get big

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Get Big! Table Of Contents
Part I
Section 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Introduction
Section 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Planning To Get Big
Section 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Evaluate
Section 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Keep Track Of Everything!
Section 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Muscle Building Nutrition
Section 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Supplements
Section 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Get Big! FAST
Section 8 . . . . . . . . . . . Get Big! Diet and Meal Plans
Section 9 . . . . . . . . Get Big! Weight Lifting Routines
Section 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Training Diary
Section 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Exercise Descriptions
Part II
Section 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-books
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- Part I -
“Are you tired of training day
in and day out without gaining
an ounce of muscle?”
“Are you tired of seeing other people around you
grow while you stay the same size?”
If you're a hard gainer and simply can’t add any size to your frame
than you've come to the right place.
You may be asking yourself, why your past efforts seemed to have
failed. You may be even asking yourself if all of your hard work was
even worth it and if it’s even possible to reach your goals. Well, don’t
beat yourself up with these questions because believe it or not,
you’re not alone.
You see, there are a lot of hard gainers out there who don’t yet know
it, but they have all the potential in the world to grow as large as
they want, any time they want. Yes, you read right, as large as they
want, anytime they want! I’m not kidding you because when it
comes to building muscle, there are no hidden “secrets”, magic pills
or formulas.
When you get right down to it, it comes down to the methods you
choose to follow. Follow the right method and you can get huge,
quick! Choose the wrong method and you could be in a downward
spiral for a long time.
If you’ve found that you can’t gain an ounce of muscle no matter
what you do, I got some very important news to tell you. You may
not be the problem. The problem lies with the methods you have
chosen to work with. Products promising to add 15 pounds of muscle
in 15 days or programs promising to get rid of 30 pounds of fat in 15
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days are gimmicks.
“Gimmicks Don’t Work”
Here is the good news. You can succeed and you will succeed using
the methods that have been proven to work time and time again.
You’ll see first hand that building muscle is no secret and that
anyone can build muscle and strength. I’m going to outline to you
how to do this.
Building muscle101 Get Big! Program will provide you with all the
necessary information to start, maintain, fine tune and customize
your weight lifting program to build the muscle you want, anytime
you want.
First off, you are going to have to understand something that will
literally change your body overnight. Yes, once you add these
elements into your training program, your body will respond almost
instantly and once you add these elements into your training
program, you’ll get strong and you’ll start to build muscle, fast!
Can you imagine adding 20 pounds to your bench press in three
weeks? What would your buddies say at the gym? What about
adding an inch of muscle to your arms in a couple of months? You
see, building muscle is based on certain principles that must be in
place if you want to build the body of your dreams. These elements
are the...
“Principles Of Building Muscle”
If you can get these principles down, you’ll grow beyond your
wildest dreams. These principles are:
1) Hard, heavy and smart training
2) Sound nutrition and supplementation
3) Quality rest
You see, this is no secret. The problem is that most people have
been following the wrong methods that incorporate one or two of
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these principles. These 3 principles must be in place if you want to
build muscle and power. There’s simply no way around this fact. The
sooner you come to this realization the faster you will attain the
results you are looking for. Always remember these 3 principles.
The human body has the ability to adapt to a wide variety of
muscular development and peak performance potential. Depending
on your current physical condition and body type, the type of
training you do will be very important.
Your aim is to identify specific objectives and apply custom training
techniques to achieve your goals. Everyone has different objectives
in mind. If your goal is to build a better body for overall fitness, your
weight lifting program will differ from that of a competitive athlete,
but the program will still need to be targeted. You need to ensure
that your training program will yield the desired results.
“What You Need To Get Big!”
In order to get big, you need quality nutrition, heavy and smart
training and plenty of rest to grow big muscles. Try thinking of these
training elements as the sides of a muscle building triangle.
If one of these elements is missing or lacking, the triangle will not
be complete. This is the same for building muscle, if one of the
principles is missing, your gains will come slowly, if at all.
I know, it seems rather simple, right? There’s got to be more to
building muscle than just these three principles? Why are there so
many hard gainers out there if this seems so simple? I’m not going
to lie to you, it’s not that simple, otherwise, everyone in your gym
would be huge.
Think about the last time you were at your gym, how many people
in there were truly impressive? Maybe one or two people. Next time
your in the gym, take a look at what those individuals are doing in
their training programs.
