How To Build Muscle And Gain Weight Quickly Part 2
By Vince DelMonte
Do you mind if I be frank and ask you a honest question? If you had to transform your body which required you to know how to build muscle and gain weight quickly, and you only had a few weeks, could you step up to the challenge?
Let's say your wanted to enter a fitness model or beginner bodybuilding competition? Perhaps you want to be considered he 'buffest' guy in your gym? If you get starred at because your physique stands out in the crowd than click away because your probably already know how to build muscle and gain weight quickly.
However if you are the guy on the other extreme and receive surprised looks when you tell people you work out with weights, don't look any different than any body else in your gym and have never been approached for advice than please read this article carefully because this is your next step to building muscle and gaining weight quickly!
'Hardgainer' - Dump the title!
As soon as you start labeling yourself as a 'hard gainer' don't be surprised when your results come to a screeching halt.
This single word has more power to sabotage your potential for a muscular physique before you even begin training. Keep calling yourself a 'hard gainer' and don't be surprised if you continue to waste your time, effort, and money.
If you're lucky maybe you will build 3 - 5 pounds of muscle a year...
I have no problem with the term 'hard gainer' except for what happens when people label themselves to be so-called 'hard gainers.' Sure you might be a 'hard gainer' but I think most skinny guys believe they are actually 'no gainers.'
'Hard gainers' do exist but THERE IS NO SUCH THING as a 'NO GAINER!'
You might think you are a 'hard gainer' because you have trained your butt off for a few years, you eat the right foods, take all the latest supplements and yet still get a surprised look when you tell people you work out!
I don't know anybody that does not have the ability to put on slabs of muscle in record time. I have proven every client dead wrong who perceived themselves as a 'hard gainer.' This term is just a poor excuse.
Plain and simple: excuses are for the weak. It's easy to point the blame when your workouts are inconsistent, your training is sub-maximal and you indulge in a undisciplined social lifestyle. How convenient to shift the blame from yourself to a convenient label.
But it's easier telling everyone that you are a 'hard gainer.' Right?
This term is a great disguise for skinny guys who will never reach their true genetic potential. Instead of taking responsibility for your actions, it's a lot easier to pull out the 'hard gainer' card and flash it to everyone. It sits by your driver's license and has become a part of your identity.
The deadliest mindset in the world.
Consider this. It’s like saying, “I can’t afford it.” This should be considered a deadly statement because it forces your brain to stop working and reinforces a false perception of your true abilities. Instead you should say, “How can I afford it?” By constantly saying, “How can I afford it” or “I can afford it,” you will reinforce a new perception of yourself - you will no longer think of yourself as poor, but as a rich person.
If you examine these two statements, you will see that “How can I afford it?” opens your mind to examining the possibilities of accumulating wealth. “I can’t afford it,” on the other hand, closes your mind to any possibility of attaining what you desire.
Let’s make this example practical now. By simply being aware of the words you use, you can self-detect your self-perceptions. By changing your words, you can begin to change your self-perceptions - if you choose. So by simply reminding yourself to say, “There is no such thing as a 'hard gainer'” you will be able to bring out the muscular person inside of you. By saying, “I am a hard gainer” you are reinforcing the small and weak person who was already there.
Do you truly think that you can casually or unintentionally build muscle and gain weight quickly?
No way! Do you really think deep down that if you believe you are a hard gainer and a muscular physique is out of your limits, that you will ever achieve any significant results? I’m not talking 3 or 5 pounds of muscle a year. I’m talking about 20-50 pounds of massive muscle. Of course not. Every trip to the gym, every set, every meal, every shake you gulp down will be snuffed out because the beliefs in your mind have sentenced you to a life of smallness.
The very first step you must take before you read any of the training or nutrition content of this book is DITCH THE TITLE. Stop labeling yourself and start thinking of yourself as a ‘untapped reservoir with explosive muscular strength.’
Many personal development coaches stress the principle, ‘you get what you focus on.’ Therefore if you focus on being small, you will be small. Focus on being big and muscular and this will direct your mind and actions to the things you must do to become just that. All actions come from your beliefs and if you truly don’t believe that you can succeed then what chance do you have?
Focus on believing in yourself and your abilities and re-classify yourself as a ‘consistent gainer’ or an ‘unstoppable gainer’ or whatever title suits your motivation best. If you focus on being successful you will be and you are already one step closer to becoming the person you really want to be!
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About the Author:
Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at http://www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com/
He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than before.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
How To Build Muscle And Gain Weight Quickly Part I
How To Build Muscle And Gain Weight Quickly Part I
By Vince DelMonte
Do you truly know how to build muscle and gain weight quickly?
If you knew how to build muscle then the skinny jokes would have ended long ago. If you knew how to gain weight quickly then the blank stares would stop when you tell someone you work out with weights. And if you knew how to build muscle and gain weight quickly you would no longer frustrated that the scale has not budged upwards since you first started lifting.
I know from first hand experience what it feels like to train for hours in the gym, slug back protein shake after protein shake, spend your hard earned money on over-priced and over-hyped supplements, with little or nothing to show for it! If this is you than you're not alone and are probably missing a few key ingredients that you're executing effectively.
If you're a naturally skinny person than you must play by a different set of rules. If you were not gifted with muscle friendly genes than does it make sense to follow a program by someone who builds muscle even when they sneeze? If you're training drug free than does it make sense to take advice from a guy who’s spending a few thousand dollars a month on steroids?
Or maybe you're taking advice from someone with great genetics? That’s like taking money advice from someone who inherited a fortune! You must accept the fact if you have muscle 'unfriendly' genes you must be prepared to play by a different set of rules if you want to build muscle and turn heads!
Here are a few simple tips to show you - the skinny guy - how to build muscle and gain weight quickly :
Train like a barbarian!
Do people stop and watch you work out? Do you reach the point in a workout where you question your ability to finish? If you treat working out more like a hobby than a job than it’s no surprise that you do not stand out in a crowd and are still spinning your wheels.
The majority of people that work out in a gym barely sweat and spend more time starring in the mirror and trying to impress the new front desk girl than getting into the ‘zone’ and crashing through previous training limits.
Here are some tips on how to 'train like a barbarian':
1. Treat every single set like it is your last set.
2. Treat every single rep like your life depends on it.
3. Wear a stop watch and ensure that you keep the rest period honest.
4. Wear a sweater so you can’t stare at yourself in the mirror.
5. Wear a head set on that tells others ‘do not disturb.’
6. No girl friends allowed or wimpy guy friends who are going to compromise the intensity of your workout.
7. Train with an intensity that scares the gym shorts off of every person in your path.
Are you starting to get the picture? There is a philosophy that simply states, “You get what you focus on.” Focus on training like a barbarian and you will soon start looking like a barbarian!
Give your muscles a reason to grow!
Guess what happens when you train at the same intensity as you did in a previous workout? Your muscles laugh back at you and say, “Nice try, we did this workout before and can handle this stress! Is that your attempt on getting us to grow?”
Don’t get caught up in the latest hype of bodybuilding and fitness magazines. Most of it is rehashed and just packaged sleeker to sell magazines. There are two forms of training that must be cycled in a successful weight training program:
1. HEAVY HEAVY HEAVY! Put everything into lifting heavier weights and getting as strong as possible. Use only one compound exercise per major muscle group and focus on a 5% increase in strength from week to week. This will ensure neuromuscular development and targeting the fast twitch muscle fibers which have the greatest opportunity for growth.
2. VOLUME VOLUME VOLUME! Expose your body to as much work possible in the shortest period of time. Placing your muscles under more tension will result in more tapped and untrained muscle fiber being recruited therefore more muscle growth! The key here is to find the correct balance in time and work. Volume training does not mean 2 hour gym workouts lifting light weights. Instead lift heavy weights close to your max threshold but with shorter rest periods, slower tempos and more exercise selection per muscle group.
No more program hopping!
Sure, it’s easier to test drive a program for a few weeks and than say it does not work and move on to the next latest ‘breakthrough’ program. This is called the blame game and neglecting responsibility! Do you think you will become rich if you test out a new job for a few weeks and than call it quits when your first paycheck does not meet your expectations? No way! But if you stay with the company and exploit the companies benefits and opportunities to the fullest than you will succeed.
The reality is that virtually every program will work for a certain period of time if it is done at the right intensity and as the author has written.
Find a program and study the details of it’s full entirety. Ensure that the program goals of the author are in alignment with yours and study all the fine details. Do not ask a million questions and try and find holes or flaws or attempt to make it ‘perfect.’ The perfect program does not exist. Trust the program, follow it honestly and monitor the progress. The experience and results you gain from following one program for a consistent period of time will be priceless.
About the Author:
Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at http://www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com/
He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than before.
By Vince DelMonte
Do you truly know how to build muscle and gain weight quickly?
If you knew how to build muscle then the skinny jokes would have ended long ago. If you knew how to gain weight quickly then the blank stares would stop when you tell someone you work out with weights. And if you knew how to build muscle and gain weight quickly you would no longer frustrated that the scale has not budged upwards since you first started lifting.
I know from first hand experience what it feels like to train for hours in the gym, slug back protein shake after protein shake, spend your hard earned money on over-priced and over-hyped supplements, with little or nothing to show for it! If this is you than you're not alone and are probably missing a few key ingredients that you're executing effectively.
If you're a naturally skinny person than you must play by a different set of rules. If you were not gifted with muscle friendly genes than does it make sense to follow a program by someone who builds muscle even when they sneeze? If you're training drug free than does it make sense to take advice from a guy who’s spending a few thousand dollars a month on steroids?
Or maybe you're taking advice from someone with great genetics? That’s like taking money advice from someone who inherited a fortune! You must accept the fact if you have muscle 'unfriendly' genes you must be prepared to play by a different set of rules if you want to build muscle and turn heads!
Here are a few simple tips to show you - the skinny guy - how to build muscle and gain weight quickly :
Train like a barbarian!
Do people stop and watch you work out? Do you reach the point in a workout where you question your ability to finish? If you treat working out more like a hobby than a job than it’s no surprise that you do not stand out in a crowd and are still spinning your wheels.
The majority of people that work out in a gym barely sweat and spend more time starring in the mirror and trying to impress the new front desk girl than getting into the ‘zone’ and crashing through previous training limits.
Here are some tips on how to 'train like a barbarian':
1. Treat every single set like it is your last set.
2. Treat every single rep like your life depends on it.
3. Wear a stop watch and ensure that you keep the rest period honest.
4. Wear a sweater so you can’t stare at yourself in the mirror.
5. Wear a head set on that tells others ‘do not disturb.’
6. No girl friends allowed or wimpy guy friends who are going to compromise the intensity of your workout.
7. Train with an intensity that scares the gym shorts off of every person in your path.
Are you starting to get the picture? There is a philosophy that simply states, “You get what you focus on.” Focus on training like a barbarian and you will soon start looking like a barbarian!
Give your muscles a reason to grow!
Guess what happens when you train at the same intensity as you did in a previous workout? Your muscles laugh back at you and say, “Nice try, we did this workout before and can handle this stress! Is that your attempt on getting us to grow?”
Don’t get caught up in the latest hype of bodybuilding and fitness magazines. Most of it is rehashed and just packaged sleeker to sell magazines. There are two forms of training that must be cycled in a successful weight training program:
1. HEAVY HEAVY HEAVY! Put everything into lifting heavier weights and getting as strong as possible. Use only one compound exercise per major muscle group and focus on a 5% increase in strength from week to week. This will ensure neuromuscular development and targeting the fast twitch muscle fibers which have the greatest opportunity for growth.
2. VOLUME VOLUME VOLUME! Expose your body to as much work possible in the shortest period of time. Placing your muscles under more tension will result in more tapped and untrained muscle fiber being recruited therefore more muscle growth! The key here is to find the correct balance in time and work. Volume training does not mean 2 hour gym workouts lifting light weights. Instead lift heavy weights close to your max threshold but with shorter rest periods, slower tempos and more exercise selection per muscle group.
No more program hopping!
Sure, it’s easier to test drive a program for a few weeks and than say it does not work and move on to the next latest ‘breakthrough’ program. This is called the blame game and neglecting responsibility! Do you think you will become rich if you test out a new job for a few weeks and than call it quits when your first paycheck does not meet your expectations? No way! But if you stay with the company and exploit the companies benefits and opportunities to the fullest than you will succeed.
The reality is that virtually every program will work for a certain period of time if it is done at the right intensity and as the author has written.
Find a program and study the details of it’s full entirety. Ensure that the program goals of the author are in alignment with yours and study all the fine details. Do not ask a million questions and try and find holes or flaws or attempt to make it ‘perfect.’ The perfect program does not exist. Trust the program, follow it honestly and monitor the progress. The experience and results you gain from following one program for a consistent period of time will be priceless.
About the Author:
Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at http://www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com/
He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than before.
Deadly Bodybuilding Myths You Don't Know Part 1
Deadly Bodybuilding Myths You Don't Know Part 1
By Vince DelMonte
There are so many unproven bodybuilding myths that are still around us. Would you believe me if I said you are being scammed out of 90% of the muscle growth you should be getting because you have been mislead and misinformed by one or all of these deadly bodybuilding myths. Here are the first three of six bodybuilding myths that must be dispelled!
Bodybuilding Myth #1
Train like a bodybuilder to become a bodybuilder.
This is the message screamed by the bodybuilding world. While this mantra may have inspired millions via popular bodybuilding magazines, it has also mislead millions by re-printing and rehashing irresponsible training nonsense that will wreak havoc on your body and make you just another one of the herd.
Imitating the training of the 'champion' bodybuilder is one of the most costly frauds in the exercise world because the 'instruction' from elite bodybuilders has no practical relevance for average people like you and me who are without gifted genetic potential and are drug-free.
The traditional 5-7 day splits, 5 exercises per muscle, 24 set chest routine is training suicide for the average trainee not spending a couple thousand dollars a week on special 'vitamins'. Not only are these magazines useless but they will cause injuries, over-training, and illness. The books and magazines will not tell you that the drugs and genetics were responsible for curing their problem of being a hard gainer. Supplements, 'better training', and more dedication are their 'secrets' so you are told.
Bodybuilding Myth #2
Train for the ‘holy’ pump.
The 'muscle pump' is described as putting your muscles under an extended period of constant tension. As your muscles stretch and contract they become gorged with blood which makes them feel tighter and fuller.
Getting a muscle pump is not necessarily what causes the muscle to grow – doing 100 reps with a light rep will create a huge pump – but does this make a muscle grow? Of course not! Distance runners get a pump in their legs when they sprint uphill. Do they get big muscles? Heck no!
Most bodybuilders swear by the 'pump' and preach that you are shuttling more nutrients into the muscle – but is that what is really happening? Sure it feels great, like Arnold says in the unforgettable scene in Pumping Iron, but all that is occurring is a 'back-up' of blood. The blood is 'stuck' inside the muscle, which creates that worshiped tight and full look.
The blood that's backed up into the muscle has hit a dead end and has nowhere to go. If you had fresh new blood that would be great, but unfortunately you just have old, stale blood getting ready for a snooze. That will not help you gain weight or build muscle mass!
The pump that is built up by the blood in your muscles will usually occur after you repeat set after set, which results in the famous "burning" sensation known as lactic acid. Lactic acid forms in the absence of oxygen. Lactic acid is a WASTE product and does nothing to build muscle weight.
Now if you are lifting extremely heavy weights and achieving a pump then this is a very good indication that you are making the muscle fibers work fully. I would only use the pump as an indicator to reveal how well you are 'targeting' the working muscle. Not as you guide to mark your success.
Bodybuilding Myth #3
You MUST train until failure.
Training to 'failure' has probably received more debate, misinterpretation, and improper logic resulting in too much wasted effort. Going to failure– going to the point in a set where you are physically incapable of going just one more rep, hence you 'fail' - is preached as the most promised way to make continuous muscle gains. Interestingly, there is no activity outside the gym that demonstrates this 'going to failure' principle is as critical as bodybuilders have employed.
Growing up as a long distance runner I often stood by and watched the sprinters compete, and was astonished by their tremendous quadriceps and hamstring muscle. Yet I never remember watching any sprinter on my team train until failure, nor do I recall them ever sprinting through the finish line and collapsing. Yet they demonstrated a greater amount of muscular work in less time each time they practiced and raced.
Also, I will never forget the phenomenal muscularity of the construction workers I used to work with when I laid bricks and framed houses. Yet I never recall them carrying timber around the yard until they could not pick up one more 2 x 4. Nor do I remember the bricklayers moving the bricks around until they could not move them anymore. Both of these groups had incredible muscularity and were able to stimulate muscle growth without going to failure. So why do so many command that 'failure' is an absolute law for stimulating muscle growth when much evidence shows otherwise?
Improving your body’s sensitivity to the cold does not require you to go outside in the middle of winter with no clothes on prior to passing out. If you want to improve your tan, it isn’t necessary to subject your skin to the sun prior to the moment of blistering. If you want to improve your ability to hold your breath under water, do you need to go to the point just prior to losing consciousness?
Since your body’s primary function in life is to survive it will adapt only to the point where your body has sufficient defense to whatever element it is exposed. Similarly, when lifting weights your body will adapt to the intensity you have exposed it to over time while maintaining your recovery resources. As you can see, muscle growth stimulation operates on the same principle and does not require over killing your muscles’ absolute limit.
----------------------------------
About the Author:
Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at http://www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com/
He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than before.
By Vince DelMonte
There are so many unproven bodybuilding myths that are still around us. Would you believe me if I said you are being scammed out of 90% of the muscle growth you should be getting because you have been mislead and misinformed by one or all of these deadly bodybuilding myths. Here are the first three of six bodybuilding myths that must be dispelled!
Bodybuilding Myth #1
Train like a bodybuilder to become a bodybuilder.
This is the message screamed by the bodybuilding world. While this mantra may have inspired millions via popular bodybuilding magazines, it has also mislead millions by re-printing and rehashing irresponsible training nonsense that will wreak havoc on your body and make you just another one of the herd.
Imitating the training of the 'champion' bodybuilder is one of the most costly frauds in the exercise world because the 'instruction' from elite bodybuilders has no practical relevance for average people like you and me who are without gifted genetic potential and are drug-free.
