A program for effective muscle gain. Gaining muscle mass in bodybuilding

Getting the Right Muscle Mass - 10 Common Mistakes Fitness Lovers Make Find out how to get the most out of your gym

As you gain muscle, you should focus on building more quality muscle. You can change your shape beyond recognition, but many fitness enthusiasts often fail. Why?

Below are some of the most common mistakes gym goers make while gaining muscle mass. If you do a thorough error correction, this stage will be much more productive.

1. Not enough food for muscle growth

This item will be more useful for women than for men. This is because girls hate gaining weight, worrying that all they have gained is fat. Therefore, most girls eat relatively little food. As a result, they lack the energy to exercise effectively and improve their fitness. In many cases, they lose muscle mass, forgetting that 95% of their fitness is created in the off-season.

Without enough fuel in the form of a healthy, healthy diet, you won't make a difference. Consume enough calories to get the results you want. You may gain some subcutaneous fat, but all the excess will go away with the diet.

2. The wrong approach to the principles of proper nutrition for gaining weight

What do you usually do when the drying period comes to an end? just honestly! You go straight to your favorite restaurant or cafe and overeat. Of course, it is very tasty and gives a lot of emotions. You deserve it. But you can't let fast food ruin your diet while you're gaining muscle. Many object to this that fast food is a very high-calorie food. Why not eat something delicious once a day to consume your daily calorie intake? But no.

Most of your calories should come from a healthy, balanced diet.

You need quality protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats. We need to gain muscle, not fat. If you eat fast food all the time, then only a fraction of the weight you gain will be on your muscles. Everything else is fat. Watch your diet and the results will exceed all expectations.

3. Inadequate intake of carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are a crucial part of the diet when you are gaining muscle mass. They charge your body with energy for the whole day, if you correctly allocate the time of their consumption. Fast carbs are great for immediate post-workout consumption as they raise insulin levels and direct glycogen directly to your muscles. They also help to start the process of protein synthesis better after taking a protein shake. Complex carbohydrates have a longer lasting effect and should be consumed at breakfast and throughout the day. Examples of slow carbohydrates: oatmeal, brown rice, sweet potatoes. Examples of fast carbs: sugar, white bread, pasta.

4. No cardio workouts

This is a huge mistake that most men make when gaining muscle mass. They argue that they "do not want to shrink in size." But a couple of half-hour cardio workouts a week will not affect your muscle volume in any way. By incorporating cardio into your workout routine, you will increase your appetite to unprecedented heights, allowing you to easily absorb more wholesome food.

You will also improve the performance of your cardiovascular system, which is fundamentally important for all advanced athletes.

There are a lot of athletes who do not have enough endurance for the planned load due to a weak cardiovascular system. They are full of strength for this, but corny lack of breath. If you are unable to complete all the planned load, sooner or later you will begin to lose muscle. If you want to avoid this, start doing cardio regularly.

5. Too much high-intensity cardio

This problem is especially true for girls. They don't want to put on extra weight, so they often overdo it with cardio. Muscle won't grow if you put all your energy into cardio. Low-intensity cardio will work for most men and women. Three to four workouts a week for 20-30 minutes will be enough. This will keep your metabolic rate up and increase your appetite. Also, you will keep in good shape the main muscle of your body - the heart.

6. Too many isolated exercise machines

Many athletes have replaced basic free weights exercises with the use of machines. It's really convenient and productive. But the easiest way gives the weakest results. Exercise machines have their advantages, and they can be used to perfectly complement your training program, for example, you can do a few isolated exercises at the end of your workout. However, nothing will give you more results than heavy, basic free weights.

Barbell or dumbbell exercises such as squats, deadlifts, bent-over rows, dumbbell presses, and others should be the backbone of your training process, both during muscle mass gain and during the "dry" period. They use the most muscles, which leads to maximum progress. Only after you have done the main work with free weights can you finish off your muscles using simulators. The harder you work, the better the result will be. And there is nothing harder than working with free weights.

7. Lack of emphasis on rest and recovery from strength training

What many athletes don't realize is that all growth and progress happens outside the walls of the gym. They do everything right: stick to the right diet, exercise hard, but forget about the main thing - to give their body time to recover between workouts. Without rest, your progress will be marginal.

You stress your muscles in the gym, the rest of the time they need to rest and replenish energy.

It's all about time - your body needs time to recover. Without it, you will simply drive yourself into a state of overtraining. There is a lot of controversy over how long your muscles need to rest between workouts. Perhaps no less than three days. If your muscles are still fatigued, take another day off. Otherwise, you will simply harm your body.

Helpful Article: 6 Tips for Fast Post-Workout Recovery

8. Increase in weight and muscle volume

Most men are too worried about their own weight and volume during the period of muscle gain. A lot of weight pleases their ego, especially if it exceeds 90 kg, so they try to increase it as much as possible. This is often accompanied by a heap of excess fat. The body cannot constantly build up lean and lean muscles. So if your weight continues to grow every week, then probably most of what you put on is fat.

You need to focus on how you look, not how much you weigh.

For women, the situation is exactly the opposite. If they notice that they are gaining weight, they will reduce the amount of food they eat and add cardio to try to regain their ideal shape. However, in practice, all this is much more complicated.

9. Lack of motivation

This problem applies primarily to competitive athletes. After the tournament, you need to work on mistakes and find out your weak points, then discuss this with your coach and outline an action plan to improve your form.

There are many bodybuilders who perform every season. They look almost the same in all tournaments. They don't progress and they don't win. And the judges notice that they do not change from year to year. Therefore, in the offseason, you first need to set yourself several short-term and long-term goals, so as not to lose sports motivation and further improve your shape.

10. Skipping meals

This is one of the main mistakes of hardgainers (people who are not prone to fast weight gain). They do not feel hungry, so they postpone food for an hour or two or skip it altogether. This is a terrible mistake. Your body needs protein every 2.5–3 hours to keep your muscles receiving a constant supply of amino acids. A positive nitrogen balance must be maintained. When the body lacks amino acids, it will simply take them from your muscles.

