You know that you want to, and possible should, start working out and getting into shape. But maybe you don't like the gym or you want something to do when you're not going to the gym? Well then you need to learn muscle building at home techniques. Muscle building at home does not have to be difficult, it can even be fun, but you are going to need to have motivation and dedication to really get the results that you are looking for here.
Starting on a Diet Plan
If you want to start muscle building at home, the first step needs to be for you to create a proper diet plan. Many many people make the mistake of thinking that exercises come first and are the most important part, but this is actually not the case. Instead you are going to need to focus on your diet and what you are eating before being concerned with the exercises that you are doing.
Getting Equipment
Now before you can start muscle building at home, you are going to have to get the right equipment for yourself. You are going to need to get weights for one. Make sure that you are aware of what amount of weights you are getting, it might be best to get a dumbbell set where you can change the dumbbell weight. This is because although you do want to challenge yourself at the same time you do not want to overdo it and end up injuring yourself, this does not help you get into shape.
Make sure that you consult your physician before you start trying to muscle building at home. This is important so that you know how to safely use the weights at home but also it is important as it will ensure that you are going to lose the most body fat in the shortest amount of time. Also this will ensure that you don't have any health condition at play that you are going to have to be concerned with when working out.
You also want to keep in mind when you start muscle building at home that, unlike weight machines, free weights do not restrict movement, which personally I think makes them a lot better. Consider your exercise motivation for the quality and durability of the weights that you are thinking of buying, make sure they are fit for purpose for what you have in mind.
You also want to make sure that the weights you are going to be purchasing are going to be easy enough for you to store. Especially if your home is already cramped it is very easy to lose an entire room to a set of equipment for muscle building at home, which is why I would recommend a set of dumbbells.
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Multi-vitamin. I recommend an inexpensive multi-vitamin from your local drugstore. Do NOT go into places like GNC to get a multi-vitamin because it will not be cheap or tested for safety. If you want a safe, effective multi-vitamin, walk into your local drugstore and get one there. A multi-vitamin is good for filling any gaps in your diet and overall health.
Green Tea. I do not recommend the green tea extract pills, I only recommend drinking the good stuff. Green tea is high in antioxidants and is good for overall health. If you don't like green tea, don't worry about it. Green tea will NOT make or break your results.
Fish Oil. Fish oil is more of a "maybe" on my list. If your diet has a sufficient amount of fatty acids, then you won't need a fish oil supplement.
That's it! I don't recommend anything else because everything else is just a waste of money and totally not needed. People may argue that protein powder should be on the list however, protein powder is a food not a supplement. Anything that has calories is considered food, supplements do not.
I recommend you buy your supplements at bodybuilding.com since they will be the cheapest there, however don't get caught in the trap. When you visit bodybuilding.com, you will be overwhelmed on the amount of supplements available. Trust me, 90 percent of them do absolutely nothing!!!
SUPPLEMENT FAQ
What about Creatine? Creatine is a supplement that has very mixed opinions. In my opinion, Creatine is a waste of money. Trust me, I have tried almost every supplement out there. Creatine is a waste of money. It's more beneficial to use the money for healthy food. May work for others, but I'm skeptical.
What about pre-workouts? Pre-workouts are the biggest scam ever. I have tried twenty-three different pre-workouts and they all do the same thing... nothing! If you think they're doing something, then you are falling for the pre-workout trap. It's not the pre-workout, it's your mind. Companies that make pre-workouts want you to believe that they work, so they add caffeine to give you a jolt. Then they have you hooked into thinking that you can't workout without a pre-workout. Abracadabra... customer for life.
CLA? I took CLA for about 4 months and nothing happened. I can tell you that any results you get while taking CLA will be from your diet and exercise routine, not from CLA. CLA is a waste of money and who knows what it could be doing inside your body.
What about Fish Oil? Fish Oil is actually a decent supplement however, your diet should contain essential fatty acids, which means you don't need to waste your money on Fish Oil. If you feel that you don't have enough fatty acids in your diet, then you actually might want to supplement with a fish oil supplement.
Glutamine? Again, I really don't believe supplements like these are necessary. You shouldn't need a supplement to help you recover faster because the diet should do all the work. Diet is so important in bodybuilding no matter how many supplements you take, the diet will be the key factor in your success. From my experience, Glutamine does help a bit with recovery, but a lot of protein powder out their already has Glutamine in it, so therefore you don't have to spend any extra money on Glutamine.
Weight Gainers? The problem with weight gainers is that they are mostly empty calories. It is true that some weight gainers have a lot of vitamins and minerals, but it would be a thousand times better to eat actual food. The other thing is you have to drink this weight gainer, which means your body will not absorb all of the nutrients. You're body can only absorb nutrients so fast. It's almost like someone drinking three scoops of whey at one time, and another person drinking the whey slowly throughout the day. The one who is drinking the whey slowly throughout the day will absorb the most amount of nutrients. The one who drank the whey all at once will most likely crap it out.