The traditional 5-7 day splits, 5 exercises per muscle, 24 set chest routine is training suicide for the average trainee not spending a couple thousand dollars a week on special 'vitamins'. Not only are these magazines useless but they will cause injuries, over-training, and illness. The books and magazines will not tell you that the drugs and genetics were responsible for curing their problem of being a hard gainer. Supplements, 'better training', and more dedication are their 'secrets' so you are told.
Bodybuilding Myth #2
Train for the ‘holy’ pump.
The 'muscle pump' is described as putting your muscles under an extended period of constant tension. As your muscles stretch and contract they become gorged with blood which makes them feel tighter and fuller.
Getting a muscle pump is not necessarily what causes the muscle to grow – doing 100 reps with a light rep will create a huge pump – but does this make a muscle grow? Of course not! Distance runners get a pump in their legs when they sprint uphill. Do they get big muscles? Heck no!
Most bodybuilders swear by the 'pump' and preach that you are shuttling more nutrients into the muscle – but is that what is really happening? Sure it feels great, like Arnold says in the unforgettable scene in Pumping Iron, but all that is occurring is a 'back-up' of blood. The blood is 'stuck' inside the muscle, which creates that worshiped tight and full look.
The blood that's backed up into the muscle has hit a dead end and has nowhere to go. If you had fresh new blood that would be great, but unfortunately you just have old, stale blood getting ready for a snooze. That will not help you gain weight or build muscle mass!
The pump that is built up by the blood in your muscles will usually occur after you repeat set after set, which results in the famous "burning" sensation known as lactic acid. Lactic acid forms in the absence of oxygen. Lactic acid is a WASTE product and does nothing to build muscle weight.
Now if you are lifting extremely heavy weights and achieving a pump then this is a very good indication that you are making the muscle fibers work fully. I would only use the pump as an indicator to reveal how well you are 'targeting' the working muscle. Not as you guide to mark your success.
Bodybuilding Myth #3
You MUST train until failure.
Training to 'failure' has probably received more debate, misinterpretation, and improper logic resulting in too much wasted effort. Going to failure– going to the point in a set where you are physically incapable of going just one more rep, hence you 'fail' - is preached as the most promised way to make continuous muscle gains. Interestingly, there is no activity outside the gym that demonstrates this 'going to failure' principle is as critical as bodybuilders have employed.
Growing up as a long distance runner I often stood by and watched the sprinters compete, and was astonished by their tremendous quadriceps and hamstring muscle. Yet I never remember watching any sprinter on my team train until failure, nor do I recall them ever sprinting through the finish line and collapsing. Yet they demonstrated a greater amount of muscular work in less time each time they practiced and raced.
Also, I will never forget the phenomenal muscularity of the construction workers I used to work with when I laid bricks and framed houses. Yet I never recall them carrying timber around the yard until they could not pick up one more 2 x 4. Nor do I remember the bricklayers moving the bricks around until they could not move them anymore. Both of these groups had incredible muscularity and were able to stimulate muscle growth without going to failure. So why do so many command that 'failure' is an absolute law for stimulating muscle growth when much evidence shows otherwise?
Improving your body’s sensitivity to the cold does not require you to go outside in the middle of winter with no clothes on prior to passing out. If you want to improve your tan, it isn’t necessary to subject your skin to the sun prior to the moment of blistering. If you want to improve your ability to hold your breath under water, do you need to go to the point just prior to losing consciousness?
Since your body’s primary function in life is to survive it will adapt only to the point where your body has sufficient defense to whatever element it is exposed. Similarly, when lifting weights your body will adapt to the intensity you have exposed it to over time while maintaining your recovery resources. As you can see, muscle growth stimulation operates on the same principle and does not require over killing your muscles’ absolute limit.
----------------------------------
About the Author:
Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at http://www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com/
He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than before.
Avoid Building Muscle The Wrong Way! Part 2
Avoid Building Muscle The Wrong Way! Part 2
By Vince DelMonte
How would you feel if you discovered that almost everything you were doing with building muscle was dead wrong? Imagine all the time, money and effort you have spent in the gym was contributing to building muscle – the wrong way! Everything you have read on building muscle has left you with little to show for your hard earned efforts...
There are dozens of muscle building mistakes that we all fall victim to which results in bringing you progress to a complete halt. Don't be too hard on yourself, because like all things in life, building muscle is a learning process. That does not mean you must forfeit years of personal trail and error when we can learn the mistakes of seasoned trainers who walked before us.
If Your Still Stuck With The Same Weak and Skinny Body...
It's Not Your Fault
You have been mislead and down right lied to by some of the most successful masters of deception alive today. You are probably not even aware that the bodybuilding industry is robbing you of your hard-earned efforts, it's embarrassing your commitment and motivation, and most importantly, it's stealing your money, and crushing the results you should be getting at the gym.
In my search for honest, unbiased, time-tested muscle building information I discovered some hard-to-accept information. Looking back, I now realize that this information was a major turning point in my journey to building muscle the right way. BUT...I had to reprogram my belief system.
Here are the first three biggest and baddest ways to building muscle the wrong way. Erase these mistakes from your thought process and you will be one step closer to earning beach body worthy status:
Building Muscle The Wrong Way #1 – Skipping Out On Your Cardio...
Before you disagree take note that I was once a long distance triathlon and running champion so my cardiovascular standards and perceptions of 'fit' are much higher than your local trainers or expert bodybuilding author. It drives me crazy when I hear fitness experts preaching that weight training is just as good for keeping your heart and lungs in prime condition. Who are they kidding?
Weight training, designed for bodybuilding, is almost useless for stimulating your cardiovascular system. Bodybuilding style weight training for your cardio is just about as good as spending the day playing video games. Sure, I know your leg training workouts and super sets make you feel like you sprinted up the street for 100 m but this is far cry from a optimal cardio system.
Do not buy into the latest fad that cardio will kill any chance of building muscle. Cardio must be in your program even if your goal is maximal muscle gain and you are the skinniest of skinny. Aerobics plays a vital role in building muscle and has been shown to speed up recovery from weight training by transporting oxygen and blood flow to the muscles.
The circulatory system is developed because more oxygen is pushed through your blood resulting in a greater number and size of blood vessels. Since there is a greater cardiovascular density of blood vessels, your circulatory system has more 'supply routes' to shuttle oxygen and nutrients to the body tissues, including muscles, and shuttle away waste products that can slow muscle growth, repair and recovery. In the end, this means you will create a more optimal environment for building muscle!
Building Muscle The Wrong Way #2 – Overtraining The Biceps And Triceps
I'll bet any money that you would do almost anything for a set of sleeve-stretching set of arms. Any money that you would do almost anything for a pair of bulging biceps and rock-hard triceps!
Interestingly, every time I 'm at my gym, I see small and weak dudes spending a full hour doing every bicep and tricep exercise imaginable. They do set-after-set, week-after-week with nothing to show but the same skinny noodle arms. What they fail to realize is that for maximum muscle growth and strength, the biceps and triceps require very little direct stimulation!
Do me a favor and take a close close at the size of your thigh. Now compare the size of your thigh to the size of your bicep. Does it make sense to spend the same amount of time training arms versus your legs when your legs are over four times as big? Of course not! Now compare the overall size of your back to the overall size of your arms. Now compare the size of your overall chest to the size of your overall arms. You should now realize that a larger muscle group should be trained differently than a smaller muscle group.
Focus the majority of your training on the large muscle groups – that is chest, back, shoulders and legs. Focus on increasing the strength and size in these big muscle groups and rest assured, building muscle in your arms will become easier.
Now hear me out. I'm not saying that direct arm training is a waste. I'm simply leading you to discover that less is often more when training small muscle groups such as your bi's and tri's.
Building Muscle The Wrong Way #3 – Not Focusing On Getting Stronger
I can't count how many times I have down a fitness consultation with a young new trainee and bring up the idea of including a strength cycle early in the program and he instantly fires back, “But I don't care about how much I can lift, I just want to get ripped and muscular.”
I get his short attention span back by stating, “Building muscle will almost always follow if you simply focus on getting stronger, I mean getting really stronger.” Unfortunately, training to get stronger seems to no longer be apart of the average trainees training regime.
Since the fitness industry has become more commercialized with balls, balance pads, fancy selectorized equipment and ridiculous infomercials, people have neglected the necessary time building requirements to build a solid foundation for long term success. Including bodybuilders.
Consider that the stronger you become the more sets and reps you will be able to lift for more specialized movements. The better your technique. The faster your recovery. The longer and harder you will be able to train. And rest assured, when you get stronger from week to week, the muscle mass will follow!
Don't believe me? Next time you go to your gym check out who the biggest guys are. Don't be surprised if they are also the strongest. Have you ever seen anybody will a small frame who can deadlift four plates, squat three plates, bench press two plates or curl 1 plate (per side respectively). I didn't think so.
Building Muscle The Wrong Way #4 – Reading Bodybuilding Magazines
Did your last bodybuilding magazine promised 2 inches on your arms in 2 weeks? Did it tell you could increase your strength by 40% in one week? Did it show you the latest 'arm program' which looked the exact same as last months arm workout? I know this sounds extreme, but almost 90% of the information you see in bodybuilding magazines is dead wrong and only works for guys who are using steroids.
The modern mainstream bodybuilding magazines are really just muscle comic books written at a 6th grade level. They glorify drug-using bodybuilders and portray them as the picture of health. The cleverly combine two or three rehashed articles, a lot of pictures, gimmicks, sex and hype to sell this nonsense to millions. These magazines may have inspired millions by the pictures but they have also mislead millions.
Building Muscle The Wrong Way #5 – Taking Advice From A Guy Who Uses Drugs
Drugs allow you to train more often because of one's increased ability to recover, but they also speed up normal physiological processes that normally would not occur, i.e. increased hormonal levels. Not only do bodybuilders take an ENORMOUS amount of drugs; they are also known to inject various substances into their bodies to give selected body parts that enhanced look.
Building Muscle The Wrong Way #6 – Trusting The Supplement Ads
Most are unaware that bodybuilding magazines are owned by million dollar supplement companies that use the magazine as a vehicle to sell their supplements. They intentionally get professional bodybuilders to make programs that will cause the Average Joe with average genetics to literally fail. Because the programs are printed in black and white, the trusting consumer believes the advice must be right, and resorts to the latest cutting edge supplement promoted on the next page! The sale has been made.
Building Muscle The Wrong Way #7 – Following The Bodybuilding Programs
How would you also like to know that many of the articles in the popular muscle magazines are ghost written! Yep, many times the staff writers of a certain magazine will simply get the approval of a certain bodybuilder to use their name in an article they write. So, sometimes you will not even be reading an article that was actually written by your favorite bodybuilder.
Stop Taking Advice From Bodybuiding Magazines...
Once skinny guys discover there are no short-cuts or secrets, just time-tested, universal muscle building principles that are not as complicated as perceived, but work for anyone who applies them - then they will begin to build an impressive physquie and conquer their perceived unfriendly genes. You must learn to train smarter and not harder.
The training programs in these magazines are heavily influenced by professional bodybuilders who are on a lot of drugs, let us not pretend otherwise. Yes, other sports also are guilty of using drugs to enhance performance, but possibly no other sport is so dependent on the use of drugs than bodybuilding.
Your Solution : Take Advice From Someone Like You...
If you goal is to become huge and ripped naturally - you need to get advice from someone who has been in your own shoes. Would you take money advice from someone who inherited a million dollars? Probably not. So why would you take muscle building advice from someone who inherited genetics that makes him grow muscle even when he sneezes?
I have no idea either!
----------------------------------
About the Author:
Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at http://www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com/
He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than before.
By Vince DelMonte
How would you feel if you discovered that almost everything you were doing with building muscle was dead wrong? Imagine all the time, money and effort you have spent in the gym was contributing to building muscle – the wrong way! Everything you have read on building muscle has left you with little to show for your hard earned efforts...
There are dozens of muscle building mistakes that we all fall victim to which results in bringing you progress to a complete halt. Don't be too hard on yourself, because like all things in life, building muscle is a learning process. That does not mean you must forfeit years of personal trail and error when we can learn the mistakes of seasoned trainers who walked before us.
If Your Still Stuck With The Same Weak and Skinny Body...
It's Not Your Fault
You have been mislead and down right lied to by some of the most successful masters of deception alive today. You are probably not even aware that the bodybuilding industry is robbing you of your hard-earned efforts, it's embarrassing your commitment and motivation, and most importantly, it's stealing your money, and crushing the results you should be getting at the gym.
In my search for honest, unbiased, time-tested muscle building information I discovered some hard-to-accept information. Looking back, I now realize that this information was a major turning point in my journey to building muscle the right way. BUT...I had to reprogram my belief system.
Here are the first three biggest and baddest ways to building muscle the wrong way. Erase these mistakes from your thought process and you will be one step closer to earning beach body worthy status:
Building Muscle The Wrong Way #1 – Skipping Out On Your Cardio...
Before you disagree take note that I was once a long distance triathlon and running champion so my cardiovascular standards and perceptions of 'fit' are much higher than your local trainers or expert bodybuilding author. It drives me crazy when I hear fitness experts preaching that weight training is just as good for keeping your heart and lungs in prime condition. Who are they kidding?
Weight training, designed for bodybuilding, is almost useless for stimulating your cardiovascular system. Bodybuilding style weight training for your cardio is just about as good as spending the day playing video games. Sure, I know your leg training workouts and super sets make you feel like you sprinted up the street for 100 m but this is far cry from a optimal cardio system.
Do not buy into the latest fad that cardio will kill any chance of building muscle. Cardio must be in your program even if your goal is maximal muscle gain and you are the skinniest of skinny. Aerobics plays a vital role in building muscle and has been shown to speed up recovery from weight training by transporting oxygen and blood flow to the muscles.
The circulatory system is developed because more oxygen is pushed through your blood resulting in a greater number and size of blood vessels. Since there is a greater cardiovascular density of blood vessels, your circulatory system has more 'supply routes' to shuttle oxygen and nutrients to the body tissues, including muscles, and shuttle away waste products that can slow muscle growth, repair and recovery. In the end, this means you will create a more optimal environment for building muscle!
Building Muscle The Wrong Way #2 – Overtraining The Biceps And Triceps
I'll bet any money that you would do almost anything for a set of sleeve-stretching set of arms. Any money that you would do almost anything for a pair of bulging biceps and rock-hard triceps!
Interestingly, every time I 'm at my gym, I see small and weak dudes spending a full hour doing every bicep and tricep exercise imaginable. They do set-after-set, week-after-week with nothing to show but the same skinny noodle arms. What they fail to realize is that for maximum muscle growth and strength, the biceps and triceps require very little direct stimulation!
Do me a favor and take a close close at the size of your thigh. Now compare the size of your thigh to the size of your bicep. Does it make sense to spend the same amount of time training arms versus your legs when your legs are over four times as big? Of course not! Now compare the overall size of your back to the overall size of your arms. Now compare the size of your overall chest to the size of your overall arms. You should now realize that a larger muscle group should be trained differently than a smaller muscle group.
Focus the majority of your training on the large muscle groups – that is chest, back, shoulders and legs. Focus on increasing the strength and size in these big muscle groups and rest assured, building muscle in your arms will become easier.
Now hear me out. I'm not saying that direct arm training is a waste. I'm simply leading you to discover that less is often more when training small muscle groups such as your bi's and tri's.
Building Muscle The Wrong Way #3 – Not Focusing On Getting Stronger
I can't count how many times I have down a fitness consultation with a young new trainee and bring up the idea of including a strength cycle early in the program and he instantly fires back, “But I don't care about how much I can lift, I just want to get ripped and muscular.”
I get his short attention span back by stating, “Building muscle will almost always follow if you simply focus on getting stronger, I mean getting really stronger.” Unfortunately, training to get stronger seems to no longer be apart of the average trainees training regime.
Since the fitness industry has become more commercialized with balls, balance pads, fancy selectorized equipment and ridiculous infomercials, people have neglected the necessary time building requirements to build a solid foundation for long term success. Including bodybuilders.
Consider that the stronger you become the more sets and reps you will be able to lift for more specialized movements. The better your technique. The faster your recovery. The longer and harder you will be able to train. And rest assured, when you get stronger from week to week, the muscle mass will follow!
Don't believe me? Next time you go to your gym check out who the biggest guys are. Don't be surprised if they are also the strongest. Have you ever seen anybody will a small frame who can deadlift four plates, squat three plates, bench press two plates or curl 1 plate (per side respectively). I didn't think so.
Building Muscle The Wrong Way #4 – Reading Bodybuilding Magazines
Did your last bodybuilding magazine promised 2 inches on your arms in 2 weeks? Did it tell you could increase your strength by 40% in one week? Did it show you the latest 'arm program' which looked the exact same as last months arm workout? I know this sounds extreme, but almost 90% of the information you see in bodybuilding magazines is dead wrong and only works for guys who are using steroids.
The modern mainstream bodybuilding magazines are really just muscle comic books written at a 6th grade level. They glorify drug-using bodybuilders and portray them as the picture of health. The cleverly combine two or three rehashed articles, a lot of pictures, gimmicks, sex and hype to sell this nonsense to millions. These magazines may have inspired millions by the pictures but they have also mislead millions.
Building Muscle The Wrong Way #5 – Taking Advice From A Guy Who Uses Drugs
Drugs allow you to train more often because of one's increased ability to recover, but they also speed up normal physiological processes that normally would not occur, i.e. increased hormonal levels. Not only do bodybuilders take an ENORMOUS amount of drugs; they are also known to inject various substances into their bodies to give selected body parts that enhanced look.
Building Muscle The Wrong Way #6 – Trusting The Supplement Ads
Most are unaware that bodybuilding magazines are owned by million dollar supplement companies that use the magazine as a vehicle to sell their supplements. They intentionally get professional bodybuilders to make programs that will cause the Average Joe with average genetics to literally fail. Because the programs are printed in black and white, the trusting consumer believes the advice must be right, and resorts to the latest cutting edge supplement promoted on the next page! The sale has been made.
Building Muscle The Wrong Way #7 – Following The Bodybuilding Programs
How would you also like to know that many of the articles in the popular muscle magazines are ghost written! Yep, many times the staff writers of a certain magazine will simply get the approval of a certain bodybuilder to use their name in an article they write. So, sometimes you will not even be reading an article that was actually written by your favorite bodybuilder.
Stop Taking Advice From Bodybuiding Magazines...
