Muscle-Build

As fitness enthusiasts, we sometimes make things too complicated. We read about the latest exercise technique or current diet fad, and we either add it to our existing program or we drop our current program (that may or may not be working) in exchange for the "latest and greatest" program.

This is a prescription for failure and frustration.

I am a firm believer in keeping up to date with the current news in the industry. But it's not just for the education. It's to caution others not to believe everything they read; some of the stuff purported by the "experts" is pure and simple crap.

We as members of the human species really haven't changed much in the last 100 years; what worked in 1910 will work in 2010. We have the benefit of 100 years of knowledge, and we certainly do live longer, but do we live a higher quality of life, given the fact that we no longer have to hunt for food, dig for water, and gather good fruits and vegetables?

I am not so sure.

It seems what with all the progress we've made with respect to a ready water supply and food, that we'd be healthier than 100 years ago. Yet the data shows we're fatter, are more disposed to cancer and heart disease, and certainly suffer from maladies that were never even thought of in 1910.

Of course, we also don't have widespread epidemics (new word, "pandemic"), famine, or dirty water.

I think in a lot of ways we've made things too complicated. Our fitness programs should be simple, quick, and to the point. 20 minutes of strength training coupled with 30 minutes of cardio and stretching and you're going to develop 80 to 90 percent of the fitness as somebody training much longer and harder.

You don't need esoteric equipment, either. You simply need the basics like pushups, pullups, planks, squats, deadlifts, and presses (bench and overhead). Simple pushes and pulls. No need for $20,000 pieces of equipment or $200 a month gym fees.

Pick a old-school bodybuilding gym, or a more fancy 24 hour fitness, but nothing more. You don't need a climbing wall, elliptical machines or anything like that. Running shoes, good wicking shorts and a shirt, good socks, and you're set up for running and/or walking.

Do some simple stretching, practice some yoga, and you're on your way to becoming a fit individual.

Get back to basics and get fit in 1/2 the time!

by Bill Davis

As a long-time weight trainer, I am often surprised at how little progressive resistance weight training is used in many people's fitness programs. A lot of people who either are very fit or who want to get fit use running, cycling, or some other aerobic activity as a tool to build fitness. Aerobic activity, also known as "cardio," works, too.

But it's just one component of overall fitness. A comprehensive fitness program seeks to build cardiovascular strength and endurance, balanced muscular strength and endurance, as well as good joint health and flexibility.

Running, for example, builds good cardiovascular fitness as well as some leg strength. However, running without stretching can make your joints less flexible and the strength imbalances caused by excessively running can cause other injuries, like shin splints, lower back pain, and knee injuries.

To mitigate these drawbacks of running, you should incorporate a good weight training and flexibility program. Contrary to the myth, weight training can actually improve joint mobility; it also evens out any muscle imbalances you may develop through running because you can specifically target muscles that are neglected while running (like hamstrings, the fronts of your lower legs, and your core, to name just a few).

I don't mean to pick on running. It's a very effective exercise that serves a critical fitness purpose. However, it is not a "be all, end all" exercise. Nor is weight training, yoge, pilates, or any other single form of exercise.

I am suggesting, however, that in order to build complete fitness, you must exercise in a variety of ways. Running or jogging, cycling, yoga, dance, other forms of aerobics, and pilates (and many, many more) must be supplemented with strength training, and the most effective form of strength training is - by far - weight resistance training.

Hit the Weights
By no means do you have to join a gym. You can perform weight resistance training using simple exercises like pull ups and pushups, as well as using simple dumbbells or bands for resistance.

The key, however, is progressive resistance. This means that as you get stronger, you add resistance to each exercise so that you continuously place ever-increasing stress on your muscles. This is the ONLY way that they'll get stronger.

Now, you certainly do not have to train like a professional bodybuilder or Olympic weight lifter (though you could) to get totally fit. In fact, you only need a few minutes each day to round out your strength program. I train with weights for about 20 minutes a day. Here's what I do:

Day 1
Legs & Arms (and Calves)

Day 2
Chest, Back, and Shoulders (and Calves)

Alternate between Day 1 and Day 2 every day (or every other day, depending on your intensity level - higher intensity means you need more rest between workouts and less workouts per week).

Specific exercises will include compound movements like squats, bench presses, pulldowns and rows, overhead presses, and deadlifts. Do 2-4 sets per major body part (chest, legs, back, shoulders, and calves) and 1-2 sets for the biceps and triceps.

As you can see, adding a strength-building component to your fitness training arsenal is a critical component to building overall fitness and it's easy to do!

