Advanced Muscle Building Strategies

If you’re looking to take your workout progress up a notch and see faster results than you ever have before, you’re gonna need to take things to a whole new level. And what better way to do that than implementing some advanced muscle building strategies.

If you just perform the same old workout routine consisting of straight sets over and over again, you are going to be very fast to hit a progress plateau. Especially when you have been training for a while now.

Two key advanced strategies that you should be considering are drop sets and giant sets. Let’s look a little more closely at what each of these are so that you can get the complete picture of how to go about adding them to your program.

What Are Drop And Giant Sets

First let’s go over what these sets consist of. A drop set is where you take one exercise, perform your standard set doing that exercise at the normal weight you lift, as you hit failure with that weight you immediately drop the weight five to ten pounds and perform a second set. If you’re really feeling ambitious, once that set is completed, you can drop the weight one more time and go for a third and final set of the drop set. Talk about BURN!

Giant sets on the other hand are where you’re going to pair together three exercises all done back to back with no rest. This set is very similar to a superset only that third exercise is added to the mix for extra difficulty.

The Benefits Of These Advanced Techniques

So what are the benefits to each of these techniques? With drop sets especially, you’re going to be teaching your body how to push through a very high state of fatigue, increasing your body’s ability to tolerate stress.

With giant sets, you’ll get excellent metabolic conditioning as you’ll be doing so much exercise in a short time frame and you’ll also see increased strength and size gains.

Both of these are going to force the body to do more work than it normally does, and this is a key factor that will allow you to pack on more lean muscle mass size, while increasing your metabolic rate significantly.

Adding These To Your Workout Routine

So now that you know what both of these are, how do you go about adding them to your workout program?

The important thing to remember is that you need to be adding them in with moderation. Don’t go doing every single set in the workout as a drop set or you will burn out incredibly quickly.

Instead, choose one or two movements and make a drop set out of them. Or pick three exercises to be performed in the workout session and perform a giant set out of those.

This allows you to maintain good balance overall so that you’re not going to burn out shortly after you start.

Try introducing these concepts into your next workout session and watch how fast you progress.

Original Source: http://www.anaboliccooking.com/blog/training/advanced-muscle-building-strategies/

Upper & Lower Body Split – 3 Day & 4 Day Upper/Lower Routine

The upper/lower split is probably my personal favorite weight training split of them all.

It just works so damn perfectly for so many goals, situations and schedules that it tends to be the type of routine I end up using and recommending most often. Let me know you why…

What Is An Upper/Lower Body Split?

The upper/lower split is a type of weight training schedule that revolves around splitting the body up into 2 groups: upper body and lower body. Each group is then trained separately on its own workout day.

In most cases, the upper body workout would train the following muscle groups to some degree:

• Chest
• Back
• Shoulders
• Biceps
• Triceps

On the other hand, the lower body workout would most often train these muscle groups to some degree:

• Quads
• Hamstrings
• Calves
• Lower Back
• Abs

As for how the workouts are scheduled, there’s a few options. These are the most common…

The Classic 4 Day Upper/Lower Split

• Monday: Upper Body Workout
• Tuesday: Lower Body Workout
• Wednesday: off
• Thursday: Upper Body Workout
• Friday: Lower Body Workout
• Saturday: off
• Sunday: off

The classic 4 day upper body and lower body split is probably the most common version. It involves doing 4 weight training workouts per week: 2 upper body workouts and 2 lower body workouts.

They are classically done using the 2 on/1 off/2 on/2 off format shown above, which allows for the added perk of having the weekends off (something many people prefer). Of course, the actual days you choose really doesn’t matter at all as long as that same format is kept intact.

This classic 4 day version of the upper/lower split allows for a frequency where each muscle group is trained once every 3rd or 4th day, which is right within the ideal frequency range for the majority of people who are past the beginner’s stage.

The Classic 3 Day Upper/Lower Split

Week 1

• Monday: Upper Body Workout
• Tuesday: off
• Wednesday: Lower Body Workout
• Thursday: off
• Friday: Upper Body Workout
• Saturday: off
• Sunday: off

Week 2

• Monday: Lower Body Workout
• Tuesday: off
• Wednesday: Upper Body Workout
• Thursday: off
• Friday: Lower Body Workout
• Saturday: off
• Sunday: off

The classic 3 day upper body and lower body split is probably a very close second in terms of how commonly used it is. It involves rotating through 3 weight training workouts per week: Upper Body, Lower Body, Upper Body one week, and then Lower Body, Upper Body, Lower Body the next.