I have people ask me all the time "I live in the gym and I am not getting bigger. Why? Another one I get is "what supplement can I take to get bigger?" Also "what is the best workout to do to get big"? That is just few of many questions I get all the time to get mass muscle. When asked these questions my first response is "how is your diet"? Usually I get a strange look back and then I get asked, "Why"? Here is the truth people you can take all the supplements in the world, you can lift all day and night but it going to help until you eat right. In does not matter whether you are trying to lose weight or gain muscle, 70 to 80 percent of that is done in the kitchen. Sorry everyone there is no magic pill or secret workout.
The truth is that in order to gain muscle you really have monitor what you put into your body. The basic rule of thumb that I use for myself and other people that I think works is 40/40/20 method. What I mean by this is 40 percent of your daily in take of food should be protein. Than the second 40 percent should be carbohydrates, and lastly 20 percent should be good fats. There are variations of this if you are one carb sensitive or a hard gainer than I change this up, but to start off with this is a good mix.
Let's start with the protein everyone is going to tell you that this the most important part of putting on muscle, and in some aspects they are right. We also have to have the carbs and fat though. Right now we are talking about protein. Yes, protein is the building blocks for muscle, and where we get our branch chain amino acids from. So with that being said how much protein do we need to get mass muscle. If we use the mathematic equation goal weight times 19 times.40 divided by 4 that should tell us. The 19 are the calories per pound of body weight that we need,.40 gives us the 40 percent we need, and 4 is how many calories per gram of protein. So our example would be 200 lb man times 19 give us 3800 total calories per day. Now we take 3800 and multiply it by.40 that gives us 1520 calories from protein every day. Finally we take 1520 and divide that by 4 and that tells us we need 380 grams of protein every day. This is almost 2 grams of protein per pound of our goal weight.
The second part of meal plan needs to be carbs. Earlier I said that protein is important, but there are other factors, and here is why I said that. Carbohydrates help get the protein into the muscle. It does this by elevating the hormone insulin. This in return puts glycogen into the muscle to help in repair and energy for the muscle. Secondly carbs are what give use energy through out the day. The mathematical equation for carbs is simple because it is exactly the same as protein. That means we need 380 grams of carbohydrates everyday also.
Now for the third part of the puzzle "fats". Now when I say fats I mean good fats like avocado, nuts, olive oil, and so on. Now don't get scared when I say fat we actually need it. One of the main reason is it helps in brain function. Fats have other functions for the body, but that is a whole other discussion. The formula for this is body weight times.20 divided by 11. So we know our ideal body weight calories are 3800 so let's multiply that by.20 to give us 760 calories from fat every day. Now there 11 calories in every gram of fat, so if we take 760 and divide that by 11 we get roughly 69 grams of fats per day.
Now with all this being said we need to try to spread all this out over 6 meals. The next thing you are going to say is I can not eat that much in a day. I will admit the first week is hard, but after that you will be hungry all the time. If you start with this 4 to 5 weeks, and then tweak it as needed you will see results. Remember getting mass muscle starts in the kitchen and ends in the gym.
Building a solid foundation is I think the most important thing for someone who is just starting to focus on. Without it you will never see the results that you want to see.
Since modern bodybuilding emerged as a sport a hundred years ago or so, the basics haven't changed: lift, eat, rest and grow. It's about understanding and sticking to the core exercises that are the "center" of our strength and keeping it simple.
The squat is a killer exercise that helps build overall mass because it involves multiple muscle groups. Not only do squats build muscles in the legs, hips and lower back, but they also cause your endocrine system to release a burst of hormones, helping to stimulate muscle growth throughout the body. Yeah, your legs are doing most of the work but the entire rest of the body is working in way or another to stabilize the weight. Basically, it's an exercise that creates a "mass building" environment that promotes growth throughout the body.
The deadlift is one more core exercise that uses more than one muscle group and should be part of good routine. Like squats, the deadlift is a core power movement that uses nearly every muscle in your body to some degree. The main areas of focus are the back and thighs but you'll see gains just about everywhere both because of the involvement of other muscle groups and the release of hormones that stimulate overall muscle growth.
The bench press is the other core area where guys need to keep their focus. It is the key exercise that is going to build a strong, powerful chest. To build mass go for heavier weights with fewer reps before using medium weights with higher reps.
Since your goal in doing these and other exercises is to gain mass then you ought to understand the concept of progressive overloads. It refers to gradually increasing the stress placed on the body during weight training. The technique is also used in strength training, high intensity training (HIT) and even physical therapy programs. Why? Because it works. The fact is that our muscles will only grow when they are challenged and called upon to exert a greater magnitude of force-it's the nature of the human body's adaptive processes.
Progressive overload forces your body to change because you are continually challenging your muscles to do more work than what they're used to doing. There are lots of different ways to use progressive overload: increasing weight, increasing the number of sets, increasing the number of reps, decreasing rest time, or just increasing intensity. If your goal is to get big though, you should focus your overloads on higher weights/fewer reps followed by medium weights, increasing the number of reps.