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You’ll see that their training programs may seem like nothing special
but when you take a closer look, they seem to be training a little
different than everyone else. We’ll take a closer look at this when we
get to the weight lifting programs.
Again, it comes down to the methods you’ve chosen to work with.
I have to admit, I’ve read a lot of material on building muscle and
strength and I’d have to say that more than half of the information
is incomplete.
This is a little frightening when you think about how many people are
following this kind of information. If you’re being fed the wrong
information, chances are your efforts are going unrewarded.
What’s the use of training hard and heavy when you’re diet isn’t
even fit for birds? What’s the use of eating 10 pounds of protein
every day when you train once every 2 weeks?
It’s the methods you choose to work with that will determine how
much muscle you’ll build. Alright, here is most misunderstood topic
of building muscle...
“Muscle Building Nutrition”
Nutrition is the factor that requires the greatest amount of thought.
I'm not going to lie to you, it can be confusing. Why? When it comes
to your diet, you have as many options as there are foods in the
world, and for better or for worse, everything you put in your mouth
can affect your performance and appearance.
I get tons of emails every day from people wanting to know how to
structure their diets to produce optimal gains.
To me, nutrition is that portion of your weight lifting program that
will separate you from the rest of the crowd. It is said that nutrition
is responsible for somewhere between 60-90% of you weight lifting
success. I would have to agree and once you understand this fact
and apply it to your weight training program, you will literally
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explode. I’m not kidding!
Make no mistake about it, nutrition is a very important part of your
weight lifting program.
Improper nutrition is frequently the chief factor holding hard gainers
back. To put it another way, hard gainers simply don't eat enough
food and the right foods to feed and fuel their muscles for gut
busting workouts. Will Brink of Muscle Building Nutrition offers
this advice:
"Gaining quality weight is a process of obtaining proper knowledge
about the foods needed, following the right ratios of those foods,
deciding on the calories required and being methodical with your
plan. Consistency, as much as anything, is why some people get the
results they want while others fail. Of course, being consistent with
a poor plan and a lack of knowledge regarding calories needed,
macro nutrient ratios, etc. is a sure route to failure." (Will Brink,
Muscle Building Nutrition)
Will certainly knows his stuff when it comes to muscle building
nutrition.
I strongly suggest you take a look at Will's book “Muscle Building
Nutrition”. An outstanding E-Book designed to help you put together
a fantastic muscle building nutrition program.
Alright, let's get down to the nuts and bolts of building muscle 101's
Getting Big! program. The second section of the Get Big! Program
will look at planning and goal setting. Do not underestimate the
power of goal setting. Once you establish your goals and objectives,
you will have no choice but to reach them.
About the Building Muscle101's Get Big! Guide
This guide provides you with a system of proper nutrition and weight
training techniques to produce optimal results. Of course, there must
be a review of nutrition and weight training to give you, the reader,
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an understanding of what is involved in the guide. You must
remember that this guide is a balance between optimum nutrition
and training techniques to produce a quality muscle building
system.
The training and nutrition methods presented in the Get Big! Guide
are based on time proven techniques backed up by cutting edge
information. The training and nutrition concepts in Building
muscle101's Get Big! Program are designed to give you the
competitive edge in sport or in other areas of your life. The training
and nutrition concepts will allow you to reach your goals quickly and
effectively. Of course, there are some techniques and tips in this
guide that will help you reach your goals quickly. Let’s move on....
“Planning To Get Big!”
Before you hit the gym, you need to identify what kind of results you
want. Believe me, you’ll get the results you want much faster if you
identify those results up front.
When it comes to preparation and planning, most weight trainers will
use the wild guess principle. A lot of these trainers will get all excited
and hit the gym with everything the got. If they happen to get
strong, great, if they don’t, chances are they’ll call it quits after a
month or so.
This method is not the most effective for building muscle. Think
about it. Why are you doing anything in training? I'm guessing you
want to build muscle and strength, right? So how can you be sure
that what you are doing is what you need to be doing?
So how do you determine what exercise you should use for building
muscle? What methods should you use? How can you be sure that
you are on the right track?
The answer is to know where you are now. Know your starting point
and identify where you want to go. This is very important and you
must outline just what it is you are trying to accomplish. This goes
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for nutrition and weight training.
