This article will give you at least 41 tips and ideas for gaining more muscle and getting more ripped than you can imagine.
Muscle building expert Vince DelMonte has helped over 50,000 skinny guys and consults with fitness experts all around the world on the most critical and supporting elements to build muscle mass and to experience consistent muscle growth.
In this article, Vince unmasks his own secrets that he used for building 41 pounds of solid muscle in only 6 months – without any drugs or steroids, without bogus supplements, and while training less total hours than before.
Find out his advanced muscle building strategies on how to build muscle, fast!
Whether you approach your physique as a hobby or a job, you should not leave any element to chance and hope it works. In order to defeat plateaus and forge a ripped and muscular body you need all the tips and tricks you can get. None of these techniques will work alone but by combining as many together as possible you'll see a huge difference in your muscle growth – faster than before.
1. Begin with 3-4 full body weight training workouts per week. Max of one hour per session. This is a great level to make sure you don't overtrain and harm your results. Any more than this could be counterproductive.
2. Take your body weight in pounds and multiply it by 15 to determine your daily caloric intake if you want to gain weight.
3. Perform only 1 exercise per body part each full-body workout but perform a different exercise for each body part every workout. By the end of the week you'll have hit each muscle group three times from three different angles.
4. Consume carbohydrates in a 2:1 ratio to protein after your workout in liquid form (a good post workout shake).
5. Perform each set to muscular failure.
6. Use a training journal and track your progress.
7. Drink at least 4-6 liters of water each day.
8. Vary your rep and set schemes more frequently than any other training variable.
9. Focus on exploding up on the concentric portion of your movement and taking 3-4 seconds for the eccentric portion of your program. Most people lower the weight way too fast!
10. Aim to build about 4-6 pounds of lean muscle mass each 1-2 months. Anything more will be fat gain.
11. Eat at least 10-15 serving of fruits and vegetables each day. Some veggies even contain specific phytonutrients that can fight abdominal fat
12. Focus on compound movements for 80-90% of your workouts.
13. Alternate between dumbbells and barbells every 2 weeks.
14. Only change an exercise when you plateau on two workouts in a row.
15. Enter a fitness model or bodybuilding show or transformation contest to keep you motivated. Don't underestimate the power of a deadline to meet your goals!
16. Follow a specific program for at least 12-16 weeks before trying your next one.
17. Pyramiding your sets to consistently increase your strength 5% each week.
18. Consume a variety of whole eggs, chicken, lean beef, fish and whole-milk throughout the day for high quality (bioavailable) muscle building protein. And yes, whole eggs are better for you than egg whites, explained here.
19. Use a training partner for motivation and an extra push to experience faster muscular growth.
20. Never train hungry if you want to build muscle fast.
Before we get to tips 21 – 41, make sure to sign up for Mike Geary's fat burning email tips… you don't want to miss these if you want to get lean and ripped:
21. Concentrate your carbohydrates when your body needs them most –- breakfast, pre-workout and post workout.
22. Ensure you do the squat and the deadlift each week to increase the release of growth hormone and testosterone.
23. Hire a personal trainer if you have never received professional coaching on technique and form.
24. Stretch at least half the amount of time that you lift. If you lift 3 hours a week, schedule at least 1.5 hours of yoga or static stretching.
25. Train a muscle group through it's entire range of motion to stimulate muscle size. There is a time and place for partial range of motion training, but most of the time full ROM wins.
26. Use a 3-day a week 20-minute interval cardio plan, post-workout, to maximize the muscle to fat ratio while bulking.
27. Train your most underdeveloped muscle group first in each workout.
28. Avoid processed food, packaged food and fast food.
29. Avoid protein bars and any muscle building supplement that has sucralose, aspartame, or other artificial sweeteners. Also avoid bars that have soy protein or any corn syrups. If you haven't heard, eating too much processed soy can harm your hormone levels.
30. Get at least 8-hours of uninterrupted sleep each night. You'd be suprised how important this is for keeping balanced hormones.
31. Don't be afraid to overload your muscles with maximal resistance and miss your goal reps.
32. Consume a combination of olive oil, fish oil (or the more powerful Krill Oil), coconut oil, mixed nuts and natural peanut butter or almond butter each day to make sure you get ample healthy fats for testosterone and other muscle building hormone production. Getting enough fats is key to keeping high testosterone levels.
33. Take a complete week off after 12-16 weeks of training. This is vitally important for allowing your body to recover and not burn out.
34. Get a spotter to help you with your heaviest set.
35. Have a training program. Never go to the gym without a plan.
36. Perform 5-10 minutes of dynamic stretching before each weight training workout.
37. Schedule regular ART-therapy or massage therapy to avoid injuries.
38. Cold shower after every intense weight training workout. It sucks, but it works. Some studies show increased muscle recovery from this technique.
39. Eat at least 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass each day. I know there's conflicting info about the proper amount of protein, but results speak, and I know plenty of bodybuilders who swear by this rule.
40. The core of your workout should revolve around the major multi-joint lifts: squats, deadlifts, rows, presses, pull ups, dips and weighted core work.
41. Train with someone bigger and stronger than you. You'll be challenged and motivated to work out harder.
