Quick Muscle Building Tips — News and Programs To Help You Get Bigger and Stronger

A Forgotten Muscle Building Trick: Mechanical Drop Sets

Working out a lot but not getting results? Have ya hit a wall? Well changing up your workouts more often can be key to getting past those plateaus. There’s a lot of ways to vary up your workouts but one of the forgotten tricks (I mean methods, trix are for kids) is mechanical drop sets.

Brad Kelly has put together a good article on that to clear up some of the questions.

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Just like me, you have probably heard the same complaint 100 times and it goes something like this “I train as hard as I can, but never get any bigger!” I usually then will take it a step further and actually watch the person complaining “train” and in most cases am appalled. The fact is most gym goers need an extra push in their workouts, something truly challenging to move them to the next level. Doing barbell curls 5 sets of 12 and then tricep extensions 4 sets of 8 will only get you so far.

If I just tell people the type of training I do, and how often 90% of the time they will respond “That’s overtraining bro!”. But then if I show them the results, I made in just 9 months they change their mind and start asking more questions. If you want better results, you are going to have to train harder, that is the bottom line.

Luckily, for us, there are more ways to advance our training difficulty then merely adding weight to the bar, doing more reps or shortening our rest periods. The amount of advanced training principles you can employ are almost endless, just to give you some ideas I will quickly list a few off the top of my head.

Super Sets
Tri Sets
Giant Sets
Drop Sets
Mechanical Drop Sets
Forced Reps
Negative Reps
Partial Reps
Cheating Reps
21s
1-10 Methods
Ect…

Nevertheless, out of all of those methods, the one that I find works the best with almost everyone is Mechanical Drop Sets, which in my opinion are superior to normal drop sets. With a normal drop set you simply lower the weight after you cannot complete anymore reps on a given movement such as barbell curls and pound out a few more reps, which could look something like….

100lb Barbell Curl x6 (REACH FAILURE)
Drop 25-50% of the weight
50lb Barbell Curl x 7 (REACH FAILURE)

As painful as it may be to perform, I just do not think the extra reps at the much lower weight produces optimal overall hypertrophy gains. Notice I said optimal, because I have no doubt it is a decent technique in provoking intensity and gains in size, however I consider Mechanical Drop Sets a much better alternative.

Mechanical Drop Sets also take you past your first point of muscular failure, but in a different way. To continue to get more reps you will simply switch the execution of the movement by changing your grip, angle, foot placement ect. So instead of what I shown above, you may do something like performing reverse grip barbell curls until failure, then immediately switching to an easier standard grip barbell curl.

This not only adds intensity to you routine, but also hits the muscles from different angles. Another example for the biceps could be Wide Grip Barbell Curls until failure followed Standard Grip Barbell curls until failure then finally Close Grip Barbell Curls until failure. Sets like that hit the biceps inner head more during the wide grip curls and then the outer head more during the close grip curls. This alone is something that really helps many trainees, as they do not focus on all heads and areas of the muscle with their training, which limits overall growth.

As you progress through your own training, I am sure you will find different variations that make a movement easier and work best for you. However, for the sake of starting out I included common mechanical drop set pairings below.

Biceps
Barbell Preacher Curls to Barbell Standing Curls
Reverse Dumbbell Curls to Standard Dumbbell Curls to Hammer Curls
Reverse Preacher Curls to Preacher Curls to Standing Curls
Bilateral Seated Dumbell Curls to Unilateral Seated Dumbell Curls
Wide Grip Preacher Curls to Medium Grip Preacher Curls to Close Grip Preacher Curls

Triceps
Lying Ez Bar Extension to the Top of Head then to Eyes then to Chin
Reverse Overhead Tricep Extension to normal Overhead Tricep Extension

Chest
Close Grip then Standard Grip Bench Press
Wide Grip Then Standard Grip Bench Press
Bench Press to Neck then to Chest

Lats
Behind The Neck Lat Pulldown to Forward Lat Pulldown to Arms Supinated Pulldown
Bent Over Row To Chest then Stomach

