Tag: mass building

  • The Foundational beginner workout plan to build muscle

    The Foundational beginner workout plan to build muscle

    Looking for a beginner workout plan you say? Let me tell you a little story first.

    I think I graduated high school 135-pounds, maybe 140. Whatever it was, I was super skinny, and I hated it. In my opinion, people don’t give the skinny guys that get big, enough credit. It’s still a lot of work. Whatever, enough of my own personal story. If you’re skinny and want to add slabs of mass, here’s how I changed all of that:

    First thing: I started lifting on a basic beginner workout plan for three to five days per week. I didn’t love it at first. In fact, I actually didn’t like it at all. But then I started to see veins popping out of my arms a bit more, abs getting more defined, a back that was widening, chest that was broadening, etc.

    If you’re new to exercise, you will find our how-to guide of the 20 best exercises for beginners helpful.

    Second thing: I started to absolutely demolish food. For the most part it was all very clean foods: loads of chicken breast, lean beef, eggs, fish, etc. But one other little secret was peanut butter sandwiches. I mean, I think I bought and ate more peanut butter than anyone on earth for like two-three years of my life.

    Long story short: I lifted and ate like an animal and that’s what’s going to do it for you too.

    For a more in-depth look at food and dieting, check out our comprehensive piece on intuitive eating for lean muscle to learn what to eat, when to eat, and how to figure out what works for you. Also, our story on the 25 best muscle-building foods is a great resource for overhauling your grocery shopping list.

    Now, let’s move onto the program…


    How the beginner workout plan works

    No fluff, no gimmicks. That’s how we roll around here, and that’s always how HFP will roll.

    The key thing about the Foundation workout plan is that the exercises are very basic and the total amount of work is conservative. Because you’re relatively new to exercise and working out, this will provide you with a good base of fitness without pushing you too far to start. Another program you might want to explore is out Introduction/Transition workout plan.

    Directions for this beginner workout plan

    Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday are workout days. Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday are off/recovery days.

    Complete this beginner workout plan for four weeks. After the forth week you may recycle the plan, however, add 1-2 sets per exercise and attempt to increase the weight used.

    After you’ve progressed beyond the beginner workout plan, check out our listing of all 30+ FREE workout plans you can follow next. There are many different options for different ability levels and specific goals. If your gains seem to be coming along a little slow, check out our piece on the top 10 ways to build muscle faster.

    The Foundation Workouts

    DAY ONE: Legs and Intervals

    1. DB Squat
    3 sets x 10

    2. DB Forward and Reverse Lunges
    3 sets x 5 each leg and direction

    3. DB Plie Squat
    3 sets x 10

    4. DB Step Up
    3 sets x 10

    5. Burpees x 50

    DAY TWO: Shoulders and Abs

    1. Alt. Single-Arm DB Shoulder Press
    3 sets x 10

    2A DB Side Lateral Raise
    2B DB Front Raise
    2C DB Rear Flye
    3 sets x 12-15

    3. DB Shrug
    3 sets x 10

    4. Cable Face Pull
    3 sets x 10

    1. Cable Crunch
    3 sets x 10

    2. Cable Rotations
    3 sets x 10 (each side)

    3. Planks
    3 sets x failure

    DAY THREE: Chest and Triceps

    1. DB Chest Press Variations
    5 sets x 10 (3-5 variations)

    2. DB Flye
    3 sets x 10

    3. Push Ups
    100-200 reps as quickly as possible

    1. Close-grip Presses
    3 sets x 10

    2. BB Skullcrushers
    3 sets x 10

    3. Bar-Cable Pushdown
    3 sets x 10 reps

    DAY FOUR: Back and Biceps

    1. Trap Bar Deadlift
    5 sets x 10

    2. Single-arm DB Row
    3 sets x 10

    3. Pull up (or Inverted Row)
    3 sets x as many as possible

    1. BB Curl
    3 sets x 10

    2. Lying Cable Curl
    3 sets x 10

    3. Open-grip Concentration Curl
    3 sets x 10

  • The Push, Pump, and Stretch plan for enhancing your aesthetic

    The Push, Pump, and Stretch plan for enhancing your aesthetic

    The Push, Pump, and Stretch is beginner-friendly, but demanding enough for the diehard iron-enthusiast. It’s the proven basics infused with subtle variations to intensify your muscles pop and definition.

