How to Weight Train for Maximum Muscle Gain
Weight training involves the use of equipment that enables variable resistance. This resistance can come in the form of "free weights" like barbells and dumbbells, machines that use cables or pulleys to help you lift the weight and bodyweight exercises like pull-ups or dips.
Free Weights vs. Machines vs. Bodyweight Exercises
For maximum muscle gain, the focus of your workouts should consist of free weight exercises. Not machines or bodyweight exercises. This is not to say that you should not use machines or bodyweight exercises, but they should not be the focus of your training. To get an effective, muscle blasting workout, you must stimulate the most muscle fibers as possible, and machines do not do this.
The main reason for this is a lack of stabilizer and synergist muscle development. Stabilizer and synergist muscles are supporting muscles that assist the main muscle in performing a complex lift. The more stabilizers and synergists worked, the more muscle fibers stimulated. Multi-jointed free weight exercises like the bench press, require many stabilizer and synergistic muscle assistance to complete the lift. On the other hand doing a bench press using a machine will need almost no stabilizer assistance.
Since machines are locked into a specific range of motion and help to support the weight along that path, they fail to stimulate the muscles that surround the area you are working (stabilizers). This is a mistake. If your stabilizer muscles are weak, then the major muscle group will never grow!
Free weight exercises like the dumbbell press or squat, for example, put a very large amount of stress on supporting muscle groups. That's why you will get fatigued faster and not be able to lift as much weight as you did on the machine. But you will gain more muscle, become stronger very quickly and have a true gauge of your strength.
If you use machines in your program, they should be used to work isolated areas and only after all multi-jointed exercises have been completed.
Beginners should begin with a limited combination of machine exercises, bodyweight exercises and mult-jointed free weight exercises. Before increasing the weight levels, they should work on becoming familiar with the proper form and execution of each. Soon, bodyweight exercises will become insufficient to stimulate growth and they will need to focus on more free weight exercises.
Multi-Jointed Exercises
The exercises that work the large muscle groups are called compound (or multi-joint) movements that involve the simultaneous stimuation of many muscle groups. These compound exercises should be the foundation of any weight training program because they stimulate the most amount of muscle in the least amount of time.
Here are the basic movements:
* Bench Presses (works the chest, shoulders, tricep)
* Overhead Presses (shoulders, tricep)
* Pull-ups/Barbell Rows (back, bicep)
* Squats (legs, lower back)
* Deadlifts (legs, back, shoulders)
* Bar Dips (shoulders, chest, arms)
I cannot overemphasize the importance of these exercises. Do not start an advanced weight training program without them!
They will overload your entire skeletal and muscular system like no machine could ever do, giving you and effective workout in a very short period of time. If you can only do a few exercises, then do these. They have been proven (and not just by me) to encourage muscle and strength gain unlike any other exercises.
Lift Heavy Weight
To build mass, you must weight train with heavy weights. By heavy, I mean a weight that is challenging for you -- not me, or anyone else. To consider a weight heavy, you should only be able to do a maximum of 8-12 reps before your muscles temporarily fail. A weight is considered "light" if you can do more than 15 reps before muscle fatigue sets in.
Heavy weights stimulate more muscle fibers than lighter weights. It's that simple. More muscle stimulation means more muscle growth.
Don't Overtrain
Heavy weight training puts a huge strain on your body, so adequate rest and recuperation after your workouts is essential. If you are prone to train too often, several things happen:
You don't give your muscles enough time to recuperate between workouts. If your muscles have not repaired themselves, you will not be at maximum strength for your next workout. Rest is essential. Other than eating, this should be your main focus.
You are setting yourself up for burnout or an injury. I know you are motivated and excited about working out, but don't be careless. You must pace yourself, you want to be able to keep this up for a long time, not burnout before you reach your goals. I only weight train 3 times per week, that's all. Anymore than that and I would not give my body enough time to repair and build new muscle.
Contrary to popular belief, you do not grow while working out, you only grow when you are resting.
Below is an example mass workout. I did 4 heavy sets for 4-8 reps each.
Wednesday (legs, abs)
* Heavy Squats, leg extension superset
* Seated Calve Raises, 4 strips sets
* Crunches (4 sets of 20)
-------
Friday (chest, shoulder, triceps, abs)
* Flat bench press, incline dumbbell flyes superset
* Shoulder press, side raises superset
* Tricep pushdowns
* Reverse incline leg raises (3 sets of 20)
------
Sunday (back, biceps, abs)
* Wide grip pull-ups, latbar pulldown superset
* EZ bar bicep curl, incline dumbbell curls superset
* Crunches (4 sets of 20)
Nothing fancy, but effective.