Once skinny guys discover there are no short-cuts or secrets, just time-tested, universal muscle building principles that are not as complicated as perceived, but work for anyone who applies them - then they will begin to build an impressive physquie and conquer their perceived unfriendly genes. You must learn to train smarter and not harder.
The training programs in these magazines are heavily influenced by professional bodybuilders who are on a lot of drugs, let us not pretend otherwise. Yes, other sports also are guilty of using drugs to enhance performance, but possibly no other sport is so dependent on the use of drugs than bodybuilding.
Your Solution : Take Advice From Someone Like You...
If you goal is to become huge and ripped naturally - you need to get advice from someone who has been in your own shoes. Would you take money advice from someone who inherited a million dollars? Probably not. So why would you take muscle building advice from someone who inherited genetics that makes him grow muscle even when he sneezes?
I have no idea either!
----------------------------------
About the Author:
Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at http://www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com/
He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than before.
Avoid Building Muscle The Wrong Way! Part 1
Avoid Building Muscle The Wrong Way! Part 1
By Vince DelMonte
How would you feel if you discovered that almost everything you were doing with building muscle was dead wrong? Imagine all the time, money and effort you have spent in the gym was contributing to building muscle – the wrong way! Everything you have read on building muscle has left you with little to show for your hard earned efforts...
There are dozens of muscle building mistakes that we all fall victim to which results in bringing you progress to a complete halt. Don't be too hard on yourself, because like all things in life, building muscle is a learning process. That does not mean you must forfeit years of personal trail and error when we can learn the mistakes of seasoned trainers who walked before us.
Here are the first three biggest and baddest ways to building muscle the wrong way. Erase these mistakes from your thought process and you will be one step closer to earning beach body worthy status:
Building Muscle The Wrong Way #1 – Skipping Out On Your Cardio...
Before you disagree take note that I was once a long distance triathlon and running champion so my cardiovascular standards and perceptions of 'fit' are much higher than your local trainers or expert bodybuilding author. It drives me crazy when I hear fitness experts preaching that weight training is just as good for keeping your heart and lungs in prime condition. Who are they kidding?
Weight training, designed for bodybuilding, is almost useless for stimulating your cardiovascular system. Bodybuilding style weight training for your cardio is just about as good as spending the day playing video games. Sure, I know your leg training workouts and super sets make you feel like you sprinted up the street for 100 m but this is far cry from a optimal cardio system.
Do not buy into the latest fad that cardio will kill any chance of building muscle. Cardio must be in your program even if your goal is maximal muscle gain and you are the skinniest of skinny. Aerobics plays a vital role in building muscle and has been shown to speed up recovery from weight training by transporting oxygen and blood flow to the muscles.
The circulatory system is developed because more oxygen is pushed through your blood resulting in a greater number and size of blood vessels. Since there is a greater cardiovascular density of blood vessels, your circulatory system has more 'supply routes' to shuttle oxygen and nutrients to the body tissues, including muscles, and shuttle away waste products that can slow muscle growth, repair and recovery. In the end, this means you will create a more optimal environment for building muscle!
Building Muscle The Wrong Way #2 – Overtraining The Biceps And Triceps
I'll bet any money that you would do almost anything for a set of sleeve-stretching set of arms. Any money that you would do almost anything for a pair of bulging biceps and rock-hard triceps!
Interestingly, every time I 'm at my gym, I see small and weak dudes spending a full hour doing every bicep and tricep exercise imaginable. They do set-after-set, week-after-week with nothing to show but the same skinny noodle arms. What they fail to realize is that for maximum muscle growth and strength, the biceps and triceps require very little direct stimulation!
Do me a favour and take a close close at the size of your thigh. Now compare the size of your thigh to the size of your bicep. Does it make sense to spend the same amount of time training arms versus your legs when your legs are over 4x as big? Of course not! Now compare the overall size of your back to the overall size of your arms. Now compare the size of your overall chest to the size of your overall arms. You should now realize that a larger muscle group should be trained differently than a smaller muscle group.
Focus the majority of your training on the large muscle groups – that is chest, back, shoulders and legs. Focus on increasing the strength and size in these big muscle groups and rest assured, building muscle in your arms will become easier.
Now hear me out. I'm not saying that direct arm training is a waste. I'm simply leading you to discover that less is often more when training small muscle groups such as your bi's and tri's.
Building Muscle The Wrong Way #3 – Not Focusing On Getting Stronger
I can't count how many times I have down a fitness consultation with a young new trainee and bring up the idea of including a strength cycle early in the program and he instantly fires back, "But I don't care about how much I can lift, I just want to get ripped and muscular."
I get his short attention span back by stating, "Building muscle will almost always follow if you simply focus on getting stronger, I mean getting really stronger." Unfortunately, training to get stronger seems to no longer be apart of the average trainees training regime.
Since the fitness industry has become more commercialized with balls, balance pads, fancy selectorized equipment and ridiculous infomercials, people have neglected the necessary time building requirements to build a solid foundation for long term success. Including bodybuilders.
Consider that the stronger you become the more sets and reps you will be able to lift for more specialized movements. The better your technique. The faster your recovery. The longer and harder you will be able to train. And rest assured, when you get stronger from week to week, the muscle mass will follow!
Don't believe me? Next time you go to your gym check out who the biggest guys are. Don't be surprised if they are also the strongest. Have you ever seen anybody will a small frame who can deadlift four plates, squat three plates, bench press two plates or curl 1 plate (per side respectively). I didn't think so.
----------------------------------
About the Author:
Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at http://www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com/
He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than before.
By Vince DelMonte
How would you feel if you discovered that almost everything you were doing with building muscle was dead wrong? Imagine all the time, money and effort you have spent in the gym was contributing to building muscle – the wrong way! Everything you have read on building muscle has left you with little to show for your hard earned efforts...
There are dozens of muscle building mistakes that we all fall victim to which results in bringing you progress to a complete halt. Don't be too hard on yourself, because like all things in life, building muscle is a learning process. That does not mean you must forfeit years of personal trail and error when we can learn the mistakes of seasoned trainers who walked before us.
Here are the first three biggest and baddest ways to building muscle the wrong way. Erase these mistakes from your thought process and you will be one step closer to earning beach body worthy status:
Building Muscle The Wrong Way #1 – Skipping Out On Your Cardio...
Before you disagree take note that I was once a long distance triathlon and running champion so my cardiovascular standards and perceptions of 'fit' are much higher than your local trainers or expert bodybuilding author. It drives me crazy when I hear fitness experts preaching that weight training is just as good for keeping your heart and lungs in prime condition. Who are they kidding?
Weight training, designed for bodybuilding, is almost useless for stimulating your cardiovascular system. Bodybuilding style weight training for your cardio is just about as good as spending the day playing video games. Sure, I know your leg training workouts and super sets make you feel like you sprinted up the street for 100 m but this is far cry from a optimal cardio system.
Do not buy into the latest fad that cardio will kill any chance of building muscle. Cardio must be in your program even if your goal is maximal muscle gain and you are the skinniest of skinny. Aerobics plays a vital role in building muscle and has been shown to speed up recovery from weight training by transporting oxygen and blood flow to the muscles.
The circulatory system is developed because more oxygen is pushed through your blood resulting in a greater number and size of blood vessels. Since there is a greater cardiovascular density of blood vessels, your circulatory system has more 'supply routes' to shuttle oxygen and nutrients to the body tissues, including muscles, and shuttle away waste products that can slow muscle growth, repair and recovery. In the end, this means you will create a more optimal environment for building muscle!
Building Muscle The Wrong Way #2 – Overtraining The Biceps And Triceps
I'll bet any money that you would do almost anything for a set of sleeve-stretching set of arms. Any money that you would do almost anything for a pair of bulging biceps and rock-hard triceps!
Interestingly, every time I 'm at my gym, I see small and weak dudes spending a full hour doing every bicep and tricep exercise imaginable. They do set-after-set, week-after-week with nothing to show but the same skinny noodle arms. What they fail to realize is that for maximum muscle growth and strength, the biceps and triceps require very little direct stimulation!
Do me a favour and take a close close at the size of your thigh. Now compare the size of your thigh to the size of your bicep. Does it make sense to spend the same amount of time training arms versus your legs when your legs are over 4x as big? Of course not! Now compare the overall size of your back to the overall size of your arms. Now compare the size of your overall chest to the size of your overall arms. You should now realize that a larger muscle group should be trained differently than a smaller muscle group.
Focus the majority of your training on the large muscle groups – that is chest, back, shoulders and legs. Focus on increasing the strength and size in these big muscle groups and rest assured, building muscle in your arms will become easier.
Now hear me out. I'm not saying that direct arm training is a waste. I'm simply leading you to discover that less is often more when training small muscle groups such as your bi's and tri's.
Building Muscle The Wrong Way #3 – Not Focusing On Getting Stronger
I can't count how many times I have down a fitness consultation with a young new trainee and bring up the idea of including a strength cycle early in the program and he instantly fires back, "But I don't care about how much I can lift, I just want to get ripped and muscular."
I get his short attention span back by stating, "Building muscle will almost always follow if you simply focus on getting stronger, I mean getting really stronger." Unfortunately, training to get stronger seems to no longer be apart of the average trainees training regime.
Since the fitness industry has become more commercialized with balls, balance pads, fancy selectorized equipment and ridiculous infomercials, people have neglected the necessary time building requirements to build a solid foundation for long term success. Including bodybuilders.
Consider that the stronger you become the more sets and reps you will be able to lift for more specialized movements. The better your technique. The faster your recovery. The longer and harder you will be able to train. And rest assured, when you get stronger from week to week, the muscle mass will follow!
Don't believe me? Next time you go to your gym check out who the biggest guys are. Don't be surprised if they are also the strongest. Have you ever seen anybody will a small frame who can deadlift four plates, squat three plates, bench press two plates or curl 1 plate (per side respectively). I didn't think so.
----------------------------------
About the Author:
Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at http://www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com/
He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than before.
How To Get Ripped Fast!
How To Get Ripped Fast!
By Vince DelMonte
To have a world class fitness body, you must be muscular of course, symmetrical and balanced, have a well defined six-pack but most importantly, you must be ripped and shredded to the bone! If you do not know how to get ripped fast than we are about to discuss how weight training, proper nutrition and aerobic exercise will assist in getting a ripped, beach worthy body by next summer.
Determine Where You Are Starting Before You Start To Get Ripped
If you do not have the ripped body of your dreams than
you are either one of two people:
1. The 'big guy' at the gym who looks huge in clothes but has no muscle definition when the shirt comes off. You are training like a bodybuilder, eating in a caloric surplus, getting stronger and bigger each week but would never win a fitness model show because of your excess body fat.
2. Or, are you the 'skinny guy' who thinks he is ripped because your veins are popping out of your tank top, but have no muscle mass to support your frame. Sure, your veins make you look 'ripped' to the bike club but this false sense of 'big' would only get you laughed off a bodybuilding stage.
To get ripped, you must determine whether you need to start leaning down through a fat loss program or else add muscle mass with a bulking program. You can not be ripped if you are lacking muscle mass or lacking muscle defintion. Don't chase both goals at once. I will address how both categories can learn how to get ripped fast with weight training, nutrition and cardio.
How To Get Ripped With Weight Training
# Skinny guys should train less than 45 minutes each workout.
# Skinny guys should focus on only compound movements and no isolated movements.
# Skinny guys should focus on getting stronger by 5% every two weeks.
# Skinny guys should do no more than 1-2 forced reps to avoid wasted energy.
# Skinny guys should have there body parts split up into a maximum three day program.
# Bulky guys can train from 1 hour to 1 and ½ hours for the extra caloric expenditure.
# Bulky guys can incorporate more isolated movements for caloric expenditure.
# Bulky guys should still maintain there strength which will ensure no muslce loss.
# Bulky guys can include drop sets and pre-exhaust sets for the extra energy expenditure.
# Bulky guys can spend more time per muscle group and split there body parts over 5 days.
How To Get Ripped With Nutrition
# Skinny guys should be eating about 15 x there current body weight in calories for muscle mass.
# Skinny guys should eat at least 1- 1.5 grams of protein per pound of lean muscle mass.
# Skinny guys should be eating at least 2x as many carbs as proteins.
# Skinny guys should be getting high quality fats with each meal.
# Skinny guys should be getting extra calories through workout nutrition drinks.
# Skinny guys should have there largest meals at breakfast, pre-workout and post-workout.
# Skinny guys should be eating large quantities of oatmeal, whole grains, potatoes and rice.
# Bulky guys should be eating about 10 x there current body weight, in calories, for fat loss.
# Bulky guys should eat at least 1 - 1.5 grams of protein per pound of lean muscle mass.
# Bulky guys should eat a 1:1 ratio of proteins to carbs in the day.
# Bulky guys should only eat healthy fats like flax oil, olive oil, nuts and avocado's.
# Bulky guys should only consume liquid carbs during the workout.
# Bulky guys should consume carbs only in the form of veggies and fruits.
How To Get Ripped With Cardio
# Skinny guys should only do cardio if there caloric intake is in a 1000 calorie surplus.
# Skinny guys should keep there cardio workouts as far away as possible from there weights.
# Skinny guy should keep there cardio workouts less then 20-30 minutes.
# Skinny guys should do cardio no more than 2 - 4 x a week.
# Skinny guys should perform cardio on a full stomach.
# Skinny guys should have a protein-carb workout drink ready after the workout.
# Skinny guys should avoid long, endurance style training.
# Bulky guys should do there cardio immediately after weights.
# Bulky guys should do a mixture of long, slow cardio and interval cardio.
# Bulky guys can do cardio up to 7-10 x a week in extreme cases.
# Bulky guys should do cardio on a empty stomach for quicker fat loss.
# Bulky guys should sip on a protein drink to avoid muscle loss.
There you have it. Now you know how to get ripped fast, whether you are a skinny or bulky.
----------------------------------
About the Author:
Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at http://www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com/
He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than before.
By Vince DelMonte
To have a world class fitness body, you must be muscular of course, symmetrical and balanced, have a well defined six-pack but most importantly, you must be ripped and shredded to the bone! If you do not know how to get ripped fast than we are about to discuss how weight training, proper nutrition and aerobic exercise will assist in getting a ripped, beach worthy body by next summer.
Determine Where You Are Starting Before You Start To Get Ripped
If you do not have the ripped body of your dreams than
you are either one of two people:
1. The 'big guy' at the gym who looks huge in clothes but has no muscle definition when the shirt comes off. You are training like a bodybuilder, eating in a caloric surplus, getting stronger and bigger each week but would never win a fitness model show because of your excess body fat.
2. Or, are you the 'skinny guy' who thinks he is ripped because your veins are popping out of your tank top, but have no muscle mass to support your frame. Sure, your veins make you look 'ripped' to the bike club but this false sense of 'big' would only get you laughed off a bodybuilding stage.
To get ripped, you must determine whether you need to start leaning down through a fat loss program or else add muscle mass with a bulking program. You can not be ripped if you are lacking muscle mass or lacking muscle defintion. Don't chase both goals at once. I will address how both categories can learn how to get ripped fast with weight training, nutrition and cardio.
How To Get Ripped With Weight Training
# Skinny guys should train less than 45 minutes each workout.
# Skinny guys should focus on only compound movements and no isolated movements.
# Skinny guys should focus on getting stronger by 5% every two weeks.
# Skinny guys should do no more than 1-2 forced reps to avoid wasted energy.
# Skinny guys should have there body parts split up into a maximum three day program.
# Bulky guys can train from 1 hour to 1 and ½ hours for the extra caloric expenditure.
# Bulky guys can incorporate more isolated movements for caloric expenditure.
# Bulky guys should still maintain there strength which will ensure no muslce loss.
# Bulky guys can include drop sets and pre-exhaust sets for the extra energy expenditure.
# Bulky guys can spend more time per muscle group and split there body parts over 5 days.
How To Get Ripped With Nutrition
# Skinny guys should be eating about 15 x there current body weight in calories for muscle mass.
# Skinny guys should eat at least 1- 1.5 grams of protein per pound of lean muscle mass.
# Skinny guys should be eating at least 2x as many carbs as proteins.
# Skinny guys should be getting high quality fats with each meal.
# Skinny guys should be getting extra calories through workout nutrition drinks.
# Skinny guys should have there largest meals at breakfast, pre-workout and post-workout.
# Skinny guys should be eating large quantities of oatmeal, whole grains, potatoes and rice.
# Bulky guys should be eating about 10 x there current body weight, in calories, for fat loss.
# Bulky guys should eat at least 1 - 1.5 grams of protein per pound of lean muscle mass.
# Bulky guys should eat a 1:1 ratio of proteins to carbs in the day.
# Bulky guys should only eat healthy fats like flax oil, olive oil, nuts and avocado's.
# Bulky guys should only consume liquid carbs during the workout.
# Bulky guys should consume carbs only in the form of veggies and fruits.
How To Get Ripped With Cardio
# Skinny guys should only do cardio if there caloric intake is in a 1000 calorie surplus.
# Skinny guys should keep there cardio workouts as far away as possible from there weights.
# Skinny guy should keep there cardio workouts less then 20-30 minutes.
# Skinny guys should do cardio no more than 2 - 4 x a week.
# Skinny guys should perform cardio on a full stomach.
# Skinny guys should have a protein-carb workout drink ready after the workout.
# Skinny guys should avoid long, endurance style training.
# Bulky guys should do there cardio immediately after weights.
# Bulky guys should do a mixture of long, slow cardio and interval cardio.
# Bulky guys can do cardio up to 7-10 x a week in extreme cases.
# Bulky guys should do cardio on a empty stomach for quicker fat loss.
# Bulky guys should sip on a protein drink to avoid muscle loss.
There you have it. Now you know how to get ripped fast, whether you are a skinny or bulky.
----------------------------------
About the Author:
Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at http://www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com/
He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than before.
How To Get A Six-Pack - The Wrong Way!
How To Get A Six-Pack - The Wrong Way!
By Vince DelMonte
If you could sculpt one body part to perfection for next summer, what would it be? Let me guess - six pack abs! I don't know anybody who does not want to shrink there waistline, lose body fat, eliminate low back pain and develop a jaw dropping set of rock-hard six-pack. Too bad that your brain has been poisoned with contaiminated information.
Before you can start learing how to get six-pack abs and discover the truth about what it really takes to build a beach-worthy abdominal section, you must first expose the lies, myths and rumors. Before we talk about how to get six-pack abs, the right way, we must re-program your hard drive and empty the trash can of garbage you have been fed.