When you start your muscle building program , you need to set a
few different types of goals. Looking at the big picture and breaking
it down into small mini goals will help you achieve your muscle
building goals. It’s very important that you identify your goals and
periodically monitor and adjust your goals on an ongoing basis.
Here's a look at the different types of goals you should set.
“Long Term Goals”
Give yourself a goal for the next four to six months. Make sure your
long term goals are realistic. Trying to win the Mr. Olympia body
building competition in the next 6 months is not a feasible (unless
you are already a top bodybuilder) goal. Although this may be a very
long term goal in the future (8-15 years).
You will have to judge for yourself what's feasible. For me, I wanted
to add 25 pounds to my shoulder press in 3 months (which I did). If
you are just starting out, I recommend that you set moderately
challenging goals.
If you happen to reach your goals sooner than expected, choose
more ambitious ones. Here are some examples of long term goals:
• reduce your body fat percentage by 4 percent in 12 weeks
• drop 8 pounds of body fat in 12 weeks
• Add an inch of muscle to both arms in 12 weeks
• Increasing your bench press by 30 pounds in 3 months
• Gain 8 pounds of lean muscle mass in 8 weeks
Record your long term goals on a long term goal sheet. You want to
make your goals realistic and attainable. Assess your progress on a
weekly basis using the short term goal sheet.
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I usually set up my long term goals once and stick them in a binder
and adjust on a weekly basis using my short term goal planner.
“Short Term Goals”
In order to stay motivated, you need to feel a sense of
accomplishment. Six months is a long time to wait for feelings of
success. For example, when I wanted to improve my squat by 50
pounds, I started by setting short term goals by adding 5 pounds
every other week. Set short term goals for one week to one month.
Here are some examples:
• Use the stair climber three times this week for 30 minutes each
time
• Add 10 pounds to your squat every other week
• Stay on the exercise bike 10 more minutes for one week
• Do 3 more repetitions in the bench press for one week
• Gain 2 pounds every other week
Record your short term goals in a short term goal sheet. You want
to make your goals realistic and attainable. Update your goals on a
weekly or bi weekly basis.
The best time for me to update my goals is on a Sunday. I plan my
goals for the following two weeks and update my goals on the
following Sunday.
“Immediate Goals”
These goals are every day/workout goals. This way, you know well
ahead of time, what you want to do when you approach your
exercises. Here are some examples of immediate goals:
• Stretch for 10 minutes before your workout
• Do 12 repetitions on the shoulder press instead of 10
• Add 5 pounds to the squat
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You should be thinking of these goals constantly and getting them
down on paper. I like to plan my immediate goals on my lunch
breaks at work. This way, I know what to strive for in my workouts.
I’m not a proponent of spontaneous workouts. Some people don’t
know what there going to train until they get to the gym. This
doesn’t work for me because
I need to know what needs to be done and accomplished in a
workout. You’ll find that planning your workouts and goals ahead of
time gives your better direction, discipline and motivation.
“Rewards?”
I think it's wise that you reward yourself for reaching your goals. If
for example, you reduced your body fat percentage by 4 percent, go
out and buy yourself something nice.
If you reached your short term bench press goal, go out and get a
massage or buy yourself those nice pair of shoes you’ve been looking
at. If you just completed a personal best squat, go out and get
yourself a new sweat suit. Reward yourself for a job well done.
Record your immediate term goals in the attached immediate term
goal sheet. You want to make your goals realistic and attainable.
These goals are very short term and should be adjusted every other
workout.
It’s important that your set goals and monitor them on an ongoing
basis. You want to clarify why you want to build muscle and
strength. Maybe you’re tired of being skinny, maybe you want to
look better for the summer, whatever your reasons, make sure you
clarify your goals.
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“Evaluate”
A full body Evaluation is designed to give you an idea of your current
physical condition in terms of body weight, body fat, lean body
weight and overall body measurements. What you want to do now
is evaluate your current body weight, body measurements and
possible you’re body fat levels.
By doing so, you give yourself a base starting point. Finding your
starting point is a very important success factor. From your starting
point, you will identify the amount of time needed to achieve your
goals.
If you are trying to gain weight, expect a little body fat to
accommodate your weight gain. The trick to building lean muscle is
too gradually add more and more quality calories to your diet that
doesn’t allow for the quick build up of body fat.