Former "skinny guy" Anthony Ellis is the author of Gaining Mass! The most widely used weight gain program in the world.
This unique program designed to help people gain weight and build muscle, is currently being used in over 90 countries and boasts the largest private weight gain forum on the Internet, with well over 13,000 members at http://www.fastmusclegain.com
Click here to view over 200 user testimonials: http://www.fastmusclegain.com/testimonials.ht ml
 Google News Updated : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:51:44 GMT Christian Bale's lady sidekick: Sibi Bale - Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times - Like the Dark Knight/Bruce Wayne, Christian Bale is a real-life man of mystery. Averse to personal publicity, he is well-known for not wanting to discuss his private life. Christian Bale, Wife "Solid" at Knight's Spain Premiere Bale's family feud led to scuffle Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:10:31 GMT Zimbabwe Parties May Sign Unity Deal Soon, Business Day Reports - Bloomberg
Bloomberg - By Carli Lourens July 24 (Bloomberg) -- Zimbabwe's ruling and opposition parties may sign a power-sharing agreement soon as they have already agreed on a wide range of issues, Business Day reported, citing people it didn't identify. Fearsome Zimbabwe militias are afraid Delayed Zimbabwe Power-Sharing Talks Seen Beginning Thursday Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:23:06 GMT Discovery may boost statin safety - BBC News
BBC News - Scientists have pinpointed a gene mutation as a major cause of a rare side effect of the cholesterol-lowering drugs statins. They hope the discovery could lead to a simple test to identify patients at increased risk of myopathy - severe muscle pain and ... Gene May Predict Cholesterol-Lowering Drug Risk, Study Says Genetic Cause of Statin-Related Muscle Pain Found Publ.Date : Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:14:24 GMT Billionaires Back Antismoking Effort - New York Times
New York Times - Bill Gates and New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced their antismoking initiative on Wednesday in New York. By DONALD G. MCNEIL JR Bill Gates and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced on Wednesday that they would spend $500 million to stop ... Video: Gates, Bloomberg Pool Riches to Fight Smoking The $500 million war on smoking Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:23:48 GMT Rapper 50 Cent sues Taco Bell over ad - New York Daily News
New York Daily News - BY THOMAS ZAMBITO The rapper - real name Curtis Jackson - is suing the fast-food chain for using his hip-hop persona to tout its tacos. 50 Cent sues Taco Bell over ad campaign Rapper 50 Cent says Taco Bell stole his endorsement Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:15:09 GMT Favre's heir? With backing from mates, Rodgers waits patiently - USA Today
USA Today - By Matt Ludtke, AP By Larry Weisman, USA TODAY He no longer sounds like a retired player after seemingly passing on the opportunity to lead a talent-laden Packers squad. Video: The Rift Between Favre and the Packers Finding new home for Brett Favre won't be easy Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:06:18 GMT Karadzic lived the good life with wine, song - Reuters
Reuters - By Ivana Sekularac BELGRADE (Reuters) - Radovan Karadzic lived the good life while hiding from justice for 11 years: he watched his diet, fell in love and hung out in a small bar where hardliners gathered to sing about his wartime exploits. Video: Karadzic's arrest sparks clashes - 23 Jul 08 Karadzic's secret life enthralls his fellow Serbs Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 04:05:33 GMT RSS For Web Pages |
PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... Weight training is one of the best ways to shape... Read More BMI, Body Mass Index, is the most popular and simple... Read More You can only build muscle tissue if you can generate... Read More I know what many of you are thinking reading the... Read More Six minutes out of your day. All you need is... Read More Other articles in this series looked at a number of... Read More By definition, Lucid Dreaming means "conscious awareness during the dream... Read More Other articles in this series looked at a number of... Read More Electronic muscle stimulators are the latest craze, the hottest fad...... Read More Every bodybuilder and weight trainer will have his or her... Read More Anabolic steroid use appears to be on the rise. With... Read More Until I started following a routine to eat, my gains... Read More The main shoulder muscles that concern bodybuilders are the deltoids... Read More Do you want a flat stomach? I don't know a... Read More For many thin guys around the world, gaining weight without... Read More The crunch exercise is the backbone of abdominal training. It... Read More The Front Squat:As you may have already discovered, the squat... Read More Other articles in this series looked at a number of... Read More The outer triceps is an awesome muscle. It sticks out... Read More I have 'emerged' some subtle bodybuilding techniques that infuse rapid... Read More The key to rapid muscle growth, is to perform all... Read More Welcome to article number 2 in our series "Bodybuilding Sins... Read More Deadlifts are a very potential muscle-building exercise, that will rejuvenate... Read More Other articles in this series looked at a number of... Read More I see it all the time. Guys in the gym... Read More
Adsense
websites
Weight Training Terminology For Beginners
BMI Calculator Results
Increase Your Training Intensity - Forced Repetitions
Ace Abs Without Crunches, Cradles, Or Sit-ups!