    We tapped Dale Parducci (@dparducci), a certified trainer, fitness model, and rising expert in the wellness space for his go-to training blueprint to simultaneously gain muscle and burn fat.

    Who doesn’t love the lifter’s high and a rock-solid pump? Don’t forget to check out our 7 euphoric pump-producing techniques.

    HOW IT WORKS

    The Push, Pump, and Stretch is broken into three parts:

    • Part one is the “activation” or “push” part of the program. The “push” is an exercise performed for lower repetitions, but higher weight.
    • Part two is the “pump,” which is typically a superset or a higher-repetition exercise working to flood the muscle(s) with blood.
    • Finally, part three is the “stretch,” which is for improving circulation to allow more blood flow into the muscles being worked.

    Regardless of whether you’re trying to bulk up or lean out, you’ll need to dial in the nutrition. For a better understanding of what to eat, and how much, check out our piece on intuitive eating for lean muscle.

    If you’re a beginner that feels a little uncomfortable with the exercises, check out this how -to guide on the essential beginner exercises and the cues for doing them.

    DIRECTIONS

    On this plan, you’ll train three days on followed by one day off, followed by one more day on, and then two more days off. Parducci recommends chest and triceps in day one, back and biceps in day two, legs in day three, no training in day four, shoulders, traps, and abs in day five, then day six and seven are off again. In his opinion, this provides the amount of rest and recovery for each muscle group and the body as a while. Follow this plan for 4-8 weeks. Steadily increase the weight used with each week.

    Once you finish, you may cycle through once more, but we do recommend transitioning into one of our other plans such as: the 6-week Redemption plan, the 4-week Reconstruction plan, the 6-week Unlabeled plan, the 4-week Winter Bulk Up, the 3-day Monster plan, the 4-week Quick-Switch Cycle, or the 10×10 plateau-crushing plan.

    THE WORKOUTS

    Day One: Chest & Triceps


    1.Hex press 4×8
    2.Incline bench press 4×8
    3A. Incline landmine press 3×12
    3B. Pronated-grip incline flye 3×12
    4. Double-handled pushdown 4×20
    5. Incline dumbbell skull crusher 4 x 10-12
    6. Rope crunch 4×12

    Rest for approximately 1 minute between sets.

    Day Two: Back & Biceps


    1.One-arm supinated pulldown 4×8-10
    2A.One-arm dumbbell row 4×10
    2B. Incline chest supported row 4×10
    3. Dumbbell pullover 3×12
    4. Barbell shrug pause 4×10
    5. Modified preacher curl 4×8-10
    6. Overhead cable curl 3×10-12
    7. Bench roll up 4×12

    Rest for approximately 1 minute between sets.

    Day Three: Legs & Abs


    1. Slow & explosive back squat – 3×8
    2A. Dumbbell sumo deadlift 3×8-10
    2B. Goblet squat- 4×8
    3.Stiff-leg deadlift 3×10
    * Stretching: Between each set, stretch each quad and ham for 30 seconds.
    4. Standing calve raise 2×10-12

    Rest for approximately 1 minute between sets.

    Day Four: OFF

    Day Five: Shoulders, Traps, and Abs


    1.Shoulder press 4×8
    2A. Rear delt swing 4×20
    2B. Face pull 4×10
    3. Heavy standing side lateral 4×12
    4. Dumbbell front raise 4×12
    5. Russian twist 6×10-12

    Rest for approximately 1 minute between sets.

    Day Six: OFF

    Day Seven: OFF

  • The 4-week Winter Bulk Up workout plan

    The 4-week Winter Bulk Up workout plan

    Winter does have its advantages. And one of the best is that you can set yourself up to be your at your biggest and leanest once the warm weather swings back around. The trick is to use the winter to Bulk Up, then transition into an aggressive shred during the spring. This gives your body a change it needs. You’ll be able to eat more, and to some degree, rest a bit more as well.

    Program designer Tim McComsey (@TimMcComsey) says there are three main components to the Bulk Up:

    If you’re very new to working out, check out our best exercises for men and women to learn proper form. 

    1. It’s focused on large muscle groups such as Chest, Back, and Legs. You will train them twice per week. Smaller muscle groups like Shoulders, Biceps, and Triceps are secondary. The beginner of each week will be the most challenging, the middle-to-end is scaled back as though it’s a tapered recovery without going easy.