I would say gaining a pound or two every week is probably your max
weight gain. Anything more than that and you’re going to gain more
body fat than muscle. If this happens, you’ll need to lose fat and that
means a losing a little muscle mass.
Try and gradually add quality calories to your diet and remember to
monitor your food intake every week. If your gaining more body fat
than muscle, cut your calorie intake. If you find your not gaining
enough, increase your calorie intake.
Relying on the weight scale to determine your success is a thing of
the past. Although the scale does have it’s place, it is not the sole
determining factor of your success or failure. Weighting yourself is
a start but it doesn’t provide enough information.
Let’s say for example, you gain 12 pounds in 5 weeks. How much is
muscle and how much is fat? Let’s say you lose 8 pounds. How much
of it is fat and how much is lean mass? The scale can’t give you that
information.
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The scale is very limited in it’s ability to give you accurate
information about your body.
Using both, the scale and body fat testing is the only way to find out
whether or not you are gaining lean body mass and keeping body fat
levels manageable. By charting your progress and making the
necessary adjustments, you are ensuring that you are not just given
a number.
The information your are given tells you whether or not your diet
and training are having the desired effect. If it’s at all possible, try
and get a pair of body fat calipers and practice taking
measurements.
I personally use the Accu-Measure body fat calipers and it’s pretty
accurate. If you can’t find a pair of body fat calipers and would like
to use a pair, try clicking here. They go for about $20 and are very
accurate.
Remember to evaluate your body on a weekly basis. Try taking your
body measurements, weight measurement, and body fat
measurement one day of the week.
“Keep track of everything you
do!”
You are going to need a weight training diary and meal log. It is
very important that you write everything down. By keeping track of
your progress you are keeping yourself honest and motivated. A
training diary and meal log can help you get better results. You can
look back at the end of each week and figure out if you were on
target with the goals specified in step 1.
A training diary and meal log will shows whether your goals are
realistic and gives you insight into your exercise and eating patterns.
If your building muscle and strength, you won’t have to wonder what
works, because you’ll have a full description of everything you’ve
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done to reach your goals. This will be your blue print for muscle
building success.
A training diary and meal log can tell you what’s working and what’s
not. A training diary and meal log will also serve to keep you honest.
You may think your working out four times per week but as you sift
through your training log, you learn that you missed a workout. I
have training diaries from high school!
I suggest you make out a special log specifically for your training and
meal program. You can easily pick one up at your local bookstore.
“Muscle Building Nutrition”
Weight trainers have special dietary needs that cannot be easily
met by the traditional North American diet. As a weight trainer, it
is very important that you get your muscle building diet down to a
science. Your success is dependent on a well balanced and
complete diet that includes your optimal nutritional intake.
Poor dietary habits will hinder your progress and may eventually
lead to injury to muscles and bones because they are not supplied
with the nutrients needed to support the added stress of weight
training.
“Why nutrition?”
Nutrition is one half of the key to building muscle. Without the
proper nutrition, you might as well pack your bags and go home. No
amount of super sets, negative sets, tri-sets or pre-exhausting will
build any amount of muscle mass without the proper nutrition.
To be honest, nutrition will be that element of your muscle building
program that will put you over the edge. Nutrition will make the
difference between an o.k. physique and one that commands power.
You will go into the gym, and absolutely explode!
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When you are in a nutritionally optimal state, your strength will
explode and it will feel like someone has attached a tire pump to
your muscles!
However, you must remember that...
“Everyone is different”
Each person is biologically different and has different nutritional
needs. Some people have higher metabolism, some have different
bone density, some have naturally more fat etc.. The thing you want
to remember is your individuality.
What is best for you? For me, I would recommend that two hours
before you train, you should eat one banana, one granola bar and
one cup of yogurt. This might work wonders for me but it might do
little for you.
I suggest you find what works best for you. The only way to do this
is to find out your optimum nutrition and play around a little to find
out what works. How do you know what works? You will know by the
feeling you get in your workouts and general lifestyle.
When you find your optimal nutritional state, your workouts become
the absolute best feeling in your life. You are more energized during
the day and feel all round fantastic.
Once you get there, stay there. Just keep adding more and more
of the foods that work for you to accommodate your new growth.
