20 Mass Gaining Tips for the Hard Gainer. If you are having
a hard time gaining muscle mass or, if you just want to
have a little more information on how to stay on track with
continuing gains in your muscle mass, here are 20 tried and
true bodybuilding tips. Learn these 20 tips and apply them
to your bodybuilding program regularly.
1. Increase resistance regularly. Your muscles will grow
in response to increased demand upon them. You must
regularly increase your weight, reps, or intensity in order
to increase your muscle mass.
2. Use Moderate Reps. Sets of 6 to 10 reps are best for
bodybuilders. Sets of five or less reps tend to build more
strength than muscle mass and sets greater than 10 reps
tend to increase endurance in a muscle, rather than cause
it to grow in size. (The exceptions to this rule are
calves, abdominals, and forearms, which tend to respond
best in rep ranges of 10 to 15).
3. Use Basic Exercises. Build your workouts around
compound multi-joint movements such as squats, deadlifts,
barbell rows, military presses, and bench presses
(inclined, flat and decline).
4. Eat Protein Frequently. Each day you need to give your
body 1 to 1.5 grams of high quality protein per pound of
body weight. Divide this intake into five or six meals
that are spaced no more than three hours apart. Try to get
most of this protein from animal sources like beef, fish,
dairy and high quality protein supplements.
5. Do Not Use Shortcuts. Avoid trying to speed up your
progress by working out too much without sufficient rest,
taking steroids, eating too many unnecessary calories and
using weights that are too heavy. These tactics will end
up causing you more trouble than help.
6. Evaluate Your Physique. Take a good look at yourself
in a mirror and do an honest assessment of your weak points
and strong points. Structure your bodybuilding program to
prioritize the muscles that need work, and ease up slightly
on the body parts that have good muscle mass. If your
shoulders tend to be narrow, be sure to emphasize deltoid
movements, especially lateral raises. If your hips tend to
be wide, you may need to prioritize your lats to create the
V- taper.
7. Get Enough Rest. You grow when you are resting, not
when you are training. Be sure to give each muscle group
at least four days rest between workouts in order to
recuperate and grow. Be sure to get seven to eight hours
of sleep each night for maximal muscle growth.
8. Create Intensity. Use advanced techniques such as
partial reps, drop sets, and forced reps on most of your
sets. This will all allow you to push your muscles past
failure and trigger even more muscle growth.
9. Try New Equipment. You should base your bodybuilding
program around compound free weight exercises as mentioned
in Tip number 3, but don't be afraid to experiment with
some of the machines that are available in your gym. Some
machines can stress your muscles in new and different ways
which can stimulate new muscle growth.
10. Make Periodic Changes. Every month or two alter the
order in which you do your exercises, or alter the
exercises you do for a particular body part, or alter the
number of sets and reps. Your muscles will become
accustomed to the same workouts if they are repeated over
and over again. Periodic changes will keep your muscles
from adapting and therefore continue to stimulate new
muscular growth.
11. Know Your Limits. Understand what your realistic
potential is in the sport of bodybuilding. If you are
unlikely to compete at a champion level, be realistic about
how much money you spend on supplements, how much time you
spend in the gym, and how much effort you put into your
training. There is no sense in going broke, alienating
your family, and risking injury f there is realistically no
real possibility of ever making it to the pro level.
12. Supplement Your Diet. As a bodybuilder, you need much
more protein and other nutrients than your average person.
Be sure to supplement your diet with protein powder,
creatine, multivitamins, glutamine, etc. in order to meet
the additional demands on your muscles.
13. Prevent Injuries. One of the biggest potential
roadblocks to your muscle building success is a training
injury. A serious muscle tear or tending injury will not
only halt your progress in the short term, but in some
cases can limit your long term success as a bodybuilder.
Always warm up and stretch before getting to your heavy
sets. Start with a relatively light weight and pyramid up
from there to your heaviest set. Be sure to use a spotter
or power rack on your heaviest sets.
14. Limit Your Volume. Don't do more than about 15
working sets for your larger body parts (quadriceps, back,
chest) and no more than 12 working sets for smaller muscle
groups (biceps, triceps, forearms, hamstrings, cabs and
abdominals).
15. Prioritize your Weakest Muscle Groups. Whenever
possible, train your weakest body parts first, when you
have more energy and strength. If certain muscle groups
continually lag behind, increase the volume on those body
parts, and possibly decreased the volume in your strongest
body parts until your body reaches a better balance.
16. Train Your Entire Body. Do not neglect any body part.
Be sure to train your forearms, legs, and lower back just
as vigorously as you’re training chest and biceps.
17. Learn to Control Your Muscles. Practice flexing each
muscle in your body. This will help to develop the
mind-muscle connection that will enable you to apply more
force in each repetition of your exercises.
18. Trust Your Instincts. After you have been training
for about a year, you should have a good idea of which
exercises and techniques work best for you. You should
also have some idea about which time of day you feel the
strongest. The more closely you monitor your body and the
way you feel after a workout, the better you will be able
to increase your intensity, and therefore increase your
muscle mass.
19. Set Achievable Goals. You should always have a goal
you are working towards. You should have some short-term
goals such as adding 10 pounds to your bench press, adding
a half-inch to your biceps, or losing and inch around your
waist. Short-term goals should be achievable in a time
frame of several weeks to a couple of months. In addition,
you should have a few long-term goals such as gaining 10
pounds of muscle in one year, increasing your bench press
to 300 pounds, or competing in your first bodybuilding
contest. Goals are essential to keep you motivated and to
give you a sense of accomplishment as you reach each one.
20. Keep A Positive Attitude. It has been said that your
attitude determines your altitude. This is especially true
when it comes to changing your body from an average one to
a powerful and muscular one.
Muscular gains do not come easy, but if you keep a positive
mental outlook, continually look forward to your next work
out and apply these 20 tips, you will see great
improvements to your physique in a short period of time.
----------------------------------------------------
David Monyer has been an avid bodybuilder for over 20 years
and has written numerous articles on all aspects of the
sport. For more information and sources for the best prices
on supplements, visit:
http://www.rocksolidbodybuilding.com
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