) Formulate a plan that fits in with your lifestyle and goals

3) Follow your plan consistently until you reach your goal. Whether you have an extremely fast metabolism or are simply unable to eat enough calories to gain weight, determination and persistence will lead you down the path to new muscle tissue and an increase in body weight. Even if you have always been skinny, gaining weight is not impossible if you follow your weight gain plan to the letter and have a little patience. EAT MORE If you want to gain weight, you must consume substantially more calories than your body burns. You will need to eat large amounts of protein and increase your food intake each and every day. If you are too skinny, start by eating 5-6 meals each day consisting of protein, carbohydrates, and fats in larger quantities than you normally eat. This is very difficult for some people, try and consume  your meals roughly every 3 hours to get  the necessary calories.

START LIFTING WEIGHTS Exercise is crucial if you want to add muscle as well as body weight. The body needs stimulation in order to build muscle. A weight training routine done 4-5 times per week will stimulate your body to respond by adding new muscle tissue. You should also be sure to get plenty of rest. You need adequate rest after a workout which will give your body time to recuperate and build new muscle. If you train too often, or do not get enough rest between workouts, you can actually hinder your results due to over-training. Over training and improper food consumption are the major reasons most people never reach their goals.

Motivation and the right information can help you succeed in you gaining weight and building muscle and the body you WANT!

Of course, these are general suggestions and will need to be adapted to meet your personal goals. If you are more advanced in your weight training you can tweak and change your workout routine to get the optimal results for your body type