“Complete Nutrition”
Complete nutrition leads to optimal nutrition. Over supplementation
of certain nutrients will lead to imbalances in overall nutrition and is
damaging to your building muscle program and health. New weight
trainers and seasoned athletes require different proportions of
protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals to meet different
demands of training.
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Focus on attaining complete nutrition. This will lead to optimal
nutrition for your body and weight lifting goals. Design your diet with
a full spectrum of nutrients from foods and high quality sports
supplements designed to provide you with the proper nutrition.
“Consistency”
Building muscle is a slow and enduring process. In order to
constantly improve your performance, you need to be consistent
with your optimum nutrition diet. Strive to stick to your diet year
round.
This way, you are never that far off from your desired peak
performance state. You might think that there is no way you are
going to stick to the same foods year round since your taste buds
are going to go stale.
The trick is to stick to your optimal nutritional intake but adjust your
menu. Eating plain broiled chicken every day will test even the most
dedicated of trainers. I suggest finding a menu that is healthy and
tasty.
If you want a great tasting menu for building muscle, I’ve added
some menus which will help you test and taste the foods that you
like and enjoy.
“Muscle Building Recipes”
I have just recently stumbled upon on a great recipe book for weight
lifters and body builders. It's called Tasty Fat Loss and Muscle
Gaining Recipes. Click here to check it out.
A true gold mine of body building recipes designed for, you
guessed it, weight lifters. You'll find plenty of great tasting body
building recipes in this book.
The best thing about this book is that it's free. You get over 25
recipes and they’re delicious and a snap to make.
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Here are some of the recipes:
• Ground Turkey Omelet
• Chocolate Banana Protein Bars
• Protein Fortified Rice
• Spicy Turkey Chilli
• Protein Waffles
• Chicken Kabob
• Beef Chop Suey
• Home Made Meal Replacement Powder
And much more...
Simply click here and you'll have instant access to over 25 delicious
muscle building recipes.
If you're looking for fantastic body building recipes, check out this
free e-book.
These recipes are designed for people who are on the go. Not
everyone can cook and train full time so the recipes are quick and
tasty.
“Food Synergy”
Combinations of foods are the trick to building muscle. No one
supplement or food will magically transform your body into a muscle
building machine, despite what supplement manufacturer’s say. Find
the right combination of foods for your type of body and training
goals.
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“Use These Tips For Optimum Nutrition For Building
Muscle”
1. Cut out the junk food
2. Drink enough clean water
3. Eat a variety of foods
4. Consume the necessary protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins
and minerals.
5. Consume salt in moderation
6. Structure your diet that is low in processed sugars
7. Eat foods that are high in complex carbohydrates and fibre
8. Take quality nutritional supplements
With this in mind, let’s find out a little about roles that protein,
carbohydrates, and fat play in your muscle building program.
“Protein - The Ultimate Muscle
Builder ”
Protein builds muscle. Without an adequate supply of protein, your
body will not support any kind of muscle growth. If you supply your
body with the optimum amount of protein, you ensure optimal
growth, it’s as simple as that. After all, you want to build muscle and
to do that, you need a steady supply of high quality protein.
Inside your body, there is a self repair process that occurs day in
and day out. The main nutrient that is responsible for building and
repairing body tissues is protein. Protein is that wonderful nutrient
that allows muscle to repair and grow.
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Actually, protein is everywhere in our bodies, bones, muscle,
connective tissue, blood cells, skin, hair, and fingernails.
Just how does protein build muscle? The process is quite
magnificent, you see, during digestion, protein is broken down into
amino acids by other proteins (enzymes). Amino acids are often
called the building blocks of life. Amino acids are like links in a chain,
and when they join together they form protein strands.
Protein strands are derived from roughly 22 amino acids and
depending on how they are strung together will determine the
characteristic of that protein.
There are 13 amino acids that the body can produce and are called
non essential amino acids. The other 9 are called essential amino
acids which the body cannot produce and must come from your diet.
After digestion, the amino acids enter the cells and upon receiving
instructions from DNA, are reconstructed to form new protein
needed to build and repair tissue. An absolutely perfect building
system! All you need is the right food and presto, you have the
building material for your muscle foundation.