    2. The rest periods between exercises are longer to enable ample recovery from heavier, bigger lifts. You’re looking at 60-90 second between sets versus 30-45 seconds which you would see in a weight loss plan.

    3. The Bulk Up plan revolves around “straight sets” versus the use of “super-sets” or “tri-sets”. Once you complete a set of an exercise you will rest, then repeat for the prescribed number of sets that follow. This is another strategy to allow for ample recovery. The only time “tri-sets” will be used are for short ab/core workouts at the end.

    Before you get started, check out this piece on intuitive eating and this one on Tim’s grocery store essentials for building lean muscle.

    DAY ONE: Chest, Shoulders & Triceps

    1. *BB Flat Chest Press
    2. *DB Incline Chest Press
    3. Push Ups
    4. *DB Standing Shoulder PressSeated DB Lateral Raise
    5. Cable Tricep Press Downs with Straight Bar
    6. DB Bent-over Tricep Kick Backs

    Sets, reps & rest protocol
    * 4 sets x 8 reps : 90 seconds rest
    3 sets x 10 reps : 60 seconds rest

    The Tri-set Finisher
    Complete 3 sets of with 30 seconds rest between each one.

    7A. Hanging Leg Raise x 12
    7B. Decline Bench Reverse Curl Up x 12
    7C. Swimmer Kicks x 30

    DAY TWO: Back & Biceps 1

    1. *Pull Ups
    2. *BB Bent-over Rows
    3. *Cable Free Motion Wide-grip Pull Downs
    4. *Seated Free Motion V-bar Rows
    5. BB Shrugs with 1 second hold
    6. BB Standing Curls
    7. Seated DB Hammer Curls

    Sets, reps & rest protocol
    * 4 sets x 8 reps : 90 seconds rest
    3 sets x 10 reps : 60 seconds rest

    DAY THREE: Legs 1

    1. *BB Squat
    2. *BB Deadlift
    3. *DB Forward Lunge
    4. *Glute Ham Leg Raise
    5. Standing Calf Raise
    6. Seated Calf Raise

    Sets, reps & rest protocol
    * 4 sets x 8 reps : 90 seconds rest
    3 sets x 10 reps : 60 seconds rest

    The Tri-set Finisher
    Complete 3 sets of with 30 seconds rest between each one.

    7A. Free Motion Cable Torso Rotations with Straight Bar x 15 per side
    7B. Side Plank Up-Downs x 15 each side
    7C. Decline Bench Weighted Russian Twist x 15 per side

    DAY FOUR: Chest, Shoulders, & Triceps 2

    1. *Standing High Free Motion Crossover Fly
    2. *Flat Bench DB Fly
    3. *Machine Cable Fly or Band Fly
    4. *Standing DB Front Raise
    5. *Seated DB Shoulder Press with Palms-In
    6. DB Bench Tricep Skull Crushers
    7. Weighted Bench Dips

    Sets, reps, & rest protocol
    * 4 sets x 8 reps : 90 seconds rest
    3 sets x 10 reps : 60 seconds rest

    DAY FIVE: Back and Biceps 2

    1. *Chin Ups
    2. *Single-arm DB Row
    3. *Free Motion T-bar Pull Downs
    4. *Two-arm DB Row
    5. *Seated DB Shrugs with 1 second hold
    6. Cable Rope Curls
    7. Cable Crossover Curls

    Sets, reps, & rest protocol
    * 4 sets x 8 reps : 90 seconds rest
    3 sets x 10 reps : 60 seconds rest

    DAY SIX: Legs 2

    1. *Sissy Squats
    2. *Slide Board Hamstring Curls
    3. *Narrow Stance BB Squats
    4A. Standing DB Calf Raises
    4B. Weighted Walking Calf Raises

    Sets, reps, & rest protocol
    * 4 sets x 8 reps : 90 seconds rest
    3 sets x 10 reps : 60 seconds rest
    A/B indicates superset

    Continue Your Gains with The Size, Strength, and Shred Cycle


  • The 3-day Monster plan for size and power

    The 3-day Monster plan for size and power

    This is called the Monster plan because that’s exactly what it will do to you—turn you into a monster. If you’ve been training several days per week or doing a lot of high-intensity interval stuff for the last few months, this is a nice block of change. Month after month, week after week of continuous bombardment of the muscles with volume and intensity would wear anyone down. Let’s use the next 30 days for size and power. And the way to do it effectively will require a change in thinking, and programming.