And while it's a great technique, progressive overload won't keep working forever. Eventually, you'll see diminishing returns on your efforts. When bodybuilders repeatedly use the same training method over and over trying to raise their strength level, they eventually stall and hit a plateau. This is completely normal-it happens to everybody now and then. The conjugate method is a technique to avoid that stall or get past the plateau. The conjugate method is a system of weight training developed in the USSR and popularized by the Westside Barbell club in Columbus, Ohio. The word "conjugate" literally means "to join together." With that bit of knowledge if you're deducing that the conjugate method is a "joining together" of multiple techniques, then you'd be correct.
Using the conjugate method, individual lifting exercises are linked together, enabling you to increase the amounts of weight you can lift thus gaining more muscle. The key though is that each of the exercises has to be close in nature to each other. In other words, you're using multiple techniques to directly and indirectly target specific areas. When you stop seeing the results from what you're doing, then you choose exercises that hit the muscle groups from slightly different angles. This keeps things fresh and enables you to continuously see gains.
The last bit of advice I would have for guys just starting out or getting back into training is that it is absolutely essential to get the form and technique right. Not only is it crucial to getting results but it is equally important to avoiding injury. By cheating, anyone can lift more weight but that doesn't help increase your strength or build muscle. All it does is waste your time and lead to injuries. You've got to make sure that your form and technique are correct before increasing the weight. So get the form right, stick to the basics, focus on the core areas and don't give up and you'll get the results you want.
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Regardless of your body type or the type of training that your body responds to best, hybrid muscle training is all around, the most effective way to build muscle and get lean. Often times, guys ask me how hybrid training carries over into sports. Well, regardless of the sport, hybrid muscle training can help you be at the top of your game.
But did you know that there are also sports that by their very nature help you develop hybrid muscle? Actually, any sport that simultaneously incorporates resistance and cardio can be considered a hybrid activity. There are a number of sports that do this-let's talk about some of them now.
Football: This is a phenomenal sport that incorporates hybrid muscle training. The heavy pads provide resistance and with the all the cardio that is involved in the sport, it helps build type III or hybrid muscle. Other aspects of football that involve hybrid training include blocking and training with sleds during practice. All of these are activities that require endurance (the cardio part) and the muscles to deliver sustained strength (the resistance part).
If you have any doubt that football is an awesome hybrid training technique that can build a powerful, muscular physique just look at guys like Adrian Peterson, Terrell Owens or retired stars like Herschel Walker. All three have amazing physiques-and it all is the result of hybrid muscle training.
Strongman: This is really is all about hybrid muscle training. Unlike say powerlifting where the goal is to achieve your one-rep max, strongman training simultaneously requires both strength and endurance. And as you know, the best way to develop these qualities is through hybrid training. Examples of hybrid training activities that you see in strongman competitions include the tire flip, log carrying, truck pulling and the keg toss, among others.
And if you have any doubt that strongman training won't build a powerful, muscular physique, just take one look at Mariusz Pudzianowski and believe me, you'll eat your words.
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA): This one also incorporates hybrid muscle training-in fact, it's essential. Look at the guys fighting in the UFC. Do you think jogging ten miles a day carries over into the octagon and is going to help a guy get in shape for fight? No-two minutes into the match and he'll be winded.
Why? Because the successful fighters have developed hybrid type III muscle that has strength, power and endurance. They need to develop long, sustainable strength. You don't get that from ordinary training. When these guys train they have to mimic the moves they'll be doing in the octagon-grappling, pulling and other things that go on in a real fight. Guys like Ken Shamrock, Matt Hughes and Randy Couture all have developed hybrid, type III muscle.
Highland games: Seriously, this is about as hybrid as it gets. Have you ever seen these events? Some of the hybrid training activities you'll encounter in Highland games include the 56-pound shot put, the hammer throw with a 22-pound round metal ball attached to a handle, or the caber toss. This would have to be the signature event for the Highland games. The caber is a tapered log or pole that varies in height (roughly 19'-22') and weight (100-130 pounds). They lift it, run with it and then heave it.
Lumberjack games: You've probably seen these on TV before. These games require participants to carry out feats of strength and endurance using extremely large and heavy logs. This one is 100% hybrid.
Arm wrestling: Your probably wouldn't have thought of this one but yes, arm wrestling is most definitely a sport that incorporates hybrid activities. After all, it does require long-or sustained strength-and the only way to get that is through hybrid training.
Track & field: Besides the running, you've also got activities like the shot put and the javelin throw. Both of these are activities that require both strength and endurance.
Kettlebell competitions: Kettlebells have been around a long time. Their shape and handles make them ideal for hybrid training. Some of the activities you'll see here that require long strength include the clean and snatch or the one- or two-armed kettlebell swing, among others.
CrossFit Competitions: These are the kinds of routines that are often touted as the "military" workouts so you'll often see military and law enforcement guys participating in these events. Nearly all of the activities require strength and endurance.
So there you have my response to the question about how hybrid muscle training carries over into sports. As you can see, not only does hybrid training and the development of type III muscle fibers enhance your athletic performance in many sports some sports are even hybrid in their nature.
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Mike Westerdal is the founder of Critical Bench, Inc. A free online weight training magazine.