You’d then continue alternating like this from week to week.

The workouts are classically done using the 1 on/1 off/1 on/1 off/1 on/2 off format shown above, which again allows for the added perk of having the weekends off (if that’s important to you). Once again, the actual days you choose really doesn’t matter at all as long as that same format is kept intact.

This classic 3 day version of the upper/lower split allows for a frequency where each muscle group is trained once every 4th or 5th day. While this is slightly less frequent than the classic 4 day version, it’s still perfectly within the ideal frequency range for the majority of people past the beginner’s stage.

3 Day Version VS 4 Day Version: Which is better for you?

Well, first of all, they both work extremely well and will both produce the results you want. So, in general, one version is NOT better than the other.

However, one version may suit you a bit better than the other. Here’s the most common reasons why…

If you can only manage to train 3 days per week (or if it would just be a lot more convenient for you to train 3 days per week), then the 3 day upper/lower split is definitely the better version for you. No question about it.

If you are someone who has an overall lower capacity to recover, then the slightly reduced training frequency of the 3 day version would definitely be better for you as well.

This could be due to age (recovery gets worse as we get older), having a highly stressful life (stress worsens recovery), having a very physical job (a lot of additional outside activity can hurt recovery), or just having crappy genetics. Hell, you may just be someone who feels better/stronger/fresher when they train slightly less often, in which case the extra day you have off in the 3 day upper/lower split will make a world of difference for you.

Other than that, there’s nothing that really sets either version apart from the other. So, just pick one.

Whichever variation you end up choosing, the upper/lower split is considered a moderate frequency split (not too high, not too low), so volume (exercises, sets, reps) should be kept equally moderate to allow for adequate recovery.

Are There Any Other Versions Of This Split?

Yup, there are. While these are definitely the 2 most popular versions of this split, there are indeed a few others. In fact, my brand new guide to The Best Workout Routines fully explains 2 NEW upper/lower split options, one of which is my personal favorite of them all.

What About Lower/Upper Instead?

If you’d prefer to switch the order of the workouts so that you start with the lower body workout (and it essentially becomes a lower/upper routine), that’s perfectly fine.

Who Does This Split Work Best For?

Honestly? The upper/lower body split works best for the majority of the population.

Whether you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced trainee. Whether you want to build muscle, lose fat, increase strength, improve performance or any combination thereof, the upper body and lower body split can ALWAYS be set up in a way that will be extremely effective for you.

As I mentioned earlier, this split allows for each muscle group to be trained between once every 3rd and 5th day (depending on which variation you choose), and literally all research looking into workout frequency shows that this is the frequency that works BEST for the majority of people who are past the beginner’s stage.

Real world results and my own first hand experience confirm this as well.

And, it just so happens that the upper/lower split is a perfectly balanced and amazingly adjustable way to reach that ideal frequency. That’s why it’s probably my favorite workout schedule of them all.

So, if you are an intermediate or advanced trainee, the upper and lower body workout routine is a fantastic choice for you no matter what your specific goal is. I highly recommend it.

Original Source: http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/upper-lower-split/

How to Get Lean Muscle in Under 10 Minutes a Day

by Cheng Kee

Some men spend virtually their entire lifetimes working out in a gym, forgetting the reason they decided to start working out in the first place. For the babes, for the confidence, for the attention from the boss, whatever your reason, don't forget it; it keeps you grounded and reminds you that working out is not your life.

You can, in fact, get a decent, muscle building work out in under 10 minutes per day. Yep, you read that right. 10 minutes. Now, if you're someone who's worked out before, you'll know how hard it is to gain weight, especially dry muscular weight. You would think that you would need to work out 3 or 4 days in the gym for between 30 to 45 minutes. Fortunately it's been physically proven that you can do so in much less time. You're about to learn how to get lean muscle in under 10 minutes a day.

This background information might be new to some men, but you are required to understand this if you want to gain lean muscle in under 10 minutes a day. The only reason why we gain lean muscle in the first place is because our bodies adjust to the weight that is imposed upon it as we lift. Whether it'd be body weight, free weights, or gym equipment, our muscles will grow according to which ones are stimulated, how heavy the weight was and how long the force was imposed for. It's common sense really; remember elementary physics and the law that says a stationary body has two equal and opposite forces on it at the same time? That's basically how muscles grow. The bigger the weight, the bigger the muscle, right?