So, you see, protein is absolutely necessary for the maintenance and
growth of body tissues. Once protein is absorbed, it will:
• Help synthesize hormones, neurotransmitters, enzymes and other
bio chemicals
• Be consumed as energy during periods of intense stress, injury
and caloric deficit
• Assist the functioning of the immune system
• Help repair existing levels of tissue
Based on the mechanics of lifting weights, muscle fibres are actually
torn at the microscopic level when the muscle is forced to lengthen
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when it wants to contract. These tears can be felt the morning after
you work out, your muscles will be very sore depending on the
amount of stress you put on your body.
I’m sure most of you have experienced this pain (especially after a
heavy leg day!). In order to protect you from future assaults, your
body will make your muscles larger and stronger to better
accommodate the stress.
In order to repair the tears in the muscle, protein is needed. Protein
is broken down into amino acids and enter the cell where they are
reconstructed to form new proteins which repairs and builds the
muscle. You can now see why protein is referred to as the building
blocks of life.
“Protein Requirements”
So how much protein should you eat for maximum performance and
muscle gain? Each of us have very different body types and the
amount of protein will differ from individual to individual. Protein
intake will also depend on the amount of activity involved and how
frequently you do it.
I find that taking .7 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight
works best for me. You will have to do a bit of experimenting at the
beginning to find out your optimal protein intake.
There are different views on how much protein you actually need to
sustain muscle growth but I believe as active weight trainers, we
need more protein than the average person. As active weight
trainers, you’re going to need more protein than the normal person
or less active person.
Building muscle is your goal and therefore your level of training
intensity will be high. The amount of stress you put on your body will
be high and therefore, you will require additional protein to support
muscle growth.
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I recommend you eat .7 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body
weight. Percentage wise, I recommend that your diet consist of 15%
to 25% protein.
“Properly Timing Protein Intake”
Ingesting protein right after a hard workout will be your window of
opportunity and the most optimal time to ingest protein. I cannot
stress the importance of ingesting protein upon completion of your
workouts.
Why? This is your golden opportunity for building muscle, and trust
me, this will help you put you on the road to building hard, strong
muscles.
You see, after you have had a gruelling workout, your body is in a
state of havoc. The body is starting the repair and growth process of
muscle tissue. You can greatly enhance this recovery process by
consuming protein after your workout.
Research has shown that you can get a head start on this recovery
process by ingesting at least .5 grams of protein per kilogram of
body weight along with a high glycemic carbohydrate such as
maltodextrin, dextrose, or sucrose within 30 minutes of working out.
Why carbohydrates with protein? When carbohydrates is taken with
protein, there’s a blast of insulin. Insulin kicks the body’s glycogen
making machine into high gear.
Glycogen is considered the principal storage form of glucose and is
found mainly in liver and muscle. Glucose supplies the tissues with
energy and are found principally in the liver, and muscle as
glycogen.
Therefore, insulin will speed up the movement of glucose and amino
acids into cells which is what you definitely want and secondly, it
activates a special enzyme which is essential for glycogen synthesis.
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Wait ,there’s more….Additional research has shown that ingesting
a protein/carbohydrate supplement after exercise triggers the
release of growth hormone.
This is fantastic news for our budding weight trainers! Both insulin
and growth hormone promote muscle growth. I can’t overstate the
importance of taking in protein and carbohydrates after you
exercise.
Here’s what I suggest. Try drinking a protein shake immediately
after your workouts that contain the necessary carbohydrates and
protein to facilitate growth.
If you’re like me, you want protein powders that taste good. I
remember when I first started out, my first protein drink consisted
of a tar like substance that tasted about the same.
Protein powders have come a long way and there are a few out there
that have a great product that actually taste good. Here is a good
example of an after workout power drink:
Power Drink II
1 ½ cup strawberries
1 cup low fat strawberry yogurt
1 scoop(2oz) vanilla protein powder- 22 grams protein
1 tbsp honey
1 ½ cup low fat or 1% milk
1 cup orange juice
*optional - 5 grams of creatine monohydrate
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.
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The nutritional content is provided below. As you can see, this is
definitely a power drink and will support a very intense weight
training session.
food amount calories protein carbs fat
strawberries 1 ½
cup
69 1.5 15.6 .9
yogurt 1 cup 158 12.6 26 .8
protein
powder
1 scoop 110 22 2.6 1.4
honey 1 tbsp 60 0 17 0
1% milk 1 ½
cup
108 8.4 12 2.6
orange juice 1 cup 85 0 20.2 0
serving total 590 44.5 93.4 5.7
“How Much Protein And Carbohydrates Should You
Ingest After Exercise?”