Years ago, it was not uncommon for bodybuilding experts to advocate an unrestricted, very high-calorie diet-in combination with an intensive weight training program-for someone wanting to gain muscle. The rationale was that if you wanted to gain muscle, you could eat basically whatever you wanted in order to bulk up and then later on, you could work on eliminating excess fat if necessary. Nowadays, we're a lot more enlightened and we know that not only is this not an effective strategy, but it's not particularly beneficial for your health either. The most effective eating regimen for gaining muscle is one that includes plenty of lean protein, healthy carbohydrates in moderation and unsaturated fats.
Protein is a basic, essential building block of muscle growth and if your objective is to maintain or gain lean muscle mass then you need to eat plenty of it every day. When the body isn't getting enough protein from the foods you eat, it will use protein from muscle mass to meet its energy needs.
Carbohydrates get a bad rap from a lot of the so-called "health gurus" out there but the fact is they're not telling the whole story. Carbohydrates provide the body with the fuel it needs for both physical activity and proper functioning of the organs. The key is to recognize the difference between good ("healthy") and bad carbs. Healthy carbohydrates come from vegetables, fruits, legumes (beans) and whole grains. The bad carbs come from highly processed foods, white breads, sugary sodas, snacks and pastries.
Fat is another oft-misunderstood component of our diets. All fats are not bad for us. In fact, our bodies need some fat in our diet in order to function normally. Again, like carbohydrates, the key lies in understanding the difference between the good fats and the bad ones. Saturated fats are the "bad fats" that we should avoid. Saturated fats come from animal fats, dairy products and oils such as coconut or cottonseed oil. They're also common in a lot of prepared foods. Unsaturated fats-although they still need to be consumed in moderation-are the ones that are better for our bodies, helping it to perform and function normally.
Okay, so now that some of the basics are out of the way we'll address the question, "What should I eat to put on lean muscle mass?" Individual protein, carb and unsaturated fat requirements will vary from person to person, depending on body type, weight, physical condition, fitness goals, etc.
A good basic eating strategy for gaining muscle mass is to get the majority of your calories from lean protein sources. A general rule of thumb is about a minimum of 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Limit your intake of healthy carbs and unsaturated fats. Don't avoid them entirely though because your body-and your muscles-need them, just keep protein the central focus of your diet.
In order to gain muscle mass you'll need to consume more calories than you burn. You should start out by determining your body's calorie requirements for maintaining your body weight, account for your activity level and then add from there. You should also eat five to six meals a day, spread out two to three hours apart throughout the day. Eating just one or two large meals a day isn't the right strategy for putting on muscle.
Since protein is going to be the foundation of your diet, you'll want to mix up your sources or you'll quickly get sick of eating the same couple of things day after day. Skinless chicken breast and fish are two excellent sources of lean protein. Grill or broil them-don't fry or drown them in rich sauces. Other good sources of protein include turkey breast, lean beef or pork, egg whites, cottage cheese (fat free or low-fat), canned tuna (packed in water not oil) and protein powders.
Green vegetables (especially broccoli), leafy vegetables, sweet potatoes, potatoes, whole grain breads, whole oats/oatmeal (not the flavored instant packs) and beans are good sources for healthy carbs. Avoid any processed foods, snacks and pastries. You can pretty much eat about as much green vegetables (steamed is best) without worrying about getting too many carbs, but do watch your intake of everything else on the list above-the carbs add up quickly.
Unsaturated fats should comprise the smallest portion of your daily diet. Good sources of these healthy fats include olive oil, sunflower oil and avocados. Almonds and walnuts are both also excellent sources of healthy fats but limit your intake of nuts to no more than a handful a day.
This is of course not everything you need to know in order to eat to gain weight but it should be enough to give you a basic foundation upon which to get started on the path towards putting on lean muscle mass, not just fat.
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Now how many times have you been embarrassed to have got a comment of being skinny too much. Your painful days are over. First, you should let go of the embarrassment thing and concentrate on improving your overall look out. Its possible very much.
Anthony Ellis-left-3 months transformation speaks about the potential. Go out there, show the world you can actually do it. Here are some tips I know of which everyone uses to motivate themselves. Challenging Yourself For The Motivation- Try increasing the amount of weight after each set or day. This can be possible by training to failure.
Nutrition- Eat the correct diet. You need lots of good nutrition with lots of water to stay healthy and fit and gain weight. Egg-whites, Whey Protein, Chicken etc. Grab em all. Eat a high protein, high calorie diet pre and post workout and should be under 1 hour of both.
Compound Exercises man- Compound exercises are multi-joint movements that rely on the coordinated actions of several muscle groups to move two or more joints through a range of motion. Compound exercises are multi-joint movements that rely on the coordinated actions of several muscle groups to move two or more joints through a range of motion. Examples are press, squats etc. These are much more beneficial than isolation exercises especially for skinny guys. Like I mentioned earlier, get those training for use.
Supplements-Only supplements won't do you any good if you just happen to sit at house and do nothing. Everything should go hand in hand to work.
Routine- Follow that routine which suits you and which is right for you. Not the one which pro body builders use. You are likely to end up hay-wire. Frustration- Remember, frustration is a bad thing. Don't quit too early. Be Positive. Rome was not built in a day.