Your body will begin to use your hard-earned muscles for fuel. This should be avoided. The loss of muscle tissue is called catabolism. You need to try to constantly be in a state of positive nitrogen balance in order to maintain the processes of anabolism (muscle growth) in the body.

If you feel like you can't handle a full meal, stick with a protein shake.

This will ensure that you get enough amino acids before your next meal.

Outcome

The period of muscle gain should be tried to be as productive as possible, trying to avoid these mistakes. If you recognize yourself in at least one of these points, make changes to your training program and diet as soon as possible. By doing this, you will immediately become a few steps closer to the shape of your dreams.

The most important thing in bodybuilding is gaining muscle mass. There was even such a concept to sit on the mass. But for guys with a penchant for thinness, this dream remains difficult to achieve without knowing a few key secrets that I will reveal to you in this article.

Weight gain is based on three pillars:

• Workout
• Nutrition
• Recovery

If there is not at least one of these criteria, then you will not see the masses.

Muscle building workouts

Let's start with training. Usually people ask me what exercises to do and think that you just need to start doing the exercises and the muscles will grow on their own, the mass will become huge, but this is a delusion.

It is necessary not only to exercise correctly, but also to eat a lot, sleep even more, and only then will you grow.

The best exercises for gaining mass:

• Barbell Shoulder Squats
• Leg press
• Deadlift (any)
• Pull-ups
• Upper block thrust
• Standing press (army)
• Bench press
• Dips on the uneven bars

Mass is given by precisely those exercises that involve the greatest number of muscle fibers, those exercises that make us feel more stress. And light exercises for small muscle groups do not give a significant increase.

The more weight that you lift, the greater the load on the body, the more energy you have to spend and, accordingly, more energy to recover (with a margin). It is easier to get microtraumas of muscles at the molecular level from a large weight, and this allows you to increase muscle volume not only due to energy reserves, but also due to contractile muscle tissue.

Nutrition for gaining muscle mass

In bodybuilding, nutrition is emphasized because it is probably the most important aspect of gaining mass.

You need to eat every 2 hours. You need the right protein-rich foods. The list can be found in the help section. Here are some of them:

• Milk
• Cottage cheese
• Lentils
• Peas
• Soy meat

Before training, you definitely need to eat fast carbohydrates, for example, something sweet, white bread, potatoes, in general, anything that has a high glycemic index (see the corresponding table in the help section). After training, you also need to eat fast carbohydrates. You can use carbohydrate-protein cocktails - gainers.

But in any case, you need to eat a lot of protein a day. The very minimum is 100g. If you have a normal appetite, then it is better to eat 150-250g of protein per day. Remember: there is never a lot of protein!

Although protein shakes have not been proven to be harmful, I still think they can only be used as an aid to protein deficiencies, and not as the main source of protein in your diet.

For gaining muscle mass in bodybuilding, it is best to get protein from regular food, and 30% from powders. Then nothing threatens your health.

Recovery for muscle growth

Some are confident that a couple of days will be enough for recovery, or that if the muscles do not hurt, then they recovered. In fact, the term "recovery" is much broader than you might think.

This includes not only the rate of recovery of muscle fibers (myofibrils), but also the hormones in your body. You should have time to develop the required amount of testosterone, growth hormone, etc. The latter is generally produced only during sleep. Therefore, if earlier you could get enough sleep in 6-7 hours, then starting to swing, you noticed that even 10 hours is not always enough.

If possible, try to sleep until you get tired of lying in bed. The minimum is 9 hours every day. If you slept for 7 hours today, and all other days 9 hours, then you have a lack of sleep. You must make up for the missing hours, otherwise you will become overtrained.

See the Faq section for more details.

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To this type need to consume more protein and fiber, cereals should be minimally processed and peeled, unpolished rice is good. Training should be both strength and endurance development, that is, running, swimming, cycling. Such loads will help burn excess adipose tissue.

How to gain mass of ectomorph

This body type is very poor at gaining mass, both muscle and fat. "Dry" by nature, ectomorph has a fast metabolism, which makes it difficult to gain mass due to the rapid burning of calories. All food is easily digested to provide energy for the body, in which case it is more difficult to create excess calories. This body type is best suited high-carbohydrate food, the prevailing should be slow carbohydrates, which release energy for a long time. The main thing is not to starve. Since the body quickly digests food, it will take the lack of energy from the muscles. Therefore, poor nutrition will never lead an ectomorph to large muscles. No less important is protein in the diet, its sufficient intake will not allow the breakdown of your own muscle protein. Ectomorphs are suitable sports supplements in the form of and or. Especially, taking such supplements is important before bed, "slow" casein protein will prevent muscle loss at night.

Ectomorph training should last no more than an hour, mainly performed for the main muscle groups, 8-10 repetitions in the approach with high intensity.

How to increase body weight for a girl

The principles and techniques for recruiting muscles for women are not particularly different from those for men. But the speed of muscle recruitment in girls is much slower, since there is not enough production of the required amount of testosterone, which promotes muscle growth. Girls need to be careful with high-calorie meals, on average, the weaker sex 2000-3000 calories are enough. An excess of carbohydrates and fats promotes fat gain, not muscle. The female body by nature contains more adipose tissue as a percentage, in contrast to the male. Therefore, high-calorie food threatens the rapid deposition of fat in the female type (on the hips and abdomen), this is necessary for the main task of a woman - bearing and giving birth to a child.

Thus, the diet should be moderate:

1. complex carbohydrates and fruits in the morning;
2. proteins and fiber - in the second.

Strength training for muscle recruitment should also include basic exercises of 8-12 repetitions, 3-4 sets.

Common mistakes in weight gain

• Inadequate intake of calories and nutrients;
• Infrequent eating;
• Low fluid intake;
• Exclusion from the diet (especially undesirable for an ectomorph);
• Fasting before bed;
• Consuming only proteins and completely eliminating fats;
• Long-term loads of more than 2-3 hours, which lead to a decrease in muscle volume.

