Muscle Building

How many reps do I need?

How many reps you need to do depends on your goals. As a guideline try and stay within 2 to 6 reps for strength and power, 8 to 12 reps for muscle size and 15 to 20 reps for endurance. If  our goal is to build muscle then your reps range should be around 8 to 12 reps i.e. the weight should be heavy enough to allow only 8 reps, actually you should only be able to get 6 reps with great difficulty on the 6th, but you need to continue on to fight for those last 2 reps, it should be an absolute struggle to get those last two reps. That’s where the muscle growth is. You always need someone there to watch over you when you are performing reps like these. On your next visit you should aim for 9 reps, then 10, 11 and 12, these reps should also be a struggle. When the time comes that you can force out 12 reps with great difficulty, it’s time to up the weight.

How many sets for muscle growth?

Not counting warm ups, 1 good heavy set is enough to induce muscle growth, if done correctly to total muscular failure, however, very few people can or know how to use the 1 set principle correctly so 2 to 3 heavy sets is usually better to ensure muscle growth stimulation. Anything above 3 sets per exercise is usually a waste of time and recovery energy.

How many days a week should I workout?

You should workout 2 to 4 days a week and no more. You simply cannot fully recover and grow when you are working out 5 and six days a week. It usually takes 48 to 72 hours for a muscle group to recover from an intense weight training session. Only until after full body recovery will muscle growth happen. An every other day routine is good.

What exercises should I be doing for muscle mass?

You should be doing the heavy basic exercises like squats, dead lifts, and basic presses. These are the exercises when done correctly and safely will produce the best results for muscle mass. The “simple” isolation exercises can be added on later when you have gained a respectable amount of muscle from the basics. Don’t waste your energy doing isolations if your goal is muscle mass fast.

How much rest between sets?

As much as you need. You should allow your body to recover between sets and let your breathing return too normal. Usually 1 to 2 minutes sometimes you’ll need 3 or more minutes to recover, it depends on the exercise and how hard you pushed yourself.

Should I warm up?

Yes you should warm up, it is very important that you do, but just don’t spend half the day doing so. A few light muscle stretches followed by a couple of light sets of the first exercise you are going to do that day. Then stretch again in between those light sets.

Should I stretch between sets?

You should stretch between sets on your first exercise only. Don’t over do the stretching, the idea is to loosen up muscle for heavy lifts, not burn out muscle before you execute heavy lifts.

Should I workout at home or join a gym?

It’s a matter of personal preference really. Do you like the gym atmosphere or would you rather the privacy of your own home. 3 questions to consider: Can you really concentrate at home to lift really heavy? have you someone there to help? Have you got enough weights and  equipment? If you’ve answered yes then maybe you could train at home for a while and see how you get on, otherwise I think the gym would be a better option for you.

Do I need a fitness trainer?

You could consider a fitness trainer if you find that no matter what you try to do, you are not getting the results you desire. If you find that you cannot concentrate on your workouts then you could consider hiring a personal trainer for a time.

What supplements do I need for muscle building?

If your diet is perfect then you don’t really need supplements to support muscle building, but whose diet is absolutely perfect? When it comes to supplements I find that the basics are great like Whey and casein protein powders, creatine, multivitamin/minerals, vitamin c, Vitamin e and zinc. There are “super supplements” available that you could try out for 8 to 12 weeks but I like to stick to the basics. How far you want to take supplementation depends on the individual’s goals.



Build Mass

If you are looking for a good bodybuilding routine for building mass, then I have a good one for you. There are so many routines out there, especially with the internet, that it is very easy to get confused about what works, who to listen to, how many sets, how many reps, how to to rest, the list goes on and on. However, notice that the title of this article is a simple bodybuilding routine for building mass. That is because if you have read any of my articles before, then you know how much I like to simplify things.

With that said, I have presented here a time-tested and time-honored bodybuilding routine for building mass that will guarantee results for anybody with the guts to work hard enough at it and finish it. It follows the old fashioned 5×5 system. If you have heard of it before but have never tried it, then now is the time.

