How To Build Muscle Quickly

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How To Build Muscle Quickly - Part Two

In order to build muscle you must do the right kind of training. The basic rule is:

SHORT+SLOW+INTENSE WORKOUTS WITH VERY HEAVY WEIGHTS.

SHORT means both less time and fewer reps. This is because the longer you workout, and the more reps you do, the more likely your routine slips from ANEROBIC to AEROBIC, which basically is the difference between CONVERTING FAT TO MUSCLE and BURNING FAT AS CALORIES.

SLOW is the movement itself. Again, fast movements tend toward aerobic. Slower movements isolate the muscle more, and tear the muscle fibre which leads to bigger muscles. Also, slow, concentrated movement is less likely to lead to an injury.

INTENSE means that by the 6th or 8th rep, your body is at the point of MUSCLE FAILURE, meaning it cannot possibly do another rep. With slow movement you will not have the advantage of momentum, which is essentially 'cheating' gravity and reducing the amount of work a muscle must do to lift the weight.

VERY HEAVY WEIGHTS makes all this possible. When you load up a bunch of weight and slowly, deliberately complete the movement of the exercise, you will reach muscle failure quickly. Again, the goal is to do between 6 and 8 reps, NEVER more than 10.

The Next Level

Once you are ingesting plenty of good food and converting those calories to muscle, you are on the upward trend toward gaining muscle and getting bigger. To keep that upward trend going until you reach your desired plateau, there are a few more things to consider.

KEEP ADDING MORE WEIGHT: As the body gets stronger, it will get easier to do the reps. Once you are able to do 8 to 10 reps of an exercise, add more weight until you are back to 6 before muscle failure. Only by pushing more and more weight will your body keep building muscles bigger.

PLAN YOUR NEXT WORKOUT: Decide in advance which exercises, how much weight, and how many reps you are going to do at your next workout. The best time to plan your next workout is when you are cooling down from the current one. You are most in tune with your body at this point, and generally your confidence will be high, encouraging you to try to better yourself at your next workout.

MONITOR YOUR PROGRESS: You can always tell who's serious about their training at the gym by whether or not they are keeping notes. Only by keeping track of your progress will you make any. The only program that is really ideal for you is one that you make yourself, and you do that by adjusting, planning and recording your result.

ENOUGH REST, BUT NOT TOO MUCH: Figuring how many times a week to work out is dependent on how quickly you recover from the previous one. Typically, 3 or 4 times a week of high intensity workouts is the most your body can handle. Recovery time is key to building muscle, because MUSCLE GROWS BETWEEN WORKOUTS. Again, you have to monitor your own body to determine what is ideal for you. Too many days off between workouts can lead to weight gain without converting to muscle, which is not the goal here.

GET LOTS OF SLEEP: Muscle building takes energy, and your body will need its sleep. You will probably find that the more into your new routine you get, the better you are sleeping anyway. Partly this is due to the requirements the muscle needs in order to grow, and partly because working out regularly is a wonderful stress-reliever, and without stress sleep comes easily.

Beyond Building Muscle

And finally, a word about cardio. Although doing cardio is an aerobic exercise that will burn the precious calories you need for building muscle, it is still an essential component of healthy living. Intense body building workouts will drench you in sweat, and raise your pulse, and even have you breathing deeply, but they are no replacement for an aerobic intense workout such as running or bicycling.

Gaining muscle quickly is a worthy goal if you are a skinny guy looking for a new body, but the ultimate goal in any exercise program is to get fit and healthy. Just like crash-dieting, fast weight gain and muscle development is not sustainable. At some point, it has to become holistic; in other words, a part of your whole life.

To that end, working your heart and lungs is an important requirement. It may slow down you down somewhat on your path to gaining weight and muscle, but incorporating a good cardio regimen into your workouts will ultimately lead to a better result; a healthier, happier, and more muscular body.

For an excellent resource on 'How To Build Muscle Quickly', check out our review of Vince DelMonte's No Nonsense Muscle Building.