Quadriceps
Leg Extensions with each leg separately then both together
Front Squat to Back Squat to Half Back Squat

Hamstrings
Leg Curls with each leg separately then both together

Calves
Seated Calf Raise with each leg separately then both together
Dumbbell Calf Raise each leg then both legs

That should be a good enough of a list to get you started, it is also important to remember there are countless ways to gain muscle , ask a 100 random experts who all get great results on the matter and you are likely to get 100 different answers. Some of the Mechanical Sets I mentioned you may love and some you may hate, it will take a while to try them all ,but I am sure it will be fun and break the monotony of “Barbell Curls 5 sets of 12 ” .

All of the Mechanical Drop Sets I mentioned should allow you to keep the weight moving as you switch positions. One thing you may have noticed is the bilateral to unilateral switches. By switching to performing an exercise such as dumbbell curls one arm at a time, you can squeeze out a few more reps because the neural drive is focused on one side. Also switching to alternating dumbbell curls can work because it begins to allow rest in one arm while the other is working.

If you consistently train hard using methods such as this one and eat well, your body will not have a choice but to grow stronger and bigger then you ever thought possible.

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I hope you found this article helpful and give you some good ideas of how to keep moving forward and add some more intensity and variety to your workouts. Do you use mechanical drop sets? Are there any other sets that you perform that get good results?

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Brad Kelly writes a weekly article every Tuesday. He is a National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer, Performance Enhancement Specialist, and Corrective Exercise Specialist out of Panama City, Florida. Driven by a passion to help others he not only trains locals, but also performs online personal training and writes fitness articles to reach as many fellow fitness enthusiasts as possible.

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Don’t Let Muscle Soreness Kill Your Motivation- Learn How to Alleviate the Pain

Muscle soreness is a very common complaint for people who are just starting a new weight resistance or exercise routine, and for people who are taking their current training to the next level. It is normal, and unfortunately also common, to experience mild soreness when increasing the amount of weight you are lifting, or the amount of time you are exercising. For many, the initial ‘growing pains’ when building muscles is too much to handle- a new study from New Zealand shows there may be a natural, and delicious alternative to suffering through muscle soreness.

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Muscle soreness after working out is a common problem – and it can make it a real challenge to get around for a few days. It’s not uncommon to feel a little achy when you first start working out or when you’ve pushed yourself harder than usual. No one knows exactly what causes muscle soreness after exercise, but the consensus is that it comes from micro-tears in the muscles due to overuse. When these tiny muscle tears occur, it leads to inflammation and swelling – along with pain and stiffness that can last up to a week.

5015254233 4f10daac48 m Don’t Let Muscle Soreness Kill Your Motivation Learn How to Alleviate the Pain Is there any way to prevent soreness after working out, or at least, make it more bearable? A new study out of New Zealand shows that blueberries help to reduce damage to muscle fibers that comes from too much exercise. Researchers exposed stressed skeletal muscle fibers to extracts from a variety of fruits – including blueberries.

They found that when muscle fibers were exposed to blueberry extract they didn’t experience the same oxidative stress and muscle damage that’s normally seen with intense exercise. The response was dose dependent. The more blueberry extract the muscle fibers were exposed to, the less damage they sustained. In other words – the more blueberries – the better.

Why would blueberries reduce muscle damage and, possibly, soreness after a workout? Blueberries are a good source of polyphenols – natural chemicals that have antioxidant activity. Since overstressed muscles generate free radicals, exposing the muscle cells to polyphenols reduces the amount of damage they sustain – which decreases inflammation and after workout soreness.

Of course, this experiment was done on muscle cells in the laboratory – not live humans. More research is needed to see if the same effect occurs in the human body and how much blueberry extract is needed to offset this damage. Some small studies show that the polyphenols found in other fruits such as the pomegranate reduce muscle soreness after exercise and allow greater recovery of muscle strength after resistance training.

