How To Build Muscle And Gain Weight Quickly Part I

Do you truly know how to build muscle and gain weight quickly?

If you knew how to build muscle then the skinny jokes would have ended long ago. If you knew how to gain weight quickly then the blank stares would stop when you tell someone you work out with weights. And if you knew how to build muscle and gain weight quickly you would no longer frustrated that the scale has not budged upwards since you first started lifting.

I know from first hand experience what it feels like to train for hours in the gym, slug back protein shake after protein shake, spend your hard earned money on over-priced and over-hyped supplements, with little or nothing to show for it! If this is you than you're not alone and are probably missing a few key ingredients that you're executing effectively.

If you're a naturally skinny person than you must play by a different set of rules. If you were not gifted with muscle friendly genes than does it make sense to follow a program by someone who builds muscle even when they sneeze? If you're training drug free than does it make sense to take advice from a guy who’s spending a few thousand dollars a month on steroids?

Or maybe you're taking advice from someone with great genetics? That’s like taking money advice from someone who inherited a fortune! You must accept the fact if you have muscle 'unfriendly' genes you must be prepared to play by a different set of rules if you want to build muscle and turn heads!

Here are a few simple tips to show you - the skinny guy - how to build muscle and gain weight quickly :

Train like a barbarian!

Do people stop and watch you work out? Do you reach the point in a workout where you question your ability to finish? If you treat working out more like a hobby than a job than it’s no surprise that you do not stand out in a crowd and are still spinning your wheels.

The majority of people that work out in a gym barely sweat and spend more time starring in the mirror and trying to impress the new front desk girl than getting into the ‘zone’ and crashing through previous training limits.

Here are some tips on how to 'train like a barbarian':

1. Treat every single set like it is your last set.

2. Treat every single rep like your life depends on it.

3. Wear a stop watch and ensure that you keep the rest period honest.

4. Wear a sweater so you can’t stare at yourself in the mirror.

5. Wear a head set on that tells others ‘do not disturb.’

6. No girl friends allowed or wimpy guy friends who are going to compromise the intensity of your workout.

7. Train with an intensity that scares the gym shorts off of every person in your path.

Are you starting to get the picture? There is a philosophy that simply states, “You get what you focus on.” Focus on training like a barbarian and you will soon start looking like a barbarian!

Give your muscles a reason to grow!

Guess what happens when you train at the same intensity as you did in a previous workout? Your muscles laugh back at you and say, “Nice try, we did this workout before and can handle this stress! Is that your attempt on getting us to grow?”

Don’t get caught up in the latest hype of bodybuilding and fitness magazines. Most of it is rehashed and just packaged sleeker to sell magazines. There are two forms of training that must be cycled in a successful weight training program:

1. HEAVY HEAVY HEAVY! Put everything into lifting heavier weights and getting as strong as possible. Use only one compound exercise per major muscle group and focus on a 5% increase in strength from week to week. This will ensure neuromuscular development and targeting the fast twitch muscle fibers which have the greatest opportunity for growth.

2. VOLUME VOLUME VOLUME! Expose your body to as much work possible in the shortest period of time. Placing your muscles under more tension will result in more tapped and untrained muscle fiber being recruited therefore more muscle growth! The key here is to find the correct balance in time and work. Volume training does not mean 2 hour gym workouts lifting light weights. Instead lift heavy weights close to your max threshold but with shorter rest periods, slower tempos and more exercise selection per muscle group.

No more program hopping!

Sure, it’s easier to test drive a program for a few weeks and than say it does not work and move on to the next latest ‘breakthrough’ program. This is called the blame game and neglecting responsibility! Do you think you will become rich if you test out a new job for a few weeks and than call it quits when your first paycheck does not meet your expectations? No way! But if you stay with the company and exploit the companies benefits and opportunities to the fullest than you will succeed.

The reality is that virtually every program will work for a certain period of time if it is done at the right intensity and as the author has written.

Find a program and study the details of it’s full entirety. Ensure that the program goals of the author are in alignment with yours and study all the fine details. Do not ask a million questions and try and find holes or flaws or attempt to make it ‘perfect.’ The perfect program does not exist. Trust the program, follow it honestly and monitor the progress. The experience and results you gain from following one program for a consistent period of time will be priceless.

By Vince DelMonte, www.vincedelmontefitness.com

The Skinny Guy's/Gal's Guide To Getting A Six-Pack (free table program included)

The title of this article is a little ironic, isn't it? Since when did skinny guys have a hard time getting a six-pack? Are not all skinny guys like 2.1% body fat and less than 150 pounds soaking wet? Why in the world would a skinny guy need an article on how to get a six-pack? Isn't that why skinny guys are afraid to bulk up – because they are paranoid about losing their treasured abdominals? I asked the same thing until this question almost earned it's own email account!

The volume of interest I receive from skinny guys who wish to build their mid-sections is more than enough evidence to disprove the false reality of, “I should be able to 'see' my abs if I have low body fat.” I'm sure you know of a friend who is completely scrawny, yet, without a shirt, on he has zero abdominal definition! To me, that would be salt on an open wound.