Conclusion

For effective and rapid growth of muscle mass, men must not forget about main rules- Consuming enough calories and nutrients, as well as intense exercise.

Remember, a large number of repetitions, (running, cycling), long training lead only to an increase in endurance and loss of adipose tissue, but do not affect muscle growth in any way.

Switch to six meals a day, each appointment no later than three hours later. Do not forget, for muscle growth it is necessary, namely, at least eight hours.

We all know that bodybuilding has been around for a long time. Today, muscle building can be done very quickly and easily by taking a pill or injection. For many, this is absolutely fine. This material is for natural bodybuilders.

This material is a beginner's guide to bodybuilding. We will introduce you to the principles of how to gain muscle mass, drawn from the experience of professionals from the pre-steroid era, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sergio Oliva, Ronnie Coleman and others.

Yes, of course, some of them, as you know, were also "not without sin" and experimented with pharmacology. But ... after all, that bodybuilding was more natural.

Prelude

Muscle mass = muscle strength. Muscle growth is a response to strength training. This is how our body works. That's what it is the most important principle of how to gain muscle mass.

The heavier weights you work, the stronger you become and the more muscle mass you get.

Many novice bodybuilders make the mistake of using high repetition isolation exercises on individual muscles.

Bodybuilding workouts for beginners should always be based on basic exercises aimed at working out the largest muscles in the body, allowing you to work with large weights. Examples of such exercises are squats, bench press, deadlift, standing press, and bent over rows.

This is the secret of the fastest possible transformation for all body types, including even ectomorphs.

The main principle of gaining muscle mass: the heavier you work, the stronger you become and the more muscle mass

How to gain muscle mass in natural bodybuilding: the main principles

The biggest mistake beginners often make is looking at the pros and trying to repeat after them.

Remember: 99% of professional bodybuilders use pharmacology, but it is not customary to talk about it. In their stories about the secrets of success, they usually spread about proper nutrition for gaining mass, training, daily routine ...

Everything they say is true, with natural methods you can gain substantial muscle mass ... but still significantly smaller.

The main principles of natural bodybuilding:

1 Muscle mass is proportional to muscle strength

The most famous bodybuilders that ever existed were very strong people.

2 Increase your training weight

If today, you bench the same weight as a month or six months ago, you will NEVER build muscle mass. Try to do each workout with more weight than the last time. The more powerful you become, the more muscle mass.

3 Use basic exercises

Complex exercises involve several large muscle groups at once, allow you to train with a lot of weight, and therefore stimulate greater muscle growth.

Training must include such basic exercises as squats, bench press, deadlift, standing press, bent over row.

4 Train with a barbell

It can be used to lift heavier weights.

Also, to hold it, the muscles of the whole body are involved, and not just the trained group.

5 Increase your rep and training frequency

The more you exercise, the more stimulus you create for muscle growth. The more often you do the same exercise, the faster your technique improves, the more weight you can lift.

Professional athletes train almost every day.

6 Recover

The direct growth of muscle mass occurs precisely during rest. after workout. But full recovery is not possible if you train hard every day, have inadequate sleep, and eat poorly.

Even the brain needs rest every day. This is how our body was invented. (And thanks to its Creator for that).

3-4 days of rest per week is optimal.

7 Eat more

The body uses food to support absolutely all life processes: from sperm production to muscle building and brain function.

CHINESE STUDY

Findings of the largest study of the relationship between nutrition and health

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"The # 1 book on nutrition, which I advise everyone to read, especially an athlete. Decades of research from a world-renowned scientist reveal shocking facts about the relationship between consumption animal protein and .. cancer"

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In bodybuilding, food is a source of energy for training, building materials (protein and amino acids) for muscles and hormones, as well as vitamins and minerals.

You can gain muscle mass ONLY if you have adequate nutrition.

On average, men need to increase their caloric intake to 3000 kcal per day... For those who are thin, have a body type, to gain muscle mass, you need to eat even more calories.

Both the total calories and the ratio of protein, carbohydrates and fats are important.

8 Protein

The diet for gaining muscle mass should include enough... It is used to build muscle cells and repair tissue damaged during strength training.

For more information on how much protein you need and how to properly take it for muscle growth, see the resource.

9 Be realistic

By using natural muscle building methods, you will NEVER reach the size of a professional “on steroids”.

It is also IMPOSSIBLE to achieve Arnold Schwarzenegger's form in three months, as building muscle mass naturally takes time.

Don't even try to become like a pro, be yourself, you will do much better.

10 Be consistent

On average, with the right approach, you can build up about 0.25 kg of muscle mass per week... More is unlikely.

If you search for “how to gain muscle mass quickly or 10 kg in a month,” be sure Google will offer you anabolic steroids or growth hormone.

In natural bodybuilding It is possible to gain 10-12 kilograms of muscle mass within a year, and then, under certain conditions.

How quickly can you gain muscle mass?

On average, assuming proper nutrition and exercise in natural bodybuilding, you can gain ~ 0.25 kg of muscle mass per week, which will be ~ 12 kg per year.

For those who are just starting to train, the speed will be higher. But muscle mass will "grow" mainly due to an increase in the concentration of glycogen in muscles, which is a store of energy: glycogen retains water, which leads to an increase in the volume of muscle fibers. That is, in the strict sense of the word, this is NOT muscle growth.

Who is easier to gain muscle mass:

• adolescents It is easier to gain muscle mass than, say, those who are over 30, as their bodies produce more testosterone, an anabolic hormone that stimulates muscle growth. (By the way, these are artificial testosterone analogues.)
• those who are thin, because their weight is below normal (the body is always interested in returning it to normal).
• for those who have previously been involved in bodybuilding, "muscle memory" helps to regain shape.

After 30, muscle mass is harder to gain as natural every year. The same applies to women in whose body testosterone is naturally low.

The rate of mass gain is also reduced in trained bodybuilders compared to less trained bodybuilders.

