Do You Know How To Gain Muscle Fast
By VINCE DELMONTE
Could you teach me how to gain muscle fast?
Could you teach me how to pack on an extra ten to fifteen pounds of muscle mass before my next vacation? Could you
help me get ready for my first bodybuilding or fitness model competition? Could you help me look like someone who
actually lifts weights? Could you help me build a body that turns heads and demands respect?
As a skinny guy muscle building expert, I get approached these questions daily in
my office. Every single hard gainer I consult with wants to know how to gain muscle
fast and how to do it safely and effectively.
For a complete course on musclebuilding be sure and click on No Nonsense Musclebuilding by Vince Delmonte.
Hard gainers, please listen up! There is hope
for you. I am happy to say, that learning how to gain muscle fast, is not as hard
as some would make you believe . It also not as easy as you might think. But you must be prepared to train smarter and not
harder. Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about wimping out during your workouts. I am
referring to the big picture of training more
intelligently.
Here is some of the most popular advice I give to the hard gainer when he wishes
to gain muscle fast.
1. Never
Perform More Than 10 Reps.
If you are lifting weights beyond
10 reps, then you are emphasizing your slow-twitch
muscle fibers. which have the smallest opportunity for muscle growth. You are a
hard gainer, and you
need to recruit the maximal amount of muscle fibers in
every set. Always choose your weights knowing that a 11th rep is forbidden. and
trespassing into 'skinny
land.'
If you really want to gain muscle fast then
get your mind into heavy lifting
mode. Every single set and every single exercise. Keep the weights heavy, and
never more than 10 reps.
Approach every workout knowing that you are going to be venturing into new territory, and waging war
on your skinny genetics. I recommend these workouts with a workout partner, so you
can eliminate any safetey issues, not slack off, and push your limits every inch of the
way.
2. Reduce Your Workout
Time
Perform more work in less
time, and you have increased your work capacity. Work refers to the number of sets,
reps and poundage within your workout. Who is fitter? The guy who can do 4 sets of 185 pounds bench
press with 30 second rest or the guy who can do 4 sets of 185 pound bench press with 90 second rest? The one who
can do the same amout of work in less time. Guess who is
more muscular? The one who has a higher work capacity.
Next time you enter the gym, try to complete your current workout in less time. Take shorter rests.
Move from one exercise to the next much quicker. Don't be surprised if you feel out of
shape! This is one of the easiest tips you can take away to increase your muscle density and take your fitness to a
new level. Be prepared to humble yourself, and get out of
your comfort zone.
3. Do Only One Exercise Per Muscle Group
Only one? Yes, only one, unless you want to buy into the notion
that you must mutilate a muscle for over an hour to get any growth out of it. Consider this
typical day in the gym. Today is your chest day. Your first exercise is bench press. You perform your first set
with 185 lbs, second set with 205 lbs, third set with 225 lbs and fourth set with 245 lbs.
Assuming this is your max weight for the desired number of reps, is it not safe to
say that you have used the maximal number of muscle fibers? Your goal is simple:
spark your muscles into growth. Not exhaust them to death.
Once they experience a unknown assault (stimulus), your body
will be forced to adapt, and create new muscle to prevent future assaults! Therefore, your
take home lesson is this: Once you have out performed your last workout, it is time to move onto the next
exercise.
4. Do No More Than 3-5 Sets
Per Muscle Group
I question a hard gainers
workout intensity if they must do more than 3-5 sets per muscle group. Now if you are
using anabolic steroids, or have muscle friendly genes, than you can safely dismiss this advice. Remember, learning
how to gain muscle fast for the hard gainer requires following a new set of
rules.
Consider the first 1-2 sets at 85% maximal effort. The third set at 95% maximal
effort and the fourth (and sometimes fifth) set at 100% maximal effort. It is only this last all out set that contributes to the greatest muscle growth. Anything over and above
this exhausts the muscle beyond
reason, and delays your
recovery ability to hit the muscle again. It
is this last set that you should perform at least 1-2 extra reps or 5-10 extra pounds than last workout. Mission
accomplished. You have sparked your muscles into growth. Time to move on.
5. Increase Your Strength 5% Every Two
Weeks
One of the biggest mistakes I see hard gainers make in the gym is
not track their progress.
They return week-after-week to simply rehearse the same workouts, with the absence of progress. How do you expect to gain muscle fast if you continue to lift the
same weights each workout? Your body is designed to tolerate stress. Assault it and
let it get bigger. It's a simple concept.
So your take home message is to aim for a minimum of 5% strength increase every two
weeks. You might progress a little quicker with larger muscle groups like back and legs,
versus smaller muscles like biceps and triceps. Just think, in six months from now, you will be over twice as strong as you are
now! I would actually recommend writing down your strength goals for six months from now,
and than work backwords. If you are currently dead lifting 135 lbs, aim to be deadlifting 270 lbs over the next few
months!
Conclusion
I know these five tips were not your typical Muscle and Fitness 101 advice, and
not your typical generic bodybuilding advice. I learned a long time ago to question everything you read and hear.
Learn for yourself by doing and not by talking about it. As a skinny guy once myself, 149 lbs to be exact, I
defeated my skinny genetics. I learned to gain muscle fast
by not following the herd, training smarter, not harder. Will
you? Don't forget to click
on No Nonsense Musclebuilding by Vince Delmonte for a
complete bodybuilding course.
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