5 Actionable Tips To Get Big Fast at the Gym

If you’re sick of checking out the latest body building magazine, opening it the main section on the current bodybuilding star and then learning that he is using a 6 day split program that has you in the gym for 4 hours and a day…don’t beat yourself up. What the magazine won’t tell you is that the guy is a pro. This means he probably doesn’t have to hold down a steady job, pay off a mortgage or raise a family. What it comes down to, is you don’t have to train like a superstar athlete to put on muscle. All you need to do is follow these actionable tips below and you will start making big gains fast without spending all your time in the gym.

Here we go: 1. To build muscle you must train short and with intensity. Tests reveal that blood sugar levels drop dramatically after 20 minutes. When you only have a limited amount of energy per session, exercise selection is most important. Compound multi-joint movements have to be used because these are more functional, offer more training stimulus, and also heavier loads can be lifted. Examples of compound movements include squats, dips, bench press, and chin-ups. Performing 3-4 exercises with high intensity during a session is what is necessary. All of the main structures of the body are worked hard during this time. Remember that as you get stronger in your upper body exercises (dips, lat pull downs) you will also add size to your shoulders as well as your upper arms. Working on these big compound movements has a domino effect throughout your whole body; there isn’t a need for isolation movements or specialization techniques. The whole body is worked hard, rest and recuperation can take place and then, at the next exercise session, if we push out a few more reps than before with the same weight, then we have gotten stronger—i.e, more muscle. 2. Perform One Set Per Body Part. After having performed 1 set of an exercise to total failure, it should be nearly impossible to generate the same force and intensity for another set. This means that if you are able to generate the same force and intensity for this second set then the first set was not worked hard enough. If you give the 1^st set 100% effort and work it to total failure (in other words, you cannot move the bar after the last rep) there is no more need for further stimulation. Therefore you need to do one set per exercise, remembering to complete the training session in 20 – 30 minutes so to have the most stimulus as possible. Once this is completed, then move on to the next exercise. Current research has shown that single set training is as beneficial as multiple set training. Also, it decreases the chances of over training, and saves energy for other lifts required during the workout. As you are doing one set per exercise, you will have to work it hard and to total failure. 3. Don’t Train Too Long. When you train, it causes the breakdown of muscle tissue. When a person trains very intensely cortisol is released into the blood stream, which causes the breakdown of muscle tissue. The amount of cortisol released is highly dependent upon the length of training time. And if you train too long, your muscles will continue to be broken down beyond the amount that you want. 4. Cycle Your Strength Training. The development of muscle and strength is interrelated, so the exercise session should be designed so that increases in strength are equal to increases in functional muscle. Cycling intensity through changes in repetitions and number of pounds throughout your training program is an effective way to maintain progression as well as avoid training plateaus. Therefore to minimize this effect training should be completed in the absolute minimum time required which is no longer than 20 to 30 minutes max. Your blood sugar levels are also dropping by this time, so do what you have to do in this time and get out of the gym, go home and grow. 5. Don’t Cheat. Do not cheat on your reps! Every strength-training trainee runs into this problem sooner or later and it will grind your gains to a complete stop. There are many ways to increase the intensity of your sets and the weights used in order to maximize results. Cheating to increase your weights actually takes strain off your muscles and places it on your joints, which is counterproductive and may even cause injury. Now that you are armed with this information, you can cut down your gym time. But by all means work out hard while at the gym; when you are finished, go home, rest, and enjoy life.

5 Actionable Tips To Get Big Fast at the Gym

Article by AJ Listler