Because of all this hyped up and misguided information - even among so-called 'fitness experts' - you should skeptical of discerning about all abdominal training equipment and programs. Let's first eliminate the top four ways not to get a six-pack:
Learning how to get a six-pack does not require expensive workout equipment promoted through obnoxious infomercials. You can't flick on the TV anymore without seeing two new abdominal exercise machines being promoted at once. There are so many of them, that if you get suckered into these 'ab workout' gimmicks, you will be broke quicker than Ben Johnson sprints the 100 m dash! And get this: Of the $520 million dollars a year spent on exercise equipment, abdominal machines get a $208 million dollar piece of the pie!
Learning how to get a six-pack does not require thousands or even hundreds of crunches a day. So much for the Brittany Spears ab workou! Crunches are decent but totally overused and associated with more being better. Crunches is a very general exercise and general exercises get general results. Excessive floor crunches shorten the abdominal wall, pull your head forward and emphasize poor posture. They also involve a very low level of stimulation which negelets adequate muscle fiber recruitment.
Learning how to get a six-pack does not involve starvation diets. Starvation diets starve the muscle when instead, you should be feeding the muscle. Guess what happens when you starve your body? Your metabolism shuts down out of survival and causes your body to store fat. Your body must get energy from somewhere so guess what gets sacrificed? That's right, your precious muscle which is in fact responsible for a maintaining a high metabolism. Starve your muscle - great logic!
Learning how to get a six-pack does not require fat burning pills. What did the last weight loss pill you bought do for you? The same thing the next one is going to do - nothing! Except give you a thinner wallet but not a thinner waist line. The entire concept of taking pills to 'burn fat' is built on a sandy foundation and misleading because diet pills only treat the symptons and not the root cause. Without focusing on the root problems of a flabby mid-section, like nutrition, lifestyle and proper training, you will just end up where you started - farther away from having a six-pack for summer instead of closer.
If just landed on earth from Mars today, and were able to avoid these four completely wrong ways to build a six-pac, than you will have an advantage over the rest of the world and be one enormous step closer to taking your shirt off with pride!
----------------------------------
About the Author:
Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at http://www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com/
He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than before.
By Vince DelMonte
If you could sculpt one body part to perfection for next summer, what would it be? Let me guess - six pack abs! I don't know anybody who does not want to shrink there waistline, lose body fat, eliminate low back pain and develop a jaw dropping set of rock-hard six-pack. Too bad that your brain has been poisoned with contaiminated information.
Before you can start learing how to get six-pack abs and discover the truth about what it really takes to build a beach-worthy abdominal section, you must first expose the lies, myths and rumors. Before we talk about how to get six-pack abs, the right way, we must re-program your hard drive and empty the trash can of garbage you have been fed.
Because of all this hyped up and misguided information - even among so-called 'fitness experts' - you should skeptical of discerning about all abdominal training equipment and programs. Let's first eliminate the top four ways not to get a six-pack:
Learning how to get a six-pack does not require expensive workout equipment promoted through obnoxious infomercials. You can't flick on the TV anymore without seeing two new abdominal exercise machines being promoted at once. There are so many of them, that if you get suckered into these 'ab workout' gimmicks, you will be broke quicker than Ben Johnson sprints the 100 m dash! And get this: Of the $520 million dollars a year spent on exercise equipment, abdominal machines get a $208 million dollar piece of the pie!
Learning how to get a six-pack does not require thousands or even hundreds of crunches a day. So much for the Brittany Spears ab workou! Crunches are decent but totally overused and associated with more being better. Crunches is a very general exercise and general exercises get general results. Excessive floor crunches shorten the abdominal wall, pull your head forward and emphasize poor posture. They also involve a very low level of stimulation which negelets adequate muscle fiber recruitment.
Learning how to get a six-pack does not involve starvation diets. Starvation diets starve the muscle when instead, you should be feeding the muscle. Guess what happens when you starve your body? Your metabolism shuts down out of survival and causes your body to store fat. Your body must get energy from somewhere so guess what gets sacrificed? That's right, your precious muscle which is in fact responsible for a maintaining a high metabolism. Starve your muscle - great logic!
Learning how to get a six-pack does not require fat burning pills. What did the last weight loss pill you bought do for you? The same thing the next one is going to do - nothing! Except give you a thinner wallet but not a thinner waist line. The entire concept of taking pills to 'burn fat' is built on a sandy foundation and misleading because diet pills only treat the symptons and not the root cause. Without focusing on the root problems of a flabby mid-section, like nutrition, lifestyle and proper training, you will just end up where you started - farther away from having a six-pack for summer instead of closer.
If just landed on earth from Mars today, and were able to avoid these four completely wrong ways to build a six-pac, than you will have an advantage over the rest of the world and be one enormous step closer to taking your shirt off with pride!
----------------------------------
About the Author:
Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at http://www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com/
He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than before.
Defeat Your Skinny Genetics and Own 2008:
Defeat Your Skinny Genetics and Own 2008:
The 1 +1 Skinny Guy Transformation Program
By Vince DelMonte
It happens every year. The New Year comes and every scrawny twerp on the planet swears this is going to be the year that he slaps on an extra 20 pounds of muscle. But if you didn't pack it on successfully last year, what makes you think this year is going to be any different? Seriously?
Did you spend hours in the gym with no results? Did you spend the last year blindly following the muscle magazines only to look the same as you do now? Did you spend the year filling your body with mysterious supplements that only make you sick? Did you watch your friends train less than you but get twice as big? Sound familiar doesn't it? I thought so.
So the question is, how are we going to get a different result? The answer is simple. By doing something differently. Would you agree the best way to get the same thing is to do the same thing? And would you agree that the best way to get a different result is to do something different?
Give me a amen if you have decided that 2008 is going to be different. Give me a amen-hallelujah if you are prepared to be a different person and prepared to do something different this year. Commit to having your best year, and I'll take care of you, providing you with the best skinny guy transformation program.
My Own Skinny Guy Experience
Trust me, I know. I was a skinny beanpole all through high school and university and gained the nickname Skinny Vinny. I gawked at my room mates how displayed copious amounts of rock-hard brawn on there frame. I was inspired by the spectacular 'before and after' pictures in bodybuilding magazines. I read every piece of bodybuilding literature I could, got misguided by a slew of personal trainers, experimented with every legal supplement I could purchase, but despite my efforts, my 12 week pictures looked nothing like the supplement advertisements. The cruel scale needle stayed the same like it was cast in stone. Perhaps I was doomed to be skinny for life...
Skinny Guys Must Play By A Different Set Of Rules
As a weight training enthusiast, figuring out the most effective workout routine can become an endless source of confusion and frustration. Every single fitness expert and magazine has a different training theory or training angle which becomes more confusing than a trip for Jessica Simpson at Home Depot!
Most skinny guys end up using routines designed and touted by those freaky monsters seen in the hardcore rags who have more than a little chemistry lab going on inside of them. Programs that include hitting the gym more than five times a week, focusing on 1-2 exercises per workout, 12-24 sets per exercise and overemphasizing isolation-type exercises. None of these components of a program helps improve the underlying foundation of a hardgainers success. Training to get bigger and more muscular, that is - your best body ever, must revolve around getting stronger and I mean really, really stronger. Increasing your strength remains the rock-solid foundation for defeating your skinny genetics and getting a head-turning physique for 2008.
Since the vast array of exercise machines came on the market, along with infomercials, instant result programs, and fancy dressed supplement ads, people are no longer willing to spend the time in the gym to build the solid strength foundation that is critical for long-term progress. Since you've read this far, you won't be making that mistake this year!
Six Reasons Skinny Guys Must Focus On The Forgotten Factor: Strength
* Strength training is incredibly taxing on the body's central nervous system. Increasing your central nervous system's work capacity through heavy and/or explosive movements; you directly increase the ability of your muscular system to produce increased levels of strength.
* Strength training releases more growth hormone and testosterone. Using greater resistance loads than normal will release a greater abundance of these muscle building hormones necessary to maximize your genetic potential which will result in new muscle growth all over - especially on those lagging body parts!
* Strength training creates a platform to achieve more sets and reps. When you build a stronger foundation, your ability to handle heavier loads in the higher rep ranges will dramatically increase, resulting in some impressive muscular hypertrophy.
* Strength training benefits the smaller muscle groups as well. The pure strength movements do not just benefit the larger muscle groups such as the chest, back and legs but the smaller ones as well. An example: A skinny guy increases the amount of weight he can do on the bent over row from 135 to 225. The heavier poundages will result in significantly strengthening the assisting movers of the upper arm - brachialis and the brachioradialis - allowing him to curl much more weight on his curling exercises.
* Strength training involves the maximal amount of muscle fibers. To defeat your skinny genetics you must use the maximal number of muscle fibers in each set. Do you think lifting weights at 60-80% of your threshold is going to stimulate the maximal amount of muscle fiber? Think of your muscles as lazy. They would prefer to sleep this entire next year. They would prefer to stay small. They have zero interest in growing larger. That is something you want to do. The only reason they will wake up (get bigger) is if they are attacked. If they are exposed to an assault (heavy weight) they have not experienced before. Out of survival, your muscles will grow bigger to prevent the same assault from occurring again.
* Strength training does not eat up your precious calories. Unlike the 1-2 hour marathon training sessions that involve 12-24 exercises per body part or workout, strength training is much less demanding calorically. It does not burn up the calories your muscles need to grow because of the longer rests and shorter sets.
* Strength training leads to progressive overload. If you are thinking, "But I don't care how much I can lift. All I care about is not being skinny anymore and building a good physique. I'm not a power lifter or bodybuilder." I would reply that strength training is a fundamental principle of muscle growth because it leads to progressive overload. The only way to make a muscle grow is to subject it to unaccustomed stress. Progressive overload basically implies that when a muscle is subjected to an usual amount of unaccustomed stress and effort, the muscle must respond by getting larger to manage and cope with the new stress.
Still Not Convinced That Strength Training Is The Answer To Your Best Body This Year?
How many people do you see with skinny arms that can curl 135 pounds? How many people do you see with no chest who bench press 275 pounds? How many people do you see with massive upper girdles that can dead lift 315 pounds? How many people do you see with chop-stick legs who can squat 400 pounds?I would say - not many. There are many more reasons why strength training will help you defeat your muscle unfriendly genes and get the body you deserve this year but I think you get the point. If ever in doubt, just take a look at the biggest guys in your gym. I bet they are lifting 3-4 more times the weight as you!
The 1 + 1 Skinny Guy Strength Program
Stage 1: 4 x 4 Strength Phase
Week 1-3
Monday
Exercise Work Sets Speed Rest
Back Squats 4 x 4 311 2-3 m
Bench Press 4 x 4 311 2-3 m
Bent Over Rows 4 x 4 311 2-3 m
Upright Rows 2 x 20 211 1 m
Calve Raises 2 x 20 211 1 m
Wednesday
Exercise Work Sets Speed Rest
Lunges 4 x 12-15 311 2-3 m
Stiff Leg Deadlifts 4 x 12-15 311 2-3 m
Dips 4 x failure 311 1 m
Chin Ups 4 x failure 311 1 m
Weighted Abdominal Work 3 x 30 211 1 m
Friday
Exercise Work Sets Speed Rest
Deadlifts 4 x 4 311 2-3 m
Military Presses 4 x 4 311 2-3 m
Wide Grip Pull Ups 4 x 4 311 2-3 m
Barbell Shrugs 2 x 20 211 1 m
Calve Raises 2 x 20 211 1 m
Stage 2 - 5 x 5 Strength Phase
Weeks 4-6
Monday
Exercise Work Sets Speed Rest
Back Squats 5 x 5 311 2-3 m
Stiff-Leg Deadlifts 5 x 5 311 2-3 m
Barbell Curls 5 x 5 311 2-3 m
Barbell Shrugs 3 x 30 311 1 m
Calf raises 3 x 30 311 1 m
Tuesday
Exercise Work Sets Speed Rest
Dumbell Bench Presses 5 x 5 311 2-3 m
Barbell Rows 5 x 5 311 2-3 m
Dumbell Shoulder Presses 5 x 5 311 2-3 m
Weighted Abdominal Work 3x 30 211 1 m
Thursday
Exercise Work Sets Speed Rest
Deadlifts 5 x 5 311 2-3 m
Lunges 5 x 5 311 2-3 m
Close Grip Presses 5 x 5 311 2-3 m
Barbell Shrugs 3 x 30 311 1 m
Calve Raises 3 x 30 311 1 m
Thursday
Exercise Work Sets Speed Rest
Incline Bench Presses 5 x 5 311 2-3 m
Seated Row 5 x 5 311 2-3 m
Military Presses 5 x 5 311 2-3 m
Weighted Abdominal Work 3 x 30 211 1 m
Stage 3 - 6 x 6 Strength Phase
Weeks 7-9
Monday
Exercise Work Sets Speed Rest
Back Squats 6 x 6 311 2-3 m
Bench Press 6 x 6 311 2-3 m
Bent Over Rows 6 x 6 311 2-3 m
Upright Rows 3 x 15 311 1 m
Calve Raises 3 x 15 311 1 m
Wednesday
Exercise Work Sets Speed Rest
Lunges 4 x 8-12 311 2-3 m
Stiff Leg Deadlifts 4 x 8-12 311 2-3 m
Dips 4 x failure 311 1 m
Chin Ups 4 x failure 311 1 m
Weighted Abdominal Work 3 x 30 211 1 m
Friday
Exercise Work Sets Speed Rest
Deadlifts 6 x 6 311 2-3 m
Military Presses 6 x 6 311 2-3 m
Wide Grip Pull Ups 6 x 6 311 2-3 m
Barbell Shrugs 3 x 15 211 1 m
Calve Raises 3 x 15 211 1 m
Stage 4 - 7 x 7 Strength Phase
Weeks 9-12
Monday
Exercise Work Sets Speed Rest
Back Squats 7 x 7 311 2-3 m
Stiff-Leg Deadlifts 7 x 7 311 2-3 m
Barbell Curls 7 x 7 311 2-3 m
Barbell Shrugs 3 x 30 311 1 m
Calf raises 3 x 30 311 1 m
Tuesday
Exercise Work Sets Speed Rest
Dumbell Bench Presses 7 x 7 311 2-3 m
Barbell Rows 7 x 7 311 2-3 m
Dumbell Shoulder Presses 7 x 7 311 2-3 m
Weighted Abdominal Work 3 x 30 211 1 m
Thursday
Exercise Work Sets Speed Rest
Deadlifts 7 x 7 311 2-3 m
Lunges 7 x 7 311 2-3 m
Close Grip Presses 7 x 7 311 2-3 m
Barbell Shrugs 3 x 30 311 1 m
Calve Raises 3 x 30 311 1 m
Friday
Exercise Work Sets Speed Rest
Incline Bench Presses 7 x 7 311 2-3 m
Seated Row 7 x 7 311 2-3 m
Military Presses 7 x 7 311 2-3 m
Weighted Abdominal Work 2 x 20 211 1 m
Weight Training Program Notes:
* You will notice Monday is a Quad Dominant day with Horizontal Pushing (Chest) and Horizontal Pulling (Rows). You will notice that Traps and Calves are opposite movements so have been paired up respectively.
* You will notice Friday is a Hip Dominant day with Vertical Pushing (Shoulders) and Vertical Pulling (Lats). You will notice Traps and Calves are opposite movements so have been paired up respectively.
* You will notice slight variation on some of the exercise selection. The exercise selection is not as critical as the load and set protocol. Feel free to tweak the exercises based on your personal preference. For example, if a Trap Bar Deadlift feels better for you than a normal Deadlift - go for it. If you know you will get better results with dumbell's instead of barbells - don't be afraid to follow your instincts and be involved in the training process.
* For some, the 6 x 6 phase and 7 x7 phase will be too much volume on muscle groups like biceps and triceps. Feel free to modify these to only 3-5 sets. The goal is to keep the weight the same the entire workout. If your weights start to drop than simply record the number of sets you were able to do and try to beat it next week.
* I am guessing 4 x 4 will be your first exposure to heavy lifting. Remember, next phase, you will be focusing on adding one extra rep to the same weight with one extra set hence the 1 + 1 Program. This program is based on increasing the amount of work you are capable of performing over a 12 week period.
e.g. Let's say you can do 185 lbs for 4 x 4 in phase one. Next phase, you will be aiming to do 185 pounds for 5 x 5. You might even be able to slip a few extra pounds on the bar, depending on the rate that you super compensate which will be bonus.
* For time efficiency, opposing muscle groups like Shoulders and Lats, Chest and Rows and Shrugs and Calves can be super set together. I would not recommend super setting your legs. This is your personal choice though.
* The 2 x 20 and 2 x 30 are unique additions I have added from my own personal experience. I have found, generally, that skinny guys responds better to higher rep ranges for the calves and traps.
* You will notice that Monday and Friday can be classified as your Heavy days and Wednesday is an opportunity to increase your body weight strength and prevent your metabolic system from de-training. These higher rep exercises will counteract and help balance out the dominance of central nervous system training occurring.
* The weighted abdominal work should come from Hanging Leg Raises, Weighted Ball Sit Ups, or Cable Crunches.
* You will notice this is a three day program which will be alternated every three weeks with a four day program. I might suggest taking a ? week off at the six week mark if any symptoms of overtraining are suspected. Take at least one week off from the gym at the completion of this 12 week program.
Cardiovascular and Flexibility Training Tips
* During phases 1 and 3 while you are doing only three day of weight training per week I would recommend the following:
o At least two or three 20-30 minute cardio sessions placed either on your non-workout days on immediately after you weight training workouts.
o Use the form of cardio that, in your experience, holds the most muscle on your body. For some, this will mean doing shorter interval cardio sessions. For some, this will mean going for a easy run or swim.
o Incorporate the cardio work to enhance your muscle gain goals - not detract. For example, you might benefit from a easy swim workout after a heavy upper body day. You might benefit from a easy bike ride to loosen up from a heavy lower body workout. Use common sense when choosing your cardio activities. For example, don't try out for the soccer team at the same time you are trying to transform your body!
o Incorporate your cardio based on your nutrition intake. Remember, your muscles grow on calories so the more cardio you incorporate, the more overall calories you will need to counteract the lost.
o Try to stretch at least ? the amount that you lift. Heavy lifting requires long and lengthened muscles to allow full range of motion. Shortened muscles perform weaker and slower and have a higher incidence of injury. If you are weight lifting 4 hours in the week, you should be stretching at least two. This means at least ? hour of stretching before or after you weight training workout. This is my personal recommendation, any less, and your body will screaming for a injury.
