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.
Indeed, you read that correctly. We said a couple of months, not the rest of your life.
If you apply these tips correctly you'll notice results are easy to come by. The main problem in the fitness business is that there is so much confusion and this is what leads to many people wasting years looking for over complicated, and often very expensive, solutions to a simple problem.
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 Know your compound exercises and use them.
#2 The rep range you aim for will help to determine what type of results you get.
#3 Make sure you get the basics of your diet in place.
It might seem quite simple, given the number of next big thing plans out there which promise to give the the 'secrets' of building a better body, but those three rules are dynamite in your pocket. If you can take advantage of those three steps you will not have any issues building the body you desire.
Compound movements are multiple joint exercises which force your body to recruit more muscle fibers and therefore work harder. Exercises such as bench press and squats are perfect examples of great compound movements.
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.
Finding out which exercises yield maximum results is a good start, but you'll also need to know how many reps you should be doing, too. Furthermore, you'll need a way to keep your lifts from hitting a plateau.
Studies show that optimum strength gains are achieved when we try to hit the hypertrophy zone, which means pushing for 8-12 reps with your main resistance exercises. If you're smart you can also use that as a system to tell you when you need to increase the weight. Think about it for a second, when you can get more than 12 reps out you are no longer in the ideal zone for building, therefore you should think about increasing the weights.
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.
All calories are not creating on an equal playing field. It's important to realize that two people eating the same number of calories could get totally different results, as one could be feasting on junk food whereas the other is quite healthy. A split of 30%, 50% and 20% between protein, carbs and fats respectively will be a good start.
Finally, most of us have a 'problem area' with our body. We have an area we find harder to build than others. Rather than spending ages looking for the best shoulder building exercises you will notice that by going back to basics with your lifts you will make it easier to see progress.
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.
Indeed, you read that correctly. We said a couple of months, not the rest of your life.
If you don't know how to build muscle today's interview will assist you a lot.
If you apply these tips correctly you'll notice results are easy to come by. The main problem in the fitness business is that there is so much confusion and this is what leads to many people wasting years looking for over complicated, and often very expensive, solutions to a simple problem.
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 Know your compound exercises and use them.
#2 The rep range you aim for will help to determine what type of results you get.
#3 Make sure you get the basics of your diet in place.
It might seem quite simple, given the number of next big thing plans out there which promise to give the the 'secrets' of building a better body, but those three rules are dynamite in your pocket. If you can take advantage of those three steps you will not have any issues building the body you desire.
Compound movements are multiple joint exercises which force your body to recruit more muscle fibers and therefore work harder. Exercises such as bench press and squats are perfect examples of great compound movements.
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.
Finding out which exercises yield maximum results is a good start, but you'll also need to know how many reps you should be doing, too. Furthermore, you'll need a way to keep your lifts from hitting a plateau.
Studies show that optimum strength gains are achieved when we try to hit the hypertrophy zone, which means pushing for 8-12 reps with your main resistance exercises. If you're smart you can also use that as a system to tell you when you need to increase the weight. Think about it for a second, when you can get more than 12 reps out you are no longer in the ideal zone for building, therefore you should think about increasing the weights.
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.
All calories are not creating on an equal playing field. It's important to realize that two people eating the same number of calories could get totally different results, as one could be feasting on junk food whereas the other is quite healthy. A split of 30%, 50% and 20% between protein, carbs and fats respectively will be a good start.
Finally, most of us have a 'problem area' with our body. We have an area we find harder to build than others. Rather than spending ages looking for the best shoulder building exercises you will notice that by going back to basics with your lifts you will make it easier to see progress.
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 fitness coach. See how to build muscle with our new video guide showing the five steps to a more muscular body and the best shoulder building exercises.
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