The bottom line? If you do a tough workout, start the morning with a bowl of blueberries. They may help to reduce muscle damage, while offering other health benefits as well. Look for these versatile and nutritious berries the next time you’re at the Farmer’s market.

Source
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About eight hours after a new workout, or increased intensity in existing routines, many people will develop soreness in the muscles that can last for days. This is the cause
of the expression “no pain, no gain”. Muscle soreness is a necessary part of the process of improving one’s endurance, strength, and speed. If you never increase your reps, the amount of weight you are lifting, or the amount of time you spend exercising, you will not be sore afterwards, but you will also never move up to the next level. The burn you feel in your muscles is a sign that they have been stretched and pushed close to their limits- meaning, once they are healed, they will be better developed and able to handle more.

If you are looking for an alternative to pain medications, and can’t get seem to pick a side between ice and heat- try blueberries to relieve soreness in your muscles. In order to keep the muscles in a constant state of improvement, you must get back to it once the muscle has had time to heal (usually a day break is more than enough time to allow proper healing of the muscles). The problem is, the muscles may be on their way to healing, but the pain will linger for a few days.

Pain killers may be effective for some people, but the relief comes at a cost. Even seemingly non-threatening OTC (over the counter) pain relievers can cause liver complications, ulcers, and cancer. The health risks increase with frequency of use- and if you are dependent on them to relieve pains from a workout, chances are, you are a pretty frequent user.
A new way to find relief is very promising for those looking for a safer way to relieve muscle soreness after a workout. Laboratory tests have shown that when muscle fibers were exposed to blueberry extract, damage was greatly reduced. The more blueberry extract used, the better the results- so if you’re going to try this method, the more the better.

Other Benefits of Blueberries Include:

• Antioxidant Properties
• Anti-Aging by Neutralizing Free Radicals
• Reducing Belly Fat
• Promotion of Kidney Function and Urinary Tract Health
• Helps to Prevent Heart Disease
• Improves Brain Function
• Preserves Vision
• Fights Cancer
• Improves Digestion
• Promotes Mood and Reduces Depression

With the vast benefits of blueberries to your health, could it hurt to try adding them in to your diet? Will you be trying blueberries before your workout routine to reduce the occurrence and severity of muscle soreness?

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The Biggest BANG For Your Buck Exercises To Build Bulging Muscle And Crazy Strength

If you really want to grow you need to incorporate some real exercises. It’s time to go old school and show you these core exercises you need to incorporate into your workouts now. Check out this article from Brad Kelly.

I have always been a firm believer in core exercises, the ones you can always fall back on and expect results from. Unfortunately, many of these types of exercises are long forgotten by most gym communities simply because they are usually the hardest to perform. Nevertheless, while your locals are trading squats for leg presses and pull-ups for lat pull downs, you can stick to the basics and pack on head turning muscle.

Pullup Variations

1 pullup The Biggest BANG For Your Buck Exercises To Build Bulging Muscle And Crazy Strength

Franco Columbu

Most people shy away from exercises like pull-ups and chin-ups because they are harder then lat pull downs, but what ever happened to no pain no gain? I actually found myself following the masses when I started out, lat pull downs you can do sitting comfortably under a machine on padded support, meanwhile pull-ups are just you and a intimidating bar. But trust me that bar will be your best friend in your journey for gaining mass if you let it.

The lat pull down machine on the other hand should be more of a mutual acquaintance, sure lat pull downs work decently, but with them you are pulling a free object ( The bar or handles) around your body, which is easier ,and allows more cheating . While on the other hand when performing pull-ups and chin-ups you are moving your entire body around the bar. Machines are great for adding spice and variety to your workout, but your core go to exercises need to be variations of pull-ups and chin-ups. Pull-up and chin up strength not only easily translates into real world situations, but you will be surprised at how fast you can improve on them and add mass to your upper back. Chin-ups are also a great bicep builder as you use a supinated grip

But, what if you can’t even do one pull-up like 90% of the population? The fastest way to remedy this problem is to remember exercises have both a concentric and eccentric phase, if you cannot perform the concentric portion of the movement and actually pull yourself up, you can surely do the eccentric( or lowering)portion, which we are about 40% stronger on. Simply use a chair or bench to jump up onto the bar, and lower yourself as slow as possible. An eccentric only program could look something like 5 sets of 1 repetitions and allowing 15-30 seconds to lower yourself each rep. Once you can perform all five sets at 30 seconds, you should be able to perform one full repetition. If not, consider using a spotter to help you on the way upward by holding on to your ankles as you cross them behind you.