Muscle growth 1 kg per month is a very realistic average speed in the first year of natural bodybuilding. In the first three years, the beginner gains the bulk of the muscle mass. Further, a certain plateau is reached: the mass changes very reluctantly. But there is nothing wrong with that.

Being engaged in natural bodybuilding is quite realistic to gain 1 kg of muscle mass per month; over time, the speed decreases and reaches a plateau

Let me give you a personal example.

My weight is now 90 kg. I gained most of it in the first three to five years of practicing various sports, starting with about 70 kg.

Over the past five years, it has been changing at a very slow pace, although training activity is constantly increasing (although more towards endurance).

I also constantly experiment with myself: experimenting with vegetarianism, training 5 days a week, etc.

(Comparison of the rate of muscle mass gain would be much easier if only strength training was performed according to the scheme dangerous in this article.)

Generally, building muscle is harder than losing weight... Losing 0.5 kg per week is very easy, just by slightly limiting calories. And gaining the same muscle mass is much more difficult.

I believe that there are many among you who think now "I want to grow indefinitely." Answer the question "why?"

Do you want to weigh 100 kg? 110? 130? What for?

To feel more confident? Pity you if you gain confidence from the masses ..

For everyone to be afraid and respected? So you are still a kid either by age or by brain, if you move through life with primitive instincts.

According to the law of conservation of energy, large muscle mass requires a lot of effort to maintain it... This is manifested both in training activity and in the amount of food eaten, the level of which must be maintained.

That is, if you want to be big, then keep in mind that you will not be able to relax.

Genetics determines how quickly and how much you can gain muscle mass

The maximum muscle mass that you can gain is determined by the height and structure of the bones: tall people have more potential, as well as those who have a wide “frame” (skeleton size).

The table below provides an estimate of the mass and size of biceps of some professional natural bodybuilders from the old-school bodybuilding era (without steroids), which can be used as a guideline for assessing the maximum potential for gaining muscle mass (1).

Data calculated for men with 17.8 cm wrist circumference, 22.9 cm ankle circumference (above the ankle), and 10% body fat. The size of the biceps is in a state of contraction between the extreme points.

The potential for muscle growth in women is significantly lower, as they tend to be less high, have a narrower skeleton and low testosterone levels.

Values ​​shown are based on the performance of the very best natural bodybuilders, including Reg Park. Their achievements are many years of hard work in the gym and a carefully calibrated diet.

It is clear that for ordinary people it is unrealistic to expect the same result in the set of muscle mass, but ... everything is learned by comparison: it is good when there are real numbers, by comparing with which you can evaluate your level. Therefore, you can be proud if at least 90% have reached / will reach the specified maximum muscle potential of the pros.

From the data in the table it can be seen that it is almost impossible for a natural bodybuilder to gain such muscle mass that the weight exceeds 100 kg... There are only two ways: to increase the percentage of fat or .. anabolic steroids.

We have brought this table just to bring you down to the ground and add realism (in accordance with paragraph 8 of the above recommendations). But by no means disappoint.

Someone may argue: but after all, since the pre-steroid era of bodybuilding, a lot has changed in sports nutrition, new technologies and products have appeared .. Yes, this is so. But genetics does not change, and perhaps even getting worse. It is she who is major limiting factor how much muscle mass you can gain.

What has changed unambiguously is that sports pharmacology began to develop actively, appeared. What did it lead to? Check out the following example.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's competitive weight was 106 kg / 187 cm. A year and a half later, Ronnie Coleman appeared on the scene with a weight of 136 kg / 177 cm. Both actively trained, both lifted 320 kg in deadlift and even though Arnold is known to have experimented with steroids as well, but the difference in muscle mass of 30 kg is colossal.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ronnie Coleman: ~ 30 kg difference in weight ... steroids

The maximum muscle mass that can be gained is determined by the size of the skeleton: the higher the height and the wider the "frame", the greater the muscle potential

How to gain muscle mass like Arnold's?

Genetics determines not only how much muscle mass you can gain, but also the shape of individual muscles.

Just as the faces of all people are different, muscles have an individual shape. Doing bodybuilding you can change the size of the muscles, but not their shape, simply because genes don't change.

For this reason you can never be like Arnold Schwarzenegger, even if you exactly repeat his training and nutrition regimen.

But that's okay too. The result of your personal efforts will be a unique body, a copy of which also does not exist and cannot be in nature. And we all love individuality.

By the way, people who have anthropometric parameters similar to Arnold (body type, height, skeleton) and muscle potential can gain muscle mass and acquire a shape similar to him. His body type is.

Some famous mesomorphs have very similar proportions and appearance, in particular the two guys in the picture below. Calumn Von Moger and. But there will NEVER be a complete match.

Mesomorphs Calumn Von Moger and Chul Soon have a vaguely similar physique to Arnold Schwarzenegger. But the relief is always individual, there will never be full correspondence

The shape of the muscles is influenced by the size of the skeleton, the structure of the muscles, the length of the limbs. Those with a short torso, under the same conditions, look more pumped up. It is literally necessary to "hang" less muscles on the skeleton in order to get in shape. Those with a long torso, even with more muscle mass, will look less voluminous.

People with long arms or legs look thinner outwardly than those with short ones, since again, more muscle mass is needed to fill the space and create volume.

Work out individual parts of the same muscle impossible... Unable to pump up the lower or upper biceps. The whole biceps is trained and only its overall size can be changed.

In general, the advice is: don't even try to gain muscle mass like the stars, including television, and look like them. Many of them are the result of photoshop, makeup, proper lighting ... the use of hormones and steroids.

You will never be able to gain muscle mass like Arnold Schwarzenegger. But the result of your training will be a unique body, a copy of which also does not exist and cannot be in nature.

How to exercise properly to gain muscle mass

Just as a large building cannot be built without a solid foundation, it is impossible to gain muscle mass without building a strong base.

1 Basic exercises should come first.

Start building muscle with basic exercises that work your major large muscle groups. After that, use isolating exercises to work out the relief point.

