In my 25 years as a professional in this industry, I have managed to put together not so much a “rulebook,” but a basic set of guidelines that seem to work for, and apply to, just about everyone. Of course, there’s some variation from individual to individual in terms of genetics, fiber types, metabolism, recovery ability, etc., and these differences will certainly affect how well and how efficiently each of us can build a more muscular body. That said, there are several “universal truths” that can help everyone reach their muscle building goals in a reasonable period of time.
Here, I take you though seven of my top tips for maximum muscle development.
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Edgar Artiga
Base Majority of Training on Compound Moves
While I have nothing against machines and cables, there is no doubt that the greatest muscle builders are free-weight compound exercises. There is nothing wrong with using machines or cables, but if you want to get huge, make free-weights the cornerstone of your program.
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Ian Spanier
Use Strict Form
Using strict form on all of your exercises will assure that you are stimulating the muscle that you wish to target. Those that “throw” the weights up when doing side laterals or barbell curls, for example, are only cheating themselves out of growth. Once you reach failure using strict form, then it is ok to use momentum (to a reasonable degree) to try and extend your set a bit further.
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Don’t Overdo It
Our bodies have limited amounts of recovery ability, as well as a limited amount of “energy” to put toward building new muscle tissue. So, here a few sub-guidelines to follow to keep you from overdoing it.
Train no more than 4 days per week.
Do not train more than two days in a row without taking a full day off from the gym.
Workouts should last no more than 75-90 minutes.
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Eat Adequate Protein
This is perhaps the most important of all the advice I can offer. Muscle is protein. Protein is required to build and repair muscle tissue. Not eating enough can hinder your gains no matter how well thought out your training and supplementation programs are. How much protein is enough? For most serious trainees, at least 1-1.5 gram of protein per lb. of bodyweight should be consumed daily.
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Take Advantage of Post-Workout Anabolic Window
In the 60-minute period immediately following a workout, there’s an important opportunity available to aid in the plight for maximum hypertrophy. Right after you train, your muscles are not only literally starving for protein and carbohydrates, but your entire metabolic machinery is in a state where a tremendous amount of nutrients can be preferentially shuttled directly toward muscle cells, and away from adipocytes. The best thing you can do at this time is to whip up and consume a shake containing 30-60 grams of fast acting (whey) protein and 60-120 grams of high glycemic carbs (exact amounts depending on bodyweight and goals).
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Use the Right Supplements
While it’s not 100% necessary to use supplements in order to make progress, they certainly can hasten results. Things such as creatine, beta-alanine, BCAAs, glutamine, agmatine, caffeine, etc. will be like adding a turbo-charger to an already powerful engine.
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Get Your Sleep
Going to the gym and putting in intense workouts day after day is what acts as the stimulus for gains in muscle size and strength. Proper nutritional intake will give you the building blocks necessary to actually build new lean tissue onto your frame. However, all of this will be meaningless if you do not allow your body the time and opportunity to “work” this magical process. Think of sleep as your body’s 8-hour muscle building work shift, and if you can put in a little overtime, expect some extra compensation in the form of more muscle.