Parallel Bar Dips

Unfortunately, dips are another bodyweight-based exercise that seemed to have fallen off the radar, as the general population seems to be getting more overweight each day. Luckily, dips are easier to perform then pull-ups and most people can still at least hit a couple. Now if you combine dips with pull-ups… that is an awesome upper body combo, haven’t you ever noticed top gymnasts physiques?

Dips can be an extremely versatile movement working the Anterior Deltoids, Triceps, and Chest, and in most bodybuilding circles, they are ranked as the top tricep builder as it hits all three heads of the tricep.

As you become stronger on dips, it will become necessary to add more resistance to keep yourself in the correct rep ranges. A dipping belt is great for this as it holds the weight comfortably between your legs and many support over 200lbs extra weight, just make sure the chain is long enough.

As you become more advanced on dips you may also try Vince Gironda‘s( A Legendary Bodybuilder And Trainer) method for dips, which is performed by reversing the grip, rounding your upper back , putting your chin to your chest and elbows out with your feet together and toes downward.

1 2 dip The Biggest BANG For Your Buck Exercises To Build Bulging Muscle And Crazy Strength

Larry Scott Performing Vince Gironda‘s Dips On A V Bar

This method of dips really focuses on your chest by hitting the muscles from a slightly different angle. Just try few reps of those and if it agrees with your body type I am sure you will be hooked.

Bench Press

The bench press…you may have heard of it. It is where you lay on your back and push as much weight as you can possibly manage (usually your spotter does curls at the same time) upward with no regard for shoulder injury. Oh wait that is just how most people do it, no wonder all they get out of it is aching shoulders.

The bench press is a lot more complex then people realize, in fact I was doing everything right with it, I never bounced the weight, breathed in on the way down and out on the way up, kept my feet planted and butt on the bench. However, by the time I got 350 bench I still had hardly ANY chest development, why? Because of my bone structure and muscle balance my shoulders and triceps were doing most the work. Realizing this I went to an extremely wide grip as shown below and within 3 months added 3.25 inches to my chest.

1 3 benchpress The Biggest BANG For Your Buck Exercises To Build Bulging Muscle And Crazy Strength

The Great Serge Nubret’s Famous Wide Grip

That shows how the bench press can drastically affect different people based on your grip, elbow positioning, shoulder positioning, and bone structure. Since this experience, my recommendation is when you are performing bench, if you really want it to hit the chest you need to primarily use a wide grip. Let your other exercises take care of tricep and shoulder development and let the bench press hit your chest as intended.

Squats

If I wrote this article and did not mention the almighty squat many trainers and athletes including my own dad (Who has squatted 675lbs) would instantly disown me. Squats if done correctly have a huge potential to build muscle, increase your mental toughness and much more. To reap the full benefits of squats, after really getting the hang of back squats I recommend switching to front squats every few workouts. Squats in general , but front squats especially produce an unparalleled amount of central nervous system activity, raise overall systematic coordination and conditioning along with increasing balance and coordination.

1 5 squat The Biggest BANG For Your Buck Exercises To Build Bulging Muscle And Crazy Strength

“The Blond Bomber” Dave Draper Front Squatting

I can almost guarantee the first time you try front squats you will not like them, they force you to keep your form clean, or you drop the bar and risk injury. Athletes performing front squats hooked up to an electromyographic reader also confirmed they work your quadriceps, rectus abdominis, and erector spinae more then traditional back squats. In addition to the strength gains , if you are a athlete yourself the benefits keep flowing , higher front squat maxes has been linked to faster run times in college athletes.