Proper Training- Using less no. of reps with heavy weight mostly does the trick for growth. Rely on this theory and you are sure to get rewarded. You should always take a day-off between workout days. Stretching is very important folks. Don't neglect this part. Stretching after each workout is important. Concentrate on free weights not machines. It's always a good idea to book a session with a personal trainer to get set up on your first program until you have a better understanding of all the concepts involved with weight training. After that point, you can start playing around with your own program, implementing advanced training principles to help kick your results up a notch.
If you have been looking to put on some serious mass, then this is the plan for you.
Week One:
Diet
Meals every two to three hours upon waking.
Meal One: (breakfast) Half cup of oatmeal and Supplement. Meal Two: (mid-morning school snack) Whole grain peanut butter sandwich or whole grain turkey sandwich double meat or handful of nuts and apple or pear
Meal Three - (lunch) Two grilled chicken breasts or med. can of tuna with handful of green veggies or handful of salad with olive oil and vinegar dressing
Meal Four - (late afternoon snack probably post workout) Supplement Meal Five - (dinner) One and a half handfuls of lean meat such as london broil, chicken breasts, turkey breasts, tuna steaks, or salmon with two handfuls of green veggies and med. sweet potato or handful of brown rice
Meal Six - (bedtime) Supplement
Helpful Tips:
* Drink only water and never miss meals. * Try not to eat until full at each sitting. * Pick Sat. or Sun. as a free or cheat day.
Buy groceries once a week and you buy the amount of whichever foods you decide you will use in a week - oatmeal, chicken breasts, turkey breasts, brown rice, green veggies or salads, med. sweet potatoes, oil/vinegar, sliced turkey, peanut butter, apples and pears, almonds unsalted.
Workouts
Workouts (first set or two should be challenging, but not as bad as 3 and 4; choose a weight you feel you are near failure about 75% of the way through by the third and fourth set and ask for a spot if needed).
Wednesday - Legs & Abs
5 min. med. pace warm-up walk or bike 4 sets leg press 8-10 reps 4 sets leg extensions 8-10 reps 4 sets leg curls 8-10 reps 3 sets seated calf machine 8-10 reps 2 sets hyperextensions 12-15 reps 4 sets ab machine 4 sets normal crunches Finish with 20 min. med. pace walk or bike
Friday or Saturday - Arms & Shoulders & Abs
5 min. warm-up 4 sets dumbbell shoulder presses 8-10 reps 4 sets dumbbell side lateral raises 8-10 reps 4 sets dips on edge of bench 8-10 reps 4 sets rope pressdowns 8-10 reps 4 sets barbell curls 8-10 reps 4 sets dumbbell alternate hammer curls 4 sets decline bench crunches 2 sets hanging leg raises 20 min. walk or bike med. pace
Monday - Chest & Back
5 min. warm-up 4 sets incline bench presses 8-10 reps 4 sets flat dumbbell bench presses 8-10 reps 4 sets cable crossovers 10-12 reps 4 sets seated Hammer Strength low row 8-10 reps 4 sets reverse grip Hammer Strength high row 8-10 reps 20 min. med. pace walk or bike
Week Two:
Diet
Meals stay the same, but the workouts change as follows:
Workouts
Workouts (first set or two should be challenging, but not as bad as 3 and 4 and fifth; choose a weight you feel you are near failure about 75% of the way through by the third and fourth set and ask for a spot if needed).
Wednesday - Legs & Abs
5 min. med. pace warm-up walk or bike 4 sets walking dumbbell lunges 10-12 steps each leg 4 sets leg extensions with toes turned in 8-10 reps 4 sets leg curls with toes pointed back 8-10 reps 4 sets seated calf machine 8-10 reps 3 sets hyperextensions 12-15 reps 4 sets ab machine 4 sets normal crunches Finish with 20 min. med. pace walk or bike.
Friday or Saturday - Arms & Shoulders
5 min. warm-up 4 sets barbell shoulder presses to front 8-10 reps 4 sets dumbbell side lateral raises 8-10 reps 4 sets dips on dip machine 8-10 reps 4 sets rope press downs 8-10 reps 4 sets barbell curls 8-10 reps 4 sets reverse grip barbell curls 8-10 reps 4 sets decline bench crunches 4 sets hanging leg raises 20 min. walk or bike med. pace
Monday - Chest & Back
5 min. warm-up 4 sets incline dumbbell presses 8-10 reps 4 sets flat barbell bench presses 8-10 reps 4 sets cable crossovers 10-12 reps 4 sets one arm dumbbell rows 8-10 reps 4 sets wide grip lat pull downs 8-10 reps 20 min. med. pace walk or bike
Week Three:
Diet
Meals stay the same, but the workouts change as follows:
Workout
Workouts (first set or two should be challenging, but not as bad as 3 and 4 and fifth; choose a weight you feel you are near failure about 75% of the way through by the third and fourth set and ask for a spot if needed).