Abdominals Are A Muscle, Too!

You want your arms to be bigger, your shoulders to be broader and your chest to be fuller, correct? And what is the solution to making these muscle groups increase in size? High intensity weight training, overload, consistency and a healthy surplus of calories. Starting to sound familiar?

The same goes for your abdominals. Your abdominals are a muscle group that requires the same formula and attention and are not any different. For some reason many consider abdominals to be a 'special' body part that requires a different set of rules and a completely different formula for training. Abdominals were not given a 'secret code' to crack. To get thick, dense abs – those ones that 'pop' out - you must train them with intensity and overload. Here are some practical tips you can apply to your program so that you can be the 'man' or 'gal' at your gym with a ripped and muscular six-pack!

Prioritize By Sequence

If your abs are your worse body part, then why do you keep training them last, at the end of your workout? Which muscles groups will receive the highest priority when you train? The ones done at the start of your workout or the ones done at the end of the workout? Of course, the ones done at the start of the workout while you have the most energy and focus. If abdominals are the muscle group you wish to prioritize, then don't be afraid to disagree with the 'experts' who say “Never train your abdominals first because you'll weaken your core muscles for the rest of your workout...”. I completely disagree with this and often reply, “Show me the evidence.” The typical response is “Nobody does abdominals first...”. That is pure BS. This just supports the notion that many people who work out don't ever question what they hear or do. They want to be spoon fed answers and follow the trends of others without thinking for themselves. I ALWAYS train abdominals first in a workout if they need the highest attention.

Prioritize By Frequency

What's going to receive better results? A muscle group that is trained one time a week or two times a week (assuming you are recovered prior to the second workout commencing)? Of course, the muscle that is trained 2x a week. The more stimulus on a muscle, the more growth. That is why professional athletes are professional athletes. They have conditioned their bodies to such a high amount of stress that they are able to train more frequently.

How often you train your abdominals is based on the inverse relationship of intensity and volume. The harder you train your abs, the more rest they need. The less intense you train your abs, the more frequently you can train them! If your goal is rehab or injury prevention, then you will be able to train them often with more frequent and lower loads. If your goal is to make your abs more muscular and dense, then a higher load and less frequency would be ideal. If your goal is maintenance, then a medium load and frequency would be ideal. Refer to this table:

Purpose	Frequency	Intensity	Volume	Reps
Injury Prevention	5-7x a week	Low	1-4 sets	20-30
Hypertrophy	4x a week	High	6-12 sets	8-12
Maintenance	2-3x a week	Medium	3-6 sets	10-20

If building a sexy six-pack is on your 'to do' list for 2008, then start training abdominals 2-4x a week. I will teach you in a moment how to split your abdominals up into two different days based on movement.

Divide Your Abdominals Into Two Separate Workouts

To train your abdominals safely and effectively you must know the basic movement patterns of your abs and train them within all sub-categories:

• Truck Flexion (upper abs)
• Hip Flexion (lower abs)
• Rotation (obliques)
• Lateral Flexion (obliques)

The majority of books and articles you have read revolve the bulk of the ab exercises around trunk flexion that is better known as 'upper ab' exercises. A full sit up is a perfect example of this.

Bill Starr in his 1976 classic 'The Strongest Shall Survive' wrote that the abdominals “...can be strengthened in a wide variety of ways. Sit-ups of all types, leg raises, truck rotation movements all involve the abdominal muscles to a different degree...”

I wouldn't be surprised if the abdominal program you are following right now is based on one movement - trunk flexion. I am guessing that your primary goal is actually to have a well-defined and sculpted six-pack, so I have provided a sample abdominal program to break it up into a four day program:

A	B	C	D
Trunk Flexion	Rotation	Trunk Flexion	Rotation
Hip Flexion	Lateral Flexion	Hip Flexion	Lateral Flexion

Even though you are training each movement twice per week, you will perform different exercises for each workout.

Use A Variety Of Functional Exercises

The Top 3 Hip Flexion Exercises:
1. Lying Hip Raise
2. Incline Hip Raise
3. Hanging Hip Raise

The Top 3 Trunk Flexion Exercises:
1. Swiss Ball Crunch
2. Weighted Swiss Ball CruncH
3. Weighted Cable Crunches

The Top 3 Rotation Exercises:
1. Russian Twist
2. Weighted Russian Twist
3. Weighted Cable Crossover

The Top 3 Lateral Flexion Exercises:
1. Lateral Flexion on back extension machine
2. Lateral Flexion with medicine ball over head
3. Lateral Flexion with medicine ball and twist

Each of these exercises progresses from basic to intermediate to advanced. I suggest you master the first exercise of each before commencing to the next.

Conclusion
You now have all the tools and resources you require to start building a set of eye-popping abdominals. Customize your own abdominal workout and post it in the Article Comments Forum for others to compare and learn from.

By Vince Delmonte, www.vincedelmontefitness.com