Deadlifts

1 6 deadlift The Biggest BANG For Your Buck Exercises To Build Bulging Muscle And Crazy Strength

Franco Columbu Deadlifting

With most commercial gyms not even having an area to deadlift anymore, the deadlift is definitely on its way out the door. However, I can guarantee you there will always be true appreciators of the exercise like myself, who will always have floor space in their gyms for deadlifts. Sure, it is extremely loud and chalk can make a mess, but the benefits are practically endless. Deadlifts are one of the most real world applicable movements in the world, get a high enough deadlift and you can even impress your friends by picking up the back of vehicles! Just do not try fiberglass-bodied vehicles like corvettes; you never know what will break. , trust me on that one.

But most people are confused on which muscle group the deadlift actually works, and that is a good thing because it means you can feel it practically all over. Deadlifts work your glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, your traps and even improves your grip strength. Because you are constantly holding the weight in your hands, unlike squats, deadlifts really incorporate your upper body as well as lower body.

There are many variations to deadlifts, but for maximum muscle building concerns the longer the range of motion the better. Leave the half pulls and such for the powerlifters while you keep trying to get as big as possible.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading my article and I hope along the way you picked up a few tips that will help you in your own training. If you build your program around these basic mass builders, you cannot go wrong. Just keep increasing the weight while keeping the rep range moderate, and form as flawless as possible.

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If you like old school muscle building techniques I know you will love these tips from IFBB champion Chuck Sipes, click here to see his muscle pumping tips.

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10 Reasons You Are Not As Big As You Want

Habits are something we all have, some good, and some bad. What we do everyday molds our physiques, every decision bringing you an inch closer or farther away from your goals. Because in reality that is what building a big muscular body is all about, a game of inches.

“First we make our habits, then our habits make us” – Aristotle-

To reach your fitness goals you are not only going to have to make the right decisions, but make them on a daily basis. Consistency is very important; however, some people

work fail 10 Reasons You Are Not As Big As You Want

Workout --Fail!

are consistent with the wrong choices. That is why I included a list below of the top 10 reasons I think most trainees are not where they want to be physique wise.

1. You do 3 full body routines a week, completely ignoring split routines and focusing on specific hypertrophy training. These routines are so common in bodybuilders and other athletes looking to gain mass because they work, even a upper body and lower body split is more effective for building mass then full body routines.

2. You consider anyone training more then once per DAY a steroid freak. Training twice a day is not only possible for natural trainees, but it is very effective in putting on lean muscle mass.

3. You let the weight just drop after every concentric phase. When performing bench press for example, many trainees almost totally avoid the eccentric phase’s benefits for hypertrophy gains by just letting the weight FALL and not controlling it. By doing this you miss tapping into high threshold motor units which are the ones with the biggest opportunity for hypertrophy gains.

4. You worry about keeping a perfectly carved six-pack year round. A fact that surprises many people is the majority of men you see on the front of magazines cannot look like that year round. You need to be eating a surplus of calories to build muscle, I personally do not agree with bulking up 20-30lbs of fat for 10 pounds of muscle, however you do need to expect some fat gain with the muscle gain if you are not a complete beginner, or extremely genetically gifted. Abs on a guy with 12 inch arms can’t be that impressive can it?

5. You are not eating enough protein on a DAILY basis to actually build the muscle you are training to try to achieve. Protein is the building block for muscle and without it all the training in the world cannot save you. It is up to you to make sure you get enough protein on a daily basis for optimal gains. A standard by most coaches is 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.

6. You do not keep a training journal. The most surefire way to make sure you are headed in the right direction and making real gains is to keep track of your progression. Progressive Overload in a high enough rep range will practically guarantee you get bigger. Just think about it, if you start off doing EZ curls with 50lbs for 8-12 reps and 6 months later you can do 110lbs 8-12 reps don’t you think your biceps would of gotten bigger as well? And at the same time if you now use 60 more pounds on t Tricep Press Down and French Press I can bet you added a lot of mass to your arms.