Wednesday - Legs
5 min. med. pace warm-up walk or bike 4 sets barbell squats 8-10 reps 4 sets leg extensions 8-10 reps 4 sets seated leg curls with toes pointed back 8-10 reps 4 sets seated calf machine 8-10 reps 4 sets hyperextensions 12-15 reps 4 sets ab machine 4 sets normal crunches Finish with 20 min. med. pace walk or bike
Friday or Saturday - Arms & Shoulders
5 min. warm-up 4 sets barbell shoulder presses behind the neck 8-10 reps 4 sets alternating front dumbbell raises 8-10 reps 4 sets dumbbell side lateral raises 8-10 reps 4 sets dumbbell kickbacks 8-10 reps 4 sets straight bar press downs 8-10 reps 4 sets barbell curls 8-10 reps 4 sets alternating dumbbell curls 8-10 reps 4 sets decline bench crunches 4 sets hanging leg raises 20 min. walk or bike med. pace
Monday - Chest & Back
5 min. warm-up 4 sets incline barbell presses 8-10 reps 4 sets incline dumbbell flyes 10-12 reps 4 sets Hammer Strength wide chest presses 8-10 reps 4 sets cable crossovers 10-12 reps 4 sets one arm dumbbell rows 8-10 reps 4 sets reverse grip (hands shoulder width) lat pull downs 8-10 reps 20 min. med. pace walk or bike
Week Four:
Diet
Add a Supplement at either meal two or three.
Workout
Workouts (first set or two should be challenging, but not as bad as 3 and 4 and fifth; choose a weight you feel you are near failure about 75% of the way through by the third and fourth set and ask for a spot if needed).
Wednesday - Legs
5 min. med. pace warm-up walk or bike 4 sets smith machine squats 8-10 reps 4 sets leg extensions 8-10 reps 4 sets lying leg curls with toes pointed back 8-10 reps 4 sets leg press calf raises 8-10 reps 4 sets hyperextensions 12-15 reps 2 sets inner/outer thigh machine 12-15 reps 4 sets ab machine 4 sets hanging leg raises Finish with 20 min. med. pace walk or bike
Friday or Saturday - Arms & Shoulders
5 min. warm-up 4 sets dumbbell shoulder presses 8-10 reps 4 sets alternating front dumbbell raises 4 sets dumbbell side lateral raises 8-10 reps 4 sets dumbbell two arm overhead extension 8-10 reps 4 sets rope press downs 8-10 reps 4 sets dumbbell hammer curls 8-10 reps 4 sets alternating dumbbell curls 8-10 reps 4 sets decline bench crunches w/ 25 pound plate 4 sets hanging leg raises w/10 pound dumbbell between feet 20 min. walk or bike med. pace
Monday - Chest & Back
5 min. warm-up 4 sets incline barbell presses 8-10 reps 4 sets incline dumbbell flyes 10-12 reps 4 sets Hammer Strength wide chest presses 8-10 reps 4 sets decline bench presses 8-10 reps 4 sets cable crossovers 10-12 reps 4 sets one arm dumbbell rows 8-10 reps 4 sets reverse grip (hands shoulder width) lat pull downs 8-10 reps 4 sets machine pullovers 8-10 reps 20 min. med. pace walk or bike
In this article, I will show you a variety of simple-but-not-easy workout protocols, each guaranteed to inflate your muscles like a float at the Macy’s Day Parade! Each of the workout protocols I’ve provided here take only one minute to complete, (hence the reason I’ve named them one-minute muscle builders).
Just in case your spider senses are giving off the “gimmick alert” signal, take heed: These workouts have all been battle-tested and certified as effective with the athletes here at Performance U in Baltimore, MD.
If you’re ready to discover how to get better results in 60 seconds than most guys get from their 60-minute strength workout sessions, then read on!
These are a series of high intensity, high volume protocols consisting of multiple exercises performed back-to-back without rest, all targeting the same group of muscles.
In the practical exercise section below, I’ve included one-minute muscle building protocols for legs, glutes/hamstring, chest, back, and arms.
The following can be performed in conjunction with other more traditional training concepts, or they can each be performed as a stand-alone workout (more on that in the program design section provided later in this article).
Here’s a list of the most popular One-Minute Muscle Building Protocols I use here at Performance U to help my athletes break through plateaus and put on insane amounts of muscle without losing performance. Each of the protocols featured takes roughly one minute to complete if performed at the proper speed and intensity.
I owe my good friend and mentor, Coach JC Santana, for the creative inspiration behind many of these protocols.
Be warned: Don’t let the one-minute time frame fool you! These workouts can crush even the most elite level athlete, plus these workouts will also give you the best pump you’ve ever felt. To prevent overtraining when using these workouts, be sure to follow the progressions I describe below.
I learned this protocol from my good friend and mentor, Coach JC Santana. This workout will actually crush both your chest and triceps!
You’ll need a medicine ball or small box for this one. Perform as a circuit with speed:
5 - 10 medicine ball lock-offs on each side5 - 10 medicine ball crossover push-ups on each side (alternate sides)5 - 10 medicine ball close-grip push-ups5 - 10 medicine ball drop and returns
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Six-Week Chest Blaster Workout Progression
Here’s how you can gradually progress with the Chest Blaster workout over a six-week period. The goal is not just to complete all the reps, it’s to complete all the reps, back-to-back, with controlled speed.