2 Isolation exercises - for relief

It is impossible to gain muscle mass through a large number of repetitions of isolation exercises - the weights are too light. Complex exercises are needed that allow you to use heavy weights.

3 The weight must match the current shape

The weight you use for the basic exercises should match your current form. Too much burdening will lead to a violation of the execution technique and, with a high probability, to injury. It is important to add weight gradually, following the technique.

Isolation exercises are often used by professional bodybuilders and beginners are tempted to copy their training regimen. Do not rush. Everything has its time. Build the foundation first, you will hone the relief later.

If you flip the circuit and start with training small muscles, then of course, this will lead to a change in their size, but the transformation of small muscles will make a subtle contribution to your overall appearance.

It's like the impression of a car: you can replace the engine in a Zhiguli, make wood and leather inserts in the interior, like in a Porsche, but the overall impression, a sense of status, will not change, both for you and for those around you.

Bodybuilding always starts with basic exercises

How Muscle Gaining Exercises Work

Muscles are attached to bones by ligaments.

When you work with weights, the muscles contract against the force of gravity. The force of gravity is determined by the weight of the bar. The greater the burden, the greater the signal is sent to the body that, firstly, a specific muscle is in demand, and secondly, its state does not correspond to the load with which it works, it needs to be strengthened.

It is a state of muscle stress that stimulates muscle gain, ligaments and bones to be hardened to match the load.

The mechanism of muscle growth is cyclical: stimulus creation - recovery, muscle growth to adapt to the stimulus - higher load

The more weight you lift, the more you grow.

Principles of Pro Weight Gains: Professional Bodybuilders Are Professional Powerlifters

Professional bodybuilders are all familiar with the principle strength = muscle mass.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the most striking proofs of this. On account of his 7 titles, Mr. Olympia. And he was really strong man... His strength indicators: deadlift ~ 320 kg, bench press ~ 200 kg, squats ~ 215 kg.

And here are his words:

“The truth is, not every bodybuilder has the power, this is especially true for those who train mainly on simulators. As for me, years of training in powerlifting and working with free weights made me who I am and gave me big biceps, shoulders, a pumped back and legs. That is why I am stronger and look bigger than the rest. ”

Overall, it seems like all the guys from the old school natural bodybuilding era understood that size was proportional to strength. Some more examples:

• Franco Columbo. Sicilian, Arnold's partner in the hall. Deadlift ~ 342 kg, bench press ~ 240 kg, squats ~ 298 kg. Took the title of Mr. Olympia twice.
• Reg Park. Arnold's consultant, who most likely taught him the principle of strength training. Deadlift ~ 319 kg, bench press ~ 228 kg, squats ~ 273 kg.
• Ronnie Coleman. 8x Mr. Olympia once said "Everyone wants to be a bodybuilder, but nobody wants to lift heavy weights."... He himself lifted 364 kg in deadlift.
• Sergio Oliva He performed at the Olympics as a weightlifter and could lift 136 kg over his head in the clean and jerk, a total of 454 kg (based on the results of three Olympic exercises). After that, he went to bodybuilding and took three Mr. Olympia titles.
• Stan Efferding. A professional bodybuilder, he set a world record in squats in the 125 kg weight class, weighing ~ 389 kg. He is often referred to as the strongest bodybuilder.

Professional bodybuilders use isolation exercises to target specific muscles, but gain muscle mass only through basic exercises.

In fact, professional bodybuilders are also professional powerlifters.

Interestingly, the original bodybuilding competition included demonstrations of muscle strength. Joe Weider (creator of the Weider sports nutrition brand) in 1946 founded the IFBB professional bodybuilding competition, which has since become a beauty contest in which the winner is the one with a well-formed muscle structure and knows how to show it on the podium.

"Everyone wants to be a bodybuilder, but nobody wants to lift heavy weights"- Ronnie Coleman

Weightlifting, beer belly and .. bodybuilding

Exists delusion that strength training is not effective in gaining muscle mass, since most of all weightlifters have a large beer belly, and in general, they are simply fat.

In fact, all weightlifters have a lot of muscle mass, otherwise they would not be able to lift heavy weights. There are no miracles. It is simply hidden behind the body fat. In weightlifting, you don't need to be muscular to win; you just need to lift the heaviest weight.

But if you dry out a powerlifter, he turns into a bodybuilder.(most likely).

The fact is that bodybuilders carefully monitor their diet for gaining muscle mass and relief, use pharmacology to get rid of subcutaneous fat, etc. Weightlifters just eat a lot. That's all.

If you take a dried weightlifter and put him next to a professional bodybuilder (with the same percentage of body fat), then the average person will not be able to tell which one is who.

Although weightlifters use almost the same basic exercises to gain muscle mass ...

However, the secret is that to hold and raise the barbell, a large number of muscles are involved, including small ones... Therefore, their physique is also built very harmoniously.

Let's summarize the intermediate result. Large muscle mass can only be gained by lifting heavy weights. This does not mean that on the next workout you need to hang 320 kg on a barbell (like Arnold's) and try to lift it.

But if you are accustomed to training with a 100 kg barbell in a squat for a long time, then the only answer to your question "how to gain muscle mass" will be "throw another 20 kilogram": 120 kg will help you get off the ground. "

Weightlifters are bodybuilders hidden behind a thick layer of fat. They train mainly with basic exercises that involve both large and small muscles, so the physique is built harmoniously.

The importance of progressive loading for weight gain

According to legend, the ancient Greek Milon from Croton prepared for the Olympic Games carrying a calf on his shoulders from the moment of birth until adulthood. The idea is clear: the calf was getting older, heavier, the athlete's muscles also got stronger and increased in size. At one time, according to legend, he was the strongest man, winning the Olympic Games 6 times.

Progressive load in the training of the ancient Greek Milon of Croton

This example illustrates well the idea of ​​progressive loading: in order to gain muscle mass, it is necessary to gradually increase the load... Both gradualness and increase are equally important. This training regimen continually puts the body in ever-increasing demands on muscle size and strength to keep up with the increasing workload.