I recommend that you take in 1 to 1.5 grams of high glycemic index
carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight with 5. of protein per
kilogram of body weight, preferably a protein that is easily absorbed
such as whey. For example if you weighted 100 kilograms you would
ingest 100 grams of carbohydrates and 50 grams of protein.
Now, what is a high glycemic index carbohydrate? The glycemic
index ranks foods on how they affect our blood sugar levels. This
index measures how much your blood sugar increases in the two or
three hours after eating.
The glycemic index is about foods high in carbohydrates. I can’t
overstate the importance of getting into the habit of consuming
protein and carbohydrates after your workouts.
Protein is the building block of muscles. Protein is made up of amino
acids which are the elements that build muscle. Your muscle building
protein sources should come primarily from animal sources such as
milk, chicken, eggs, beef, and fish.
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These sources contain all of the essential amino acids. I recommend
that you consume at least one gram of protein per pound of body
weight each day in order to be certain you're nourishing your body
for recovery and growth.
Here is a list of excellent protein sources:
-Chicken breast
-Venison
-Round steak
-Scallops
-Sirloin steak
-Lean ham
-Pork tenderloin
-Low fat milk
-Lean turkey
-Low fat cottage cheese
-Turkey breasts
-Low fat cheddar cheese
-Whey
-Egg whites
Additionally, supplement your diet with a protein powder. Ingesting
a protein drink immediately after your workouts and before bedtime
will greatly enhance your muscle gains. If you haven’t started doing
this - Start Today!
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“Fuel The Muscle Machine -
Carbohydrates”
If you want to build muscle, your going to have to take in a lot of
quality, complex carbohydrates. No question about it. You are going
to have to fuel your body to handle heavy weight training.
Carbohydrates are a very important source of fuel for the muscles as
well as the leading source of energy for your body. When you have
a hard workout, your body draws on carbohydrates, which is stored
as glycogen in the muscles.
Glycogen is the product of glucose which comes from the breakdown
of carbohydrates after the digestion of food. Glycogen is stored in
the liver and muscle.
During a long intense workout, you can easily deplete your glycogen
reserves. When your muscles cannot get enough glycogen, fatigue
sets in and your body begins to lose endurance and performance
drastically reduces.
I’m sure all of you have experienced this drastic drop in strength and
endurance at one time or another during a long intense training
session.
However, there is a way to delay the onset of muscle fatigue. By
taking enough carbohydrates each day you are ensuring that the
amount of glycogen stored in the muscles is being constantly
replenished. Every meal must have sufficient carbohydrates to
sustain your hard intense workouts.
I like to think of my muscle cells as mini fuel tanks. If you want to
keep going hard, you are going to have to keep the fuel tanks filled
with top notch fuel.
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“Carbohydrate Types”
Carbohydrates come in three categories:
• Monosaccharides- simple sugars such various fruits and honey
• Disaccharides- sucrose such as table sugar
• Polysaccharides- complex carbohydrates such as pasta, whole
grains, and legumes
The difference between each of the above carbohydrate is the rate
at which they are converted into blood sugar by the body and
metabolized as energy.
Carbohydrates that are converted quickly such as simple sugars and
sucrose provide short term energy. Complex carbohydrates are
converted at a much slower rate and provide long term energy. It is
recommended that a healthy diet should consist of 15% simple
sugars and 85% complex carbohydrates.
It is no wonder that complex carbohydrates such as cereal, pasta,
whole grains, fruits, vegetables and other carbohydrates are the food
of choice for weight lifters, strength athletes, and endurance
athletes.
Carbohydrates is the fuel that keeps the muscle going, and it will
spare protein from having to be picked up as an extra energy source,
which you don’t want since protein’s main function is to build muscle,
not fuel it.
“How Much And How Often To Consume
Carbohydrates”
Building muscle requires plenty of complex carbohydrates. To
support the strenuous workouts you will be following, I recommend
that 50% to 65% of your diet is made up of carbohydrates.