    Watch Brandon Da Cruz (@brandondacruz_) demo one of his programs below.

    Introducing: The Monster Plan

    How it works

    Now that you’ve fully accepted the fact that sub-5 or 10% body fat all year isn’t necessary, and quite frankly, understand that it could also be burning you out—your new mass and power plan could still take some getting used to.

    You’re going to be working out three days per week. Structured as one day on, one day off. But don’t let the three days fool you into thinking life just got easy because after the first week of this program you’re going to pay close attention to the tempo of your repetitions. Instead of simply lifting start to finish, you’re going to follow a “3/1/3/1” tempo for higher repetition exercises (above 6). And for lower repetition exercises you will follow a “2/1/0/1” tempo. Essentially your “power” exercises in the low rep ranges will be explosive, and your “growth” exercises in the high rep ranges will be slower, controlled movements.

    For both of these, you’ll feel it in the morning. We promise. And make sure to follow the rest periods—you’ll need them.

    Attempt to either increase the weight, or the number of reps each week as you progress. You want to build monsterous size, but don’t be a monsterous lug head—increasing weight by very small increments like 5-pounds can surprisingly go a long way.

    Understanding tempo training

    If you’re bench pressing high reps for 3/1/3/1, it’s 3 seconds on the way down, 1 second with the bar at your chest, 3 seconds on the way up, and 1 second at the top. If you’re bench pressing low reps for 2/1/0/1, it’s 2 seconds on the way down, 1 second with the bar at your chest, an explosive push on the way up (0 seconds), and a 1 second pause at the top.

     

    Workouts & Directions

    Day One: Push

    1. Flat bench press: 3 sets of 4-6
    2. Incline DB press: 3 sets of 8-10
    3. DB shoulder press: 3 sets of 4-6
    4. BB wide-grip upright row: 3 sets of 8-10
    5. DB lying tricep extension: 3 sets of 4-6
    6. Weighted dip: 3 sets of 8-10
    * Rest 60 seconds between sets

    Day Two: Legs & Abs

    1. DB goblet squat: 3 sets of 4-6
    2. BB landmine squat: 3 sets of 8-10
    3. Alternating lunge: 3 sets of 8
    4. DB stiff-legged deadlift: 3 sets of 8
    5. Weighted rope crunches: 3 sets of 10-12
    6. Hanging leg raise: 3 sets of 15
    * Rest 60 seconds between sets

    Day Three: Pull

    1. Weighted pull-up: 3 sets of 8-10
    2. BB bent-over row: 3 sets of 4-6
    3. Single-arm DB row: 3 sets of 6-8
    4. Face pull: 3 sets of 8-10
    5. BB curl: 3 sets of 6-8
    6. DB alternating hammer curl: 3 sets of 8-10
    7. DB shrug- 3 sets of 8
    * Rest 60 seconds between sets

    SPONSORING PARTNER

  • 9 reasons your body is just kinda staying the same

    9 reasons your body is just kinda staying the same

    There’s nothing more frustrating than getting up every morning, looking in the mirror and seeing zero results. Here are some areas where you could be going wrong.

    Your expectations are unrealistic

    Building muscle is just like anything else in the world you want to get good at. It takes time and practice. You can certainly make great, noticeable gains within a couple weeks; cover model status—not so much.

    You’ve got no idea where you stand

    Knowing how much you bench, squat, overhead press, and deadlift isn’t for the pissing contest with others. It’s your personal benchmarks. You don’t need to be lifting more, or performing more reps with each session, but weekly gains (even if minuscule) mean you’re on the right track. If not, your program may need modification. Here are three expert tips are increasing your bench press.

    You train rogue

    Until you get to a certain level of fitness, writing and programming your own workouts isn’t advised. Solid trainers know the appropriate amount of exercises, sets, reps, and rest you need to stimulate maximum growth. Bench pressing and curling all night isn’t a program, it’s a problem.

    You run too damn much

    If your goal is to build muscle and you’ve been lifting for weeks, haven’t gotten stronger, or gained a pound. Stop running, or get off the elliptical. If you’re afraid you’re not getting enough cardio, start doing circuits or supersets—it will elevate the heart rate enough. If your goal is to lose weight, you’re not focusing on building muscle enough. Long story short: more cardio time could be spent lifting weights. Try our cardio replacement workout.

