5 Action Ideas To Get Big Fast

By: Gary Matthews

Are you sick and tired of picking up that latest body building
magazine off the shelve, opening it to the latest program on the
current bodybuilding star and discovering that he is using a six
day split program that has you in the gym for four hours and
day!!

What it won't tell you is that the guy is a professional and
probably doesn't have to hold down a steady job, pay off a
mortgage or raise a couple of kids.

The thing is you don't have to train like an athlete to put on
muscle, all you need to do is follow these action ideas below
and you will start making big gains fast without spending all
your time in the Gym.

Lets have a look: 1/ Back to Basics - To build muscle you must
train short and with intensity, you only have a limited amount
of energy per session. Tests reveal that blood sugar levels drop
dramatically after 20 minutes, so exercise selection is crucial.

Compound multi-joint movements have to be used as these offer
more training stimulus, are more functional and heavier loads
can be lifted. Examples of compound movements include squats,
bench press, dips, and chin- ups. Performing three to four
exercises with high intensity during a session are what is
needed.

All the main structures of the body are worked hard during this
time, remembering that as you get stronger in your upper body
exercises i.e. Dips, Lat Pull downs, you will also add size to
your upper arms as well as your shoulders.

Working on these big compound movements has a knock- on effect
throughout the whole body; there is no need for specialization
techniques or isolation movements.

The thing is, the whole body is worked hard, rest and
recuperation is allowed to take place and at the next exercise
session we push out a few more reps than before with the same
weight, then we have gotten stronger i.e. more muscle.

2/ Perform One Set Per Body Part - Having performed one set of
an exercise to total failure then it should be near on
impossible to generate the same force and intensity for another
set.

If you are able to generate the same force and intensity for
this second set then the first set was not worked hard enough.

If you give the first set 100% effort and work it to total
failure (You cannot move the bar after the last rep) there is no
more requirement for further stimulation.

Therefore you need to do one set per exercise, remembering to
complete the training session in 20 - 30 minutes so to have the
most stimulus as possible and then move on to the next exercise.

Current research shows that single set training is as beneficial
as multiple set training, decreasing the chances of over
training and saving energy for other lifts required during the
workout.

Because you are doing one set per exercise, you will have to
work it hard and to total failure.

3/ Cycle Your Strength Training - The development of muscle and
strength is interrelated so the exercise session will have to be
designed so that increases in strength are equal to increases in
functional muscle.

Cycling intensity through changes in repetitions and poundage's
throughout your training program is an effective way to maintain
progression and avoid training plateaus.

4/ Don't Train To Long - Training itself causes the breakdown of
muscle tissue. When a person trains very intensely cortisol is
released into the blood stream, which causes the breakdown of
muscle tissue.

The amount of cortisol released is highly dependant upon the
length of training time.

Therefore to minimize this effect training should be completed
in the absolute minimum time required which is no longer than 20
to 30 minutes max.

Your blood sugar levels are also dropping by this time, so do
what you have to do in this time and get out of the gym, go home
and grow.

5/ Don't Cheat - Do not cheat on your reps! Every strength-
training trainee runs into this problem sooner or later and it
will grind your gains to a stand still. There are many ways to
increase the intensity of your sets and the weights used in
order to maximize results.

Cheating to increase your weights actually takes strain off your
muscles and places it on your joints, which is
counterproductive.

Now that you are armed with this information, you wont need to
spend all of your time in the gym, by all means workout hard
while you are in there but when you are finished go home and
grow and enjoy life.



About the author:
Gary Matthews is the author of the popular fitness eBooks
Maximum Weight Loss and Maximum Weight Gain. Please visit
http://www.maximumfitness.com right now for your 'free' muscle
building e-course.