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.
You may be scrambling back to re-read what we just said but don't worry we did not make a mistake. We will show you how to get results within a couple of months, not a couple of years.
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 Know your compound exercises and use them.
#2 The rep range you aim for will help to determine what type of results you get.
#3 Diet is important even when it comes to adding size.
While many people struggle to learn how to get results from their exercise routine, those who do achieve success learn that the important factors lie in getting the basics right. The three point system you see above gives you the key to reaching your goal.
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.
Finding out which exercises yield maximum results is a good start, but you'll also need to know how many reps you should be doing, too. Furthermore, you'll need a way to keep your lifts from hitting a plateau.
Studies show that optimum strength gains are achieved when we try to hit the hypertrophy zone, which means pushing for 8-12 reps with your main resistance exercises. If you're smart you can also use that as a system to tell you when you need to increase the weight. Think about it for a second, when you can get more than 12 reps out you are no longer in the ideal zone for building, therefore you should think about increasing the weights.
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.
Instead of looking at how many calories you eat per day try looking at what those calories are made up with. You may find that you are already eating enough food, but the sources of the food could be changed to increase your results. Try aiming to split your calories between 30% protein, 50% carbohydrates and 20% fats.
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.
You may be scrambling back to re-read what we just said but don't worry we did not make a mistake. We will show you how to get results within a couple of months, not a couple of years.
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 Know your compound exercises and use them.
#2 The rep range you aim for will help to determine what type of results you get.
#3 Diet is important even when it comes to adding size.
While many people struggle to learn how to get results from their exercise routine, those who do achieve success learn that the important factors lie in getting the basics right. The three point system you see above gives you the key to reaching your goal.
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.
Finding out which exercises yield maximum results is a good start, but you'll also need to know how many reps you should be doing, too. Furthermore, you'll need a way to keep your lifts from hitting a plateau.
Studies show that optimum strength gains are achieved when we try to hit the hypertrophy zone, which means pushing for 8-12 reps with your main resistance exercises. If you're smart you can also use that as a system to tell you when you need to increase the weight. Think about it for a second, when you can get more than 12 reps out you are no longer in the ideal zone for building, therefore you should think about increasing the weights.
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.
Instead of looking at how many calories you eat per day try looking at what those calories are made up with. You may find that you are already eating enough food, but the sources of the food could be changed to increase your results. Try aiming to split your calories between 30% protein, 50% carbohydrates and 20% fats.
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:
About the Writer: Russ Howe PTI is a popular fitness coach. See how to build muscle with our free video guide giving the 5 steps to a more muscular physique and the best shoulder building exercises.
