Learning How to Build Muscle
This article
provides answers to the most important questions facing aspiring bodybuilders.
Anyone looking to increase their muscle mass must learn what muscles to train,
how many repetitions to do, how often you should train, and whether you can do
cardio and weights in the same training session.
This article
specifies all the important information that is needed to achieve muscular
hypertrophy (growth) through weightlifting exercises. Personal experiences and
pitfalls are provided so that the reader can achieve the quickest results.
What Muscles
to Train?
So often
young guys will go to the gym just to work their biceps or pectoral (chest)
muscles because they think it will turn them into Arnold Schwarzenegger. The
problem is many of the exercises that target these muscles target nothing else.
Even worse,
building these muscles won't make you look bigger. Experience has shown me that
people looking for big muscles are actually looking for greater stature, which
basically means how big, masculine and strong you look. To achieve greater
stature you should work your shoulders and back.
Suitable
exercises include the lateral pull down exercise (pictured) and pull-ups, which
are like chin-ups but with hands facing outwards. By all means work your biceps
and chest too, but unless you have a very specific goal of developing these
muscles, let shoulders and back be the focus of your workout.
How Many Repetitions?
To achieve
muscular hypertrophy it is recommended that you perform 8-12 repetitions of an
exercise. If this is too easy then increase the weight until it is difficult.
To increase muscle size, perform each rep slowly, taking 4 seconds to complete
the whole motion.
Only do fast
reps if you are looking for explosive strength and power. Once you have
completed 8-12 reps, rest for a couple of minutes before doing another set.
Repeat until you can no longer do 8 reps in a set, but try to do between 3 and
6 sets.
How Often Should You Train?
The optimum
frequency of your training depends on your body type. Skinny people, or
ectomorphs, require more rest and sleep because they take longer to repair
their muscles after training. They should train no more than 3 times per week,
otherwise they risk preventing growth by working muscles that are still
damaged.
Larger
Individuals, or endomorphs, can train 5 times per week because they have larger
glycogen reserves and a quicker recovery time. Do not train more than this! You
don't grow muscles in the gym, you damage them. Muscles grow during the time
you allocate for rest, recovery and repair.
Can I Do Cardio and Weights?
A good idea
is to alternate by doing cardio (running, cycling, rowing) one day and
weightlifting the next. Ectomorphs should only do cardio 1-2 times per week,
whereas endomorphs should do cardio every other day (3-4 times per week).
If your
visits to the gym are limited and you want to do both cardio and weightlifting
in the same session, then you need to evaluate your goals. Doing cardio before
weightlifting means you will have less energy, or glycogen reserves, left for
the weightlifting.
So
ectomorphs should always do weightlifting first. For endomorphs I would
recommend cardio first until you have lost enough fat, then switch. Ultimately,
weightlifting should always be done first if your sole goal is gaining muscle.
