The Only Way To Gain Muscle
In order to gain any amount of muscle or strength, you must subject that muscle to overload. To continue making gains, you must continue to increase the amount of overload you place on each muscle group over time.
This progressive increase in resistance is the only way to gain muscle mass. The greater the amount of resistance you place on a muscle, the larger that muscle will become, provided you get the proper nutrients needed for muscle growth to occur.
Progression of this resistance is what causes muscle gains to keep happening. If you keep lifting the same amount of weight, your muscles have no reason to get any bigger. They can already handle that weight.
There are 3 ways to increase the amount of resistance you place on a muscle:
1. Do more reps with the same amount of weight each time.
2. Do the same number of reps but use more weight
3. Use the same number of reps and same amount of weight, but shorten the rest periods in between sets.
The most common ways to add progressive resistance to build muscle is with the first 2… using more weight and/or doing more reps.
One of the easiest ways to increase the amount of weight you lift is to decrease the number of reps you do. You keep increasing the weight until you use a heavy enough weight so that you reach muscle failure between 4 and 8 reps.
When you increase the weight each set while performing the same number of reps, you want to go easy for the first few sets, they are just warmups. Only your last 2 heavy sets, the ones with max poundages, are the ones that build muscle. All other sets just help you get ready for these heavy sets.
Again, overloading a muscle group is the only way to gain muscle, increase its size, and tone. So, for your heavy sets, you want to reach the point of failure with low reps and heavy weight.
The more weight you use and the harder you work, the greater the muscle gains. This method is very intense, so you want to ensure proper rest and nutrition.
Overload will help you gain muscle indefinitely, as long as the environment for constant muscle growth is met. Again, it takes intense training, proper nutrition, and plenty of rest.
If one of these conditions is not met, you will not gain the muscle mass you could.
Now that you know what causes muscle gains to occur, you should be well prepared the next time you enter the gym to workout. You’ll know that merely lifting weights is not good enough. You have to keep getting better and stronger, by increasing the amount of weight you lift or the number of reps you do.
But be aware, this process takes time. Be committed to slow, constant growth and you’ll soon be making more gains than you ever thought possible.
Shawn Lebrun
http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/the-only-way-to-gain-muscle-11079.html
December 8th, 2009 at 7:50 am
How do i gain muscle with only 8lb weights?
I am a guy who weights 100lbs and i really want to gain weight and muscle fast! but the thing is i do not eat really healthy. I do onto eat any fruits or vegetables beside potatoes. i also only have 8lb weights that ive "out gorwn" i drink a boost evveryday that is a weight gain drink. i really want to gain muscle any suggestions? fitness plans?
December 8th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
You have to eat more first of all. You are not going to gain weight unless you exceed the calories you burn in a day. If you wanted to use 8 lb weights then you have to change the tempo on how you do the repetition. Try to go much slower. Take 1 sec on the contraction, 2 sec on the hold (stabilization) and 4 sec on the negative. But to progress you will need to use heavier weights because your muscles will adapt to the stress put on it and you will plateau (reach the peak).
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Trainer
December 8th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
just wanted to say that I agree with Seth
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December 8th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
If you are serious about actually gaining weight and muscle then you are going to have to make some changes.
First, cut out soda and fast food from your diet.
Second add in MILK, lots of it. Eat fish, chicken, and other high protein foods. Eat a lot of vegetables. You need to be hitting 3000-3500 calories per day with 130-150 grams of protein.
Now find a backpack (I assume you own a backpack… most people do) and put your 8lb weights into it. Put the backpack on and do the following routine:
Day 1
Squats, 5 sets of 5
Pushups, 5 sets of 5
Now take the backpack off and grab the straps do these:
Bent over Row, 5 sets of 5
Day 2.
Squats, 5 sets of 5
Overhead Press, 5 sets of 5
Upright Row, 5 sets of 5
Workout every other day alternating between these two sets. If you have a place where you can do pullups then add Pullups to failure at the end of each routine (Do as many pullups as you can, this might only be 1 starting out).
Now, each time you do a workout you add about 5lbs to the weight in the backpack. That might mean putting a book in there, or a rock, or even going out and buying some 5lb weights (get 5lb plates, they are more compact than 5lb dumbells) from the store for a few $.
If you can’t get more weights then just add text books or even stacks of paper. Anything to make the backpack heavier.
References :
crossfit.com
December 8th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
i am trying to figure out to i got 1 idea do 60 push ups a day
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