Take The Challenge
Give the 1 + 1 Skinny Guy Strength Program a honest effort for the next 12 weeks and commit to making 2008 the year that you defeat your skinny genetics and build a body you can be proud of without spending any more time in the gym than you have to. Believe that you can do it. It can be done and it will!
----------------------------------
About the Author:
Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at http://www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com/
He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than before.
The 1 +1 Skinny Guy Transformation Program
By Vince DelMonte
It happens every year. The New Year comes and every scrawny twerp on the planet swears this is going to be the year that he slaps on an extra 20 pounds of muscle. But if you didn't pack it on successfully last year, what makes you think this year is going to be any different? Seriously?
Did you spend hours in the gym with no results? Did you spend the last year blindly following the muscle magazines only to look the same as you do now? Did you spend the year filling your body with mysterious supplements that only make you sick? Did you watch your friends train less than you but get twice as big? Sound familiar doesn't it? I thought so.
So the question is, how are we going to get a different result? The answer is simple. By doing something differently. Would you agree the best way to get the same thing is to do the same thing? And would you agree that the best way to get a different result is to do something different?
Give me a amen if you have decided that 2008 is going to be different. Give me a amen-hallelujah if you are prepared to be a different person and prepared to do something different this year. Commit to having your best year, and I'll take care of you, providing you with the best skinny guy transformation program.
My Own Skinny Guy Experience
Trust me, I know. I was a skinny beanpole all through high school and university and gained the nickname Skinny Vinny. I gawked at my room mates how displayed copious amounts of rock-hard brawn on there frame. I was inspired by the spectacular 'before and after' pictures in bodybuilding magazines. I read every piece of bodybuilding literature I could, got misguided by a slew of personal trainers, experimented with every legal supplement I could purchase, but despite my efforts, my 12 week pictures looked nothing like the supplement advertisements. The cruel scale needle stayed the same like it was cast in stone. Perhaps I was doomed to be skinny for life...
Skinny Guys Must Play By A Different Set Of Rules
As a weight training enthusiast, figuring out the most effective workout routine can become an endless source of confusion and frustration. Every single fitness expert and magazine has a different training theory or training angle which becomes more confusing than a trip for Jessica Simpson at Home Depot!
Most skinny guys end up using routines designed and touted by those freaky monsters seen in the hardcore rags who have more than a little chemistry lab going on inside of them. Programs that include hitting the gym more than five times a week, focusing on 1-2 exercises per workout, 12-24 sets per exercise and overemphasizing isolation-type exercises. None of these components of a program helps improve the underlying foundation of a hardgainers success. Training to get bigger and more muscular, that is - your best body ever, must revolve around getting stronger and I mean really, really stronger. Increasing your strength remains the rock-solid foundation for defeating your skinny genetics and getting a head-turning physique for 2008.
Since the vast array of exercise machines came on the market, along with infomercials, instant result programs, and fancy dressed supplement ads, people are no longer willing to spend the time in the gym to build the solid strength foundation that is critical for long-term progress. Since you've read this far, you won't be making that mistake this year!
Six Reasons Skinny Guys Must Focus On The Forgotten Factor: Strength
* Strength training is incredibly taxing on the body's central nervous system. Increasing your central nervous system's work capacity through heavy and/or explosive movements; you directly increase the ability of your muscular system to produce increased levels of strength.
* Strength training releases more growth hormone and testosterone. Using greater resistance loads than normal will release a greater abundance of these muscle building hormones necessary to maximize your genetic potential which will result in new muscle growth all over - especially on those lagging body parts!
* Strength training creates a platform to achieve more sets and reps. When you build a stronger foundation, your ability to handle heavier loads in the higher rep ranges will dramatically increase, resulting in some impressive muscular hypertrophy.
* Strength training benefits the smaller muscle groups as well. The pure strength movements do not just benefit the larger muscle groups such as the chest, back and legs but the smaller ones as well. An example: A skinny guy increases the amount of weight he can do on the bent over row from 135 to 225. The heavier poundages will result in significantly strengthening the assisting movers of the upper arm - brachialis and the brachioradialis - allowing him to curl much more weight on his curling exercises.
* Strength training involves the maximal amount of muscle fibers. To defeat your skinny genetics you must use the maximal number of muscle fibers in each set. Do you think lifting weights at 60-80% of your threshold is going to stimulate the maximal amount of muscle fiber? Think of your muscles as lazy. They would prefer to sleep this entire next year. They would prefer to stay small. They have zero interest in growing larger. That is something you want to do. The only reason they will wake up (get bigger) is if they are attacked. If they are exposed to an assault (heavy weight) they have not experienced before. Out of survival, your muscles will grow bigger to prevent the same assault from occurring again.
* Strength training does not eat up your precious calories. Unlike the 1-2 hour marathon training sessions that involve 12-24 exercises per body part or workout, strength training is much less demanding calorically. It does not burn up the calories your muscles need to grow because of the longer rests and shorter sets.
* Strength training leads to progressive overload. If you are thinking, "But I don't care how much I can lift. All I care about is not being skinny anymore and building a good physique. I'm not a power lifter or bodybuilder." I would reply that strength training is a fundamental principle of muscle growth because it leads to progressive overload. The only way to make a muscle grow is to subject it to unaccustomed stress. Progressive overload basically implies that when a muscle is subjected to an usual amount of unaccustomed stress and effort, the muscle must respond by getting larger to manage and cope with the new stress.
Still Not Convinced That Strength Training Is The Answer To Your Best Body This Year?
How many people do you see with skinny arms that can curl 135 pounds? How many people do you see with no chest who bench press 275 pounds? How many people do you see with massive upper girdles that can dead lift 315 pounds? How many people do you see with chop-stick legs who can squat 400 pounds?I would say - not many. There are many more reasons why strength training will help you defeat your muscle unfriendly genes and get the body you deserve this year but I think you get the point. If ever in doubt, just take a look at the biggest guys in your gym. I bet they are lifting 3-4 more times the weight as you!
The 1 + 1 Skinny Guy Strength Program
Stage 1: 4 x 4 Strength Phase
Week 1-3
Monday
Exercise Work Sets Speed Rest
Back Squats 4 x 4 311 2-3 m
Bench Press 4 x 4 311 2-3 m
Bent Over Rows 4 x 4 311 2-3 m
Upright Rows 2 x 20 211 1 m
Calve Raises 2 x 20 211 1 m
Wednesday
Exercise Work Sets Speed Rest
Lunges 4 x 12-15 311 2-3 m
Stiff Leg Deadlifts 4 x 12-15 311 2-3 m
Dips 4 x failure 311 1 m
Chin Ups 4 x failure 311 1 m
Weighted Abdominal Work 3 x 30 211 1 m
Friday
Exercise Work Sets Speed Rest
Deadlifts 4 x 4 311 2-3 m
Military Presses 4 x 4 311 2-3 m
Wide Grip Pull Ups 4 x 4 311 2-3 m
Barbell Shrugs 2 x 20 211 1 m
Calve Raises 2 x 20 211 1 m
Stage 2 - 5 x 5 Strength Phase
Weeks 4-6
Monday
Exercise Work Sets Speed Rest
Back Squats 5 x 5 311 2-3 m
Stiff-Leg Deadlifts 5 x 5 311 2-3 m
Barbell Curls 5 x 5 311 2-3 m
Barbell Shrugs 3 x 30 311 1 m
Calf raises 3 x 30 311 1 m
Tuesday
Exercise Work Sets Speed Rest
Dumbell Bench Presses 5 x 5 311 2-3 m
Barbell Rows 5 x 5 311 2-3 m
Dumbell Shoulder Presses 5 x 5 311 2-3 m
Weighted Abdominal Work 3x 30 211 1 m
Thursday
Exercise Work Sets Speed Rest
Deadlifts 5 x 5 311 2-3 m
Lunges 5 x 5 311 2-3 m
Close Grip Presses 5 x 5 311 2-3 m
Barbell Shrugs 3 x 30 311 1 m
Calve Raises 3 x 30 311 1 m
Thursday
Exercise Work Sets Speed Rest
Incline Bench Presses 5 x 5 311 2-3 m
Seated Row 5 x 5 311 2-3 m
Military Presses 5 x 5 311 2-3 m
Weighted Abdominal Work 3 x 30 211 1 m
Stage 3 - 6 x 6 Strength Phase
Weeks 7-9
Monday
Exercise Work Sets Speed Rest
Back Squats 6 x 6 311 2-3 m
Bench Press 6 x 6 311 2-3 m
Bent Over Rows 6 x 6 311 2-3 m
Upright Rows 3 x 15 311 1 m
Calve Raises 3 x 15 311 1 m
Wednesday
Exercise Work Sets Speed Rest
Lunges 4 x 8-12 311 2-3 m
Stiff Leg Deadlifts 4 x 8-12 311 2-3 m
Dips 4 x failure 311 1 m
Chin Ups 4 x failure 311 1 m
Weighted Abdominal Work 3 x 30 211 1 m
Friday
Exercise Work Sets Speed Rest
Deadlifts 6 x 6 311 2-3 m
Military Presses 6 x 6 311 2-3 m
Wide Grip Pull Ups 6 x 6 311 2-3 m
Barbell Shrugs 3 x 15 211 1 m
Calve Raises 3 x 15 211 1 m
Stage 4 - 7 x 7 Strength Phase
Weeks 9-12
Monday
Exercise Work Sets Speed Rest
Back Squats 7 x 7 311 2-3 m
Stiff-Leg Deadlifts 7 x 7 311 2-3 m
Barbell Curls 7 x 7 311 2-3 m
Barbell Shrugs 3 x 30 311 1 m
Calf raises 3 x 30 311 1 m
Tuesday
Exercise Work Sets Speed Rest
Dumbell Bench Presses 7 x 7 311 2-3 m
Barbell Rows 7 x 7 311 2-3 m
Dumbell Shoulder Presses 7 x 7 311 2-3 m
Weighted Abdominal Work 3 x 30 211 1 m
Thursday
Exercise Work Sets Speed Rest
Deadlifts 7 x 7 311 2-3 m
Lunges 7 x 7 311 2-3 m
Close Grip Presses 7 x 7 311 2-3 m
Barbell Shrugs 3 x 30 311 1 m
Calve Raises 3 x 30 311 1 m
Friday
Exercise Work Sets Speed Rest
Incline Bench Presses 7 x 7 311 2-3 m
Seated Row 7 x 7 311 2-3 m
Military Presses 7 x 7 311 2-3 m
Weighted Abdominal Work 2 x 20 211 1 m
Weight Training Program Notes:
* You will notice Monday is a Quad Dominant day with Horizontal Pushing (Chest) and Horizontal Pulling (Rows). You will notice that Traps and Calves are opposite movements so have been paired up respectively.
* You will notice Friday is a Hip Dominant day with Vertical Pushing (Shoulders) and Vertical Pulling (Lats). You will notice Traps and Calves are opposite movements so have been paired up respectively.
* You will notice slight variation on some of the exercise selection. The exercise selection is not as critical as the load and set protocol. Feel free to tweak the exercises based on your personal preference. For example, if a Trap Bar Deadlift feels better for you than a normal Deadlift - go for it. If you know you will get better results with dumbell's instead of barbells - don't be afraid to follow your instincts and be involved in the training process.
* For some, the 6 x 6 phase and 7 x7 phase will be too much volume on muscle groups like biceps and triceps. Feel free to modify these to only 3-5 sets. The goal is to keep the weight the same the entire workout. If your weights start to drop than simply record the number of sets you were able to do and try to beat it next week.
* I am guessing 4 x 4 will be your first exposure to heavy lifting. Remember, next phase, you will be focusing on adding one extra rep to the same weight with one extra set hence the 1 + 1 Program. This program is based on increasing the amount of work you are capable of performing over a 12 week period.
e.g. Let's say you can do 185 lbs for 4 x 4 in phase one. Next phase, you will be aiming to do 185 pounds for 5 x 5. You might even be able to slip a few extra pounds on the bar, depending on the rate that you super compensate which will be bonus.
* For time efficiency, opposing muscle groups like Shoulders and Lats, Chest and Rows and Shrugs and Calves can be super set together. I would not recommend super setting your legs. This is your personal choice though.
* The 2 x 20 and 2 x 30 are unique additions I have added from my own personal experience. I have found, generally, that skinny guys responds better to higher rep ranges for the calves and traps.
* You will notice that Monday and Friday can be classified as your Heavy days and Wednesday is an opportunity to increase your body weight strength and prevent your metabolic system from de-training. These higher rep exercises will counteract and help balance out the dominance of central nervous system training occurring.
* The weighted abdominal work should come from Hanging Leg Raises, Weighted Ball Sit Ups, or Cable Crunches.
* You will notice this is a three day program which will be alternated every three weeks with a four day program. I might suggest taking a ? week off at the six week mark if any symptoms of overtraining are suspected. Take at least one week off from the gym at the completion of this 12 week program.
Cardiovascular and Flexibility Training Tips
* During phases 1 and 3 while you are doing only three day of weight training per week I would recommend the following:
o At least two or three 20-30 minute cardio sessions placed either on your non-workout days on immediately after you weight training workouts.
o Use the form of cardio that, in your experience, holds the most muscle on your body. For some, this will mean doing shorter interval cardio sessions. For some, this will mean going for a easy run or swim.
o Incorporate the cardio work to enhance your muscle gain goals - not detract. For example, you might benefit from a easy swim workout after a heavy upper body day. You might benefit from a easy bike ride to loosen up from a heavy lower body workout. Use common sense when choosing your cardio activities. For example, don't try out for the soccer team at the same time you are trying to transform your body!
o Incorporate your cardio based on your nutrition intake. Remember, your muscles grow on calories so the more cardio you incorporate, the more overall calories you will need to counteract the lost.
o Try to stretch at least ? the amount that you lift. Heavy lifting requires long and lengthened muscles to allow full range of motion. Shortened muscles perform weaker and slower and have a higher incidence of injury. If you are weight lifting 4 hours in the week, you should be stretching at least two. This means at least ? hour of stretching before or after you weight training workout. This is my personal recommendation, any less, and your body will screaming for a injury.
Take The Challenge
Give the 1 + 1 Skinny Guy Strength Program a honest effort for the next 12 weeks and commit to making 2008 the year that you defeat your skinny genetics and build a body you can be proud of without spending any more time in the gym than you have to. Believe that you can do it. It can be done and it will!
----------------------------------
About the Author:
Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at http://www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com/
He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than before.
The Skinny Guy's Guide To Glutamine
The Skinny Guy's Guide To Glutamine
By Vince DelMonte
When was the last time you read an article discrediting the effects of glutamine? Maybe this will be your first one? Unfortunately, the majority of bodybuilding and muscle magazines still have this supplement on their "Top 5 Lists." I am not here to convince you to never buy another tub of glutamine again, but if stay with me, I will do my best to debunk some of the common myths that have led you to believe that this expensive supplement is necessary.
But I Thought Glutamine Was A "No Brainer" Supplement?
Creatine is a 'no brainer' supplement, protein powder is a 'no brainer' supplement, multi vitamins and fish oils are 'no brainer' supplements. Sorry, Glutamine, you did not make the team - despite the fact it gets its own message boards, chat rooms, magazine articles and its own section in the supplement store. I don't need to remind you that the supplement industry is a billion-dollar industry. Since I used to be a skinny guy myself, I know how badly you want to build the perfect body - or at least one that gets you more dates and more respect at the gym!
Since I have already wasted thousands of dollars on certain, not all, supplements myself, I feel an obligation to tell you the other side of the story. To reveal the glutamine research that NOBODY wants you to read. But this is obvious - nobody makes money disproving the credibility of a hot selling supplement!
So here is where I will make my stand. Glutamine has no muscle-building effects whatsoever. Now before we get too deep, remember that I am not a PH.D student or a research geek. I will pass along the information and let you decide for yourself, and, in the process, do my best to make this fun and interesting.
Glutamine 101
Here is a quick introduction for you skinny guys who have never heard of glutamine. Glutamine makes up 2/3's of the amino acids in our body, which could make a strong case for it being the most important. Understand that glutamine is also a non-essential amino acid which means your body produces it by itself. This does not mean you do not need it - only that external consumption is not mandatory. The most interesting fact about glutamine is that during times of stress (which is not clearly defined), our amino acid pool is depleted which can prevent muscle growth since glutamine makes up the greatest percentage of amino acids. Hence, the theory for supplementing with glutamine if you weight train.
Glutamine Claims
I cut and pasted these right out of random chat room just to show you I am more in tune with the word on the street:
"...glutamine helps with weight training and prevents muscle soreness..."
"...you need glutamine to repair your muscles."
"...supplemental glutamine can help prevent your body from losing muscle."
"...glutamine is not worthless. I train with bodybuilders every day and they recommend it."
"Glutamine is the most important supplement for bodybuilders..."
"It boosts immune function which helps you recover from colds much quicker.."
"Taking large amounts of glutamine before a workout contributes to huge pumps..."
"Glutamine assists in situations of trauma which contributes to faster recovery..."
What Glutamine Sales Reps Are Afraid Of You Discovering
Although the majority of glutamine supplementation hoopla praises its contribution to increased muscle size and strength, decreased chance of overtraining and the other claims above, current research today gives no evident benefits for the skinny guy who wants to build muscle - never mind for any weight trainer in general.
Recently I received an article from a fellow colleague, David Barr MSc., who collected a large batch of research with an exhaustive reference list supporting the notion that glutamine is useful for only very specific conditions (which we will discuss shortly).
Here is a list of some of the most interesting data that David Barr found in his research with my extra commentary:
* Just because glutamine has been proven to work in clinical stress testting does not mean it equates to exercise stress that you experience after a killer workout. Clinical stress such as severe burns, AIDS and extensive surgery are good reasons to warrant its, use but you simply don't cause enough muscular damage during your workouts to justify its use.
