TRAINING TO GAIN LEAN MASS

TRAINING TO GAIN LEAN MASS

In short, there are no short cuts to gaining lean mass, since it takes many years of dedicated effort and commitment to hard training, a healthy balanced diet, rich in muscle-building nutrients, and a healthy lifestyle to build slabs of rock hard muscle. Here are some pointers though in all these aspects of bodybuilding to help you achieve your goals.

GENERAL

• Set short and medium term achievable goals.
• Consistency in EVERYTHING that you do – you can’t miss workouts or skip meals if you hope to build an impressive body.
• Stay away from negative people and influences.
• Building an impressive body and good health does not happen overnight, it takes years of hard work and PATIENCE.

TRAINING

• Stick to the basic exercises that have been proven over time to build tons of muscle: squats, deadlifts, bench presses, military presses, dumbbell presses, bent over rows, chin ups, dips, close grip bench presses, barbell curls, standing calf raises etc.
• Allow adequate recuperation time between, not only individual bodyparts, but training sessions also. For most people, this means lifting weights intensively three or four times a week.
• Incorporate low to moderate intensity fitness or cardiovascular work into your programme a few times per week. Remember – the heart is the most important muscle of all!
• Always strive to be progressive in your training, either by aiming to lift the same weight for more repetitions or more weight for the same number of repetitions.
• Always use perfect exercise technique to avoid injury.

NUTRITION

• Eat a variety of foods that are rich in first-class protein, such as lean meats, eggs and complex carbohydrates, such as porridge oats, wholegrain rice, wholemeal pasta and potatoes and plenty of vegetables.
• If you eat like a bird, you will look like a bird, so adequate protein and calories are required to build muscle.
• Eat a nutrient-rich meal every 2 and a half to 3 hours so, for most people, this means approximately six or seven smaller meals a day, but some of these can be made up of meal replacement drinks. However, solid food is the best way to grow muscle, and guzzling down several protein shakes a day instead of planning your meals effectively does not constitute proper eating to grow lean mass.

LIFESTYLE

• Ensure adequate sleep for recovery. A good guide is to try and get approximately 8 hours per night, although sometimes this isn’t always possible!
• Avoid excessive alcohol
• Avoid bad habits, such as smoking and using recreational drugs – it will destroy your immune system, kill your muscle-building stone dead and, more importantly, ruin your health.

So, there you have it: a quick summary of the key principles of building an impressive, muscular physique.

By Chris Jones - Peak Sports Nutrition Sponsored Athlete