This system has worked wonders for hundreds and probably thousands of weight trainers and bodybuilders alike in both building muscle and gaining strength. No matter how long and how fast bodybuilding will evolve, the 5×5 system will ALWAYS be a proven way to stack on gains like nothing else.

Here’s how it works: pick an exercise, and because compound exercises work the best, we will pick squats. Start off by doing 5 reps with relatively light weight to warm up. Next, add some more weight, and do another 5 reps. Now that you are warmed up, jump to your working weight that you can do for 5 reps and do 3 sets with this weight. Since you are looking to gain more mass, then keep your rest periods between 1 and 2 minutes; if you were looking to build more strength, then 3 minute rests would be more fitting.

Now, next time you do squats, add 5 more pounds to both your warm-up sets and your 3 working sets and do it again. The key is to keep adding five pounds each workout until you can’t complete 5 reps for one of your sets. What you would do is stay at that same weight until you can complete the 3 sets of 5 reps in good, clean form.

Remember to always keep your reps no higher then 5, even if you can do more. Staying with the 5×5 system is one of the best proven methods for building size and strength as fast as possible.

Now that you know how to perform the exercise in the 5×5 system, here is the whole bodybuilding routine for building mass that you can follow:

Monday/Wednesday/Friday

1) Barbell Squats

2) Bench Press

3) Barbell Rows or T-Bar Rows

4) Overhead Barbell Shoulder Press

5) Stiff-legged Deadlifts

6) Barbell Curls

Start off doing all of the following exercises three days a week, and as soon as you feel the weight getting heavier and harder to manage, you can switch to two days a week with two to three days in-between workouts for more recovery time. These are the granddaddy of muscle mass building exercises, and just because the routine looks simple doesn’t mean it will be easy, but most importantly, it will produce RESULTS.

Stay on this program for 2 to 3 months and as long as you are continuously adding weight and getting progressively stronger, your muscle mass will follow. Arthur Jones once stated long ago, “When you can curl 200 pounds for ten reps in perfect form, your upper arms will be as large as they need to be for any purpose associated with any sport just short of wrestling bears.”

Keep this concept in mind when you are on your journey to building muscle mass, for the stronger you are, the more potential you have for building muscle mass, and the 5×5 system is one of the best of its kind for building size and strength.

9 Simple Ways to Build Mass

Muscle mass is the epitome of true bodybuilding. There are three components involved in mass building, they are: balanced dietary program, anaerobic and proper weight lifting.

There are 9 simple ways in which you can increase your body mass.

1. Concentrate on the Eccentric

Muscle growth occurs as a result of muscle contraction when you are lifting the weight. Many people pay most attention to concentric phase when you are lifting and the muscle contracts. However hypertrophy can also be caused during the eccentric phase as the muscle increases in length.
Concentrating on the eccentric phase is a simple way to overload the muscles and in the process cause an increase in muscle mass.

2. Eat red meat & fish

Fish and red meat contains the essential omega 3 fatty acids. These fatty acids are crucial for the simple fact that they sensitize the muscles to insulin absorption. They assist amino acids to enter into the muscles while at the same time help in the preservation of glutamine stores.

3. You should take more Sodium in your diet.

Although most people oppose taking more sodium in the diet as it could lead to high blood pressure, for a bodybuilder sodium is quite vital. This is due to the fact that it contains essential minerals that are useful during muscle growth. Sodium also helps by enhancing the storage of carbohydrates and the absorption of amino acids. It also sensitizes the muscles to respond to insulin. The only disadvantage to body building is that it can lead to water retention.

4. Forget aerobic exercises

Aerobic exercises damage your chances of muscle building. This is because it burns up branched chain amino acids and essential glycogen in the body while at the same time messes with your strength gains. If you want to improve on your resting metabolic rate (RMR) so as to burn more calories then adding mass is the best way to go about it.

5. Emphasize heavy and intense lifting

The amount of growth your muscle acquires is largely affected by the stress your muscles experience during your heavy lifting. Therefore in order to increase the stress in your muscles which will lead to muscle-tear, you have to train with weights intensely.