    You’re letting stress unravel you

    Your boss is crazy nut job, your girlfriend is one, too. You’d better get your emotions in check because it messes with your hormones, focus, and ultimately, your results in the gym.

    You’re completely clueless when it comes to your diet

    OK, great. Happy to hear you’re taking protein shakes. But do you have any idea how much food you’re actually consuming? You don’t necessarily need to know the exact number of calories you’re taking in, but you should at least be able to accurately recite back what you ate in the day down to the serving amount. Those little bites of random stuff here and there all add up. (Here’s a list of approved office snacks—and the ones to avoid) If your weight is holding steady and you can’t notice more bulk in areas like the arms, chest, shoulders, and back, then you might want to bump up your serving sizes slowly. On the flip side, if you’re not losing the stubborn fat, there could be a lot of “hidden calories” you’re consuming and don’t even know it. This list of dietician-recommended grocery store essentials should help with lean body gains.

    You’re not putting in an honest workout

    Partial reps, or half reps do have a place, but not if you’re doing it on the regular. Drop the weight back a bit and make sure you’re going the full range of motion on an exercise to activate as many muscle fibers as possible.

    You’re thinking small

    If you’re cranking out curls and kickbacks, but won’t go near the squat rack, you’re going to have a mass-building problem. Compound movements like squats, deadlifts, the bench press and overhead press recruit multiple muscle groups, and are what really stimulate growth. Suck up the thought of being uncomfortable and get it done.

    You’re too much of a gym rat

    Try and stay awake for 24-hours and see how you feel the next day. Yeah, it would suck. Same concept applies to hitting it in the gym, if you’re spending hours and hours working out and not taking rest days, you’re going to wear yourself out. Or worse, get hurt.

    Get the most out of your routines, check out our 10 guidelines to working out from someone who’s made every mistake in the book.

  • The Compound Plan: Workouts Built Around the Big Lifts

    The Compound Plan: Workouts Built Around the Big Lifts

    Aka: the model body workout plan

    Everyone has snapped a few shots only later to go back and delete a bunch of them. “My eyes are closed.” “I’m not standing up straight.” “Do my arms really look like that?” “Does my stomach really look like that, too?!”

    And sure, learning your angles is one way to cheat the lens. #AdobeGains is another. We say: Just put in the work at the gym.

    Jordan Morello (@Jordan_Morello), a rising fitness model and certified personal trainer, understands the desire (or need) to be camera-ready at all times. Here’s his training blueprint for building muscle and keeping lean—whether you’re a beginner or an advanced lifter.

    And if you’re looking for 1-on-1 support, check out our coaching packages.

    HOW IT WORKS

    Morello’s take on a “quality workout” is built around large, compound moves—the pillars of your programming—followed by a series of isolation exercises for the finer detailing. The program is structured into splits for a total of four workouts, with a day of rest in between each. For example: Monday is chest and triceps, Wednesday is legs and abs, Friday is back and biceps, then Sunday is shoulders, traps, and abs. The cycle begins again on Tuesday the following week. To focus solely on hypertrophy (or muscular size) vs. strength or power, do 8–12 reps for each exercise.

    DIRECTIONS

    Complete this plan for six weeks while gradually (and modestly) increasing the reps or weight each week. After the six weeks, switch off the plan for another four to six weeks before returning back to it.

     

    THE WORKOUTS

    To watch all of the video demonstrations, subscribe to the HFP YouTube channel, or use the hashtag #MFModelBody on Instagram.

    Day 1: Chest & Triceps

    Flat Bench Press 5 x 15,12,10,10,8
    Incline Bench Press 4 x 12
    Barbell Pullover 4 x 10
    Dumbbell Flye 4 x 12,10,10,8
    Dip 3 x 12
    Skullcrusher 4 x 10
    Cable Pushdown 4 x 12
    *Rest 60 seconds between all sets. Rest as needed between exercises.

    Day 2: Legs & Abs

    Front Squat 5 x 15,12,10,10,10
    Romanian Deadlift 4 x 12,10,10,8
    Bulgarian Split Squat 4 x 10
    Barbell Reverse Lunges 4 x 10 (each leg)
    Calve Raise 4 x 25
    Hanging Leg Raise 3 x 10
    Cable Woodchop 4 x 15,12,10,10
    *Rest 60 seconds between all sets. Rest as needed between exercises.

