How to Increase Muscular Size

First let me say that putting on muscle is no guarantee that you will become a Cy Young Award winner or a National Football League MVP. What it will do is make a more powerful, leaner athlete. In some cases it will make a more durable athlete who will be able to endure the rigors of a demanding season.

When someone says to me they want to put on some weight and size I make sure to tell them that at first you must be concerned with putting on quality lean mass and reducing body fat. Initially this might mean that the total body weight might not change or change very little. For instance a gain of 10 pounds of muscle and a loss of 10 pounds of fat is a body weight increase of zero! The P.S. to this story is not to be concerned immediately with total weight gain. Added body weight will come later. Be first concerned with getting stronger and leaner.

What I am about to explain may be completely opposite or different of what you have heard. Trust a professional with more than 25 years of experience training athletes from all sports and levels- the information is true.

Medium to High Reps
Notice I am not beginning the discussion with how much weight to use. Repetition is the most important part to putting on muscle. Not how much weight to lift. The most beneficial repetition zone for packing on muscle is 8-12. Keep in mind this is a general rule of thumb for most people. Some will get better results at eight reps than twelve or vice versa. However, performing between 8-12 reps is a perfect start. There has been some research that might indicate that as low as six repetitions will promote hypertrophy (increase in size of the muscle tissue), but in my experience, six reps seems to be too low.

Multiple Sets
Again, there are many views on the amount of sets it takes for optimal growth. There has been a faction that believes you can work one set to muscular failure, performing 8-12 repetitions. Although this type of training might be initially beneficial to an untrained subject, volumes of scientific literature along with scientists, athletes and coaches state that multiple set training is the most beneficial for creating muscle mass for the long haul. In our case 3-5 sets per exercise will be fine depending on the muscle mass and exercise performed. For larger muscle masses, 9-12 sets per body part (legs, back, chest) and 6-9 sets for smaller areas (arms, shoulders, forearms).

Multiple sets allows for the right amount of stress to the muscle due to the volume (sets x reps). It seems volume is more associated with muscle growth than the weight which leads me to another point.

How to Choose a Weight
As simple as it seems, being able to choose the weight is all about the amount of repetitions. You should choose a weight that allows you to do no less than eight repetitions and no more than twelve. If you can't do eight the weight is too heavy. If you can do more than twelve the weight is too light. Weight selection is that easy.

An often heard statement is that light weights are necessary to perform the high repetition workouts I am speaking of. This can be a misleading statement. In truth, weights used during high repetition workouts are typically lighter than those used when performing in the lower repetition zones. That being said, the heaviest weight possible should be used to get the best results. As long as good technique can be applied, the heaviness of the weight should only dictated by the repetition zone.

Strict Form
Doing an exercise correctly is not only the best way to get big and strong, it is also the safest. Cheating, which is using the whole body to perform a repetition, is an advanced technique that early on will only slow the training process. When exercise technique breaks down, added movement and additional muscles being are used to complete the exercise. This takes away from the direct, maximal stress necessary to make the targeted muscle grow.

When you are intensely weight training it is easy to lose focus when the "burn" starts hitting you or you begin to take deep breaths due to fatigue. This is another way cheating comes into the picture because it is difficult to concentrate on the weight and form when your body is begging you to stop. When this occurs, regroup mentally. Focus and maintain form.

Diet
There has been much discussion about diet and growth. Some researchers contend that it only takes about .5 grams of protein per pound of body weight to put your body in the growth mode. Other scientists, coaches and athletes say that .5 is not enough. The majority of hard training athletes and coaches prefer 1.0 grams per pound of body weight. Along with the proper caloric intake, this amount of protein should enable you to recover, grow and become stronger. One drawback; if you have a kidney, or liver disorder, protein intake must be monitored by a physician.

For the body to absorb all the calories and nutrients effectively, it will be necessary to eat 4-6 smaller meals during the day as opposed to three big meals. 30-40 grams of protein at a sitting is the guideline for dividing up the intake. As with all foodstuffs (protein, carbohydrates, fats) any excess calories will be stored as fat or excreted, which is why it is better to eat smaller meals so the body can digest it.

Gaining weight is a simple mathematical equation. If you take in fewer calories than you burn, you will probably lose weight no matter how much protein you eat or how strong you will get. So there has to be a small total increase in calories for the body to use as fuel and subsequently growth.

There Are No Shortcuts
It seems today everybody wants the shortcut to success- great abdominals in 7 minutes; gain 10 pounds of muscle in one week and on and on. Well I am here to tell you there are no shortcuts. It is that plain and simple. There are some ways that are more effective than others, but by no means are these magic shortcuts. Let me list a few tips for achieving what you want:

Dedication - attack your plan with commitment. Don't miss your workouts. Plan your eating schedule so you get the right nutrients and get enough sleep at night.

Intensity - when you train, train hard. Focus on the task at hand. When you go to the gym, go to train not to socialize or just go through the motions. Always try to add more weight or repetitions to an exercise. Shoot for personal training records.

Record your workouts - keeping a training log gives you the advantage of reminding you of the previous weights you used, if you finished all your repetitions for a particular exercise, how your energy level was last week or any little thing to push you forward to another great workout.

Get a training partner - when you have somebody with you, going through the same pain that you are with the same goals, it raises the level of the intensity and adds a little healthy competitiveness and motivation to the workouts.