If you are looking to add muscle and gain weight there are no safe, quick fix solutions.
The way to bulk up and increase your size is through heavy lifting and a strict diet rich in complex carbs and lean protein. Your workout routine must include maximum effort to work your muscles to exhaustion and then you have to make sure you are consuming the proper nutrition necessary to promote muscle recovery and new growth.
Building muscle requires giving your muscles time to recover from your workout so it is absolutely essential to build an appropriate amount of rest into your workout routine. A typical strength training routine will include four days of heavy lifting working a different muscle group each day. The most popular four day bodybuilding split is M/T/Th/F with rest on W/S/Su. This will give the muscles of the chest time to rest on the day when you will be working out your legs. When you start weight lifting you will want to perform exercises that work several areas at once and work up to very specific activities that concentrate on individual areas. For example, Chest, Back & Biceps on Monday and Thursday, followed by Legs, Shoulders, & Triceps on Tuesday and Friday.
There are thousands of exercises to choose from in building your strength training routine, but you’ll want to pick only a few compound, multi-joint movements. A mass program without Squats, Bench Presses, Shoulder Presses, Dips, Barbell Curls, and Bent Over Rows just isn’t going to cut it. You want to move the most weight possible and isolation exercises such as leg curls and lateral raises will not permit you to use heavy loads. What sounds better for bulking up, 250lb push jerks or 25lb lateral raises!
The secret is to work out with heavy weights performing a small number of repetitions and several sets. Try to use 70-80% of the maximum weight that you can lift once when performing an exercise and aim for 5 to 7 reps of 3 to 5 sets. Rest 2-3 minutes between sets to move the most weight during your sets.
In addition to weight training, it is very important to eat properly if you hope to bulk up.
The key to adding muscle is consuming a large amount of protein every day. Research shows that bodybuilders need to consume at least 1 gram of protein for every pound of body weight. If you weigh 200 pounds, that means 200 grams of protein each day. Consuming 200 grams of protein in food sources is unrealistic so it is going to be necessary to use some supplements. Most bodybuilders will have a protein shake in the morning and after a workout to help promote muscle growth and recovery. You can buy the shakes pre-mixed or make your own with protein powder. A wide selection of products can be found online.
Before we go further into the best diet for bulking up, make sure you check out our previous articles on building mass and bulking up. I plan to write a post next week outlining a muscle building diet.
If you’ve got questions on building bulk, ask in the comments and I’ll respond. Now go bulk up!
March 25, 2010 at 7:07 pm
Great article Michael! I would also add explosive and plyometric movements to the program to really elicit gains in mass. Cleans, Push Presses and Squat Jumps are great options. I second the idea of rest – to prevent muscle catabolism and promote growth hormones, individuals looking to bulk up should get adequate sleep as well – 8 hours each night.
April 2, 2010 at 5:17 pm
Great to the point article Mike. I think a lot of folks over do it and don’t realize how important rest is. In fact the 4 days on and 3 days off I think is relative to the individual. I know I had my greatest gains when I really only had 2 heavy days a week. You need to listen to your body and try different approaches to see what works best for you.