7. Your workout changes up about as much as you change the light bulb in your closet. Variety is the key to success my friend, it keeps us motivated and interested, while better working the muscles. Lets say you only do tricep press downs to work your triceps, a great exercise, but it only hit 2 heads of your triceps( The Tri means 3 total heads ). Therefore, in theory you are practically screwing yourself out of 1/3 of the growth potential there.

8. You do not look in the mirror enough. Sure, it may seem conceded and egotistic to some, but is it really? Is a sprinter self-centered for checking his stopwatch after a sprint? You see when you look in the mirror it is important for you to notice your weaknesses as much as your strengths. Sure you may have great peak on your biceps because you perform a lot of close grip ez bar curls hitting the long head of the bicep, but what about your tricep long head? That is the part of the tricep, which gives you the “hang” when hitting a double bicep pose. If you notice that is a weak area for you maybe you should hit some overhead tricep extensions your next arm day. See what I mean ? Maybe the mirror is more useful to you then you think!

9. You do too much cardio and not enough weight training. All that extra cardio is doing is burning off more calories and endangering your muscle gaining efforts. Moderate cardio is fine, but you need to keep it in check for optimal muscle growth.

10. You read every day about how to gain muscle, but then argue which way is right and end up doing NOTHING. Just like the lottery, you need to be in it to win it when it comes to building muscle.

As always, remember knowledge is power in the delicate dance of gaining muscle, and good luck in your fitness goals.

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Brad Kelly writes a weekly article every Monday. He is a National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer, Performance Enhancement Specialist, and Corrective Exercise Specialist out of Panama City, Florida. Driven by a passion to help others he not only trains locals, but also performs online personal training and writes fitness articles to reach as many fellow fitness enthusiasts as possible.

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How To Build Muscle Fast For Skinny Guys

Let’s get back to the basics with this one. Every skinny guy wants to know…how to build muscle fast. The good news is that you aren’t stuck where you are now. The timeline you have maybe unrealistic but hey…don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Shoot for the stars…and see where you land. I have this good article from Ben Greenfield on Foxnews.com.

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I used to be skinny. Really skinny. In high school and up to my first year of college, I was a complete stick — until I made the decision in my freshman year that I needed to how to build muscle for skinny guys How To Build Muscle Fast For Skinny Guys put some muscle on.

Eventually, by my senior year of college, I went from just “putting on muscle” to actually becoming a bodybuilder – standing on stage and posing 35 pounds of muscle above my original starting point.

If you were born skinny, you may not have the potential to gain the bulk of an NFL lineman, but it’s completely possible for a skinny guy to put on muscle. The bonus for you is that your body fat levels are naturally low, so when you do gain muscle, you’ll be able to achieve a very ripped look, which bigger, bulky guys often envy!

Here are seven things I learned from my own journey.

Supplements

Normally, you can get from food all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals that you need. But if you’re trying to put on significant size and you’re exercising at a level that is constantly stripping your body of fuel, you’ll need help from supplements.

For calories and upping your protein intake, a protein powder is important. If you don’t want the typical gut distress that comes from eating protein powders, don’t just settle for any version of protein powder. Try to choose one without added soy and corn, with no artificial sweeteners, and with added digestive aids such as digestive enzymes and probiotics.

Other supplements that can effectively help a skinny guy gain muscle are:

–Creatine: 0.3 g/kg bodyweight for 5-7 days followed by 5 g/day.
–Carnitine: 750 mg, 2,000 mg/day, in 2 doses.
-Citrulline: 6-8 g, 30-60 minutes before exercise.
-Beta-Alanine: 2-5 g, 30-60 minutes before exercise.

None of these supplements are a substitute for lifting frequently and lifting heavy, but they will certainly help to enhance results.