Start with light weights (which allow you to maintain correct technique) and every time, at each next workout, try to lift more... If you do not increase the weights and the weight of the bar does not differ from what it was a month or a year ago, you will not be able to gain muscle mass.

The number of sets and repetitions, the types of exercises can remain the same. Just add weight.

This approach is even contagious. Many people who delve into the essence of progressive load and begin to see the result, become more and more motivated to go next time to the audience: I want to see “how much it will be possible to squeeze out today”.

Most of the people in the gym are only engaged in "regular pumping" (from the English. pump - pump up): They do a lot of repetitions with light weights, the muscles are filled with blood, swell, veins appear and ... satisfaction, the duration of which is several hours. Then everything is “blown away”.

Some practice masochism in the gym, bringing themselves to a state of muscle pain, believing that pain is an effective means of gaining muscle mass.

Muscle pain- this is a sign of either poor fitness, when lactic acid accumulates or the result of damage.

Pain is a defense mechanism, it always warns us that something is wrong.

When we burn ourselves, pinch a finger, or hit our head, few people have the desire to repeat these actions in order to make the skin healthier, the finger more sensitive, the head smarter. It's the same with muscles. Pain is a sign that something is wrong.

Another common mistake that is observed in the hall: many people often change the types of exercises, the number of approaches and repetitions as if trying to "drive into death" their muscles. The only thing that trains at the same time is endurance.

In order to gain muscle mass, such intensive movement around the hall is not very useful, since individual muscle groups do not have time to get used to a certain level of stress. In addition, in this mode it is very difficult to track and plan progress, since too many variables are constantly changing.

In order to gain muscle mass, a progressive load is important: the training weight must be gradually increased continuously. Muscle pain and frequent changes in types of exercises, sets and reps do not work in building mass

How to gain muscle mass: the most effective exercises

In order to gain muscle mass, training should be based on complex exercises that involve several large muscle groups at once: deadlift (legs, back-bottom), bench press (chest), squats (legs), standing press (arms, shoulders), bent over row (back up, arms).

Isolating exercises (lunges, bringing the hands with dumbbells on the bench, "butterfly") are very ineffective for gaining muscle mass, since they are performed using small weights. In this case, only one muscle group is involved, others are inactive. This is a very strong limitation on the maximum weights you can work with.

Squats allow you to lift heavier weight than lunges, since they also involve the muscles of the buttocks. Bench press more efficient than bringing the hands together with dumbbells in the supine position, since it also involves the muscles of the arms in addition to the pectoral muscles.

Those. in basic exercises, a significantly larger number of muscles are trained at the same time than in isolating... This is the most effective way to gain muscle mass.

1 The heavier weights you lift, the more incentive you create to build muscle strength and get stronger. Complex (basic) exercises allow you to lift heavier weights.

2 Basic exercises form more proportional and beautiful physique... Since they involve several large muscle groups at the same time, it is almost impossible to form an emphasis on any one muscle / muscle group, becoming a living embodiment of classic cartoons from comics, with a pumped top and skinny bottom, or huge breasts and disproportionately small arms and legs ...

3 Basic exercises train the body in a natural and natural way. In life, we never use one muscle. Our movements are always complex, as a whole. Isolation exercises are unnatural for us.

4 Since complex exercises involve several large muscles at once, then 3-4 exercises per workout are enough... This saves time. In the case of isolation exercises, it takes about twice as long to run all major muscle groups in the body.

Benefits of basic muscle-building exercises: They can lift heavier weights, shape a well-proportioned physique, and shorten training times

When we observe professional bodybuilders, we often see that they seem to be constantly doing isolation exercises. But this is not the case. All of them first gained muscle mass with the help of complex exercises and only after that they switched to a point study of the relief. You can rest assured of this.

Ponder the words of Arnold Schwarzenegger:

“Reg Park's theory is that first you must gain muscle mass, and then hone it, give a high-quality shape; you work on your body like a sculptor on a piece of wood, stone or metal: first with a coarse instrument, then with a finer one, until you come to the moment of polishing.

And only then all the mistakes of the wrong first phase (gaining muscle mass) become obvious and painful, since it is no longer possible to correct them .. "

“My only goal was to build muscle. I weighed 105 kg and at that time did not care about how my waist or other parts of the body looked, how much I was proportional... My goal was to create a giant 115kg body by training with heavy weights.

My brain was focused on looking huge, adorable, and strong. I understood that this is what makes an effect. All my muscles began to grow enormously. And I knew it was the right way. ”- Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bodybuilding Training.

Perhaps you are of the opinion that isolation exercise is an absolute evil. This is not true. There is nothing wrong with them, and sometimes you should devote time to them.

However, the well-known Paretto principle of effectiveness also works in bodybuilding. Its essence is that 20% of the efforts give 80% of the result. In relation to bodybuilding, it can be interpreted as follows: 80% of the result in a set of muscle mass is determined by basic exercises, and only 20% by isolating ones.

80% of the result in the set of muscle mass is determined by basic exercises, and only 20% by isolating

Hello friends! Today we will talk about the main mistakes when gaining muscle mass, which make at least 95% of people starting their training path.

The most interesting thing is that these mistakes are made even by people who have been training for several years.

For quite a long time I tried to highlight the main mistakes that prevent almost all people from gaining muscle mass, in order to formulate a plan for this article it took me more than 5 hours.

Bottom line: 26 mistakes that almost completely slow down the progress of the vast majority of people in the gym.

26 mistakes when gaining muscle mass

Let's go over some of the major mistakes that can dramatically hinder progress in the gym.

1. Not hard enough training

Most people at the beginning of their training path think that they are training too hard, although in reality their training is very sluggish and weak.

A lot of rest between sets, a trend about nothing in between exercises with a coach or girlfriends / friends, endless selfies instead of hard, concentrated work with iron.

Understand, the body WILL NOT CHANGE IF THE LOAD IS TOO LOW!

Load progression is the BASIC rule of muscle growth. The body must understand that the load is growing, which means it is necessary to grow muscles in order to warn itself against it in the future.

