The Basic Rules of Gaining Muscle
by keishon martin

A beautiful body on a magazine can indeed be a product of modern technology. Many
people ask how do I start bodybuilding?

To answer this question you need to know that no amount of physical activity can give you
your desired body if it is not coupled with bodybuilding nutrition and a body total workout.
Actually, it is the bodybuilding nutrition that is the most vital factor in building the best body.
But I will give you ten rules for building muscle.

1.  Use Free Weights for all Heavy Sets
As heavy as some machines might feel, they do not involve as much of the ancillary muscles
areas as do free weights and, therefore, do not build as much compound mass.

2.  Utilize Compound Movements
How you perform an exercise is perhaps the most important dynamic in building mass. If you
want full, hard bulk, do not isolate. Instead, use what Dave Draper calls 'body thrust' to
compound the involvement of all the muscles in the area. Also, don't fall for the theory that
cheating robs you of separation. On the contrary, it augments the compound benefit and
builds even greater size so that there's more muscle in which to carve separations.

3.  Find areas of improvement
Assess your physique to determine which muscle groups need to be brought up in size, then
go to the gym with that in mind, concentrating on working those areas first. Begin your
workout with a barbell movement and follow with dumbbells. If you use cables, do so at the
end of your workout. Never count cable sets as muss building sets.

4.  Experiment to find your best mass building exercises
I used to perform lots of squats, and I became incredibly strong with them, going as high as
40 reps with 315 pounds. But there came a point where, even at that level of intensity, my
legs weren't growing to my satisfaction. I discovered that my lower back and hips were taking
too much of the stress; the solution lay in working my quads more exclusively. I therefore
stopped squatting and switched to leg presses and hack squats instead. My legs are now
better than ever.

5.  Avoid injuries
Be wary of dangerous exercises. Squats and flat bench presses, for example, possess the
highest injury potential, so I stay away from them. I can't count the number of individuals
whose bodybuilding careers were ended by torn pecs, slipped discs or strained erectors.
With proper knowledge and execution, you can get commensurate or even better growth
from exercises that work those muscle groups thoroughly without placing undue stress on
tendons and ligaments.

6.  Utilize optimum sets
Use a range of 16 - 20 total sets per body part.

7.  Don't count exercises
There is no optimum number of exercises. Most bodybuilders prescribe four sets each of
four or five different exercises per bodypart, but for some muscle groups, there might be
only one or two movements that work them effectively. In those cases, you should do 16 - 20
sets of one exercise, or 8 - 10 sets each of two exercises.

8.  Perform optimum reps
I like to train heavy, but I also like to use lots of reps. I recently performed incline barbell
curls with 405 pounds for 10 reps, but I consider that to be medium to light weight, and,
therefore, not mass training. My favorite number of mass reps on a regular basis is 10, to
failure, of course. However, that doesn't mean you should avoid going as heavy as possible
now and then.

9.  Flirt with maximums
Check out your strength levels every so often by maxing out with one or two reps.
Remembers, though, that any time you play around with benchpress poundages above 405,
you flirt with danger. The body cannot consistently take that type of training. When you want
to test your max, do not take big jumps. Rather, work up gradually to keep your body
accustomed to the changing forces and their deflections at each level. For example, I go up
to 500 pounds for two reps on the incline barbell press, but I do not jump directly from 405
to 500. Instead, I make sure I can do 465 for at least four reps before I go to my max.

10.  Eat your meat
The more protein you eat, the better, and the best form of protein for mass is meat,
especially red meat. That's where you get your muscle building nutrients, your strength
reserves and the necessary fats for joint protection. Make all of these tenets second nature
to your bodybuilding lifestyle and you will gain good solid mass.

Keishon Martin is the founder of KeyWorldWide Inc. which owns
www.BodyGuidePro.com
which has more info on getting in shape

Article Source: http://physicalfitnessarticles.net
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