The Three Main Components of Muscle Building

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OK, you've made the excellent decision to get in shape by taking up recreational bodybuilding, so what happens next? You need to plan out what you're going to do, to get the absolute best results from your efforts, which means planning out an intelligent routine.

Essentially, bodybuilding can be broken down into three main areas;

1. Programme design - the exercises you do and when you do them
2. Nutrition - you want to eat the right foods in the right quantities to make muscle gains
3. Recovery - you need to have enough rest so the body can recover and build muscle

These three areas are all of vital importance - if one of these pieces of the puzzle is missing, then you won't achieve the results your hard work deserves.

Let me quickly qualify the last remark. Bodybuilding can be hard work, especially when you're lifting heavy weights - but it doesn't have to be a lot of hard work. The really good news here is that muscles grow when they're at rest.

This means that you don't want to be working out more than three times a week - absolute maximum. The plan is that you work hard enough on the right exercises, then get out of the gym and rest.

This is just one reason why bodybuilding is a terrific hobby - unless you're competition standard, which 95% plus of us won't be, you shouldn't become a slave in the gym - it will not help you gain more muscle - in fact it will hinder your progress!

Let bodybuilding become a part of your life - it comes with all sorts of rewards and health benefits - but it should only be a part of your life.

Doing the right movements only three or even better two times a week can really transform your body in a few months, or even faster. That means that you have four or five days when you're not training. If you have normal genetics, ie you're in the 97% majority of us, then you won't be able to make muscle gains if you workout more than three times a week, If you're working hard when you do train.

The reason I'm putting so much emphasis on training frequency is because I believe it to be one of the main reasons why so few people make decent muscle building gains - in gyms all over the world people are training too often on the wrong exercises, and not working hard enough at the same time.

Too many workouts on the wrong movements equals zero results apart from frustration. Don't fall into this trap!

For more information, Ged McCabe has complied a complimentary 75 minute video report, "Bodybuilding Basics" and a 23 page report, "A proven, step by step guide to successful bodybuilding."

To download the video and the report instantly, visit; http://www.bodybuildingalert.com

Would you like to know how to design your own training programs? For a complimentary 2 hour video presentation, "The 15 things you need to know about designing your own bodybuilding routines", visit; http://www.bodybuildingthatworks.com

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The Five Best Exercises to Add Upper Body Muscle

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The first thing to say about adding upper body muscle is that it's a lot easier to do if you don't neglect lower body training.

I know this sounds weird, but remember that most of the some of the largest muscles in your legs and butt are among the largest muscles in your entire body, and the secret to getting bigger is to build the largest muscles in the body first.

For that reason, unless you have a genuine physical condition that stops you from either dead lifting or squatting, make sure you pay your dues with one of these exercises.

I'd also add the leg press to that - so rule number one is don't neglect lower body training.

This produces the anabolic effect that you need to build muscle. It also makes it much easier to add muscle to other parts of your body - a bit like throwing a stone into a pond - the larger the stone the more ripples it creates.

Similarly, the larger the muscle you train, the easier it becomes to get the smaller muscles to grow as well - they come along for the ride.

This is called "indirect effect."

Now to upper body mass builders;

Again, focus on compound exercises where possible. This is a more efficient way to train because you want to exercise the major muscle groups with as few movements as possible, giving you more time for recovery, and just as important, to get on with the other things in your life!

Take a look at this group of exercises. Bench press, overhead press, dip, chin, shrug.

These are the only mass builders you will ever need for training the upper body. You don't even need all of them! The first three are pushing movements and the last two are pulling movements.

I'd suggest that you pick a pushing exercise, and then follow with a pulling exercise. You'll probably find it easier to train them both hard if you follow this plan instead of following a pushing exercise with another pushing exercise, or a pulling exercise followed by another pulling exercise.

If you're just starting out with the weights then you may not be able to do the chin up - in which case you could do the pull down exercise if you have access to that equipment, or you could do negative chins until you have the strength to do a normal chin up.

All the other exercises you should be able to do.

It's vital to add small amounts of weight to the bar whenever possible. Don't be in too much of a hurry adding weight though, or your body won't have a chance to adapt to the extra stress you place on it.