If you have specific fitness-related questions, ask them on my "Fitness Unguru" page. I've been a fitness advocate for over 30 years and I have a wealth of experience with building fitness, strength, flexibility, and overall health.

Article Source: How to Incorporate Weight Resistance Training into Your Fitness Program

I've just completed a Special Report, called The Hard Gainer's Manifesto, where I lay out all the important stuff you need to know to build muscle, gain weight, and bulk up. This report was created just for hardgainers.

You know who you are!

It took me over 20 years to crack the hardgainer code, and I'm telling you now EXACTLY how to put muscle on if you're a hardgainer.

(By the way, even if you're not a hardgainer, you WILL build muscle with this program. I promise. In fact, you'll build mass faster than you ever have.)

FULL DISCLOSURE: This is not a free report. It costs $37. I think it's a small price to pay for 30+ years of experience. You can literally start gaining muscle and weight right away on this program.

End of commercial :)

Building muscle is one of the hardest things to do. It requires a unique blend of exercise, nutrition, and recuperation. Muscles grow through stressing them more and more, but then nourishing them and giving them the rest they need to grow.

Muscles grow only when resting. They won't grow at all without enough rest, the right nutrition, and the right amount of exercise.

The best form of exercise for building muscle is progressive resistance weight training; in other words, weight lifting or bodybuilding.

To make a muscle grow, you have to stimulate its growth. You do this by stressing the muscle more each successive workout. The optimum bodybuilding routine has a lot of variation, too, as muscles grow through different mechanisms. If you watch experienced professional bodybuilders, you may be surprised to find that one day, they work out with sets of 6 reps, the next sets of 15! This workout, 8 sets, next workout 12.

Variety is indeed the spice of life, and it's one of the most important things you can do to stimulate the maximum muscle development.

One of the things an aspiring bodybuilder must do is lift with maximum intensity nearly every workout. Whether you do 8 sets of 8 or 2 sets of 20, the last rep or two of every set you do should be very difficult. This is what is meant by high, or maximum, intensity.

Nutrition plays a critical role in building muscle. You have to eat high quality protein like that from eggs, milk, lean beef, chicken, and fish. Carbs have to come from raw vegetables, whole grains, and to a lesser extent fruit. Finally, fat has to be consumed, too. You'll find that no fat diets just don't work. They don't work for losing bodyfat, nor do they work for building muscle. There's a reason that the best protein sources contain fat -- protein isn't synthesized and assimilated properly without fat.

To start, a diet of 50-40-10 (carbs, protein, fat) should be followed, and you should get 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. Adjust as necessary.

Finally, you have to get adequate rest. Get the diet right, and workout right, and get little sleep and you'll get zero results. If you're trying to gain weight, you'll need 7-9 hours of sleep. Again, adjust accordingly.

As you can see, building muscle requires a three-pronged approach: Exercise, diet, and rest.

If you want to build muscle fast, stick to the basics. And by basics, I mean complex movements like Squats, Bench Presses, Bent Rows and Pull-ups, and Military Presses.

Perform 6-10 reps for the upper body movements and 10-15 reps for the lower body and ab movements.

A typical muscle-building routine is as follows:

Day 1

• Squats
• Calf presses
• Barbell curls
• Tricep extensions

Day 2

• Bent Rows
• Bench Presses
• Parallel Bar Dips
• Military Presses

Do a little ab work, like crunches and planks. Don't over do it. Some will tell you that if you want to bulk up quickly, don't bother doing any ab work at all. I belong to that camp, believing that it can stunt your muscle growth.

At first, do one set of each exercise. Then build up, one set at a time, to 3 sets for the complex exercises, and two sets for the isolation movements.

You'll find that if you work to failure in these movements that you'll be very sore after each work out. In that light, keeping in mind that muscles depend not only on exercise and nutrition but also on adequate rest, work out Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, alternating Day 1 and Day 2. Rest the weekend.

Make sure you're getting at least one gram of protein for each pound of body weight. Cut out the soda and simple sugars like fruit juice, white bread, and processed food. Eat a protein and vegetable each meal and your nutrition should be up to snuff.

In order to get in one gram per pound of body weight, you'll need to eat after-meal snacks (between breakfast and lunch, lunch and dinner, and after dinner right before bed). MetRx or some other protein powder will suffice.

If you want to accelerate your growth, take in some branch-chain amino acids (BCAAs) along with glutamine and creatine. I've got a "creatine report" on my Muscle-Build.com blog that shows how to best start a creatine supplementation program.

I wrote a post over at Muscle-Build.com about 2 ways to use Leg Extensions in your workouts.