    Day 3: Back & Biceps

    Barbell Row  5 x 15,12,10,10,10
    Rack Pull 4 x 10
    Lat Pulldown 4 x 12,10,10,8
    Dumbbell Row 4 x 10
    Barbell Curl 4 x 10
    Close-Grip Chinup 3 x 8
    Standing Hammer Curl 4 x 12,10,10,8
    *Rest 60 seconds between all sets. Rest as needed between exercises.

    Day 4: Shoulders, Traps & Abs

    Standing Military Press 5 x 10
    Dumbbell Snatch 4 x 8
    Arnold Press 4 x 12,10,10,8
    Lateral Raise 4 x 12
    Barbell Shrug 5 x 20
    Landmine Rotation 4 x 12
    Hanging Knee Raise 3 x 10
    *Rest 60 seconds between all sets. Rest as needed between exercises.

    SPONSORING PARTNER

  • The Top 10 Ways to Add Muscle to Your Frame

    The Top 10 Ways to Add Muscle to Your Frame

    For all the skinny guys out there; we’ve been there before. And for all you natural-born giants just looking to get more gigantic, we may have something you’re missing that stalled your growth.

    1. Track Your Workouts

    There is nothing more important that tracking what you did and when you did it. Not only the exercises, sets and repetitions, but tracking the weight you used and how you felt that day will allow you to look back when you come back to that workout to know where to start and where you’ve come from. Tracking your workouts also allows you to determine what is working and what you’re wasting your time on. One week you may have done 4 sets of 10 squats at 315 pounds and 3 weeks later you do 3 sets of 10 squats at 300 pounds. If it wasn’t written down, you may not be able to remember exactly what you did. The more you write down, the more you will be able to remember and see if you are making progress.

    2. Set Goals

    Setting goals is the first step to keep you on track to where you want to go. These goals shouldn’t be set in stone, they should be specific and reasonable. For example, if you’re looking to lose 50 pounds in 4 weeks and have tendonitis, your goal may need to be re-evaluated.

    3. Focus on Hypertrophy

    Hypertrophy is the increase of volume of an organ or tissue due to the enlargement of the cells that make it up. Muscles will increase volume to adapt to progressive overload. What this means is in order to build muscle, you must focus on progressively overloading the muscle in order to make them increase in size. Strength training has multiple different types of training including Strength, Hypertrophy, Power and Endurance. Each one of these types include a different amount of reps, effective sets and rest. The hypertrophic range of strength training focuses around 8 – 12 repetitions with :60 seconds of rest between 3-6 sets. When you train for hypertrophy, you should train around this hypertrophic range.

    4. Get the Right Macros

    You can never out exercise poor nutrition. It doesn’t matter how hard you work, how many workouts you track or how many days you hit the gym – if you don’t take in the right nutrition, you will find it almost impossible to get your optimal gains. These macros – protein, carbohydrates and fats – will be different for every person. If you don’t know where to start, look towards a couple professionals to give you some starting advice based on your goals and where you currently are and find one that works best for you.

    5. Stay Anabolic

    The right nutrition is crucial, but so is the timing. Anabolic is the process of how your body produces growth of cells that involves the synthesis of molecules. The opposing process of this is catabolism, or the breaking down of cells in order to produce energy. Hormones play a large role in this growth process along with glucose metabolism. Maintaining this glucose metabolism, or energy, requires the consumption of calories to provide this energy. If a person does not consume enough energy, the body will enter a higher rate of catabolism. In order to keep this anabolic state, giving your body the proper amount of energy at the right times, recovery, growth and performance will continue to improve.

    6. Stay Hydrated

    By now we all know that the body is made up of over 70 percent water and muscles are no different. Even if you aren’t thirsty, your muscles and body may be, especially when you increase your training in order to pack on the muscle. Water not only aids in the circulation through your body but also in the cooling of your body, so as you’re sweating, you’re losing even more water. Research has shown that when you don’t consume enough water, your cells lose size and the synthesis of protein in the muscle repair also suffers even if the breakdown continues.1 When that muscle breakdown is happening faster than the production of protein, your performance begins to decrease. If your performance is decreased, you are not able to reach your maximum potential of growth. So grab water, and stay hydrated!