Make sure that you learn the right way to do the exercises, so that:
1/ You get the maximum muscle building effect and
2/ You greatly reduce the chance of injury.

Good luck!

For more information, Ged McCabe has complied a complimentary 75 minute video report, "Bodybuilding Basics" and a 23 page report, "A proven, step by step guide to successful bodybuilding."

To download the video and the report instantly, visit: http://www.bodybuildingalert.com

Would you like to know how to design your own training programs? For a complimentary 2 hour video presentation, "The 15 things you need to know about designing your own bodybuilding routines", visit http://www.bodybuildingthatworks.com

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How to Plan Out Your Muscle Building Routines

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Some people will tell you that diet is the most important part of bodybuilding - this is nonsense. The most important part by far is program design, or in other words the exercises that you do, and when you do them.

Here's why;

You can have the worlds best diet, and you can be getting tons of rest, but if you're not stimulating muscle gains it all means nothing. Yes, diet and rest are important, but the bottom line is that if you're not stimulating muscle gains nothing will happen.

That said, the most important thing is to choose the exercises that stimulate the largest amount of muscle. This is the most efficient way to train, because you can train your major muscle groups faster, and therefore your entire body faster.

This is another area where so many people in gyms all over the world go wrong. They spend four or more days a week in the gym doing things like bicep curls, and tricep kickbacks.

Did you know that over two thirds of your muscle mass is contained in your legs and back?

In theory then, this means that if you gained 10lbs muscle, 6.6lb at least would go onto your legs and back. Therefore the most important exercises to do are the ones that affect your legs and back.

Golden rule of bodybuilding number one is to build the largest muscles in the body first - I wish someone had carved this on my forehead thirty years ago when I started hitting the weights - I reckon I'd be a lot bigger now!

A welcome side effect of doing this is that it makes it easier to build the smaller muscle groups - a bit like dropping a stone into a pond - the larger the stone, the more ripples it causes.

This is also known as "indirect effect" - but please note it doesn't work the other way around - if you build the smaller muscles first, it doesn't make it easier to build the larger muscles.

This is why you often hear that "Compound exercises are king".

For that, read dead lift, squat, chin, dip, bench press, overhead press - in that order.

Now it could well be that if you're starting out, you're not strong enough to squat with any weight on the bar, or to dead lift with any weight on the bar.

This doesn't matter - if you have to, start doing those movements with the bar only. Then very gradually add small amounts of weight to the bar each workout you do.

If you're just starting out (regardless of age - and I assume you've got doctor's clearance if it was needed.), you could do three workouts a week, with just one set of ten reps for each exercise.

The most important thing is to get started, and once you've started, to stick with it!

As you get more experience, you'll also get stronger, so you can add more weight to the bar. Then, you could look at doing say two work sets per movement, and cutting your workouts back to two a week.

The idea is to give work to the large leg muscles in the thighs, plus the back muscles - and the squat and dead lift are the absolute two best exercises to do this.

So when you plan your routines, make sure that you have plenty of compound movements in them - this is proven to be the fastest way to build your body up, regardless of your age and level of fitness now.

For more information, Ged McCabe has complied a complimentary 75 minute video report, "Bodybuilding Basics" and a 23 page report, "A proven, step by step guide to successful bodybuilding."

To download the video and the report instantly, visit; http://www.bodybuildingalert.com

Would you like to know how to design your own training programs? For a complimentary 2 hour video presentation, "The 15 things you need to know about designing your own bodybuilding routines", visit; http://www.bodybuildingthatworks.com

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A Huge Mistake You Need to Avoid If You're Trying to Build Muscle and Lose Weight

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If you're trying to get in shape by building muscle and you're overweight right now, then you really do need to know about this.

If you're really out of shape when you begin training, you'll make some progress almost immediately if you've gone from doing almost no exercise to doing some exercise.

After a while the law of diminishing returns sets in - and the closer you get to your target, the more difficult it becomes.

Have you ever seen someone who used to be really fat, and then you see them and they've lost a huge amount of weight? They look thinner yes, but they also look drawn, or gaunt, or just ill!