* A 2001 study by Candow et al determined that 0.9g of supplemental glutamine/kg/day during weight training resulted in no considerable effect on muscle performance, body composition or muscle breakdown on healthy adults. Since I am just over 200 lbs that is 80 grams of glutamine a day or over $1000 US in glutamine a year! If 80 grams was shown to have no anti-catabolic effects, why would you waste your money on taking the recommended 5-10 grams per day?
* The majority of the research on endurance athletes has revealed minimal contribution in regards to enhancement of the immune system. More significantly, a number of studies disclosed information that glutamine supplementation does not alter exercise-induced suppression of the immune system. Contrary to popular belief, whether your glutamine levels drop or not after training, they have no impact on immunity. - Hiscock N, Pedersen BK. Exercise-induced immunodepression- plasma glutamine is not the link. J Appl Physiol 2002 Sep;93(3):813-22
* Many claim that glutamine helps increase your 'pump' by improving cell volumization. Dr. John Berardi, Ph.D, did some preliminary testing and discovered nothing to support this. Glutamine supplementation has no response on total body water, intra-cellular fluid levels, or extra-cellular fluid levels. - Dr. John M Berardi, Ph.D., Appetite For Construction, JohnBerardi.com 2002 Nov 8
* It is still a question whether or not glutamine improves glycogen stores post-weight training. But why should you care? If you are already consuming a post-workout drink with sugary carbs to replenish glycogen (this is mandatory for any skinny guy who wants to build muscle), then further supplementation with glutamine is unnecessary.
* In conclusion, studies that tested athletes who consumed an amino acid drink post-workout showed an increase in protein synthesis by 48%. However, when glutamine was added to the drink, no additional benefits occurred. That blows the muscle-building theory out the window!
So Is Glutamine A Worthless Supplement?
Well, if you stopped reading right now you would think so! And you are probably confused as heck right now because everything you have heard on glutamine before today praised its holiness. Remember, the supplement industry is a billion-dollar industry and nobody makes money by disproving the effectiveness of supplements. In the end, you must decide for yourself what you wish to believe.
When Glutamine Is Worth Using
David Barr fingers a few situations when glutamine supplement will prove useful for the bodybuilder, so here is a chance to see if your glutamine should still be in your budget:
* Glutamine supplementation could prove useful for bodybuilders who decrease their testosterone levels after coming off a cycle improperly. Muscle breakdown is at its highest in these circumstances despite a quality nutrition plan, so glutamine might help.
* During a pre-contest training regiment that consists of very low calories and high volumes of exercise, protein breakdown is much more likely. Basically, any extreme dieting or fat loss program with the hopes of getting extremely lean can result in increased stress, therefore increased catabolism. Competitive bodybuilders and fitness models are perfect examples of those who might benefit from glutamine supplementation in this above-normal fat loss situation.
* During incidences of extreme weather conditions and/or multi day training, there are situations where extreme stress can be counteract with glutamine supplementation. Triathletes and endurance athletes come to mind.
* " Glutamine supplementation would be beneficial for conditions where catabolic waste is at its peak. Severe burns, severe colds or flu's, severe allergies, alcoholism, chemotherapy, HIV/AIDS, irritable bowel syndrome are a few examples.
In Conclusion
At the start I stated that, "Glutamine has no muscle building effects whatsoever." After reviewing this article, you will notice that is not as black and white as that. However, the take home message, especially to you skinny guys, is that if you are on a proper muscle-building meal plan and using solid post-workout nutrition strategies, glutamine is not a worthwhile supplement for you. Save your money and put it towards food if you are motivated to gain muscle weight.
Save your money and put it towards food if you are motivated to gain muscle weight.
I hope this supplement was a good example of looking at the evidence rather then the hyped-up muscle rags and advice from the 'expert' at your gym. In the end, you are free to believe what you wish, but remember that the current research today does not support the spectacular muscle-building effects supplement companies claim.
References
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1. Barr, David J., CSCS, MSc. Candidate.
Glutamine Destroying the Dogma,
Part 1
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=461188
Part 2
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459884
2.Berardi, Dr. John M, Ph.D.
Appetite For Construction, JohnBerardi.com 2002 Nov 8
http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/qa/afc/afc_nov082002.htm
----------------------------------
About the Author:
Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at http://www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com/
He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than before.
By Vince DelMonte
When was the last time you read an article discrediting the effects of glutamine? Maybe this will be your first one? Unfortunately, the majority of bodybuilding and muscle magazines still have this supplement on their "Top 5 Lists." I am not here to convince you to never buy another tub of glutamine again, but if stay with me, I will do my best to debunk some of the common myths that have led you to believe that this expensive supplement is necessary.
But I Thought Glutamine Was A "No Brainer" Supplement?
Creatine is a 'no brainer' supplement, protein powder is a 'no brainer' supplement, multi vitamins and fish oils are 'no brainer' supplements. Sorry, Glutamine, you did not make the team - despite the fact it gets its own message boards, chat rooms, magazine articles and its own section in the supplement store. I don't need to remind you that the supplement industry is a billion-dollar industry. Since I used to be a skinny guy myself, I know how badly you want to build the perfect body - or at least one that gets you more dates and more respect at the gym!
Since I have already wasted thousands of dollars on certain, not all, supplements myself, I feel an obligation to tell you the other side of the story. To reveal the glutamine research that NOBODY wants you to read. But this is obvious - nobody makes money disproving the credibility of a hot selling supplement!
So here is where I will make my stand. Glutamine has no muscle-building effects whatsoever. Now before we get too deep, remember that I am not a PH.D student or a research geek. I will pass along the information and let you decide for yourself, and, in the process, do my best to make this fun and interesting.
Glutamine 101
Here is a quick introduction for you skinny guys who have never heard of glutamine. Glutamine makes up 2/3's of the amino acids in our body, which could make a strong case for it being the most important. Understand that glutamine is also a non-essential amino acid which means your body produces it by itself. This does not mean you do not need it - only that external consumption is not mandatory. The most interesting fact about glutamine is that during times of stress (which is not clearly defined), our amino acid pool is depleted which can prevent muscle growth since glutamine makes up the greatest percentage of amino acids. Hence, the theory for supplementing with glutamine if you weight train.
Glutamine Claims
I cut and pasted these right out of random chat room just to show you I am more in tune with the word on the street:
"...glutamine helps with weight training and prevents muscle soreness..."
"...you need glutamine to repair your muscles."
"...supplemental glutamine can help prevent your body from losing muscle."
"...glutamine is not worthless. I train with bodybuilders every day and they recommend it."
"Glutamine is the most important supplement for bodybuilders..."
"It boosts immune function which helps you recover from colds much quicker.."
"Taking large amounts of glutamine before a workout contributes to huge pumps..."
"Glutamine assists in situations of trauma which contributes to faster recovery..."
What Glutamine Sales Reps Are Afraid Of You Discovering
Although the majority of glutamine supplementation hoopla praises its contribution to increased muscle size and strength, decreased chance of overtraining and the other claims above, current research today gives no evident benefits for the skinny guy who wants to build muscle - never mind for any weight trainer in general.
Recently I received an article from a fellow colleague, David Barr MSc., who collected a large batch of research with an exhaustive reference list supporting the notion that glutamine is useful for only very specific conditions (which we will discuss shortly).
Here is a list of some of the most interesting data that David Barr found in his research with my extra commentary:
* Just because glutamine has been proven to work in clinical stress testting does not mean it equates to exercise stress that you experience after a killer workout. Clinical stress such as severe burns, AIDS and extensive surgery are good reasons to warrant its, use but you simply don't cause enough muscular damage during your workouts to justify its use.
* A 2001 study by Candow et al determined that 0.9g of supplemental glutamine/kg/day during weight training resulted in no considerable effect on muscle performance, body composition or muscle breakdown on healthy adults. Since I am just over 200 lbs that is 80 grams of glutamine a day or over $1000 US in glutamine a year! If 80 grams was shown to have no anti-catabolic effects, why would you waste your money on taking the recommended 5-10 grams per day?
* The majority of the research on endurance athletes has revealed minimal contribution in regards to enhancement of the immune system. More significantly, a number of studies disclosed information that glutamine supplementation does not alter exercise-induced suppression of the immune system. Contrary to popular belief, whether your glutamine levels drop or not after training, they have no impact on immunity. - Hiscock N, Pedersen BK. Exercise-induced immunodepression- plasma glutamine is not the link. J Appl Physiol 2002 Sep;93(3):813-22
* Many claim that glutamine helps increase your 'pump' by improving cell volumization. Dr. John Berardi, Ph.D, did some preliminary testing and discovered nothing to support this. Glutamine supplementation has no response on total body water, intra-cellular fluid levels, or extra-cellular fluid levels. - Dr. John M Berardi, Ph.D., Appetite For Construction, JohnBerardi.com 2002 Nov 8
* It is still a question whether or not glutamine improves glycogen stores post-weight training. But why should you care? If you are already consuming a post-workout drink with sugary carbs to replenish glycogen (this is mandatory for any skinny guy who wants to build muscle), then further supplementation with glutamine is unnecessary.
* In conclusion, studies that tested athletes who consumed an amino acid drink post-workout showed an increase in protein synthesis by 48%. However, when glutamine was added to the drink, no additional benefits occurred. That blows the muscle-building theory out the window!
So Is Glutamine A Worthless Supplement?
Well, if you stopped reading right now you would think so! And you are probably confused as heck right now because everything you have heard on glutamine before today praised its holiness. Remember, the supplement industry is a billion-dollar industry and nobody makes money by disproving the effectiveness of supplements. In the end, you must decide for yourself what you wish to believe.
When Glutamine Is Worth Using
David Barr fingers a few situations when glutamine supplement will prove useful for the bodybuilder, so here is a chance to see if your glutamine should still be in your budget:
* Glutamine supplementation could prove useful for bodybuilders who decrease their testosterone levels after coming off a cycle improperly. Muscle breakdown is at its highest in these circumstances despite a quality nutrition plan, so glutamine might help.
* During a pre-contest training regiment that consists of very low calories and high volumes of exercise, protein breakdown is much more likely. Basically, any extreme dieting or fat loss program with the hopes of getting extremely lean can result in increased stress, therefore increased catabolism. Competitive bodybuilders and fitness models are perfect examples of those who might benefit from glutamine supplementation in this above-normal fat loss situation.
* During incidences of extreme weather conditions and/or multi day training, there are situations where extreme stress can be counteract with glutamine supplementation. Triathletes and endurance athletes come to mind.
* " Glutamine supplementation would be beneficial for conditions where catabolic waste is at its peak. Severe burns, severe colds or flu's, severe allergies, alcoholism, chemotherapy, HIV/AIDS, irritable bowel syndrome are a few examples.
In Conclusion
At the start I stated that, "Glutamine has no muscle building effects whatsoever." After reviewing this article, you will notice that is not as black and white as that. However, the take home message, especially to you skinny guys, is that if you are on a proper muscle-building meal plan and using solid post-workout nutrition strategies, glutamine is not a worthwhile supplement for you. Save your money and put it towards food if you are motivated to gain muscle weight.
Save your money and put it towards food if you are motivated to gain muscle weight.
I hope this supplement was a good example of looking at the evidence rather then the hyped-up muscle rags and advice from the 'expert' at your gym. In the end, you are free to believe what you wish, but remember that the current research today does not support the spectacular muscle-building effects supplement companies claim.
References
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1. Barr, David J., CSCS, MSc. Candidate.
Glutamine Destroying the Dogma,
Part 1
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=461188
Part 2
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459884
2.Berardi, Dr. John M, Ph.D.
Appetite For Construction, JohnBerardi.com 2002 Nov 8
http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/qa/afc/afc_nov082002.htm
----------------------------------
About the Author:
Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at http://www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com/
He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than before.
The Skinny Guy's/Gal's Guide To Getting A Six-Pack
The Skinny Guy's/Gal's Guide
To Getting A Six-Pack
By Vince DelMonte
The title of this article is a little ironic, isn't it? Since when did skinny guys have a hard time getting a six-pack? Are not all skinny guys like 2.1% body fat and less than 150 pounds soaking wet? Why in the world would a skinny guy need an article on how to get a six-pack? Isn't that why skinny guys are afraid to bulk up – because they are paranoid about losing their treasured abdominals? I asked the same thing until this question almost earned it's own email account!
The volume of interest I receive from skinny guys who wish to build their mid-sections is more than enough evidence to disprove the false reality of, “I should be able to 'see' my abs if I have low body fat.” I'm sure you know of a friend who is completely scrawny, yet, without a shirt, on he has zero abdominal definition! To me, that would be salt on an open wound.
Abdominals Are A Muscle, Too!
You want your arms to be bigger, your shoulders to be broader and your chest to be fuller, correct? And what is the solution to making these muscle groups increase in size? High intensity weight training, overload, consistency and a healthy surplus of calories. Starting to sound familiar?
The same goes for your abdominals. Your abdominals are a muscle group that requires the same formula and attention and are not any different. For some reason many consider abdominals to be a 'special' body part that requires a different set of rules and a completely different formula for training. Abdominals were not given a 'secret code' to crack. To get thick, dense abs – those ones that 'pop' out - you must train them with intensity and overload. Here are some practical tips you can apply to your program so that you can be the 'man' or 'gal' at your gym with a ripped and muscular six-pack!
Prioritize By Sequence
If your abs are your worse body part, then why do you keep training them last, at the end of your workout? Which muscles groups will receive the highest priority when you train? The ones done at the start of your workout or the ones done at the end of the workout? Of course, the ones done at the start of the workout while you have the most energy and focus. If abdominals are the muscle group you wish to prioritize, then don't be afraid to disagree with the 'experts' who say “Never train your abdominals first because you'll weaken your core muscles for the rest of your workout...”. I completely disagree with this and often reply, “Show me the evidence.” The typical response is “Nobody does abdominals first...”. That is pure BS. This just supports the notion that many people who work out don't ever question what they hear or do. They want to be spoon fed answers and follow the trends of others without thinking for themselves. I ALWAYS train abdominals first in a workout if they need the highest attention.
Prioritize By Frequency
What's going to receive better results? A muscle group that is trained one time a week or two times a week (assuming you are recovered prior to the second workout commencing)? Of course, the muscle that is trained 2x a week. The more stimulus on a muscle, the more growth. That is why professional athletes are professional athletes. They have conditioned their bodies to such a high amount of stress that they are able to train more frequently.
How often you train your abdominals is based on the inverse relationship of intensity and volume. The harder you train your abs, the more rest they need. The less intense you train your abs, the more frequently you can train them! If your goal is rehab or injury prevention, then you will be able to train them often with more frequent and lower loads. If your goal is to make your abs more muscular and dense, then a higher load and less frequency would be ideal. If your goal is maintenance, then a medium load and frequency would be ideal. Refer to this table:
Purpose Frequency Intensity Volume Reps
Injury Prevention 5-7x a week Low 1-4 sets 20-30
Hypertrophy 4x a week High 6-12 sets 8-12
Maintenance 2-3x a week Medium 3-6 sets 10-20
If building a sexy six-pack is on your 'to do' list for 2008, then start training abdominals 2-4x a week. I will teach you in a moment how to split your abdominals up into two different days based on movement.
Divide Your Abdominals Into Two Separate Workouts
To train your abdominals safely and effectively you must know the basic movement patterns of your abs and train them within all sub-categories:
• Truck Flexion (upper abs)
• Hip Flexion (lower abs)
• Rotation (obliques)
• Lateral Flexion (obliques)
The majority of books and articles you have read revolve the bulk of the ab exercises around trunk flexion that is better known as 'upper ab' exercises. A full sit up is a perfect example of this.
Bill Starr in his 1976 classic 'The Strongest Shall Survive' wrote that the abdominals “...can be strengthened in a wide variety of ways. Sit-ups of all types, leg raises, truck rotation movements all involve the abdominal muscles to a different degree...”
I wouldn't be surprised if the abdominal program you are following right now is based on one movement - trunk flexion. I am guessing that your primary goal is actually to have a well-defined and sculpted six-pack, so I have provided a sample abdominal program to break it up into a four day program:
A B C D
Trunk Flexion Rotation Trunk Flexion Rotation
Hip Flexion Lateral Flexion Hip Flexion Lateral Flexion
Even though you are training each movement twice per week, you will perform different exercises for each workout.
Use A Variety Of Functional Exercises
The Top 3 Hip Flexion Exercises:
1. Lying Hip Raise
2. Incline Hip Raise
3. Hanging Hip Raise
The Top 3 Trunk Flexion Exercises:
1. Swiss Ball Crunch
2. Weighted Swiss Ball CruncH
3. Weighted Cable Crunches
The Top 3 Rotation Exercises:
1. Russian Twist
2. Weighted Russian Twist
3. Weighted Cable Crossover
The Top 3 Lateral Flexion Exercises:
1. Lateral Flexion on back extension machine
2. Lateral Flexion with medicine ball over head
3. Lateral Flexion with medicine ball and twist
Each of these exercises progresses from basic to intermediate to advanced. I suggest you master the first exercise of each before commencing to the next.
Conclusion
You now have all the tools and resources you require to start building a set of eye-popping abdominals. Customize your own abdominal workout and post it in the Article Comments Forum for others to compare and learn from.
----------------------------------
About the Author:
Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at http://www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com/
He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than before.
To Getting A Six-Pack
By Vince DelMonte
The title of this article is a little ironic, isn't it? Since when did skinny guys have a hard time getting a six-pack? Are not all skinny guys like 2.1% body fat and less than 150 pounds soaking wet? Why in the world would a skinny guy need an article on how to get a six-pack? Isn't that why skinny guys are afraid to bulk up – because they are paranoid about losing their treasured abdominals? I asked the same thing until this question almost earned it's own email account!
The volume of interest I receive from skinny guys who wish to build their mid-sections is more than enough evidence to disprove the false reality of, “I should be able to 'see' my abs if I have low body fat.” I'm sure you know of a friend who is completely scrawny, yet, without a shirt, on he has zero abdominal definition! To me, that would be salt on an open wound.
Abdominals Are A Muscle, Too!
You want your arms to be bigger, your shoulders to be broader and your chest to be fuller, correct? And what is the solution to making these muscle groups increase in size? High intensity weight training, overload, consistency and a healthy surplus of calories. Starting to sound familiar?