Hardgainer Workout

I'm going to show you a workout routine that will build muscle faster than anything you've ever tried before - all in less than 30 minutes a day.

And get this - you'll train every other day!

How cool is that :)

While this simple method works for every body, it is especially effective with skinny hardgainers. You know, guys who can't gain weight even if they hook themselves up to an IV dripping pure whey protein shakes into their veins!

Here are the main concepts that you'll come to know, understand, and love:

* We'll stick mostly to compound movements that hit multiple body parts at the same time. No isolation exercises here (form the most part).

* 2-4 sets per exercise, depending on your experience.

* 6-10 reps are best for adding size.

* We'll set you up on a 2-way split routine that works wonders.

* Training is done on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (or some other variation that gives you every other day off from training).

There will be a "Workout A" and a "Workout B" - simply alternate the two every workout.

Here's the plan:

Workout A

* Squat

* Calf Press

* Tricep Extension

* Barbell Curl

Workout B

* Bench Press

* Pull-down

* Overhead Press

As you can see, the split consists of a "Legs & Arms" day for Workout A and a "Torso" day for Workout B. Do 2-4 sets of 6-10 reps for each exercise above.

You should be able to get through either workout in less than 30 minutes. If you can't, you're resting too long between sets.

The goal with every workout is to push just a little more weight than the last time.

I suggest you use this program for 4 to 6 weeks and then go on a maintenance regimen for a few weeks (2 to 3 weeks). You can learn more about this specific strategy at the Stair Step Training System website.

Remember that eating and recovery have to be done right in order to make any gains in muscle size.

For more dynamite hardgainer tips, check out the Hardgainer Manifesto.

Doing business as a personal training specialist, there is one type of question I get at all times that illustrates that most people are missing the big picture about the advantages of lifting weights. This common question ordinarily goes something like this:

"Exactly what exercise can one do to isolate my _______ (insert your muscle of choice - ab muscles, quads, biceps, triceps, etc)?"

No matter which muscle an individual is actually asking about, they always look like asking how you can 'isolate' it. My primary reaction to this particular concern is usually - Exactly why in the world might you need to isolate it?

The first thing I try to show my clientele is that the human body can not work very well with muscle isolation. Rather, it truly does work better in exercises along a kinetic chain; that is, large portions of the body benefit other portions of the body in finishing a complex movement. The truth is, there actually is no such thing as true muscle isolation. There exists almost always a nearby muscle designed to help in some manner with whichever activity you do. Nevertheless, this post compares trying to 'isolate' body parts by way of single-joint exercises to the far more valuable method of carrying out multi-joint complex movements.

If you make an effort to 'isolate' muscles by doing single-joint exercises, you are actually developing a body that is non-functional and you will be a lot more susceptible to injury. Fundamentally, you're developing a body that is the compilation of parts of the body, rather than a potent, useful unit that works well together.

Right now in case you want to end up hobbling around inside a body bandaged up with joint problems, tendonitis, and excessive body fat, then go for it, continue attempting to 'isolate' areas of the body. However, if you prefer to possess a slim, muscular, injury-free, useful body that works well like a total powerful unit to perform complex movements (in athletics and even everyday jobs), then you need to shift your concentration far from muscle isolation. Believe me, emphasizing how well your own body functions provides you with the side effect of a physique that appears better than it might have if you centered on muscle isolation. For instance, check out the physiques of any NFL running backs, wide receivers, as well as world class sprinters. Trust me when I say that these people virtually NEVER workout for muscle isolation (their strength coaches wouldn't be insane enough to let them), yet they are absolutely torn to shreds! Just take a look at fellas like Maurice Green or Terrell Owens and let me know who wouldn't want a physique like those guys.

Another benefit to leaving the 'muscle isolation' attitude to a more 'complex movement' attitude is that you will find it's much easier to shed body fat. The reason is that by focusing more about multi-joint complex movements instead of single-joint muscle isolation, you not only burn a great deal more calories during every exercise routine, however, you may also increase your energy, and activate production of a lot more fat burning and muscle building hormones like growth hormone and testosterone.

Let's look at a good example. The machine leg extension is a single joint exercise that works mostly the quadriceps, could result in knee joint instability in the end, and doesn't even melt away that many calories. Alternatively, exercises like squats, lunges, step-ups, and deadlifts are multi-joint complex actions that actually work hundreds of muscles in the body (such as the quadriceps) as a functional unit, produce more stable and powerful joints in the end (when completed properly), as well as burn off huge amounts of calories when compared to single-joint exercises.

For more hardgainer training tips, check out The Hardgainer Manifesto.