Six Minute Abs
Exercise The Right Way - The Wrist Curl
Four Powerful Tricks for Successful Lucid Dreaming
Exercise The Right Way - Dumbbell Lunges
Do Electric Ab Stimulators Really Work?
Know Your Muscle Building Exercises - The Legs
Boost Your Anabolic Hormone Levels - Naturally!
A Very Simple Program Anybody Can Follow To Gain MASS
Shoulder Exercises For Beginning Bodybuilders
4 Secrets to A Flat Stomach
How to Gain Weight and Build More Muscle!
Waist Your Breath - Breathing For A Thinner Waist
The Ultimate Hard Body Exercise
Exercise The Right Way - The Vertical Chest Press
Outer Triceps Workout
Muscle-Building Exercises and Growth-Boosters
How To Get Incredible Gains If You Aren?t Getting Them Already... And... How To Get Them Fast!
Bodybuilding Sins That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts: Part 3
New Bodybuilding Study on the Benefits of Deadlifts
Exercise The Right Way - The Bent-Knee Sit-Up
Who Else Wants To Build Muscle Fast?
Affordable and Reliable Web Hosting Starting at $4.49/Month
Ab Sculpting Exercise - One Of The Most Productive Exercises For Your Abs That Is Hardly Ever Used
Before I talk about one of the most productive and... Read More
Maximum Muscle Development with Chaos Training
Chaos is the scientific study of orderly disorder. It offers... Read More
Planting And Nurturing Your Contacts And Resources
The success level of your bodybuilding endeavors is highly determined... Read More
Chest Exercises For Beginning Bodybuilders
The chest area is one of the easist muscle groups... Read More
Increase Your Training Intensity - Pre-Exhaustion
You can only build muscle tissue if you can generate... Read More
Exercise The Right Way - The Standing Calf Raise
Other articles in this series looked at a number of... Read More
How to Weight Train for Maximum Muscle Gain
Weight training involves the use of equipment that enables variable... Read More
Exercise The Right Way - The Stiff-Leg Deadlift
Other articles in this series looked at a number of... Read More
NO2 Muscle Enhancing Hemodialator
Whenever I go to the gym and tell a friend... Read More
Glucosamine Review and Potential Benefits
Something interesting happened as my triceps workouts continued in their... Read More
Exercise The Right Way - Barbell Shrugs
Other articles in this series looked at a number of... Read More
Most Amazing (and Ridiculously Simple) Trick For Stiff-Legged Deadlifts You Will Ever Read In Your L
The stiff-legged deadlift is one of the best exercises you... Read More
Use This Quick Muscle Building Program for Fast Results
Quick muscle building is the goal of every underweight guy... Read More
Dorian Yates Secret: What Lean People Are Doing To Get That Way
A consensus has arisen within the bodybuilding world over the... Read More
Exercise The Right Way - The Seated Row
Other articles in this series looked at a number of... Read More
New Bodybuilding Study on the Benefits of Deadlifts
Deadlifts are a very potential muscle-building exercise, that will rejuvenate... Read More
Exercise The Right Way - The Deadlift
Other articles in this series looked at a number of... Read More
The Skinny on Muscle Imbalances - Restoring Order As A Means Of Eliminating Back Pain
There are many causes of back pain. Injury, illness, herniated... Read More
How These 3 Basic Elements Can Be Used To Boost Your Own Muscle Gains!
The foolish idea that 'more is better' when it comes... Read More
They Dont Know Squat!
There seems to be much confusion amongst trainers and trainees... Read More
Know Your Muscle Building Exercises - The Shoulders
Every bodybuilder and weight trainer will have his or her... Read More
Key Elements for a Bigger Bench Press
Proper positioning on a weight bench to maximize leverageKeep the... Read More
Beach Body Abs
With the return of warm weather in the spring, thoughts... Read More
One Simple Movement Can Double the Effectiveness of Pulldowns
The Pulldown is an excellent exercise for working the Latissimus... Read More
The Basics Of Dumbells And Dumbbell Workouts
Dumbbells are integral to a long term fitness and personal... Read More
Muscle Building & Bodybuilding |