The same goes for your abdominals. Your abdominals are a muscle group that requires the same formula and attention and are not any different. For some reason many consider abdominals to be a 'special' body part that requires a different set of rules and a completely different formula for training. Abdominals were not given a 'secret code' to crack. To get thick, dense abs – those ones that 'pop' out - you must train them with intensity and overload. Here are some practical tips you can apply to your program so that you can be the 'man' or 'gal' at your gym with a ripped and muscular six-pack!
Prioritize By Sequence
If your abs are your worse body part, then why do you keep training them last, at the end of your workout? Which muscles groups will receive the highest priority when you train? The ones done at the start of your workout or the ones done at the end of the workout? Of course, the ones done at the start of the workout while you have the most energy and focus. If abdominals are the muscle group you wish to prioritize, then don't be afraid to disagree with the 'experts' who say “Never train your abdominals first because you'll weaken your core muscles for the rest of your workout...”. I completely disagree with this and often reply, “Show me the evidence.” The typical response is “Nobody does abdominals first...”. That is pure BS. This just supports the notion that many people who work out don't ever question what they hear or do. They want to be spoon fed answers and follow the trends of others without thinking for themselves. I ALWAYS train abdominals first in a workout if they need the highest attention.
Prioritize By Frequency
What's going to receive better results? A muscle group that is trained one time a week or two times a week (assuming you are recovered prior to the second workout commencing)? Of course, the muscle that is trained 2x a week. The more stimulus on a muscle, the more growth. That is why professional athletes are professional athletes. They have conditioned their bodies to such a high amount of stress that they are able to train more frequently.
How often you train your abdominals is based on the inverse relationship of intensity and volume. The harder you train your abs, the more rest they need. The less intense you train your abs, the more frequently you can train them! If your goal is rehab or injury prevention, then you will be able to train them often with more frequent and lower loads. If your goal is to make your abs more muscular and dense, then a higher load and less frequency would be ideal. If your goal is maintenance, then a medium load and frequency would be ideal. Refer to this table:
Purpose Frequency Intensity Volume Reps
Injury Prevention 5-7x a week Low 1-4 sets 20-30
Hypertrophy 4x a week High 6-12 sets 8-12
Maintenance 2-3x a week Medium 3-6 sets 10-20
If building a sexy six-pack is on your 'to do' list for 2008, then start training abdominals 2-4x a week. I will teach you in a moment how to split your abdominals up into two different days based on movement.
Divide Your Abdominals Into Two Separate Workouts
To train your abdominals safely and effectively you must know the basic movement patterns of your abs and train them within all sub-categories:
• Truck Flexion (upper abs)
• Hip Flexion (lower abs)
• Rotation (obliques)
• Lateral Flexion (obliques)
The majority of books and articles you have read revolve the bulk of the ab exercises around trunk flexion that is better known as 'upper ab' exercises. A full sit up is a perfect example of this.
Bill Starr in his 1976 classic 'The Strongest Shall Survive' wrote that the abdominals “...can be strengthened in a wide variety of ways. Sit-ups of all types, leg raises, truck rotation movements all involve the abdominal muscles to a different degree...”
I wouldn't be surprised if the abdominal program you are following right now is based on one movement - trunk flexion. I am guessing that your primary goal is actually to have a well-defined and sculpted six-pack, so I have provided a sample abdominal program to break it up into a four day program:
A B C D
Trunk Flexion Rotation Trunk Flexion Rotation
Hip Flexion Lateral Flexion Hip Flexion Lateral Flexion
Even though you are training each movement twice per week, you will perform different exercises for each workout.
Use A Variety Of Functional Exercises
The Top 3 Hip Flexion Exercises:
1. Lying Hip Raise
2. Incline Hip Raise
3. Hanging Hip Raise
The Top 3 Trunk Flexion Exercises:
1. Swiss Ball Crunch
2. Weighted Swiss Ball CruncH
3. Weighted Cable Crunches
The Top 3 Rotation Exercises:
1. Russian Twist
2. Weighted Russian Twist
3. Weighted Cable Crossover
The Top 3 Lateral Flexion Exercises:
1. Lateral Flexion on back extension machine
2. Lateral Flexion with medicine ball over head
3. Lateral Flexion with medicine ball and twist
Each of these exercises progresses from basic to intermediate to advanced. I suggest you master the first exercise of each before commencing to the next.
Conclusion
You now have all the tools and resources you require to start building a set of eye-popping abdominals. Customize your own abdominal workout and post it in the Article Comments Forum for others to compare and learn from.
----------------------------------
About the Author:
Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at http://www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com/
He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than before.
The Skinny Guy's Guide To Nutrition
The Skinny Guy's Guide To Nutrition
By Vince DelMonte
“Give me a 64-ounce steak, double-baked potato with extra sour cream and an apple pie for dessert. No, not a slice – give me the whole pie, please.”
If you have ever had the opportunity to go out with a bodybuilder for dinner, you would be familiar with that kind of order delivered to the distressed waitress. These high-carbohydrate, high-protein, and high-fat diet meals were the popular method for packing on muscle and climbing the scale. “I'll pack on all the weight I can now, then melt off the fat later,” was the common motto.
Many bodybuilders put a lot of focus into the details of their nutritional strategy. A small food scale, calculator, note pad and pencil are common items found in their kitchen. Some competitive bodybuilders go to the extreme of weighing and measuring everything wherever they go and scribbling numbers into their notepad after every meal.
Obviously, not every skinny guy has the same aspirations, desire and determination to live the life of a bodybuilder. Skinny guys will be more successful today if they have a quick and convenient plan to follow that involves minimal measuring and minimal number crunching.
The See Food Diet Is NOT The Answer
The reality is that many skinny guys’ nutritional level does not exceed the See Food Diet, that is, 'see food' and eat it. Not a bad option if you can avoid getting a potbelly in the process. If this is you, then consider yourself blessed with a Lamborghini-style metabolism. Go right ahead and eat whatever and whenever you want until you’re ready to audition for Rambo IV.
For the most part, the See Food Diet is typically not the most healthy meal plan since it puts zero restrictions on any food categories and is more a concept to shift a skinny guy’s mind-set than anything else. These days, the majority of readers should know the fallacy of a See Food Diet. Sure, you can eat a super high calorie diet, like the See Food Diet, and add some muscle, but you'll add even more fat. And from personal experience, and I'm sure many of you can personally testify, putting the fat on is much easier than taking it off! Conveniently, bodybuilders now have an “off-season shape” card to flash year-round to excuse themselves of looking like a pregnant powerlifter.
Muscle-Building Nutrition Principles
Mastering the principles of nutrition should be like mastering the principles of training – simple. Master the basics and execute them consistently. Think about the 80/20 rule. 80% of your results will come from 20% of your knowledge. Taking what you already know and putting it into action consistently is the magic formula. Let's go over the most important nutrition principles you'll need to practice to get your body growing.
Principle #1: Eat Often – Every 2.5 to 3 Hours
Don't expect to pack on quality mass – muscle without body fat – on three square meals a day. This would lead to massive quantities of both protein and carbs at each meal. Your body can only store so many calories per meal, so guess what this results in? Bloating, poor digestion and unwanted body fat.
Your first meal should be consumed within 15-30 minutes of waking up and consumed every 2.5 to 3 hours. Set your stopwatch to beep until you get something in your body. Don't view these meals as burdensome but as opportunities to fuel and grow your muscles. Look at them as growth surges. Think of the next meal as a fuller chest, broader shoulders, bigger arms and rock-hard abs!
And if you miss a meal, visualize a sea of piranhas eating up your muscle tissue like it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet. And those deadly piranhas are eating up your CURRENT muscle that you are not even satisfied with. They are actually making your muscles
smaller. No, you will not lose an inch on your arms if you miss one meal, but once you start averaging 3-4 instead of 6-8 meals a day, don’t be upset when people look surprised when you tell them you work out with weights regularly!
So how many meals should you be eating? That’s easy - just divide the time you’re awake by 2 or 3. I would suggest mastering eating every 3 hours before you consider every 2 hours. So if you’re awake 18 hours a day, eat 6 meals.
What if one of those meals falls right before bedtime? Then eat up! Take the opportunity to eat. If we went to the extreme we would eat every 3 hours throughout the night as well. No matter what you have heard on this (never eat after 7 P.M. garbage) ignore it. Trust me!
Also, don’t view these feeding opportunities as ‘snacks.’ This is a wimpy word mentality that should not be in your vocabulary if you are trying to build muscle. Do you think Ronnie Coleman says, ‘Hey, I think I’m going to go eat a snack?’ Every 3 hours you should be eating decent size meals that will make your body better.
Principle #2: Eat A Variety Of Foods
It is easy to get into a robotic state of nutrition where we eat the exact same foods every day, ingesting the same breakfast, lunch and dinner and the only time we eat differently is when we go out for dinner or someone else cooks for us. It is easier to choose convenience over variety.
Just like our training that we rotate around to prevent boredom, you should rotate your food selection. Normally, you will eat whatever is in your house, so the best strategy to eating a healthy variety is to shop for different foods each week. This will help balance out your diet and help you measure the response a variety of foods. Don’t go for the boring and easy route.
Principle #3: Eat Enough Calories
Building muscle is an eating game because your muscles grow on calories. Not eating enough calories is like an attempt to buy a $50,000 car with only $25,000 in the bank. It's not going to happen. If you are not gaining at least 1-2 pounds per week, then add some extra carbohydrates and proteins to your breakfast, pre-workout meal or post-workout meal.
THERE IS NO WAY AROUND THIS STEP. Even if you have the perfect training routine, you will never grow unless you provide your body with the proper amount of nutrients. It’s like saying you want to build a house but you do not have enough bricks, cement and wood. It will be impossible to build that house. It’s like saying you want to race a car as fast as possible but you don’t have any gasoline or oil. It’s downright impossible.
If you wish to ensure that your muscles have enough fuel to support your workouts, lift heavy weights for high reps, recover from workout to workout and, let’s not forget, GROW NEW MUSCLE, then you have to keep track of what you are eating every day. There is no way around it. This is the number one reason why skinny guys never gain weight or why anybody for that matter will not make quality gains that they so desperately strive for.
Keeping track of what you eat is a lot easier than it sounds – it’s probably why most people avoid it, because they perceive it to be difficult.
Sure, you’re going to have to take some extra time to read containers and labels, but if this method will promise another 20 pounds in a few months from now, is it not worth it? And the good news is that your brain will create a new file to store all your new nutrient calculations, and since you are eating from the majority of the same foods, your ‘memory food bank’ will expand quickly.
Principle #4: Eat 40-60 Grams Of Protein Per Meal
Building muscle is not on your body’s 'to do' list – simple survival is. Not getting enough protein for your internal organs results in your body robbing it from your muscle tissue. Your body cannibalizes itself for the amino acids it needs! This is the polar opposite of what skinny guys want.
Proteins should make up at least 35% of your overall caloric intake. This translates to 40-60 grams of protein per meal for males less then 200 lbs and will be enough to maintain your appetite, increase your muscle mass, accelerate recovery and keep body fat levels low. Hit this level and you’re doing well.
It is better to get your protein from whole, complete, and lean protein. Remember that protein is a costly food and burns twice as much energy as carbs and three times as much energy as fat. You need protein to maximally turbo-charge your metabolism, improve your muscle mass and accelerate recovery.
Aim for lean meats such as ground beef, chicken, turkey, etc. Aim for fish such as salmon, tuna, orange roughy, etc. Aim for Omega 3 eggs and pasteurized egg whites. Aim for dairy from cottage cheese, yogurt and partly skimmed cheeses. And if you have to resort to supplement shakes, go for whey, casein or milk protein blends.
Principle #5: Eat 60-80 Grams Of Carbohydrate per Meal
Not getting enough carbohydrates will make you feel like you’re carrying a bear on your back throughout your workouts. Your body’s gas tank is comprised of carbohydrates. No carbs and don't expect to get that car too far.
A lack of carbs in your diet can slow the muscle-building process because your muscle tissue can be used as energy if your body’s preferred source of energy, carbs, are not available.
It is best to get your carbohydrates from a variety of high-fiber, complex and low-glycemic carbohydrates as opposed to simple carbs (sugars) found in fast food, fried food, processed food and junk food. Complex carbs release a slower and longer lasting energy that is critical for your intense training workouts. Complex carbs will rarely get converted to fat unless you are clearly eating too many of them. If you are gaining more fat around your midsection as opposed to muscle, then you know you should cut back on your complex carbs or add a few cardio workouts.
Aim for high-complex, muscle-building carbs such as bran, barley, buckwheat, beans, brown rice, cornmeal, oatmeal, pasta, potatoes and whole grains.
Principle #6: Eat 20-30 Grams Of Fat Per Meal
About 30% of your diet should consist of fat - this number should remain pretty consistent for everyone. And as a skinny guy or anybody who wants to maximize muscle growth, then eating 30% of your intake from fat is critical for boosting testosterone levels. However, the key is to balance out your intake between saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat. If you achieve 1/3 in each of these, then you will optimize your health and muscle gains. This is not as complicated as it looks.
Since North Americans are harshly deficient in mono (olive oil) and poly fats (from fish oils) and get enough of saturated fats as it is, your job is to simply include more olive oil and fish oil into your diet. This is something that can be recommended for every man and women and has no potential side effects. Again, don’t worry; the meal plans included have got you covered.
The only fats you MUST avoid at all costs - for so many reasons - are trans fats.
Trans fatty acids, also known as trans fat, is an artery-clogging fat that is formed when vegetable oils are hardened into margarine or shortening. It is found in many other foods besides margarine and shortening, including fried foods like French fries and fried chicken, doughnuts, cookies, pastries and crackers. In the United States, typical French fries have about 40 percent trans fatty acids and many popular cookies and crackers range from 30 percent to 50 percent trans fatty acids. Doughnuts have about 35 percent to 40 percent trans fatty acids.
To determine the amount of trans fat in a food you must know what to look for on the food labels. Whenever you see shortening, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil higher up on the list of the ingredients, the more trans fat.
Principle #7: Eat Vegetables With Every Meal
How are vegetables supposed to promote muscle gain? Your mom was right when she told you to eat up all your vegetables if you wanted to grow big and strong. Finally, the ‘muscle-nerds’ are catching up. Not only are vegetables loaded with vitamins and minerals but they also contain important plant chemicals called phytochemicals that are essential for optimal physiological functioning.
The most neglected benefit of eating vegetables is their role in recovery. Sure, you need calories to grow, but you also need these veggies for their high antioxidant profile that will help reduce the amount of free radicals from heavy training, and they will accelerate recovery by healing damaged muscle cells.
Most people are unaware that proteins and grains create high levels of acid loads to the blood, and if this is not balanced out with alkaline rich vegetables and fruits, then too much acid can result in a loss of bone strength and muscle mass. So it is important to keep these acid levels balanced by ingesting vegetables (and fruits) for their alkalinity to the blood.
The best way to get your vegetables is to cut them all up at the start of the week. This will make life easier and make them more accessible. Aim for at least 2 servings, which is the equivalent of 1-2 cups per meal. Yes, every 2-3 hours you must be eating veggies.
Principle #8: Eat Your Biggest Meal At Breakfast, Pre-Workout and Post-Workout
No matter what anyone says, I believe this is the safest and most effective way to
maximize your muscle:fat gain ratio when bulking. In this article we will not discuss the topic of nutrient timing.
Shortly we will discuss the benefits of packing the bulk of your calories around the most catabolic and anabolic times of the day so you will have sufficient energy to train hard and heavy without any risk of muscle breakdown, not to mention enough calories to support muscle growth. How much food you eat at a particular time of the day should be based on the NEEDS OF YOUR BODY AT THAT CURRENT MOMENT.
Principle #9: Plan Ahead
This principle could easily be number one because oftentimes it is not a shortage of information that creates a roadblock but our lack of CONSISTENCY and CREATIVITY. I bet if you did not change anything about what you are currently eating but ensured food was there when it was time to eat, you would experience a growth surge.
I strongly agree with the famous cliché that states, ‘Failing to plan is planning to fail.’ It is so true. You must have a plan that will ensure you have the food prepared and cooked in the right selection and amounts every time you eat. This might require you to spend a few hours on Sunday evening cooking and storing all your food in Tupperware containers. This might mean waking up half an hour early so that you can cook all your meals for the day. This might require you to carry a lunch bag wherever you go. This might mean packing a few shaker bottles if you know you will be on the road most of the day. Bottom line - be prepared.
Principle #10: Eat Whole Foods 60% Of The Time and Liquid Meals 40% Of The Time
I often have my clients use as few supplements as possible for the first few months of training. You will be amazed at the results achieved by simply putting all your efforts into following your meal plan, proper training and sleep. It’s a very eye-opening experience when they see almost immediate changes in body composition, health and energy levels.
Your food intake should come from high quality food at least 60 % of the time, which means at least 4 of the 6 meals you are eating.
This will ensure more vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber that supplements and pills lack. Whole food is loaded with digestive enzymes as well that help the absorption of food instead of eating too much ‘ground up’ food in the form of powder. Power shakes will make your life much easier and will remove some of the inconveniences of having to cook and prepare food all day. Aim to use these at least 2 out of your 4 real meals a day and never more than three power shakes unless your life is extremely hectic and unmanageable.
Conclusion
Dedicate the next 12 weeks to putting these muscle building nutrition principles into action. Building muscle is really quite simple and exciting because you get to indulge in large quantities of food, try new recipes and become a master chef since you'll be spending more time in the kitchen. Taking these principles and applying them consistently over time and making them a part of your lifestyle is the secret.
----------------------------------
About the Author:
Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at http://www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com/
He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than before.
By Vince DelMonte
“Give me a 64-ounce steak, double-baked potato with extra sour cream and an apple pie for dessert. No, not a slice – give me the whole pie, please.”
If you have ever had the opportunity to go out with a bodybuilder for dinner, you would be familiar with that kind of order delivered to the distressed waitress. These high-carbohydrate, high-protein, and high-fat diet meals were the popular method for packing on muscle and climbing the scale. “I'll pack on all the weight I can now, then melt off the fat later,” was the common motto.
Many bodybuilders put a lot of focus into the details of their nutritional strategy. A small food scale, calculator, note pad and pencil are common items found in their kitchen. Some competitive bodybuilders go to the extreme of weighing and measuring everything wherever they go and scribbling numbers into their notepad after every meal.
Obviously, not every skinny guy has the same aspirations, desire and determination to live the life of a bodybuilder. Skinny guys will be more successful today if they have a quick and convenient plan to follow that involves minimal measuring and minimal number crunching.
