The men's fitness blog

It's clear then, that Joe Six-pack (you and me) needs a different approach. We need a methodology that builds muscle fast and prevents physical & mental fatigue from attempting too much, too soon. So here it is: the Ultimate Guide to Building Muscle.

1. Strength Training. More strength is more muscle. Strength training is the ultimate toolkit for building muscle. If you aren't in a gym, you can use your own bodyweight with exercises like push-ups, pull-ups and sit-ups. Weight-lifting adds more of a challenge, in that it allows you to keep on adding weight as you progress.

• Weight Lifting. Start out with a weight that you can smoothly lift for 4 sets of 10. Next time, add a little more weight. Make sure you learn proper technique.
  
• Calisthenics. Push-ups, pull-ups, reverse crunches, dips, etc. Switch to harder versions or add weight when they get easy.

2. Use Free Weights. Stay away from machines. Free weights are more challenging, since you must balance when using them. You can lift the heaviest weights using barbells and dumbells. More weight equals more stress, thus more muscle.

• Safe. Machines force your body into performing unnatural movements which can cause injuries. Free weights replicate natural motions.
• Efficient. Free weights force you to control and balance the weight. This builds more muscle than machines, which balance the weight for you.
• Functional. Machines give you a false impression of your real strength. No machine balances the weight for you in real life.
• Versatile. You can do hundreds of exercises with just 1 barbell. Saves a lot of money and space.

3. Do Compound Exercises. Don’t imitate Pro Bodybuilders by doing isolation exercises. Isolation is fine once you’ve built enough strength & muscle mass. But if you’re starting out, exercises that hit several muscles at the same time are better.

• No endless Biceps Curls - instead, do pull-ups, chin-ups and barbell rows.
• No Triceps Kickbacks - instead, do Bench-press and Overhead-press and Dips.
• Definitely no Leg Extensions - instead, do Squats and Deadlifts.

4. Train Your Legs. Squats not only train your legs, they work your whole body, they’re a very important exercise. You'll feel like superman once you can squat your own bodyweight. That’s a free weight Squat with hips coming lower than knees.

All your muscles tense when doing Squats or Deadlifts. Your body effectively works as one big lever, allowing you to lift heavier weights. Don’t lose time with Bicep Curls. When you can Squat & Deadlift heavy weights, your strength and muscle size will snowball.

5. Get Rest. Professional athletes workout over 5 times per week; but they didn’t start out that way. They added workouts as they got bigger and strogner. If you try to exercise like an athlete of powerlifter, you'll burn out. Rest and Recovery is just as important as lifting big.

• Rest. Muscles need rest to grow. Start with 3 full body workouts per week and focus on the intensity of your workout, not on the length.
• Sleep. Growth hormone releases when you sleep. Aim for 7 hours sleep minimum. Nap post workout if your lifestyle allows.
• Hydrate. Drink plenty of water. Dehydration and helps muscle recovery. Drink a glass or two of water / protein-shake with each meal, and sip water during your workout.
• Eat. Eat regularly and well. Blasting your muscles is futile unless you give them the materail to repair and grow. More on this below.

6. Don't eat processed food. Try to stop eating food coming from a box. You’ll achieve a lower body fat, so the muscles you’ve built show better. The natural vitamins and minerals will help recovery. Eat whole foods 90% of the time.

• Proteins (muscle fuel). Meat, poultry, fish, whey, eggs, ...
• Carbs (for energy). Brown rice, oats, whole grain pasta, …
• Veggies (vitamins). Spinach, broccoli, onion, carrot, …
• Fruits (vits & minerals). Banana, orange, apple, pineapple, pear, …
• Healthy Fats (oils & minerals). Olive oil, fish oil, nuts, flax seeds, …

7. Eat More Frequently. Eating many small meals throughout the day boosts your metabolism, helping fat loss. Never feel hungry, this makes your body store fat.

• Eat Breakfast. Get calories from the first hour. Read healthy breakfast recipes here.
• Eat Post Workout. Get proteins & carbs post workout to help muscle recovery & replenish energy stores. Try a whey protein shake mixed in water.
• Eat Every Often. 5 or six small meals every day will give your muscles a steady intake of amino acids, speed up muscle repair & recovery and increase your energy levels.
• Eat BW in lbs x 18kcal. You need at least your bodyweight in lbs x 18kcal to maintain weight.

8. Gain Weight. No matter how low you body fat %, you'll never impress the girls on the beach by looking like a marathon runner. Check the post on how to gain weight and muscle for skinny guys. Here are the essentials.

• Eat Calorie Dense Foods. For example, 100g of raw spinach contains 24 calories, but the same of brown rice contains over 300 calories. Eat pasta, oats, olive oil, mixed nuts, etc.
• Get Stronger. Increase the weight in stepped increments, a small amount each time. Before you know it you'll be lifting like a pro. More strength is more muscle.
• Drink Milk. If you aren't bothered about gaining some fat initially, drink a pint/liter of semi-skimmed or whole milk every day on top of your current food intake. If you combine this with a session of squats and deadlifts once per week, you can gain weight very quickly.

9. Get Protein. Protein is broken down by digestion into the amino acids that repair and build muscles. You need 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight daily to maintain muscle, more to build muscle. That’s 180g of daily protein if you weigh 180lbs/82kg. Eat natural proteins with each meal.

• Red Meat. Beef steaks, deer, buffalo, …
• Poultry. Chicken breast, whole chicken, turkey, duck, …
• Fish. Tuna (squeeze out the oil), salmon, sardines, mackerel, …
• Eggs. Scrambled, poached, fried (in law-fat oil substitute).
• Dairy. Milk, cheese, low-fat yoghurt, whey powder, …

If you weigh 180lbs: 1 can of tuna at lunch, Chicken salad sandwich as an afternoon snack, 300g meat at dinner and 500ml milk through the day gets you 180g protein. You can also get this from a couple of protein shakes, which is more convenient for many people (including vegetarians).

10. Record your progress. If you get discouraged, it can really lift you when you are able to look back at how far you've come. Keep a record of your progress and persist until you’ve built the muscles you want. You’ll see a clear change in your physique after following this guide for 2 months. Never give up.