2. Lack of calorie intake and the wrong proportion of BJU

There is a very simple principle:

• If the “intake” of calories is greater than the expenditure, you are gaining.
• If the expenditure is more calories than the "gain" of calories - you are losing weight.
• If the consumption is equal to the "arrival" of calories - you remain with the same weight.

Even if your workouts are ideal, but you do not have enough energy (kilocalories) and building material (BJU) to build muscle mass, then you can forget about muscle growth.

The body should not feel a nutritional deficiency when gaining muscle mass, so you will only harm yourself and introduce the body into a deep state.

3. Underdeveloped muscle feeling

During training, you must FEEL the muscles that you are training.

What difference does it make what your load is if it doesn't hit the target (target muscle)?

Do not rush to increase the weight on the bar if you do not understand where the load is going.

Technique first, then load progression! Remember this simple rule.

Focus, THINK of the muscle you are training! Every movement in our body starts from the brain.

In order for you to properly develop your muscular sense read on. In it, I told all this in more detail.

4. Incorrect exercise technique

This error occupies, I think, the first place in this hit parade.

If your exercise technique is poor, then:

1. The load does not hit the target (large muscles "steal" the load from small muscles).
2. The risk of injury increases (unequally distributed load affects the weak links, namely tendons, ligaments, small muscles and stabilizer muscles, which can fail).

When you do a barbell press, the body tends to bend "into a bridge" in the back area, this will smear the weight on the back, chest and legs, respectively, the chest will not receive the proper load for the growth of the load, so it will not grow.

You should aim for perfect technique not only because of muscle growth, but also because of the risk of injury.

Output: strive for perfect exercise technique, even sacrificing weight on the apparatus for this.

5. Performing poorly effective exercises

I often see how in gyms a person does not do basic exercises at all, but only makes some incomprehensible lunges on a fitball with a rope, split squat with criss-cross legs, etc.

Remember:

The important thing is not how much your path differs from the others, but the EFFICIENCY OF ITS OVERCOMING!

Muscles don't care what you are pressing, a barbell or a tree. If the load increases, then the body gives a signal to produce anabolic, peptide, stress, transport and other hormones.

There are exercises that involve many joints and muscle groups, such exercises are called BASIC exercises! And if exercises where only one joint or one muscle group is involved, such exercises are called ISOLATING exercises!

At the very beginning of your workouts, you don't need to do isolation exercises AT ALL!

6. Training without taking into account individual characteristics

At a minimum, you should consider:

1. Age.
2. The level of training.
3. Genetics.

Better yet, take into account even more factors. The more factors we take into account, the better the workout suits a particular person.

When a person orders a paid training or nutrition program from me, I try to take into account as many points as possible so that the person gets the maximum result.

Despite this, over time, your workout or meal plan needs to be adjusted because the body adapts.

The funniest thing is when I see some guy training his girlfriend according to his SAME PROGRAM!

The girl puffs, tries, it is hard for her ... All this is good, but to no avail.

Buttocks are beautiful, as they were not, and there is no relief, too, only overwork, lethargy, pain.

10. Absorb information, but do not implement anything

Eternal student syndrome.

Learning something new is great, but all the power of the knowledge gained IS IN THEIR APPLICATION IN PRACTICE!

Why overload your head with information that you don't use in practice?

Such people always think that at the moment they are studying, and someday they will never be sweat-bumping.

Don't do something at random. Do everything gradually, step by step, making mistakes, stumbling, but most importantly DO! Otherwise, you will remain an eternal learning beginner in every business.

11. Lack of purpose

Many people don't have a specific goal in the gym.

“I want to pump up a little, but lose weight here, and here, to rise, well, here it decreases, etc.”.

There is no clearly defined goal. This means that it is not clear how to move.

The first thing I do with my students, when they sign up with me for individual lessons, I ask: "What is the purpose of your training?" If a person does not know yet, then we try to formulate it with him.

I am used to working only for the result. And if you don't know what you want, what result will you get? Incomprehensible. That's it.

Think about it, it's important.

12. Lack of mad desire

This point correlates a little with the previous one, but still.

I have always believed that whoever wants it will achieve it.

Someone will be in spite of all the difficulties: money, lack of a gym, psychological problems, complexes, etc. achieve your goal, and someone will not go to training if the temperature outside has dropped by 1 degree.

Someone breaks through all the obstacles with their forehead and achieves what they want, while someone “works” carelessly.

Everyone gets what they deserve in the end.

13. Lack of analysis and correction in nutrition and training

The mistake is very common.

14. Hope for questionable supplements instead of the most important

Many people believe that without certain additives it is impossible to achieve results.

The person has not yet spent a day in the gym, but is already asking where to buy, etc.

All this is very funny to hear when you understand that the essence is not at all close, especially when it comes to a beginner.

First of all, the DIET, consisting of REGULAR FOOD !!! This is what is most important. And then training and various supplements.

15. Training of a certain direction for one type of fiber

In our body there are various systems, structures and mechanisms that ensure our vital activity.

Accordingly, many systems and structures are also subject to growth.

Our muscles are made up of different types of muscle fibers, which is why they should be trained in different ways.

1. High-threshold fast muscle fibers(VBMV) - extreme strength work, maximum concentration, explosive reaction and contraction.
2. Fast muscle fibers(BMW) - heavy or moderate work with moderate weight for 30-90 seconds, rapid contraction.
3. Slow muscle fibers(ММВ) - light work for a long time, slow contraction.

And this is without taking into account the hypertrophy of the sarcoplasm (the fluid in which our muscle fibers are located), which can give up to 20% of the muscle volume.

Do you understand how much you can lose if you always train in the same style?

16. Simultaneous development of several muscle qualities

“And for the tit, and for the pipka” with one hand, no one has yet managed to grab hold of, and if not joking, then:

Multidirectional loads give an average unexpressed result.

You will not get super pumped if you are a long distance runner.

You cannot bench 300 kg if you are a football player.

