3. Do Only One Exercise Per Muscle Group
Only one? Yes, only one, unless you want to buy into the notion that you must mutilate
a muscle for over an hour to get any growth out of it. Consider this typical day
in the gym. Today is your chest day. Your first exercise is bench press. You perform
your first set with 185 lbs, second set with 205 lbs, third set with 225 lbs and
fourth set with 245 lbs.
Assuming this is your max weight for the desired number of reps, is it not safe
to say that you have used the maximal number of muscle fibers? Your goal is to simple
spark your muscles into growth. Not exhaust them to death. Once they experience
a unknown assalut (stimulus), your body will be forced to adapt and create new muscle
to prevent future assaults! Therefore, your take home lesson is this: Once you have
out performed your last workout, it is time to move onto the next exercise.
4. Do No More Than 3-5 Sets Per Muscle Group
I question a hard gainers workout intensity if they must do more than 3-5 sets per
muscle group. Now if you are using anabolic steroids or have muscle friendly genes
than you can safely dismiss this advice. Remember, learning
how to gain muscle fast
for the hard gainer requires following a new set of rules.
Consider the first 1-2 sets at 85% maximal effort. The third set at 95% maximal
effort and the fourth (and sometimes fifth) set at 100% maximal effort. It is only
this last all out set that contributes to the greatest muscle growth. Anything over
and above this last go till you blow set simply exhausts the muscle beyond reason
and delays your recovery ability to hit the muscle again. It is this last set that
you should perform at least 1-2 extra reps or 5-10 extra pounds than last workout.
Mission accomplished. You have sparked your muscles into growth. Time to move on.
5. Increase Your Strength 5% Every Two Weeks
One of the biggest mistakes I see hard gainers make in the gym is not track there
progress. They return week-after-week to simply reherse the same workouts with the
absense of progress. How do you expect to
gain muscle fast if you continue
to lift the same weights each workout? Your body is designed to tolerate stress.
Assault it and let it get bigger. Assault it and let it get bigger. It's a simple
concept.
So your take home message is to aim for a minimum of 5% strength increase every
two weeks. You might progress a little quicker with larger muscle groups like back
and legs versus smaller muscles like biceps and triceps. Just think, in six months
from now, you will be over twice as strong as you are now! I would actually recommend
writing down your strength goals for six months from now and than work backwords.
If you are currently dead lifting 135 lbs, aim to be deadlifting 270 lbs over the
next few months!
Conclusion
I know these five tips were not your typical Muscle and Fitness 101 advice and not
your typical generic bodybuilding advice. I learned a long time ago to question
everything you read and hear. Learn for yourself by doing and not by talking about
it. As a skinny guy once myself, 149 lbs to be exact, I defeated my skinny genetics
and learned how to gain muscle fast by not following the herd and training smarter
and not harder Will you?