Learn How To Build Muscle

Students and young professionals come to me all the time with questions like,

• "Could you teach me how to build muscle?
• "Could you teach me how to pack on an extra ten to fifteen pounds of muscle mass before my next vacation?"
• "Could you help me look like someone who actually lifts weights?"
• "Could you help me build a body that turns heads and demands respect?"

As an expert in muscle building, I get approached with questions like these and many others. When I consult with a "hard-gainer" who wants to know how to gain muscle safely and effectively, I tell him the same thing I'm going to tell you now. Listen up, hard-gainers... "There is hope for you."

I am happy to tell you that learning how to gain muscle is not as hard as some would make you believe. It's also not as easy as you might think. You must be prepared to train smarter instead of harder. I'm not talking about wimping out during your workouts. I am referring to the big picture of training more intelligently.

I have some advice for you today that I give to my hard-gainer clients when they wish to gain muscle.

1. Never Perform More Than 10 Repetitions
If you are lifting weights beyond 10 repetitions then you are emphasizing your slow-twitch muscle fibers, which have the smallest opportunity for muscle growth. You are a hard-gainer and you need to recruit the maximal amount of muscle fibers in every set. Always choose your weights knowing that an 11^th repetition is forbidden.

If you really want to gain muscle, then get your mind into heavy lifting mode. Every single set and every single exercise. Keep your weights heavy and never more than 10 repetitions. Approach every workout knowing that you are going to be venturing into new territory and waging war against your genetics. I recommend these workouts with a workout partner, so you can eliminate any safety issues, not slack off, and push your limits every inch of the way.

2. Reduce Your Workout Time
Perform more work in less time and you have increased your work capacity. Work refers to the number of sets, repetitions, and poundage within your workout. Who is fitter? The guy who can do 4 sets of 185 pounds bench presses with 30 second rest periods or the guy who can do 4 sets of 185 pound bench presses with 90 second rest periods? The one who can do the same amount of work in less time. Guess who is more muscular? The one who has a higher work capacity.

Next time you enter the gym, try to complete your current workout in less time. Take shorter rests. Move from one exercise to the next much quicker. Don't be surprised if you feel out of shape! This is one of the easiest tips you can take away to increase your muscle density and take your fitness to a new level. Be prepared to humble yourself and get out of your comfort zone.

3. Do Only One Exercise Per Muscle Group
Only one? Yes, only one. Unless you want to buy into the notion that you must mutilate a muscle for over an hour to get any growth out of it. Consider this typical day in the gym: Today is your chest day. Your first exercise is bench press. You perform your first set with 185 lbs, second set with 205 lbs, third set with 225 lbs and fourth set with 245 lbs.

Assuming this is your maximum weight for the desired number of repetitions, is it not safe to say that you have used the maximal number of muscle fibers? Your goal is to simply spark your muscles into growth, not exhaust them to death. Once they experience an unknown assault (stimulus), your body will be forced to adapt and create new muscle to prevent future assaults. Therefore, your lesson is this: Once you have out-performed your last workout, it is time to move onto the next exercise.

4. Do No More Than 3-5 Sets Per Muscle Group
I question a hard-gainers workout intensity if they must do more than 3-5 sets per muscle group. If you are using anabolic steroids or have muscle friendly genes then you can safely dismiss this advice. Learning how to gain muscle for the hard-gainer requires following a new set of rules.

Consider your first 1-2 sets as a warm up at 85% of your maximal effort. Your third set is a work set at 95% of your maximal effort. Your fourth (and sometimes fifth) set are work sets at 100% of your maximal effort. It is only this last all out set that contributes to your greatest muscle growth. Anything over and above this last set simply exhausts your muscle beyond reason and delays your recovery ability to hit the muscle again. It is this last set that you should perform at least 1-2 extra repetitions or 5-10 extra pounds than your last workout. Mission accomplished. You have sparked your muscles into growth. Time to move on.

5. Increase Your Strength 5% Every Two Weeks
One of the biggest mistakes I see hard-gainers make in the gym is not tracking their progress. They return week-after-week to simply reherse the same workouts with the absence of any progress. How do you expect to gain muscle if you continue to lift the same weights each workout? Your body is designed to tolerate stress. Assault it and let it get bigger. It's a simple concept.

Today's lesson is for you to aim for a minimum of 5% strength increase every 2 weeks. You might progress a little quicker with larger muscle groups like back and legs versus smaller muscles like biceps and triceps. Just think, in six months from now, you could be over twice as strong. I recommend to everyone that you write down your strength goals for 6 months from now, then work backwards. If you are currently dead-lifting 135 lbs, your goal could be dead-lifting 270 lbs over the next few months.

Conclusion
I know these tips may not have been what you were expecting. I learned a long time ago to question everything you read and hear. Learn for yourself by doing and not by talking about it. I've helped more people overcome their genetics by teaching them how to gain muscle. I'm known as the guy who can help you to get the body you've always wanted, then what you do with it is up to you.