When building mass, keep in mind that no two
bodybuilders are created equal. What works for one,
may not work for another. In today's world of
bodybuilding, it is easy to be overcome by different
training principles, philosophies and strategies. To
get the most of all of this information and grow to
your maximum potential, you need to determine what
will work for you the best and in what combination.
One way to do this is to keep a training log of what
you did, how many reps, how many sets, what time of
day and so on and so forth. This will help keep you
on your track to being the biggest you can be. The
following are key principles to remember when "getting
big."
1. Consistency - Spending time in the gym doesn't mean
anything if you are inconsistent. Once you lay out a
plan stick to it. If you want to get big that bad,
then you need to give a little dedication and stick to
what you have planned. Missing a workout can throw
you all off track and it often times leads to a period
of absence from the gym. Many times I have missed one
workout and not come back for a week or two. If you
are to grow, you must be consistent in your training
or you will be rowing a boat without any paddles.
2. Sleep - When trying to put on mass, sleep is
crucial. As you probably have heard, your muscles do
no growing in the gym. While you are in the gym, you
are ripping your muscles apart and breaking them down.
It is only while you rest that your muscles repair
themselves and grow larger and stronger. To be sure
that your muscles are getting the most out of your
workouts try to get at least eight hours of sleep
every night. This will help your muscles recover
quicker from the onslaught you have put them through
at the gym earlier in the day. The quicker your
muscles recuperate, the quicker you can work them out
again. Also getting the right amount of sleep can
help avoid the common mistake (especially for
beginners) of overtraining. Your workouts will be
more focused, more intense, and more beneficial.
Truly these benefits are a great bargain for doing
something that requires such little energy to do. So
get your sleep!
3. Eat Big - If you want to get big, you have to eat
big. It is a sentence you have most likely heard
before. But what exactly does "Eat Big" mean? When
you hear the words eat big, it means that you want to
have an excess of calories that you do not burn off in
the course of a day. If you normally eat 1,500
calories a day and you remain the same weight, that is
roughly your maintenance level of calories. To put on
weight, you need to take in more than you burn off so
eat more than 1,500 calories. Also, a critical aspect
of your diet is the amount of protein you take in. A
good rule of thumb is to take in approximately one
gram of protein for every pound that you weigh.
Protein is what muscle is made of. If you didn't have
protein, you wouldn't have muscle. That is why it is
not surprising that good sources of proteins are
meats. They are the muscle of an animal and very high
in protein. Other foods that can help you meet your
protein needs are eggs, milk (whole milk if you really
want to put on some mass), lean red meats such as
beef, steaks and all types of fish (tuna fish is cheap
and provides about 32 grams of protein per can.) If
you want to really get hardcore about it, space your
meals out into 6 or 7 smaller meals throughout the day
eating on average every 2.5-3 hours apart!
4. Utilize your 30 minute window - You may have heard
of your 30 minute window of golden opportunity
following a workout. Utilizing this period is perhaps
one of the best and most beneficial things you can do,
especially when putting on size. What is the 30
minute window? Well it actually lasts anywhere from
30-90 minutes. It is the directly after you finish
your workout. After you get done tearing your muscles
apart and breaking them down, they are looking to take
in anything and everything that they can possibly suck
up to help them start to repair. To take advantage of
this, you want to give them what they need to grow.
To do this, you should feed them the protein that they
need to repair and grow bigger and stronger for your
next workout. But how do you assure that your protein
is getting to the muscles and being used efficiently.
To do this, you have to know how to manipulate your
insulin. When your insulin levels are high,
everything you take in is more efficiently "shuttled"
directly into your cells for absorption. This is
EXACTLY what you want to happen to your protein. So
how do you raise your insulin level slightly to get
the most of your protein? Well it is actually very
simple. To do this you want to take in a full
spectrum (low glycemic and high glycemic) of both
simple and complex carbohydrates. For example,
perhaps drink a sports drink like Gatorade (which also
provides and replenishes lost electrolytes lost during
intense training.) This is would be an example of
your simple carbohydrates. Then you might want to eat
something like the classic potatoes and meat.
Whatever combination of protein and carbohydrates that
you eat, try to make sure it's a 3:1 ratio
respectively of carbohydrates to protein. For example
take in 60 grams of carbohydrates and 20 grams of
protein. That would be a 3:1 ration. The
carbohydrates will raise your insulin level and the
protein will be shuttled into your tired and taxed
muscles. Also, if you will be taking a protein drink,
try to use whey protein because it is the most rapidly
absorbed. Don't miss out on your golden opportunity!
It counts!
5. Lift Heavy: To gain mass, you must lift heavy!
However, NEVER sacrifice good form for a higher
poundage. Good form comes first, heavy poundages come
second. Remember, what is heavy differs from person
to person. So if 10 pounds is what's heavy to you,
then you use that weight. When you see the words
heavy poundage, it does not automatically mean 300
lbs. Heavy poundage as according to what YOU (not the
guy next to you whose been bodybuilding for 15 years.)
When putting on mass it is important that you keep
your rep range anywhere from 6-12, depending on what
works best for you. Anywhere over twelve and you are
going for more definition than mass (in general).
What works best for most people is a pyramided scheme
that looks something like the following: On your
first set, use a weight that will allow you to reach
failure at twelve reps, second set 10 reps and third
set 8 reps. That works well with most people but
adjust it to see what works best for you!
6. Compound Basic Movements - To get big, it is key
that you start each mass gaining workout out with a
compound and basic movement. Compound movements allow
you to move heavy weight. The three main and most
common power movements are bench press, squats and
deadlifts. For example. To start out your chest
workout, you would want to start out with your
compound movement, the Bench Press! It is a compound
movement because you are not isolating the muscle you
are working. Instead you are using multiple muscles
to put a heavier work load on the muscle you are
trying to work. Using these basic movements will
thicken you up and allow you to put on mass in no
time!
7. Keep a log and set goals: Keeping a log is one of
the best things you can do for your training. It can
serve as a motivational tool in the future, allow you
to break through plateaus and help you analyze your
workouts so that you can see what works, what doesn't
and what you should and shouldn't be doing. Also,
setting goals is of prime importance. Set small goals
and do whatever you have to in order to attain them.
Let nothing stop you because only you, can make YOU
get BIGGER!!!
Sincerely,
anthony@anthonychurch.com
Recommend this article to a friend by e-mail here!
Back To Anthony Church's Main Page
Back To The Articles Main Page.
Related Articles
Massive Gains In Size & Strength With Condensed Training!
Off-Season Power Training: Strength & Size!
Breaking Out Of Your Comfort Zone!