Not completely. If you worked out with a really heavy weight for an extended period of time, your body will not appreciate it. You might sustain injury and lower muscle gaining potential. So to an extent, the shorter and more intense your workout is, the better your gains. Of course, you have to also take into consideration, the amount of rest your taking with respect to how much exercise you've done, as well as providing your body with the necessary amount of energy to fuel your lean muscle gains and the building blocks, ie. protein to physically increase the amount of muscle you have.

You now have the basis for creating or finding a muscle routine that can help you learn how to get lean muscle in under 10 minutes. There is obviously a lot more to it, but now you can tell mates that you know why they shouldn't waste their lives away in a gym, when they have a life to live. Eating more, working out less and getting more muscle... what could be better?

Original Source: http://goarticles.com/article/How-to-Get-Lean-Muscle-in-Under-10-Minutes-a-Day/1304749/

What is Lean Muscle and How Do You Get It?

Becoming lean and muscular is the holy grail of fitness.

The Hollywood celebrity look is often placed on a pedestal and for good reason. Look at movie stars like Brad Pitt, Ryan Reynolds, and Taylor Lautner. Then look at the people around you. How many people among your family, friends, and coworkers have achieved this kind of physique? Chances are few to none. The reason for this is simple. Everyday people either don’t know what it takes to get into this type of condition, don’t care enough to do so, or both. Almost everyone I know falls into one of these three categories. When you think about the build of the stars I mentioned, one of the first things that comes to mind is “lean muscle”. But what is lean muscle?

What is lean muscle?

This phrase gets thrown around a lot and I don’t particularly like it because quite frankly, there is no such thing. There aren’t two distinct categories of muscle where one is lean and the other is fat. When people say lean muscle, they are referring to having a decent amount of muscle while being lean at the same time. People associate lean muscle with someone like Taylor Lautner. While he does have muscle, his muscle is no leaner than that of a sumo wrestler. The difference is that he is leaner than a sumo wrestler and the reason why his physique is much more impressive than that of the sumo wrestler is that sculpting it goes way beyond just putting on muscle.

Let me get back to the three categories of people I mentioned.

My goal is to help the people in the first category: those who are willing to put in the work, but are misinformed. You see, you can’t just put in time at the gym and expect to get a Hollywood body. Many people workout regularly and they might have sufficient muscle, but they are still a little chubby. They think that if they keep pushing hard at the gym, eventually the flab will go away and they will look like Ryan Reynolds. Unfortunately, this is not going to happen unless they take a synergistic approach and focus on what they are doing outside of the gym and the timing of these activities.

Getting lean and muscular requires a two-pronged attack.

The thing is it’s very difficult to attack both at the same time. This is because the activities that are best for burning fat hinder muscle building and vice versa. So here’s what I’m suggesting. Have days when you focus strictly on fat burning and days when you focus strictly on muscle building. My plan of attack is a 5/2 weekly split between fat burning days and muscle building days. So five days a week, I focus on fat burning and give it my all. The other two days, I focus on muscle building and completely ignore fat burning! You can tweak the ratio based on your goals, but I’m more focused on remaining lean and staying at low body fat levels, so the 5/2 split works very well for me.

How is this different from bulking and cutting?

The traditional bodybuilding bulking and cutting method calls for months of overeating and getting huge and then only a few weeks of cutting to try to get lean. This won’t build an ideal physique because the constant calorie surplus from the bulking phase will inevitably result in fat gain that’s difficult to reverse in only a few weeks. So what you’ll end up with is the big puffy look that’s a little over-the-top. What you want to do instead is to focus the majority of your effort on getting lean because this is the driver behind the ideal Hollywood physique.

My method accomplishes this because for 5 out of 7 days a week, you’re just shredding fat. And then you devote a couple of days to putting on a respectable amount of mass that looks good and suits your frame, not too much. Also, because you’re spreading out the calorie surplus days and being strategic about it, overall long-term fat gain will be minimal. This is your path to the Holy Grail. So if you find yourself asking “what is lean muscle and how do I get it?” the answer lies in this path. Stay tuned to my next post where I discuss exactly what I do on my fat burning and muscle building days to make sure I’m constantly working towards this ideal physique.

Orignal source: http://www.fitnessbreakout.com/just-for-fun/what-is-lean-muscle-and-how-do-you-get-it