Week #1 – 5 reps of each exerciseWeek #2 – 6 reps of each exerciseWeek #3 – 7 reps of each exerciseWeek #4 – 8 reps of each exerciseWeek #5 – 9 reps of each exerciseWeek #6 – 10 reps of each exercise
As with most pulling workouts, this protocol will smash both your back and biceps. You’ll need a heavy-duty band and a medicine ball for this one. Bands allow you to move under load at high speeds without building momentum. My band of choice is the JC Band All-Purpose Band.
Perform as a circuit with speed:
10 - 15 Chin-ups20 - 30 Speed rows on each arm (alternate arms)10 - 15 Compound rows (see video below)5 - 10 Medicine ball slams (see video below)
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Six-Week Back Builder Workout Progression
Here’s how to gradually progress with the Back Builder workout over a six-week period. You want to be able to complete the workout each work in roughly the same amount of time, which means you’ll get more work done in the same time frame.
This workout is a combination of two 30-second Band protocols I’ve named the 60/30 arm workouts. After doing both of these 60/30 arm exercises back-to-back, you will have an arm pump like you’ve never felt before…guaranteed!
Again, I recommend using Super Bands for this protocol (check out the JC Band All-Purpose Band) .
Step 1- Perform the 60/30 Triceps Extension
The 60/30 Triceps Extension - Grab a heavy-duty band and tie it up at the top of a squat rack or cable column. Try to bang out 60 triceps extensions in 30 seconds without using too much extra body momentum. You must move as fast as possible but under control!
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Step 2 – Without resting, immediately perform the 60/30 Biceps Curl
The 60/30 Biceps Curl – Anchor the same band under your feet, holding the other end in your hands. As with the triceps extension, perform 60 reps in 30 seconds, moving as fast as you can go.
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Step 3 – Rest and watch your arms inflate!
Six-Week Arm Sweller Workout Progression
Here’s my suggestion for how you can progress with the Arm Sweller workout over a six-week time frame. You can also progress by simply using a heavier (stronger) resistance band. If you can’t complete all 60 reps in the given time frame of 30 seconds, then the band is too heavy.
If you’re looking for a serious leg workout that gets BIG results in a little time, look no further because here it is!
The Super Legs circuit was originally developed by legendary coach Vern Gambetta.
Perform as a circuit with speed:
20-24 Speed squats20-24 Alternating lunges or reverse lunges (go fast!)20-24 Alternating split squat jumps or bench split jumps10-12 Squat jumps or box jumps (jump as high as possible)
Six-Week Super Legs Workout Progression
No one knows how to progress this workout better than the man who invented it: Vern Gambetta. Go here to Vern’s Blog and discover his 6-Week Super Legs circuit progression.
Are you ready to feel your hamstring and calves like you’ve never felt them before? Grab yourself a Swiss ball and try this workout!
Perform as circuit with optimal form and a controlled tempo:
15-20 Swiss ball leg curl15-20 Swiss ball bent-leg bridge15-20 Swiss ball straight-leg bridge (toes only on ball)
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Six-Week Hamstring Hattrick Workout Progression
As with the rest of these One-Minute muscle-building protocols, the Hamstring Hattrick needs to be progressed each week to ensure maximal safety and effectiveness. Here’s how I recommend increasing the intensity of this workout over six weeks.
Week #1 – 15 reps of each exerciseWeek #2 – 16 reps of each exerciseWeek #3 – 17 reps of each exerciseWeek #4 – 18 reps of each exerciseWeek #5 – 19 reps of each exerciseWeek #6 – 20 reps of each exercise
- Move at a pace that allows you to perform 1 rep per second during all the above exercises.
- Try to finish each of the above protocols in as close to 60 seconds as possible.
- Some protocols will take slightly less than one minute and others will take slightly longer. Always try to match or beat your previous time.
- As you progressively add repetitions, the length of the protocol will become slightly longer. Try to reduce your best time with each workout.
There are two primary ways to integrate these One Minute Muscle protocols into your workouts:
As a finisher – After you’ve completed your traditional workout, you can throw in one or two sets of the One-Minute Muscle protocol that target the same muscles emphasized in your workout for that particular day. For example, perform the One-Minute Chest Blaster workout at the end of your chest day. Alternatively, at the end of your lower-body day, do 1-2 sets of the Super Legs workout.
As a stand-alone workout – Any of these One-Minute Muscle protocols can make for a quick but super intense workout. If you’re looking for a new training challenge and just want to “hit it hard” and go home, then try performing 4-5 sets of the particular One-Minute protocol that complements the muscles trained that day in the gym. For example, on leg day, perform five sets of Super Legs and four sets of the Hamstring Hattrick.
When using these One-Minute Muscle Building Protocols, there are two ways to deal with your rest periods:
Use a Designated Rest Interval – Due to their highly intense nature, I recommend using at least a 1:3 work-to-rest ratio when first starting out with any of these One-Minute protocols. In other words, do 1 minute of work, then rest 3 minutes before starting your next set.