6. Increase your calories

If you are on a low calorie diet, you will never acquire a proper nitrogen balance. This is the key ingredient necessary to support muscle recovery. This should however be restricted to a two day period, to avoid unwanted fat.

7. Rest

Give your body ample time to rest, so that your body can recover and add on mass. Rest allows your body time to increase anabolism and restore glycogen level.

8. Take a meal in the middle of the night.

For anabolism to take place you calories have to be in excess. Therefore in the middle of the night you should try and take a protein drink so as to stimulate additional growth.

9. Use Proper Supplements.

If you are a healthy individual with no health problems you should try out on the recommended supplements out there. They are rich in creatine which will give you the extra boost needed to gain more muscles.

Check out my other guides on: Protein Shakes and Ab Roller

gain muscle mass

How to build muscle mass fast is just like a sport involving muscles building activity. Building body mass is a great experience involving a perfect blend of discipline and technique. Adding mass muscle is not a one time job though, instead you need more efforts to retain the achieved shape of muscle. Some people think that adding mass muscle will increase their fat also which is totally wrong. After getting some experience, you can do many fat burning workouts without affecting your muscle shape. Some people also think that building body mass at the young age will stop their overall growth but it is also a myth.

There are 3 factors that you MUST HAVE in order to build muscle mass and quickly at that. And here they are:

#1 – More Protein

If you want to build muscle mass quickly then this is a “must”. Just remember, the only thing that can build muscle in your body is Protein. So if you’re not consuming enough protein it’s IMPOSSIBLE to build lean muscle mass and stack on the pounds.

In order to maintain your weight, you should be consuming 1 gram of protein for each pound of body weight. So if you’re a 150 lb. guy then in order to maintain your muscle mass at that weight you need to consume 150 grams of protein each day. And if you want to build muscle mass, you’re going to have to consume “more” protein, to not only maintain the muscles you have now but to build more.

So if you want to build muscle mass quickly and safely a general rule of thumb is to consume 1 – 2 grams of protein for each pound of body weight. So if you’re a 150lb. guy you’d want to consume at least 150 grams of protein upward to 300 grams of protein a day.

#2 – More Carbs

Despite what Dr. Atkins said, for all us skinny guys “Carbs are GOOD”. We need carbs as a source of energy. But you don’t want to consume just any ‘ol carbs. You want to consume a lot of complex carbs rather than simple carbs.

In other words, you still want to stay away from the sweets and simple sugars that are found in a lot of our junk food, and you want to consume more complex carbs like those found in whole wheat bread, brown rice, sweet potatoes, whole grain cereals, yams, spinach etc.

Why complex carbs? Because unlike simple carbs (sugars) it’s virtually impossible to turn complex carbs into fat – which means more energy to burn (work out with) and less fat to deal with in the end.

If you want to build muscle mass fast, ideally you’d want to consume 2 – 3 grams of carbs for each pound of bodyweight a day.

#3 – Heavy Weight Training

You cannot build muscle mass without “Heavy weight training“. Let’s just put it this way “the more stress (heavy weight) you put on your muscles, the more it will grow”. And it’s simply because when you put extreme stress on your muscle by lifting heavy weights, your body responds (builds more muscle) so that next time it won’t be as hard or strenuous on your body to lift the same weight.

Ideally, if you want to build muscle mass – lean muscle mass to be more specific, you’d want to lift weights that allow you to do 6-8 reps and no more.

Of course there’s a whole lot more to building muscle mass, but if you follow these 3 key ingredients you’ll be on the road to building lean muscle mass quickly and a whole lot easier than you ever thought possible. Good luck and grow “Massive”.

3 Simple Steps to Gain Muscle Mass Fast

Despite all the hard work, protein shakes, gym visits, calories of chicken and tuna are you still struggling to gain muscle mass fast? Well lucky for you I have discovered 3 of the best ways to gain muscle mass quickly. Follow these simple steps and you will start building big muscles all over your body. So let’s get started.