The See Food Diet Is NOT The Answer
The reality is that many skinny guys’ nutritional level does not exceed the See Food Diet, that is, 'see food' and eat it. Not a bad option if you can avoid getting a potbelly in the process. If this is you, then consider yourself blessed with a Lamborghini-style metabolism. Go right ahead and eat whatever and whenever you want until you’re ready to audition for Rambo IV.
For the most part, the See Food Diet is typically not the most healthy meal plan since it puts zero restrictions on any food categories and is more a concept to shift a skinny guy’s mind-set than anything else. These days, the majority of readers should know the fallacy of a See Food Diet. Sure, you can eat a super high calorie diet, like the See Food Diet, and add some muscle, but you'll add even more fat. And from personal experience, and I'm sure many of you can personally testify, putting the fat on is much easier than taking it off! Conveniently, bodybuilders now have an “off-season shape” card to flash year-round to excuse themselves of looking like a pregnant powerlifter.
Muscle-Building Nutrition Principles
Mastering the principles of nutrition should be like mastering the principles of training – simple. Master the basics and execute them consistently. Think about the 80/20 rule. 80% of your results will come from 20% of your knowledge. Taking what you already know and putting it into action consistently is the magic formula. Let's go over the most important nutrition principles you'll need to practice to get your body growing.
Principle #1: Eat Often – Every 2.5 to 3 Hours
Don't expect to pack on quality mass – muscle without body fat – on three square meals a day. This would lead to massive quantities of both protein and carbs at each meal. Your body can only store so many calories per meal, so guess what this results in? Bloating, poor digestion and unwanted body fat.
Your first meal should be consumed within 15-30 minutes of waking up and consumed every 2.5 to 3 hours. Set your stopwatch to beep until you get something in your body. Don't view these meals as burdensome but as opportunities to fuel and grow your muscles. Look at them as growth surges. Think of the next meal as a fuller chest, broader shoulders, bigger arms and rock-hard abs!
And if you miss a meal, visualize a sea of piranhas eating up your muscle tissue like it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet. And those deadly piranhas are eating up your CURRENT muscle that you are not even satisfied with. They are actually making your muscles
smaller. No, you will not lose an inch on your arms if you miss one meal, but once you start averaging 3-4 instead of 6-8 meals a day, don’t be upset when people look surprised when you tell them you work out with weights regularly!
So how many meals should you be eating? That’s easy - just divide the time you’re awake by 2 or 3. I would suggest mastering eating every 3 hours before you consider every 2 hours. So if you’re awake 18 hours a day, eat 6 meals.
What if one of those meals falls right before bedtime? Then eat up! Take the opportunity to eat. If we went to the extreme we would eat every 3 hours throughout the night as well. No matter what you have heard on this (never eat after 7 P.M. garbage) ignore it. Trust me!
Also, don’t view these feeding opportunities as ‘snacks.’ This is a wimpy word mentality that should not be in your vocabulary if you are trying to build muscle. Do you think Ronnie Coleman says, ‘Hey, I think I’m going to go eat a snack?’ Every 3 hours you should be eating decent size meals that will make your body better.
Principle #2: Eat A Variety Of Foods
It is easy to get into a robotic state of nutrition where we eat the exact same foods every day, ingesting the same breakfast, lunch and dinner and the only time we eat differently is when we go out for dinner or someone else cooks for us. It is easier to choose convenience over variety.
Just like our training that we rotate around to prevent boredom, you should rotate your food selection. Normally, you will eat whatever is in your house, so the best strategy to eating a healthy variety is to shop for different foods each week. This will help balance out your diet and help you measure the response a variety of foods. Don’t go for the boring and easy route.
Principle #3: Eat Enough Calories
Building muscle is an eating game because your muscles grow on calories. Not eating enough calories is like an attempt to buy a $50,000 car with only $25,000 in the bank. It's not going to happen. If you are not gaining at least 1-2 pounds per week, then add some extra carbohydrates and proteins to your breakfast, pre-workout meal or post-workout meal.
THERE IS NO WAY AROUND THIS STEP. Even if you have the perfect training routine, you will never grow unless you provide your body with the proper amount of nutrients. It’s like saying you want to build a house but you do not have enough bricks, cement and wood. It will be impossible to build that house. It’s like saying you want to race a car as fast as possible but you don’t have any gasoline or oil. It’s downright impossible.
If you wish to ensure that your muscles have enough fuel to support your workouts, lift heavy weights for high reps, recover from workout to workout and, let’s not forget, GROW NEW MUSCLE, then you have to keep track of what you are eating every day. There is no way around it. This is the number one reason why skinny guys never gain weight or why anybody for that matter will not make quality gains that they so desperately strive for.
Keeping track of what you eat is a lot easier than it sounds – it’s probably why most people avoid it, because they perceive it to be difficult.
Sure, you’re going to have to take some extra time to read containers and labels, but if this method will promise another 20 pounds in a few months from now, is it not worth it? And the good news is that your brain will create a new file to store all your new nutrient calculations, and since you are eating from the majority of the same foods, your ‘memory food bank’ will expand quickly.
Principle #4: Eat 40-60 Grams Of Protein Per Meal
Building muscle is not on your body’s 'to do' list – simple survival is. Not getting enough protein for your internal organs results in your body robbing it from your muscle tissue. Your body cannibalizes itself for the amino acids it needs! This is the polar opposite of what skinny guys want.
Proteins should make up at least 35% of your overall caloric intake. This translates to 40-60 grams of protein per meal for males less then 200 lbs and will be enough to maintain your appetite, increase your muscle mass, accelerate recovery and keep body fat levels low. Hit this level and you’re doing well.
It is better to get your protein from whole, complete, and lean protein. Remember that protein is a costly food and burns twice as much energy as carbs and three times as much energy as fat. You need protein to maximally turbo-charge your metabolism, improve your muscle mass and accelerate recovery.
Aim for lean meats such as ground beef, chicken, turkey, etc. Aim for fish such as salmon, tuna, orange roughy, etc. Aim for Omega 3 eggs and pasteurized egg whites. Aim for dairy from cottage cheese, yogurt and partly skimmed cheeses. And if you have to resort to supplement shakes, go for whey, casein or milk protein blends.
Principle #5: Eat 60-80 Grams Of Carbohydrate per Meal
Not getting enough carbohydrates will make you feel like you’re carrying a bear on your back throughout your workouts. Your body’s gas tank is comprised of carbohydrates. No carbs and don't expect to get that car too far.
A lack of carbs in your diet can slow the muscle-building process because your muscle tissue can be used as energy if your body’s preferred source of energy, carbs, are not available.
It is best to get your carbohydrates from a variety of high-fiber, complex and low-glycemic carbohydrates as opposed to simple carbs (sugars) found in fast food, fried food, processed food and junk food. Complex carbs release a slower and longer lasting energy that is critical for your intense training workouts. Complex carbs will rarely get converted to fat unless you are clearly eating too many of them. If you are gaining more fat around your midsection as opposed to muscle, then you know you should cut back on your complex carbs or add a few cardio workouts.
Aim for high-complex, muscle-building carbs such as bran, barley, buckwheat, beans, brown rice, cornmeal, oatmeal, pasta, potatoes and whole grains.
Principle #6: Eat 20-30 Grams Of Fat Per Meal
About 30% of your diet should consist of fat - this number should remain pretty consistent for everyone. And as a skinny guy or anybody who wants to maximize muscle growth, then eating 30% of your intake from fat is critical for boosting testosterone levels. However, the key is to balance out your intake between saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat. If you achieve 1/3 in each of these, then you will optimize your health and muscle gains. This is not as complicated as it looks.
Since North Americans are harshly deficient in mono (olive oil) and poly fats (from fish oils) and get enough of saturated fats as it is, your job is to simply include more olive oil and fish oil into your diet. This is something that can be recommended for every man and women and has no potential side effects. Again, don’t worry; the meal plans included have got you covered.
The only fats you MUST avoid at all costs - for so many reasons - are trans fats.
Trans fatty acids, also known as trans fat, is an artery-clogging fat that is formed when vegetable oils are hardened into margarine or shortening. It is found in many other foods besides margarine and shortening, including fried foods like French fries and fried chicken, doughnuts, cookies, pastries and crackers. In the United States, typical French fries have about 40 percent trans fatty acids and many popular cookies and crackers range from 30 percent to 50 percent trans fatty acids. Doughnuts have about 35 percent to 40 percent trans fatty acids.
To determine the amount of trans fat in a food you must know what to look for on the food labels. Whenever you see shortening, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil higher up on the list of the ingredients, the more trans fat.
Principle #7: Eat Vegetables With Every Meal
How are vegetables supposed to promote muscle gain? Your mom was right when she told you to eat up all your vegetables if you wanted to grow big and strong. Finally, the ‘muscle-nerds’ are catching up. Not only are vegetables loaded with vitamins and minerals but they also contain important plant chemicals called phytochemicals that are essential for optimal physiological functioning.
The most neglected benefit of eating vegetables is their role in recovery. Sure, you need calories to grow, but you also need these veggies for their high antioxidant profile that will help reduce the amount of free radicals from heavy training, and they will accelerate recovery by healing damaged muscle cells.
Most people are unaware that proteins and grains create high levels of acid loads to the blood, and if this is not balanced out with alkaline rich vegetables and fruits, then too much acid can result in a loss of bone strength and muscle mass. So it is important to keep these acid levels balanced by ingesting vegetables (and fruits) for their alkalinity to the blood.
The best way to get your vegetables is to cut them all up at the start of the week. This will make life easier and make them more accessible. Aim for at least 2 servings, which is the equivalent of 1-2 cups per meal. Yes, every 2-3 hours you must be eating veggies.
Principle #8: Eat Your Biggest Meal At Breakfast, Pre-Workout and Post-Workout
No matter what anyone says, I believe this is the safest and most effective way to
maximize your muscle:fat gain ratio when bulking. In this article we will not discuss the topic of nutrient timing.
Shortly we will discuss the benefits of packing the bulk of your calories around the most catabolic and anabolic times of the day so you will have sufficient energy to train hard and heavy without any risk of muscle breakdown, not to mention enough calories to support muscle growth. How much food you eat at a particular time of the day should be based on the NEEDS OF YOUR BODY AT THAT CURRENT MOMENT.
Principle #9: Plan Ahead
This principle could easily be number one because oftentimes it is not a shortage of information that creates a roadblock but our lack of CONSISTENCY and CREATIVITY. I bet if you did not change anything about what you are currently eating but ensured food was there when it was time to eat, you would experience a growth surge.
I strongly agree with the famous cliché that states, ‘Failing to plan is planning to fail.’ It is so true. You must have a plan that will ensure you have the food prepared and cooked in the right selection and amounts every time you eat. This might require you to spend a few hours on Sunday evening cooking and storing all your food in Tupperware containers. This might mean waking up half an hour early so that you can cook all your meals for the day. This might require you to carry a lunch bag wherever you go. This might mean packing a few shaker bottles if you know you will be on the road most of the day. Bottom line - be prepared.
Principle #10: Eat Whole Foods 60% Of The Time and Liquid Meals 40% Of The Time
I often have my clients use as few supplements as possible for the first few months of training. You will be amazed at the results achieved by simply putting all your efforts into following your meal plan, proper training and sleep. It’s a very eye-opening experience when they see almost immediate changes in body composition, health and energy levels.
Your food intake should come from high quality food at least 60 % of the time, which means at least 4 of the 6 meals you are eating.
This will ensure more vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber that supplements and pills lack. Whole food is loaded with digestive enzymes as well that help the absorption of food instead of eating too much ‘ground up’ food in the form of powder. Power shakes will make your life much easier and will remove some of the inconveniences of having to cook and prepare food all day. Aim to use these at least 2 out of your 4 real meals a day and never more than three power shakes unless your life is extremely hectic and unmanageable.
Conclusion
Dedicate the next 12 weeks to putting these muscle building nutrition principles into action. Building muscle is really quite simple and exciting because you get to indulge in large quantities of food, try new recipes and become a master chef since you'll be spending more time in the kitchen. Taking these principles and applying them consistently over time and making them a part of your lifestyle is the secret.
----------------------------------
About the Author:
Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at http://www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com/
He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than before.
Lose Fat Gain Muscle
Lose Fat Gain Muscle
Author: Kevin Forrester
So you want to lose fat and gain muscle. In order to lose fat and gain muscle you are going to have to change the way you are training and eating right now. If you aren’t training then you need to start an exercise program that is geared to your goals of losing fat and gaining muscle. These two things are sometimes mutually exclusive. You can start a weight lifting program and gain muscle mass but not lose much fat. The real trick is to get on an exercise and supplement program that is geared to your ultimate goals of also losing fat.
To lose fat and also gain muscle you have to trick your body into burning its fat stores as energy and not the protein that you need for muscle growth. One way of doing this is to cycle your protein intake over the course of several months.
You start your cycle with a high protein intake and a corresponding workout schedule. After approximately six weeks of high protein intake you will dramatically decrease the amount of protein that you consume. You will continue this protein depravation for another couple weeks until you cycle back up to a high protein state. What happens is that while you are on a high protein cycle your body is becoming used to the adequate stores of protein. Once you deprive your body of this protein while in your low protein intake cycle, your body will hungrily use all the protein it has as adequately as possible.
You will start to gradually increase your protein intake over the next week until you are at your high protein intake levels of the first several weeks of your program. The body, being adaptive, will greedily hoard all the protein it can in anticipation of another protein deficit. It will instead use its fat stores as energy and store the protein in your muscles. When the protein is stored in your muscles they will nourish on this protein and grow while at the same time reducing your levels of fat that was used as energy to fuel your workouts.
This is a simple version of what is possible with the right program. There are definitely ways to lose fat and gain muscle. The trick is in finding the program that works.
Author: Kevin Forrester
So you want to lose fat and gain muscle. In order to lose fat and gain muscle you are going to have to change the way you are training and eating right now. If you aren’t training then you need to start an exercise program that is geared to your goals of losing fat and gaining muscle. These two things are sometimes mutually exclusive. You can start a weight lifting program and gain muscle mass but not lose much fat. The real trick is to get on an exercise and supplement program that is geared to your ultimate goals of also losing fat.
To lose fat and also gain muscle you have to trick your body into burning its fat stores as energy and not the protein that you need for muscle growth. One way of doing this is to cycle your protein intake over the course of several months.
You start your cycle with a high protein intake and a corresponding workout schedule. After approximately six weeks of high protein intake you will dramatically decrease the amount of protein that you consume. You will continue this protein depravation for another couple weeks until you cycle back up to a high protein state. What happens is that while you are on a high protein cycle your body is becoming used to the adequate stores of protein. Once you deprive your body of this protein while in your low protein intake cycle, your body will hungrily use all the protein it has as adequately as possible.
You will start to gradually increase your protein intake over the next week until you are at your high protein intake levels of the first several weeks of your program. The body, being adaptive, will greedily hoard all the protein it can in anticipation of another protein deficit. It will instead use its fat stores as energy and store the protein in your muscles. When the protein is stored in your muscles they will nourish on this protein and grow while at the same time reducing your levels of fat that was used as energy to fuel your workouts.
This is a simple version of what is possible with the right program. There are definitely ways to lose fat and gain muscle. The trick is in finding the program that works.
Fastest Way To Build Muscle
Fastest Way To Build Muscle
Author: Kevin Forrester
The fastest way to build muscle is through education and hard work. If you are willing to take the time to learn about the best techniques and dieting available to help you gain muscle then you are well on your way to getting that chiseled body you want. You must be willing to do some hard work but once you see the results it will be a small price to pay. It is also important that you follow the best program available so that you can maximize your gains and minimize your learning curve.
To build muscle quickly you will need to reduce the amount of time you spend in the gym and increase the effectiveness of your workouts. You should be spending less than one hour per day five days a week working out. Any more than this and you will be wasting your time and energy. If you lift effectively for that one-hour you will be impressed by the gains you will be making. If you over train, like so many others, you will only stop whatever progress you were making and even risk losing the gains that you have made.
Our bodies need adequate rest in between workouts in order to grow to their maximum potential. If you continue to workout a body part more than once a week you will not be giving that body part a chance to recuperate and grow bigger and stronger. By adequately resting and eating the proper diet you will be on your way to a much bigger and much stronger body.
If you want the fastest way to build muscle you will also need the right amount of protein in your diet. Protein in the right quantities and at the right time will give your muscles the growth producing results you are looking for. Try to eat five to six small meals a day, which have the correct combination of protein, carbohydrates and fats. Try to eat at least one gram of protein per one pound of lean body mass. Since your body can only handle a small amount of protein at one time it is necessary to stretch this out over the course of the day. You can find the fastest way to build muscle, you just have to make the commitment to do it and do it correctly. You also need to follow a well-established program. Good luck and good training.
Author: Kevin Forrester
The fastest way to build muscle is through education and hard work. If you are willing to take the time to learn about the best techniques and dieting available to help you gain muscle then you are well on your way to getting that chiseled body you want. You must be willing to do some hard work but once you see the results it will be a small price to pay. It is also important that you follow the best program available so that you can maximize your gains and minimize your learning curve.
To build muscle quickly you will need to reduce the amount of time you spend in the gym and increase the effectiveness of your workouts. You should be spending less than one hour per day five days a week working out. Any more than this and you will be wasting your time and energy. If you lift effectively for that one-hour you will be impressed by the gains you will be making. If you over train, like so many others, you will only stop whatever progress you were making and even risk losing the gains that you have made.
Our bodies need adequate rest in between workouts in order to grow to their maximum potential. If you continue to workout a body part more than once a week you will not be giving that body part a chance to recuperate and grow bigger and stronger. By adequately resting and eating the proper diet you will be on your way to a much bigger and much stronger body.
If you want the fastest way to build muscle you will also need the right amount of protein in your diet. Protein in the right quantities and at the right time will give your muscles the growth producing results you are looking for. Try to eat five to six small meals a day, which have the correct combination of protein, carbohydrates and fats. Try to eat at least one gram of protein per one pound of lean body mass. Since your body can only handle a small amount of protein at one time it is necessary to stretch this out over the course of the day. You can find the fastest way to build muscle, you just have to make the commitment to do it and do it correctly. You also need to follow a well-established program. Good luck and good training.
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