Muscle Building FAQ

There’s a lot of talk about creatine, is it any good?

Yes it is good, it’s very good. Creatine increases energy production in the muscle cells so you can lift heavier and for longer. Creatine helps you to quickly gain weight making you stronger, and the more you can lift means the more muscle fibres you can stimulate for muscle growth. It pulls fluid into the muscle cells making you look bigger.

What type of protein powder is the best?

There is no real best when it comes to protein powders but Whey protein isolate (WPI) is a fast acting protein and is better than whey protein concentrate because it is purer and has a higher BV (biological value) around 170 compared to 104 for the concentrate which means that the WPI can be used more efficiently by the body. The higher the BV the better. Egg Protein has a BV of 100. Milk protein i.e. whey and casein has a BV of 85 and Beef Proteins about 75.

When should I take protein shakes?

You should take protein shakes (whey protein) before and after a training session i.e. about 30 minutes before and within 1 hour after. You can take a casein protein last thing at night for a steady flow of amino acids for growth and repair while you sleep. On non-training days you can take the whey protein anytime.

Should I eat anything before bed?

You should not eat anything before bed because it could keep you awake all night, especially if you eat a carbohydrate food. Having said that, you can take a casein protein supplement without your sleep being affected.

How can I speed up recovery?

You can speed up recovery by taking a creatine supplement immediately after a workout and about 40 minutes later take a whey protein supplement, then within an hour after that have a highly nutritious real meal supplemented with vitamins and minerals. Vitamin c and e is great for fast recovery.

Should I wear a lifting belt?

Some people find lifting belts great while others can’t stand them. I would recommend you wear a lifting belt on your heavy sets and on your heavy sets only, like squats, dead lifts, shoulder presses and bent rows.

Should I wear gloves?

You don’t really need gloves. It’s a matter of personal preference. Some people will tell you that gloves help them lift more weight, while others will tell you that it detracts from their lifting strength. I like to wear gloves because they give me a better grip on the bar.

How many reps for building strength?

To build strength you need to concentrate on low reps with very very heavy weights. Reps should be in the 2 to 6 range and the weight should be heavy enough to only allow you perform 2 to 6 reps. You should always have help on standby when you are lifting like this.

How do I bring out my abs?

To bring out your abs you need to watch your diet closer and cut out all the junk with the empty high calories like cakes and sodas. You could do 3 exercises in tri set style eg: Crunches 1 x 15 then hanging leg raises 1 x 15 then onto lying leg raises 1 x 15 repeat 4 times dropping the reps i.e. 12,10,8s. Rest between sets is as long as it takes you to walk over to the abs exercise area or about 20 seconds rest.

Should women lift weights?

Yes women should definitely lift weights. Lifting weights will be a great help in their weight loss, health or fitness goals. Some women believe they will get huge muscles if they lift weights, this is not true, women don’t have enough of the male hormone muscle builder testosterone. Weight lifting is a truly excellent form of exercise not just for men.

Build Muscle Mass

There’s never a waiting list for the rowing machine. But if you use the right form and regimen, this floor skimmer can torch more calories than a treadmill, build your upper body into a broad V shape, and injury-proof your lower back. To make it work, you first need to find a groove, says Bill Manning, an assistant rowing coach at Harvard University. “If you don’t have rhythm, you’ll tire quickly and won’t yield serious output.” Follow Manning’s tips and workouts to reap the benefits of rowing.

Your Perfect-Form Primer

1. Sit with your legs bent, shins nearly vertical. Lean your upper body toward your knees but keep your back and shoulders straight. Hold your arms in front of you and grab the handle with an overhand grip, wrists flat.

2. Without moving your arms or leaning backward, push off with your legs, driving your feet into the stirrups while keeping your back straight.

3. When the handle is over your knees, pull the bar toward your lower chest. Lean your upper body back until your shoulders are behind your pelvis. Draw your elbows behind you and continue to push with your legs.

4. As the bar touches your lower chest, squeeze your shoulder blades together. Relax your arms, let the cable gently pull your arms back toward the flywheel, and lean forward at the hips. Once the handle passes your extended knees, bend them to slide forward on the seat.

Common mistakes, like hunching your shoulders and leaning too far back, diminish pulling power and strain your back.

The Workouts

Day 1 The Pyramid

Row hard (90 percent of your maximum) for 5 strokes and then do 5 easy (60 percent). Now row 10 hard and 10 easy. Repeat but increase your count to 15 each, then 20, 25, and 30. Next, go back down the pyramid, decreasing by intervals of 5. Repeat when you’re able.

Day 2 The 1-to-1

Row hard for 1 minute and then do 1 minute of easy strokes. Repeat, alternating hard and easy, for 15 to 20 minutes. Gradually increase your time to a half hour. Aim for 18 to 20 strokes per minute. After several sessions, shoot for 30 strokes per minute.

Day 3 The Sprint

Set your machine on a 500-meter interval program with 2 minutes of rest. Row at 75 percent of your max and then rest 2 minutes. Do 10 intervals.

I suggest you check out my other guides on: Home Fitness Equipment and Workout Exercises

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