Top 10 Mass Building Tips

How to Build Muscle 20 Comments

1. Strength train no more than three to four days per week. Doing so is not only unnecessary but can lead to over-training, especially if you are doing other physical activities such as hill sprints, jumping rope, etc. on a regular basis. When in a mass building phase, recovery time is just as important as training time. You build muscle when you are recovering; not when you are training.

2. Train for 45-60 minutes max and do no more than 12-18, total, top end work sets per workout. If you can’t get the job done in that time frame with that amount of volume you are half assing it. On top of that, results are greatest when energy and mental focus are high. That is during the first 30 minutes of your workout. Get in, hit it hard, and get out.

3. Lift heavy and use big, basic compound exercises. Squats, deadlifts, military presses, dips, pushups, rows and chin ups should always be the bread and butter of your training programs. Show me a guy who can deadlift 500 pounds and I will show you a guy with an incredibly well developed back that didn’t require any bent over lateral raises or pullovers.

Someone who can military press 225 for reps is going to have big, round shoulders and is never doing to need cable lateral raises. If you can squat 315 for 20 your legs will be jacked and I honestly don’t see what a set of leg extensions could give you on top of the squats. Watch the Worlds Strongest Man Contest on ESPN 2 and tell me if you see massive gaps of missing muscle on any of those guys. Isolation exercises are unnatural and are a waste of your time.

4. Always keep a training journal and constantly try to get stronger and lift heavier weights. Progressive overload is the most basic principle in weight training. Ignore it and you will get nowhere. If you are benching 225 right now, you better be benching at least 275, if not 315 by this time next year if you want to grow. Without keeping detailed records of your workouts you will never know what goals you are trying to beat, unless you have a photographic memory.

5. Utilize a multitude of rep ranges and target all fiber types to maximize the different types of hypertrophy. The single best rep range for hardgainers and most average, drug free guys looking for a combination of size and strength is 5-8. However, from time to time it’s wise to dip below that and do some heavy triples for maximal strength. On the other end of the spectrum, and only after you get really strong, it’s also a good idea to work in some higher rep sets of 9-12, and occasionally some in the range of 15-20 for the lower body.

6. Make some changes to your mass building program every 4-8 weeks. Your body will eventually adapt to the same stimulus and you need to change things up once in a while if you want to keep growing. Beginners should stick with the same program for a bare minimum of eight weeks, if not two to three times that long. If you have been lifting for a few years you will need to change your programs a little bit more frequently because you will adapt more rapidly to the same stimulus. This doesn’t have to be a massive overhaul, it may just mean swapping out a couple exercises you have failed on or changing rep ranges or exercise order. Small changes are usually the best.

7. Eat like your life depends on it. Force feed yourself if you have to and be sure to time your carbs correctly, meaning around training and cutting them down at other times of the day. That right there is key because you don’t want to end up a big fat pig. Only beginners and some steroid users can gain muscle on a maintenance caloric intake. The rest of us will have to eat inhuman amounts of food to get huge. It’s not always fun or easy but it’s doable. Just commit to it and don’t make any excuses.

8. Sleep 8-10 hours per day and take naps whenever possible. Sleep is when you recover and grow. Deep sleep boosts your growth hormone and testosterone levels and also helps manage your cortisol levels and improve your insulin sensitivity. Without sufficient sleep your results will suffer dramatically.

9. Take active steps to maximize your recovery ability. Take contrast showers or baths after training, stretch, ice, use foam rollers, meditate , eliminate stress and do whatever else you can think of to help you recover faster.

10. Find a good training partner or partners and a good environment to train in. You won’t find this piece of advice in too many people’s mass buidling tips, but it is critically important. Doing this will make all the difference in the world in your progress. When you have someone there to motivate you and to compete against your results will be amplified tremendously.

Want more mass building tips? Visit MuscleGainingSecrets.com now.

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“Raw and uncut. That is how Jay Ferruggia brings it. If you’re looking for another ’3 sets of 10, eat chicken breasts and yams, how-to-be-a-fitness-model’ program, then forget about getting it from Jay. From his politically-incorrect no-BS eating program, to his workout routines that he’s used with hundreds of athletes, powerlifters, and strongmen, Ferruggia truly is relentless when it comes to putting together the ultimate mass building program. And I’m no armchair quarterback when it comes to Jay’s workout advice. Jay is the coach that finally got me to smarten up and train right. By following his mass building tips, I’m stronger, less tired, less beat up between workouts, and my workouts are of the highest quality. This is the only muscle-building program out there that will give you the results you’ve been after forever, while making you laugh, and firing you up like never before, all at once. Get it, or get left behind again, just like you were last summer.”
-Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Strength Coach, Toronto, Canada
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By the way, Craig Ballantyne just completed his first Phase 1 of Muscle Gaining Secrets workouts and gained 12 pounds of muscle!!! This is a guy who is a world famous fitness expert and has trained for well over a decade! To experience similar results get on over to MuscleGainingSecrets.com now.

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