Eat Frequently

Strength training is very glycolytic, which means it burns a high amount of carbohydrates. Because of this, you shouldn’t go into any muscle building workout without having eaten about 300-600 calories of a carbohydrate-containing meal two to three hours prior. This meal can include sweet potatoes, yams, oatmeal, quinoa, brown rice or any other healthy carbohydrate source. If you eat another similar meal after your workout, you’ll be able to put on size more quickly, as your muscles will rapidly absorb the sugars more quickly after a workout.

In addition, timing your protein intake with several small 20-25-gram portions split up through the day will be far more effective for gaining muscle, compared to a giant protein shake at the beginning and end of the day.

Ultimately, a skinny guy trying to put on muscle should be aiming to consume a pre-workout meal, a post-workout meal and at least four to five additional meals. This may seem like a lot of eating and food, but this is what it takes to build significant muscle if you’re skinny.

Use Amino Acids

A big secret among bodybuilders and strength training enthusiasts is a type of supplement called “branched chain amino acids” (BCAAs). These are special protein-building blocks that are rapidly absorbed and easily used by muscles during exercise. They’re cheap, easy to find and can be consumed without stomach distress both before, during and immediately after your workout, and can significantly increase muscle gain.

You should not train for size without amino acids in your bloodstream, and since digesting a steak can be tough during a hard workout, BCAAs are a good way to go. To gain muscle more rapidly, you should aim for 10-20 grams of BCAAs, consumed before, and then every 60-90 minutes during, your weight-training workouts.

Eat Meat

Skinny guys who are vegans or vegetarians may cringe at this advice, but meat is muscle fiber, and it’s chock full of fats, proteins and hormonal precursors that help you to put on size more quickly. While you certainly can get adequate proteins from plants, it’s far more difficult to go the vegetarian route, and the volume of food you must eat is going to be very daunting and a bit distressing to your gut.

To maintain muscle, you need to eat about 0.55 grams of protein per pound of body weight, and to build muscle, you need about 0.7 grams per pound. In addition, you’ll need to eat an extra 500-1000 calories each day over and above your basal metabolic rate. This high volume of food and protein should include foods that naturally increase testosterone, including grass-fed beef, eggs and seafood (other lower-calorie testosterone-supporting foods include garlic and broccoli).

Mix It Up

The advice to mix it up should not be misinterpreted. I don’t mean you should change up your workout every day (which is actually good for fat loss but not very effective for gaining muscle). Instead, you should stick to the same workouts each week for three to five weeks, but you should use different types of strategies during your sets to challenge your muscles. These strategies can include bouncing, explosions, quarter reps, ladder reps, stripping, supersets, super slow reps, forced reps, negatives and cheating.

Lift Heavy

Most skinny guys do not lift adequately heavy weights to build significant muscle. This is one reason why having a personal trainer or workout buddy at the gym will help you put on muscle faster — you can lift more weight when someone is there to help you if the weight gets too heavy for you to safely handle.

While lifting with slightly higher sets (like 4-6 sets) and higher repetitions (like 10-12 reps) will help you build muscle faster than using low sets and low repetitions (which are better for power or brute strength), you still need to use weights that completely exhaust your muscles by the end of a set. For example, if you’re going to be doing 5 sets of 10 repetitions of a barbell squat, you should barely be able to stand for the last 3 repetitions. That is the kind of tough stimulus a skinny guy needs to build muscle.

Lift Frequently

Once you put it on, muscle is much easier to maintain than big lungs or good endurance. A runner begins to lose oxygen capacity within about three days of laying off workouts. But muscle only requires one workout a week for maintenance.

However, muscle is hard to put on initially, and for skinny guys typically requires 4-6 workouts per muscle group to build (you can build even faster if you lift twice a day, but if you do that, you’ll need to take a full recovery day at least once a week, and allow at least four hours between workouts).

So what does it look like to lift frequently? One popular split that works very well is to exercise your chest and back on day one, your shoulders, biceps and triceps on day two, your legs and core on day three, then take one day of rest, and repeat.

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/05/20/how-to-gain-muscle-for-skinny-guys/

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It’s always good to get back to the basics

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