1. Squats and Dead lifts. These 2 big “animal exercises” are crucial for gaining muscle mass quickly. In fact squats and dead lifts workout over 75% of your musculature, including your back, shoulders, arms, gluts, hams, calves and core muscles. Truly an all in one workout exercise. Moreover these 2 exercises also result in greater levels of growth hormones being produced which means you will gain muscle mass fast all over your body. This is because squats and dead lifts have a strong level of intensity which other exercises don’t. This is particularly relevant for skinny guys and hard gainers. The best way to gain muscle mass.

2. Focus on compound exercises such as squats, leg presses, dead lifts, bench presses, barbell rows, pull ups, chin ups, over head presses, and dips. These exercises are must do’s if you want to gain muscle mass fast because they focus on the strong muscles. A lot of people who want to know how to gain muscle mass quickly focus on things like calves and arms and wonder why they never get really bulked up. Focus on weak muscles and that’s exactly what you will get.

3. Time your rest periods. A key aspect of gaining muscle mass quickly is using a stopwatch and timing your rest periods properly. The higher the number of reps, the shorter the rest period and the lower the number of reps the longer the rest period. If you are training for maximum strength then you need to take between 3-5 minutes break between each set. If you are taking a shorter period then you are not working out properly. Further if you are trying to get maximum muscle gain this requires shorter break times of 30-90 seconds. Also if you rest times are not the same, you cannot monitor your true improvement.

Building body mass primarily needs firm determination, commitment, a well defined target and the right approach. Before you start though you need to know how to apply the right approach for gaining lean muscle or adding muscle mass without knowing the basic factors involved in building body mass.

You may want to check out my other articles on: Building Muscle and Lifetime Fitness

bodybuilding muscle

Most people believe that the correct way to train is to follow one of the training programs in the hardcore bodybuilding magazines or to imitate some Pro Bodybuilders training routine.

Unfortunately ALL of the Pros and some of the amateur bodybuilders are genetically gifted and/or are taking steroids. The methods they use and what they have learned about how to build muscle does not apply.

For the rest of us who want to increase our muscle size, reduce our body fat percentages and build more strength naturally… doing their routines will get us no where or worse yet… injured!

Why The Need To Train Differently?

We need train much differently then they do. Why? Our bodies… without the aid of steroids will not recover as quickly.

So that you can understand how to build muscle… I have put together these tips to help you build muscle fast!

Bear in mind that the 4 most powerful ingredients in building muscle are…

• Progressive Resistance: Whatever exercise equipment or method of training you use… you must ALWAYS strive to add more resistance. The human body adapts too quickly and needs to be “shocked” into growth. This is key part of how to build muscle!
• Nutrition: It is almost impossible to build muscle and lose fat. The two goals are at opposite ends. To grow we must “feed” our muscles… to burn fat we need to reduce calories and increase our metabolic rate so that we burn more fat. There is a proven way of achieving this goal and on this site you will find the answers. The truth is that nutrition is the key element on how to build muscle!
• Motivation: This is were everyone loses it! How many people have spent thousands of dollars on home gyms that just become expensive clothes hangers? Well rest easy I will share with you time-tested and proven motivational techniques that when applied will keep your motivational fires burning!
• Proper Rest: Muscles don’t grow while exercising… they grow while you are sleeping! There are certain foods that you can eat and specific supplements that will aid you in recovery and faster muscle growth.

Here are a collection of tips to guide you along the way… HOW TO BUILD MUSCLE TIPS:

1. Build More Strength: Have you ever seen a power lifter? Franco Colombo who was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s training partner was one of the most densely muscled bodybuilders of his day.

Even Arnold admitted once that if Franco was taller he might have beaten him. Why is this important? Well strength is a major component of building muscle. More strength is more muscle. I recommend that you get get into strength training.

There are many different pieces of equipment you can use from expensive home gyms to simple and inexpensive exercise equipment. I don’t believe that free weights or weight lifting is a MUST! There have been too many case studies and scientific research done.