And this is the crucial mistake that you need to understand and avoid - because they've concentrated on losing weight, as opposed to losing fat.

If you're overweight now, then you must think in terms of losing fat. Because if you think just in terms of losing bodyweight, you'll end up stripping off more muscle than fat. Your body is very quick at working out situations - if you start to cut right back on your food intake, your body goes into survival mode.

This means it will store fat. So when you lose weight, you lose muscle. You also need to bear in mind that having huge muscles on your body is not a natural state. This means that especially if your body is in survival mode, it becomes all too easy to strip off your precious muscle, whilst retaining the fat that you really wanted to get rid of!

So always, always think in terms of losing fat.

That said, how do you do this?

The most important thing it to find a way of tracking your body mass index (or your fat levels if you prefer.)

Your bodyweight consists of your lean body mass plus how much fat you carry.

Nowadays, you can buy scales that calculate your fat levels - this is shown as a percentage of your bodyweight. It's important to track this as you go - because if your weight is going down but your fat percentage stays the same, then you're stripping muscle off and not fat.

Probably the most accurate way to measure your body mass index is using skin fold callipers. You use these to take measurements on four or five sites on your body, and then these measurements form the basis to calculate your fat levels.

If you use this you need to make sure that you're consistent as to where you measure, and also be consistent about the time of day that you check, as results can fluctuate during the day.

Don't go mad with this - check every couple of weeks or so.

By tracking your fat percentage you can go a long way to avoid falling into the trap of losing weight as opposed to losing fat.

Good luck!

For more information, Ged McCabe has complied a complimentary 75 minute video report, "Bodybuilding Basics" and a 23 page report, "A proven, step by step guide to successful bodybuilding."

To download the video and the report instantly, visit; http://www.bodybuildingalert.com.

Would you like to know how to design your own training programs? For a complimentary 2 hour video presentation, "The 15 things you need to know about designing your own bodybuilding routines", visit; http://www.bodybuildingthatworks.com.

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Gain Muscle Mass Fast - 5 Killer Exercises

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If you are fed up with having very little muscle mass then you have probably considered joining a gym or purchasing some weight training equipment. But what do you do once you have made the financial commitment to reaching your goals of a better body? Unfortunately many beginners have very little understanding of how to work out properly and therefore make insignificant progress and eventually give up on their vision of a better body.

It is for that reason essential that you know what exercises to do in order to achieve the best possible results. Don't worry about doing what the person next to you does; if you perform these killer compound exercises then you will be packing on lean muscle mass in no time.

1. Barbell Squat - The Barbell Squat is considered by many bodybuilders, weightlifters and athletes to be the king of all lifts. The exercise is performed by resting the bar across the back of the shoulders and stabilizing it into position with your hands, you then "squat" down deep, keeping the back straight, chest out and knees behind the toes. Squats when performed correctly with strict form work the Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Lower Back and Glutes. For safety purposes it is always best to perform this exercise in a Squat or Power Rack.

2. Bench Press - Possibly the most famous weightlifting exercise, the Bench Press is the ideal core lift for hitting the chest and triceps. The Bench Press can be performed in variety of different ways including flat, incline, decline and close grip. For the beginner it is always best to start with flat bench press and this can be performed using either a Barbell or Dumbbells.

3. Deadlift - One of the best exercises for building up the lower back, it is performed by "pulling" a barbell from the floor by pushing with your legs and keeping your back straight. The Deadlift also works the muscles in the legs, middle back, traps and forearms making it an incredible full body exercise.

4. Military Press - The Military Press is performed by holding a barbell at shoulder level slightly in front of your head and then slowly raising it above your head. The Military Press is the ideal core exercise for hitting the shoulders and triceps. This exercise can also be performed behind the neck.

5. Barbell Rows - This rowing exercise is ideal for developing the middle back as well as the lats and biceps. The barbell row is performed by bending at the waist and keeping the back straight, the barbell is then pulled up towards the chest. This exercise can also be performed using dumbbells.

By performing an exercise routing based around these compound lifts you will be able to build a strong muscular physique when combined with a well balanced, protein rich diet.

For further information on reaching a leaner more muscular physique visit http://wheyforward.com

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