As a fitness instructor, people regularly ask me how to build muscle quickly. Today's article will give you a quick overview on the simple things you need to focus on if your goal is to build a bigger body over the next couple of months.
That's right, I said a couple of months. Not a year.
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 Compound exercises out perform isolation exercises.
#2 Use your rep range to keep progressing the resistance.
#3 Make sure you get the basics of your diet in place.
Within the three easy to follow rules you see above lie the secrets to a great muscular physique. Furthermore, I have been doing this for over seven years and in the course of that time I've seen countless people get results with these three little steps.
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.
Of course, there is more to this than just knowing which exercises will get you the results. You also need to know how many repetitions to aim for and have a system in place to consistently progress you to new levels.
For muscular hypertrophy you should be achieving around 8-12 repetitions in every set. Use this as a guide and it will also help you to progress at a very consistent rate. Each time you are able to push out over twelve reps with a certain weight you should be looking to increase the resistance, pushing yourself back down towards the 8 rep mark and working with that weight until your strength increases.
Diet is where most folks go wrong in the gym. Your ideal physique, in particular your abs, are going to be carved in the kitchen rather than in the gym. Remember that. People often forget the importance of dieting and believe it's only for people who are trying to lose weight.
You need to make the most of your daily calories and that means getting a good split of carbs, proteins and fats into the food you choose to eat. Whether it's through supplements or actual food, try to ensure around 50% of your daily intake comes from carbohydrate sources with the focus on complex carbs rather than sugary simple carbs. Follow that up with around 30% from protein and 20% from healthy fats and you have yourself a great diet platform to operate from.
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.
That's right, I said a couple of months. Not a year.
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 Compound exercises out perform isolation exercises.
#2 Use your rep range to keep progressing the resistance.
#3 Make sure you get the basics of your diet in place.
Within the three easy to follow rules you see above lie the secrets to a great muscular physique. Furthermore, I have been doing this for over seven years and in the course of that time I've seen countless people get results with these three little steps.
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.
Of course, there is more to this than just knowing which exercises will get you the results. You also need to know how many repetitions to aim for and have a system in place to consistently progress you to new levels.
For muscular hypertrophy you should be achieving around 8-12 repetitions in every set. Use this as a guide and it will also help you to progress at a very consistent rate. Each time you are able to push out over twelve reps with a certain weight you should be looking to increase the resistance, pushing yourself back down towards the 8 rep mark and working with that weight until your strength increases.
Diet is where most folks go wrong in the gym. Your ideal physique, in particular your abs, are going to be carved in the kitchen rather than in the gym. Remember that. People often forget the importance of dieting and believe it's only for people who are trying to lose weight.
You need to make the most of your daily calories and that means getting a good split of carbs, proteins and fats into the food you choose to eat. Whether it's through supplements or actual food, try to ensure around 50% of your daily intake comes from carbohydrate sources with the focus on complex carbs rather than sugary simple carbs. Follow that up with around 30% from protein and 20% from healthy fats and you have yourself a great diet platform to operate from.
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:
Coach: Russ Howe PTI is a popular personal trainer. See how to build muscle with our free video guide giving the 5 principles to a more muscular physique and the best shoulder building exercises.
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