Every single day as a Personal Trainer I am asked how to build muscle by guys looking to pack on some additional size. Some have struggled for years, others are just starting out. Either way, this is an issue which has the vast majority of gym users confused.
Today we answer this question for you. Right here, right now.
Before you start you need to work out your overall goal. Do you want to lose body fat or do you want to focus on size and strength? Most guys want to have both benefits but we'll explain today why you need to make a choice so you don't get stuck in that awful middle ground where you don't fully commit to either and, as a result, don't get the results of either.
The fact is this goal makes it harder for you to succeed. If you're not used to training you may find that you get the best of both worlds for the first month or so but after your body adapts to your new training lifestyle those results slow down. You need to make a choice.
Most people assume what they do in the gym will determine whether they get bigger or lose fat. This is incorrect. This mainly comes down to diet. In order to get bigger you must eat more than you do now each day, whereas to cut you'll need to eat less. So this is why we must make a choice, depending on our individual goals.
Most people try to fit a workout in after a hard day at our jobs or when our family life permits us a break, so we are not able to construct a complex workout routine or the nutritional plan of a top athlete, therefore we need to decide what we want to do and stick with it.
Once you have simply decided what you want to achieve, you can begin dieting for that specific goal and then we're ready to begin looking at your actual workout routine. We'll cover the following aspects here:
* Which exercises are best?
* How often should you train?
* How many reps and sets are optimal?
The best way to add size is to go back to basics with the iron. When you hit the weights keep the focus on big, proven, compound exercises such as deadlifts, squats and pull ups. These movements are proven to help you pack on the most size and strength in the quickest possible time. Don't spend needless hours working tiny muscle groups.
Another common mistake is to train too often. When you're trying to build there is a great need for rest. Training no more than four days per week is best, and you should also be splitting each day to hit a different muscle group than the one before. You may wish to train every day once you begin enjoying the buzz from working out, but this leads nowhere. Rest days are in fact growth days.
When trying to figure out how many reps you should do to add size and strength this simple system will help you on every exercise you perform. Your reps should land between 8-12, the ideal zone for hypertrophy (growth). Good for you if you can perform 100 reps on a bench press with a certain weight, but it will not make you any bigger. Once you can push beyond twelve the resistance should be knocked up.
The world of fitness is an often over complicated one. If you ask five trainers for tips on how to build muscle you will probably get five different answers. The tips above will help you to get down the basics!
Today we answer this question for you. Right here, right now.
Before you start you need to work out your overall goal. Do you want to lose body fat or do you want to focus on size and strength? Most guys want to have both benefits but we'll explain today why you need to make a choice so you don't get stuck in that awful middle ground where you don't fully commit to either and, as a result, don't get the results of either.
The fact is this goal makes it harder for you to succeed. If you're not used to training you may find that you get the best of both worlds for the first month or so but after your body adapts to your new training lifestyle those results slow down. You need to make a choice.
Most people assume what they do in the gym will determine whether they get bigger or lose fat. This is incorrect. This mainly comes down to diet. In order to get bigger you must eat more than you do now each day, whereas to cut you'll need to eat less. So this is why we must make a choice, depending on our individual goals.
Most people try to fit a workout in after a hard day at our jobs or when our family life permits us a break, so we are not able to construct a complex workout routine or the nutritional plan of a top athlete, therefore we need to decide what we want to do and stick with it.
Once you have simply decided what you want to achieve, you can begin dieting for that specific goal and then we're ready to begin looking at your actual workout routine. We'll cover the following aspects here:
* Which exercises are best?
* How often should you train?
* How many reps and sets are optimal?
The best way to add size is to go back to basics with the iron. When you hit the weights keep the focus on big, proven, compound exercises such as deadlifts, squats and pull ups. These movements are proven to help you pack on the most size and strength in the quickest possible time. Don't spend needless hours working tiny muscle groups.
Another common mistake is to train too often. When you're trying to build there is a great need for rest. Training no more than four days per week is best, and you should also be splitting each day to hit a different muscle group than the one before. You may wish to train every day once you begin enjoying the buzz from working out, but this leads nowhere. Rest days are in fact growth days.
When trying to figure out how many reps you should do to add size and strength this simple system will help you on every exercise you perform. Your reps should land between 8-12, the ideal zone for hypertrophy (growth). Good for you if you can perform 100 reps on a bench press with a certain weight, but it will not make you any bigger. Once you can push beyond twelve the resistance should be knocked up.
The world of fitness is an often over complicated one. If you ask five trainers for tips on how to build muscle you will probably get five different answers. The tips above will help you to get down the basics!
About the Author:
Bio: Russ Howe PTI is a popular fitness coach. Learn how to build muscle with our new video guide giving the 5 principles to a more muscular physique and the best shoulder building exercises.
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