You cannot become an outstanding pianist if you are a trucker.

You should be focused on what you are developing. If you are sprayed on different areas of activity, then, most likely, neither one nor the other will turn out.

“Jack of all trades” is a master in everything and in nothing.

You cannot run in two opposite directions at the same time.

Focus on what's important and give it your best effort.

17. Skipping the period of preparation for further hypertrophy

The vast majority of people want to get results quickly, but in the end they only limit their possible progress.

At the very beginning of your workouts, almost every system in your body requires adaptation. First, the systems will adapt (a path that is beneficial for the body), and then muscle growth will begin (an unfavorable construction for the body, in terms of energy).

By skipping the preparation period for physical activity, you greatly limit the possible progress.

At the very beginning, focus on TECHNOLOGY. I wrote about this.

18. Ignoring microperiodization

At the very beginning of your workouts (a year and a half), you can quite successfully progress LINEARLY.

For most, linear progression will be easy enough. The weights will grow quickly enough, the body will respond well to the load, but there will always be a slowdown and an almost complete stop of progress.

There comes a plateau, a state when it is almost impossible to progress linearly.

We begin to alternate between light and hard workouts (one of the options). All this will give us a greater result in the end.

19. Using off-target loads for muscle growth

Many newbies slow down their progress simply out of stupidity.

If you want to learn chess, who will you go to? To the CHESS PLAYER, it's obvious.

If you want to learn how to play the piano, where will you go? TO THE MUSIC TEACHER! As easy as pie.

You will first learn the notes, then the intervals, then the chords, keys, simple pieces, in order to sooner or later learn to play the Moonlight Sonata, To Eliza or Oginsky Polonaise. Those. you will be doing PURPOSE WORK !!!

Why then does it happen that a girl who wants to pump up her ass does not go to the gym, but to YOGA or oxysize?

What nonsense is that?

After all, it is most logical to go the most efficient way. Hypertrophy the gluteal muscles in the gym, exercising with iron, gradually burning excess fat, due to the accelerated metabolism and waste of energy.

If you want to learn music, go to a music teacher, if you want to build a beautiful body, go to a bodybuilding coach!

20. Minimum load or lack thereof on large muscles

Focus on large muscle groups for a large release of ANABOLIC hormones.

A person wants to pump up, but does not train his legs and back! How is that?

At the beginning of your workouts, you may not focus on small muscle groups at all.

21. Changing the training program too often

Somewhere from somewhere came such a myth that the training program must be changed every 2-3 months, otherwise "the body gets used to it."

What nonsense?

2-3 months have passed, the person does not see a particular result, concludes that the problem is in genetics, and then the following ways:

• Give up everything.
• Buy a bunch of useless supplements.
• Start taking steroids and other stimulants.
• Change the training program.

2-3 months, a new training program, 2-3 months, again a new one ...

Where are you in a hurry? LET THE PROGRAM WORK!

First, the training program causes shock in the body, and only then it begins to respond with growth.

Why should the body immediately begin to grow muscle fibers, which is not profitable at all, if it is not yet clear what will happen next?

Give time for the program to work.

22. Targeting post-workout pain

A lot of times I have met such a statement: "Something the muscles do not hurt after friction, probably I did something wrong."

Yes, post-workout pain speaks of muscle fiber injuries, BUT INJURIES DO NOT LEAD TO GROWTH, BUT THE PRESENCE OF GROWTH FACTORS !!! IRNA, hydrogen ions, production of anabolic hormones, etc.

Post-workout pain makes you a little more resistant to stress, like a bruise after a blow (the place becomes more stable), but PAIN and GROWTH are not the same.

23. Focus on the duration of the workout

Someone once launched a "duck" that you can only train for 45 minutes.

Until now, many of my acquaintances say that it is impossible to train longer. What is released is CORTISOL, which destroys muscles.

Yes? Interesting. But what about age, fitness, genetics, gender, AAS, training pattern, etc.?

Someone after 30 minutes will not be able to raise their hands, and someone after 60 minutes will be more than vigorous.

All these factors must be taken into account. And the approximate guideline is 45 minutes, more than an approximate one.

24. Lack of fluid during exercise

Water is involved in almost all metabolic reactions in the body.

There is no point in arguing on this topic, tk. I already wrote an article on this topic here.

In short, if you are exercising, then drink 2-3 liters of water per day, and everything will be fine (2-3 liters of CLEAN WATER, not tea or coffee).

25. First course of AAS too early

Some headless beginners, not seeing results in the first months of training, start using heavy artillery (steroids).

And there is no talk about any "turinabol solo". The tin is used there. Androgens, etc.

I have friends who have suffered 2 microstrokes at the age of 25. What's next then?

These people take the most powerful weapon in their hands, not having learned to shoot from a water pistol.

Health is your top priority! And tearing yourself up one place for the sake of fucking 3-5 cm on the bicep, which can cost you your health and life, is dubious fun.

Do everything wisely. Take your time with the first course. Most will never need the first course. If you are not going to perform on stage, then you don’t need AAS at 99.99%!

26. Excess calorie content

There are those who, while gaining muscle mass, begin to eat everything and eventually turn into a gorged pig.

Moreover, the longer this process continues, the more difficult it is to get out of the obesity state.

Conclusions + small request

Guys, the article turned out to be very long.

To be honest, at the very beginning I did not think that it would turn out so big.

The most interesting thing is that I wrote it almost at the meeting. These mistakes were the first to come to my mind.

And what if you think about it more closely and think more. To be honest, I don't even know how many bugs one could find more.

Friends, I will be very happy if you leave a small comment at the bottom of this article. Are you interested in articles of this format?

I am always very happy when I read your every comment.

Let me reveal one more little secret.

I am preparing a VERY COOL muscle building course. There is nothing like this on the Internet, and indeed, I have not yet met.

Are you interested in such material, friends? What would you like me to include in my course? Write, I will definitely try to take into account almost all your wishes.

P.S. Subscribe to blog updates... It will only get steeper from now on.

Best wishes and best regards!