Most guys look at other men and wonder how to build muscle quickly like others seem to be able to do. You could even categorize yourself as a hard gainer, somebody who naturally finds it hard to get results, or perhaps you just find yourself toiling away in the gym to no avail. Today we'll give you three ground breaking tips which will enable you to build some excellent lean mass over the following one to two months.
Indeed, you read that correctly. We said a couple of months, not the rest of your life.
If you have been training for a while you will have already noticed that the biggest issue holding people back in the gym is the volume of contradicting advice out there. People can't seem to stick to anything for long enough to get results because they have outside influences telling them that they need to purchase the latest product or try to next big thing in workouts...
You can turn anything into a rocket science if you analyze it enough, but the fact remains that the principles of improving muscular strength and size remain the same as they were twenty years ago and they are very, very simple.
#1 Go with compound movements for maximum results.
#2 Your range of repetitions will help you target hypertrophy.
#3 Diet is important even when it comes to adding size.
It might seem quite simple, given the number of next big thing plans out there which promise to give the the 'secrets' of building a better body, but those three rules are dynamite in your pocket. If you can take advantage of those three steps you will not have any issues building the body you desire.
Building your workout routine around one or two compound exercises is a great way to start. Usually, people perform way too many isolation movements and way too few compounds. If you're unsure what they are, think bench press and deadlift. These large multiple joint exercises will force far more hypertrophy than exercises which try to isolate only one muscle.
Remember, you are not at the gym to train your ego. Take a glance at the dumbbell section the next time you go to the gym and I'm sure you will notice many people training their 'ego muscles', i.e. tons of bicep curls and tricep pushdowns but zero squats or wide grip pull ups. The ironic thing is those guys are clearly striving to increase their size but are unwittingly holding their own progress back by avoiding the proven exercises in favor of what gives them a better temporary pump.
After asking what exercises work best, the second most popular question is undoubtedly how much weight should be lifted on each exercise. Obviously, everybody has different capabilities here and what is light for one person might be too heavy for the next. This is why you need to learn how to optimize your rep range to suit your overall goal.
The ideal rep range for size and strength is anywhere between 8 and 12. You can use this as a system to monitor your progress and learn when to increase the resistance, too. Once you can comfortably perform twelve reps you need to increase the resistance, trying to stay within that 8-12 zone the entire time.
It's also worth mentioning the important role your diet plays in the results you achieve. You can't expect to build a great body if you are feeding it junk, after all. Many guys believe that diets are just for girls, but if you don't look after your nutrition you are writing off most of your results before you even get to the gym.
All calories are not creating on an equal playing field. It's important to realize that two people eating the same number of calories could get totally different results, as one could be feasting on junk food whereas the other is quite healthy. A split of 30%, 50% and 20% between protein, carbs and fats respectively will be a good start.
If you've had a certain body part which has proved difficult to get results with, you will find that the three steps will help you to bring it back up to speed. So before you spend hours pouring over the best shoulder building exercises or top chest workouts we recommend getting on top of the basics first.
If you previously felt a little lost and confused with all of the information out there giving you contradicting advice on how to build muscle you should now notice a new-found self confidence. Knowing the proven principles of size and strength training puts you on a fantastic platform to build from.
Indeed, you read that correctly. We said a couple of months, not the rest of your life.
If you have been training for a while you will have already noticed that the biggest issue holding people back in the gym is the volume of contradicting advice out there. People can't seem to stick to anything for long enough to get results because they have outside influences telling them that they need to purchase the latest product or try to next big thing in workouts...
You can turn anything into a rocket science if you analyze it enough, but the fact remains that the principles of improving muscular strength and size remain the same as they were twenty years ago and they are very, very simple.
#1 Go with compound movements for maximum results.
#2 Your range of repetitions will help you target hypertrophy.
#3 Diet is important even when it comes to adding size.
It might seem quite simple, given the number of next big thing plans out there which promise to give the the 'secrets' of building a better body, but those three rules are dynamite in your pocket. If you can take advantage of those three steps you will not have any issues building the body you desire.
Building your workout routine around one or two compound exercises is a great way to start. Usually, people perform way too many isolation movements and way too few compounds. If you're unsure what they are, think bench press and deadlift. These large multiple joint exercises will force far more hypertrophy than exercises which try to isolate only one muscle.
Remember, you are not at the gym to train your ego. Take a glance at the dumbbell section the next time you go to the gym and I'm sure you will notice many people training their 'ego muscles', i.e. tons of bicep curls and tricep pushdowns but zero squats or wide grip pull ups. The ironic thing is those guys are clearly striving to increase their size but are unwittingly holding their own progress back by avoiding the proven exercises in favor of what gives them a better temporary pump.
After asking what exercises work best, the second most popular question is undoubtedly how much weight should be lifted on each exercise. Obviously, everybody has different capabilities here and what is light for one person might be too heavy for the next. This is why you need to learn how to optimize your rep range to suit your overall goal.
The ideal rep range for size and strength is anywhere between 8 and 12. You can use this as a system to monitor your progress and learn when to increase the resistance, too. Once you can comfortably perform twelve reps you need to increase the resistance, trying to stay within that 8-12 zone the entire time.
It's also worth mentioning the important role your diet plays in the results you achieve. You can't expect to build a great body if you are feeding it junk, after all. Many guys believe that diets are just for girls, but if you don't look after your nutrition you are writing off most of your results before you even get to the gym.
All calories are not creating on an equal playing field. It's important to realize that two people eating the same number of calories could get totally different results, as one could be feasting on junk food whereas the other is quite healthy. A split of 30%, 50% and 20% between protein, carbs and fats respectively will be a good start.
If you've had a certain body part which has proved difficult to get results with, you will find that the three steps will help you to bring it back up to speed. So before you spend hours pouring over the best shoulder building exercises or top chest workouts we recommend getting on top of the basics first.
If you previously felt a little lost and confused with all of the information out there giving you contradicting advice on how to build muscle you should now notice a new-found self confidence. Knowing the proven principles of size and strength training puts you on a fantastic platform to build from.
About the Author:
Writer: Russ Howe PTI is a popular personal trainer. Learn how to build muscle with our free video guide showing the five steps to a more muscular body and the best shoulder building exercises.
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