For many, the allure of possessing big, brawny muscles is the overriding reason that they train with weights.
Unfortunately, for most, the quest to achieve a massive physique is an elusive goal.
Only a precious few actually make substantial gains in muscular size, and many simply give up in frustration.
Without question, individual genetics will affect a person's propensity to bulk up.
Factors such as the percentage of fast-twitch muscle fibers, the length of muscle bellies and androgen-to-estrogen hormonal ratios all influence the amount of muscle that one can ultimately accrue.
However, while these factors may limit upward potential, virtually everyone has the capacity to develop a strong, muscular physique provided they utilize a proper training approach.
Fortunately, if you have the desire, this article will show you how to do just that! By following the program described herein, muscular gains are all but guaranteed.
Be prepared, though, to push your body to the limit-past where you may have previously thought possible.
It won't be easy, but the rewards will be well worth it! Exercises As opposed to a traditional "split routine", this program employs a total body approach to training.
Total body training works all of your major muscle groups during a session, shocking them into muscular growth.
To best accomplish this task, compound movements should be used whenever possible.
A compound movement is an exercise that involves more than one joint in the performance of the move.
Examples include squats, bench presses and deadlifts.
Due to their multi-joint nature, these movements not only work your target muscles, but also incorporate the use of stabilizer muscles, which assist your primary muscle movers in the performance of a lift.
The net result is an enhanced development of your musculature and connective tissue, producing a thick, dense physique.
Since each bodypart is trained several times per week, it is imperative to keep the total volume of exercise down to a minimum.
In a strength-based routine, performing an abundance of different movements can quickly lead to overtraining-a sure way to diminish results.
Consequently, only one exercise should be employed for each muscle group per session-except for the biceps and triceps, which shouldn't be trained at all.
By utilizing multi-joint movements, your arms receive a substantial amount of ancillary work during back, chest and shoulder training.
Thus, in the context of this routine, performing specific exercises for the arms is unnecessary and even counterproductive.
Reps and Sets If you want to get big, you've got to train heavy-there's simply no way around it.
This entails training in a low to moderate rep range using as much weight as you can possibly handle.
The goal here is to stimulate your fast-twitch muscle fibers-the ones that have the greatest potential for growth.
These fibers are activated during intense, short-term activities.
Generally, a range of six to ten reps per set is ideal for inducing fast-twitch recruitment.
When you are able to perform more than ten reps with a given poundage, increase the amount of weight so that you stay within the target range.
However, while heavy lifting is a prerequisite to building mass, it mustn't compromise exercise form or function.
It is imperative to perform each repetition in a smooth, controlled manner, focusing on the target muscle throughout the set.
The concentric (positive) portion of your reps should be executed explosively, without using momentum to complete lift.
Alternatively, reps should be performed more slowly on the eccentric (negative) phase, resisting the force of gravity on the descent.
Above all, don't get sloppy just to complete another rep-this will only lead to injury and set back your progress.
If you can't finish your set within the prescribed rep range, the weight is too heavy! Resist the temptation to let your ego get in the way of results and reduce the amount of weight to a manageable level.
Before each exercise, it is beneficial to perform a light warm-up set, choosing a weight that easily allows you to complete fifteen reps.
A warm-up is essential to circulate blood into the area being trained, improving your range of motion and reducing the possibility of injury.
Feel a stretch at the beginning of the move and focus on establishing a groove that can be transferred to your working sets.
After completing your warm-up, perform three working sets of the movement, going immediately to your heaviest poundage.
Between sets, rest for approximately two minutes or as long as necessary for your heart rate to return to resting levels.
Don't turn a strength workout into an endurance event: doing so will compromise your training capacity and cause you to fall short of your ultimate goal.
Only when you feel strong and are able to give it your all should you begin your next set.
Intensity In order to maximize growth, your muscles must be stressed beyond their physical capacity.
By nature, the human body strives to maintain stability-a phenomenon called homeostasis.
If your training intensity doesn't sufficiently tax your resources, there won't be enough of a stimulus to force your body from its homeostatic state.
Only by progressively overloading your muscles will it be compelled to produce an adaptive response and grow beyond its normal potential.
In exercise performance, the intensity of your effort must be great enough to exceed your body's work threshold.
To accomplish this, you need to take each set to the point of momentary muscular failure-the point at which you are physically unable to perform another rep.
Make sure, though, that your mind isn't giving up before your body.