NASA and others have recently revealed that simple resistance bands or similar equipment yields excellent results… but if you have the money and the room in your house then by all means check out our home gym reviews.

For now I will recommend simple body weight exercises and inexpensive exercise devices.

Here are some methods that will help you build muscle:

• Exercise Equipment: Resistance bands, adjustable dumbbells, chin up bars and Isometric exercise equipment are all great choices.
• Weight Lifting: Free weights are good at building strength and muscle size although not necessary in the beginning. Do learn proper breathing and exercise procedure. Always remember the most important component of building muscle size is “progressive resistance”… so remember to add more resistance or weight each time you workout.
• Calisthenics: Pull-ups, Push-ups, Dips, squat thrusts, Reverse Crunches, etc. remember to increase the difficulty of the exercise or add weight consistently to guarantee maximum muscle growth.

2. If you have the room/gym membership… Use Free Weights: Using a barbell you can lift the heaviest weight. More resistance = more muscle building stress. Dumbbells are effective in building the stabilizer muscles and are a great aid in shaping and defining a muscle… but for sheer mass and size use as many barbell exercises as possible. Please don’t use machines if you can help it.

Here are the main benefits of free weights…

• Safety. Free weights use your bodies own alignment unlike machines that force you into their “groove.”
• Effectiveness: Free weights allow you to control and balance the weight. This builds more muscle than machines
• Versatility: You can perform many different exercises with one barbell. Although for some exercises you will need someone to aid you as well as needing a flat bench.

3. Train Your Legs: Doing Squats, properly works your entire body… they’re one of the most important exercise. Your muscles will become thicker and more dense once you can squat one and a half times your body weight. You can do many different types of squats without free weights such as… “Hindu Squats” or “Wall Squats.”

Remember to squat no further than a 90 degree angle… to go any deeper puts unneeded strain on your knees! Also squatting past a 90 degree angle with free weights will tend to increase your hip size and as a result give you an unattractive bigger and wider looking butt. Most people don’t exercise their legs enough favoring their chest, arms and shoulders.

In this HOW TO BUILD MUSCLE GUIDE… I want to stress the importance of leg training, if only to make you aware of the huge release of testosterone and growth hormone that occurs from a heavy leg workout. Two ingredients that are necessary to build muscle fast!

4. Train your complete body:. How to build muscle research has revealed that natural bodybuilders should work each body part at least 2 times per week. So forget the split routines. Get a complete body workout at least twice each week.

5. Eat REAL Food: By eating whole foods you will consume more muscle building nutrients than eating processed food. You’ll lower your body fat as well from taking in less junk. Here are the recommended food groups

• Protein- Red meat, chicken, fish, whey protein supplements, eggs, milk is a great muscle builder
• Carb’s- Brown rice, wheat oats, whole grain pasta
• Vegetables, broccoli, tomato, salad, carrot
• Fruit- Apples, bananas, pears etc…
• Fats- Fish oils, flax seed oil (can be purchased at a local health food store) olive oil, nuts

6. Eat Plenty of Protein: The recommended amount of protein is… 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight. So if you weight 200 pounds for example you should consume no less than 200 grams! Preferably if you want to grow eat…300 grams of protein per day. Here are some great sources of protein.

• Red Meat. Ground round, steaks, buffalo, …
• Poultry. Chicken breast, whole chicken, turkey…
• Fish. Tuna, salmon, sardines, mackerel, …
• Eggs. Eat the entire egg. Research has found that the cholesterol in the yolk is actually good for you.
• Dairy. Milk it DOES make the body good, cottage cheese, yogurt

7. ALWAYS Have A Post-Workout Meal: You need protein for muscle growth & recovery. Consume a protein and carb meal no later than 30 minutes after your workout.

A post workout protein shake is excellent for this. The best protein to use for the post workout is a combination of whey and casein protein.

Following the tips in this How To Build Muscle Guide will guarantee your success in building muscle mass fast! build-muscle-guide.com

Please also check out my other guide on: abs and elliptical trainer