Example: Perform 1 set of Super Legs, rest 3 minutes. Perform next set of Super Legs, rest 3 minutes.
Perform for Time – One of my favorite methods for using multiple sets of One-Minute Muscle builders is to record the total amount of time it takes to complete a given number of rounds of a specific One-Minute Muscle protocol.
Example: Record the amount of time it takes you to complete three total rounds of the Back Builder workout. Then, for each subsequent workout, attempt to reduce the length of time it took you to complete the workout the prior week.
Here’s a killer total-body workout/fitness challenge you can try if you’d like to test your physical fitness and mental toughness:
Perform all of the One-Minute protocols for the reps indicated in 10 minutes or less:
1 set of Super Legs x20/20/20/101 set of the Chest Blaster x5/5/5/51 set of the Back Builder x10/20/10/51 set of the Hamstring Hattrick x20/20/201 set of the Arm Sweller x60/30 + 60/30
After this workout, you won’t want to just sit down and rest, you’ll want to go home and take a long nap!
The traditional exercises we all know and love are still just as great and effective as ever before, but what happens when those exercise staples no longer work? To get a stubborn body part to respond, you sometimes need to think outside of your everyday training toolbox and get a little creative.
These One-Minute Muscle Building Protocols are just what the doctor ordered for blasting through training plateau and sparking some new muscle growth. They’re also a great way to push yourself both mental and physically to new limits!
Written by Nick Tumminello
Discuss, comment or ask a question
If you have a comment, question or would like to discuss anything raised in this article, please do so in the following discussion thread on the Wannabebig Forums - Fast-Track Your Muscle Growth: One-Minute Muscle Builders discussion thread.
About Nick Tumminello
Nick Tumminello, the director of Performance University, is a nationally recognized coach and educator who works with a select group of athletes, physique competitors, and exercise enthusiasts in Baltimore, Maryland.
Nick is rapidly establishing himself as a leader in the field for his innovative techniques and “smarter” approach to training. As a coach, Nick works in the trenches testing, developing and refining his innovative techniques with clients and athletes of all ages and levels.
Go to his website NickTumminello.com to get your free “Smarter & Stronger” video course.
Almost everyone desires to have a well sculpted and warrior like chest. But then, big chests are like prized trophies after a very intense and a great deal of hard work and patience and not all have enough patience to wait for the best and well anticipated results. This is why various weight training professionals have designed different workout programs that can deliver the same results but in a much shorter period of time.
Building muscles for your chest is not that hard to achieve since there is a wide variety of weight training routines and exercises that one can apply and this includes barbell flat press, dumbbell press, seated inclined press, explosive push-ups, chest dips, and lots more. However, the real secret here is to understand the basic concepts and functions of these routines and instilling a great deal of discipline in order for a person to build chest muscle fast.
Pros
Your chest is not like the other parts of your body with a limited choice of exercises. As mentioned above, you can freely make your own program according to your preference. You can either use one or combine two or more types of workout routines to get better results. With these exercises, you can easily add more weight or repetitions for a more intense workout and faster results. Most of these exercises also work on other muscle groups of your body.
Cons
If you are up to building chest muscle fast, then you should prepare your body and mind to take more punishment in a shorter span of time. Furthermore, free weights exercises for your chest wouldn't be isolated unless you are using a machine with you.
Final Thoughts
There is no reward without sacrifice. That is one of the basic rules of life. All options are laid out on the floor to help you build your long desired chest muscles fats and it's up to you to endure all of it to get the expected results much faster.
Hey guys, for the more hardcore amongst you, I thought I'd add a good 5 day split that you can follow. If you're reasonably experienced in Weightlifting then this will be ideal for you to increase the results that you're currently getting. I personally used to perform this workout however at the moment I am undertaking Elliot Hulse and Mike Westerdal's famous Lean Hybrid Muscle system!
Friday - back Deadlifts - 5x5 reps pull - downs - chin ups - 3x12 reps single arm dumbbell rows - 3x10 reps face pulls - 3x12 reps
AS WELL AS: Calve raises - Tuesday and Friday Abs - Monday and Thursday Cardio - certainly at the weekend, but any other day as well, it's great
There you have it, a great and easy to follow 5 day split programme! The idea behind it is that you train each and every muscle equally and you train them hard! The structure of the workouts are so that you should not be too exhausted to complete the next workout. You should in theory be able to carry on doing this 5 day split for weeks on end. However some inexperienced bodybuilders and trainees suffer from bad pain after a hard workout. This is nothing to worry about, it just means that your muscles have had to work a lot harder than usual. The normal period for you to be in pain is 3 days after the workout. When you start becoming more regular in your workouts this pain will decrease and decrease until the point where you get no muscular pain after working out, and therefore you can train harder, and experience more growth!
Hopefully from this workout routine you should experience some extreme muscle growth, however everybody is different and we are definitely not promising that every single person that does this will succeed 100%, we are just going on what we thoroughly believe to be true and effective.
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