The extreme discomfort associated with intense training can cause an individual to quit before muscular failure actually is reached.
To achieve optimal results, you must push past the pain threshold and completely fatigue your target muscles.
An excellent way to generate increased intensity is by the selective use of forced repetitions.
Forced reps allow you to go "past" failure, taking your body as far as it can go.
The only caveat is that you need the assistance of a spotter.
When you reach the point of muscular failure, have the spotter gently help you to pump out an extra rep or two.
A word of caution: It's important to limit the amount of forced reps to two per set-any more, and your partner will be doing most of the work.
Further, reserve this technique for the final set of an exercise.
Forced reps are extremely demanding and, when overused, can easily lead to an overtrained state.
Frequency Contrary to popular belief, weight training doesn't build your muscles-it breaks them down.
Intense anaerobic exercise places tremendous demands on your body, resulting in a catabolism of muscle tissue, depletion of glycogen reserves, production of free-radicals and overall fatigue of your entire neuromuscular system.
Adaptations to these stresses take place during rest.
Provided that you have trained hard enough to stimulate muscular gains, your body will use the recovery period to repair, replenish and regenerate itself, growing bigger and stronger in the process.
All too often, people mistakenly subscribe to the theory that if a little bit is good more must be better.
They go to the gym and pound their body on a daily basis, never taking a day off.
Don't fall into this trap! The accrual of muscular mass is your body's way of preparing to cope with future high-intensity stresses.
By shortchanging recuperation, your body never has the chance to adequately recover from the extreme demands being placed on it.
Inevitably, you will become grossly overtrained and muscular growth will be brought to a grinding halt.
With respect to weight training, less can be more! Although everyone has varying recuperative abilities, a period of 48 to 72 hours is usually required for adequate recovery.
This constitutes the approximate amount of time necessary for replenishment of your energy reserves.
Accordingly, it is best to train on three, non-consecutive days per week (i.
e.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, etc), reserving your off-days for light, relaxed activities.
In addition, try to get as much sleep as possible.
During sleep, your growth hormone levels are at their highest, maximizing the potential for growth.
Suggested Routine The following exercises are ideal for use in this routine.
Perform them in the order listed, starting with the upper body movements and then proceeding to the ones for your lower body.
For alternative exercises and a complete listing of the program's protocols, see the corresponding sidebar.
Barbell Upright Row: Begin by taking a shoulder-width, overhand grip on a barbell.
Allow your arms to hang down from your shoulders and assume a comfortable stance with your knees slightly bent.
Slowly pull the bar upward along the line of your body until it approaches your chin, keeping your elbows higher than your wrists at all times.
Contract your delts and then slowly lower the bar along the same path back to the start position.
Barbell Bent Row: Stand with your body bent forward and your lower back arched.
Grasp a barbell and allow it to hang straight down from your shoulders with your palms facing your body.
Keeping your elbows close to your sides, pull the bar upward as high as possible.
Contract the muscles in your upper back and then return the barbell back to the starting position.
Incline Dumbbell Press: Begin by lying face up on an incline bench set at approximately 30 to 40 degrees, planting your feet firmly on the floor.
Grasp two dumbbells and, with your palms facing away from your body, bring them to shoulder level so that they rest just above your armpits.
Simultaneously press both dumbbells directly over your chest, moving them in toward each other on the ascent.
At the finish of the movement, the sides of the dumbbells should gently touch together.
Feel a contraction in your chest muscles at the top of the movement and then reverse direction, returning to the starting position.
Squat: Begin by resting a straight bar high on the back of your neck.
Assume a shoulder-width stance, grasping the bar with both hands.
Slowly lower your body until your thighs are parallel with the ground.
Your lower back should be slightly arched and your heels should stay in contact with the floor at all times.
When you reach a "seated" position, reverse direction by straightening your legs and return to the start position.
Stiff-Legged Deadlift: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Grasp a straight bar and let it hang in front of your body.
Keeping your knees straight, slowly bend forward at the waist and lower and lower the barbell down until you feel an intense stretch in your hamstrings.
Then, reverse direction, contracting your glutes as you rise upward to the starting position.
Standing Calf Raise: Begin by placing your shoulders on the restraint pad of a standing calf machine.
Place the balls of your feet on the footplate and allow your heels to drop as far below your toes as possible.
Slowly rise up as high as you can onto your toes until your calves are fully flexed.
Contract your calves and then reverse direction, returning to the start position.