    7. Rest and Recovery

    When you exercise you are breaking down your muscle and stressing your body. If you continue to break down your body without giving it an opportunity to recover, you can put yourself in more risk than reward. Overtraining leads to a higher risk of injury, long term effects, and decreased performance. It’s not only important to have rest between workouts, but the amount of recovery you give yourself during your workout is important. The maximum amount of recovery during strength training shouldn’t be more than :90 seconds. If your recovery frequently exceeds this time, you can lose the benefit of multiple sets. One reason for multiple sets within a workout is to exhaust a set of muscles, give it a slight – but not complete – recovery in order for your body to realize it needs to recruit more fibers for that next set. When too much recovery is given, the amount of muscle breakdown can be compromised. This can cause your gains to not reach their maximum potential.

    8. Switch it Up!

    When we spoke about the hypertrophic range of strength training as being an important way to add muscle, a second important note is to switch it up. It’s easy to get stuck in a routine of going into the gym, having your notes from last week and doing the same routine you did 7 days ago. While this can be a great start, it likely won’t last long. It’s important to also switch up your workout, this can be in the order you do the exercises, the reps you do, the rest you take in between, the equipment you use or a combination of these. By increasing your reps to the 12 – 15 rep range with very short recovery periods of under 30 seconds, you can use lighter weights and keep your heart rate up. You can also work through a range of repetitions with your first set of 15 followed by 12, 9 then 6 adding a slight amount of rest as the weight increases. By switching your workout routine up, you will keep your body guessing and be able to increase your performance and increase your gains.

    9. Keep Your Form

    Regardless of what rep range your are working through, it’s one of the most important tips to maintain your form – especially when you are getting towards the end of your exercise or your workout. When you compromise your form to get a rep, exercise or weight that you may not have been able to without, you increase your risk of injury. That extra weight and extra rep isn’t worth getting injured over and losing what progress you have already made. Maintain your proper form for every rep of every exercise, if you come up short on your repetitions or sets, make a note of it and get it next time!

    10. Focus on the Movement

    As you keep your form through every rep of every exercise, focus on every part of each rep. Mentally focus on the contraction of the muscles you are training as you raise and lower the weight. By focusing on each phase of your movement, even though you are using weights to increase the load on your muscles, the ultimate idea is that you are contracting your muscles through this progressive overload to produce a hypertrophic reaction.

    Reference:

    1.Wildman, Robert. “Your Muscles Are Thirsty: Here’s Why – Bodybuilding.com.” Bodybuilding.com. 26 Feb. 2015. Web. 27 July 2015.

  • The Bulk-Me-Up Burger Pita Pocket

    The Bulk-Me-Up Burger Pita Pocket

    Trying to pack on size? We’ve got just the sandwich for you. This avocado and prosciutto burger pocket is the perfect blend of protein, carbs, and fat to help you build muscle and recover from workouts faster than ever.

    6 servings: 636 calories, 56 grams of protein.

    WHAT YOU NEED:

    – 2 lbs ground beef
    – 2 eggs (beaten)
    – cumin
    – garlic powder
    – cayenne pepper
    – ground black pepper
    – 1 package prosciutto
    – 2 avocados
    – lime juice
    – cilantro
    – sea salt
    – crumbled feta cheese
    – whole-wheat pita pockets

    PREP:

    The Burger:

    · In a bowl, combine ground beef, eggs, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne, and ground black pepper. Shape 4 equal-size patties and set aside. (While preparing the burger you can also bake the prosciutto (see step 1 below).

    Clean and simple avocado spread:

    · Mix avocado, lime juice, cilantro, and a dash of salt and pepper by hand or using a food processor.

    MAKE IT HAPPEN:

    – Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place prosciutto on a lined baking pan or roasting rack, laying slices flat. Bake until fat turns golden and meat is darker, about 15 minutes. Transfer prosciutto to paper towels to drain (it will crisp as it cools).
    – Season patties with salt and place in the skillet. Allow to brown on one side, approximately 2–3 minutes, and then flip. Add crumbled feta cheese and place in oven under broiler. Cook to desired doneness.
    – Assemble your burger inside the pita pocket, topping with avocado spread and prosciutto.

    This content was originally published on MENSFITNESS.com