It is best to consume carbohydrates at a steady rate throughout the
day at desired ratios, preferably every two to three hours. Refer to
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optimum nutrition planner to figure out your desired nutrient ratios
including your carbohydrate consumption. Once you have adjusted
your carbohydrate intake to the right levels, you should start making
additional strength gains and stamina levels should increase.
“Increasing Caloric Intake From Carbohydrates To
Build Huge Muscles”
The most important nutritional element of building muscle is caloric
intake, specifically from carbohydrates. Building muscle requires
intense, gut busting workouts. A tremendous amount of energy is
required to sustain this type of activity- energy that is best supplied
by carbohydrates. A well balanced diet consisting of quality complex
carbohydrates allows for the greatest recovery of glycogen stores on
a daily basis.
Ongoing replenishment of glycogen is required to let your muscles
work to their fullest. A diet rich in quality complex carbohydrates
allows for the replenishment of glycogen and therefore, building
muscle. Here is a list of excellent carbohydrate choices that you will
want to include in your building muscle diet.
Whole wheat breads Oatmeal Apples
Whole wheat bagels Cream of wheat Yams
English muffin Mushrooms Beets
Whole wheat pitas Red and green peppers Cabbage
Bran muffin Bananas Cucumber
Granola bar Strawberries Rye bread
Granola Blueberries Zucchini
Baked potatoes Whole grain cereals Alfalfa
sprouts Sweet potatoes Peaches
Pastas Spinach Rice
Lima beans Beans Pears
Lentils Broccoli Asparagus
Whole- wheat- tortillas
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Now that we know what fuels muscle, let’s find out what the scoop
is on fat.
“Fat And Muscle”
Fat is a concentrated source of energy. After a hard intense workout,
you glycogen supply can be reduced to nothing. Fat stores on the
other hand are practically an unlimited source of energy.
If fat stores are practically unlimited, why worry about carbohydrate
intake and glycogen replenishment? And why not just increase fat
intake to supply your energy source?
True, there is a lot of fat on your body to supply plenty of fuel for
hard training and for a long time. But fat can only be broken down
and used for fuel as long as oxygen is present. If oxygen is not
present, fat cannot be used for fuel.
Glycogen on the other hand does not need oxygen to be present in
order for it to be used as fuel. When starting exercise, oxygen is not
present. It takes anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes of exercise before
fat can be used as energy as oxygen becomes more abundant.
Glucose and glycogen are called up first.
Fat calories tend to be converted to body fat more easily than either
protein or Carbohydrates. Why? There are roughly 9 calories per
gram of fat as opposed to 4 calories per gram of protein or
carbohydrates.
That’s roughly 2 1/4 more calories per gram than protein or
carbohydrates! Make no mistake about it, the more fat you eat, the
more fat you get. Simple as that.
Fatty acids from food are broken down into 3 groups: Saturated,
polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated. Saturated fats harden at
room temperature and usually come from animal sources such as
beef and butter fat.
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Milk, cream, ice cream, and other products made from milk or cream
all contain butter fat. If you diet is high in saturated fat, you may
want to reduce your daily consumption.
Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are usually in liquid form
at room temperature and come from vegetable, nut, and seed
sources.
Polyunsaturated fats are found in corn oil, flaxseed oil, pumpkin oil,
safflower oil, soybean oil, and sunflower oil. Polyunsaturated fats are
usually liquid at room temperature, and remain in liquid form even
when refrigerated or frozen.
Monounsaturated fats are found in almond oil, avocado oil, canola
oil, olive oil, peanut oil, and certain cold water fish species such
salmon, halibut, mackerel, and rainbow trout. Monounsaturated fats
are typically liquid at room temperature, but solidify when
refrigerated.
“Essential Fats”
Dietary fat is essential for good health. Fats act as carriers for
vitamins E, D, A and K and help in absorption. Fats also supply the
body with essential fatty acids (EFA’s). Essential meaning your body
can’t produce these fats and they have to come from food.
EFA’s are required for normal growth, a healthy circulatory system,
the maintenance of cell membranes, a healthy nervous system and
strong connective tissues and cell walls. They also lubricate and
protect your joints and help keep your skin smooth.
“Too much fat?”
Too much fat in your diet can cause rapid weight gain and gradually
leads to obesity and other related health problems. Excessive
saturated fat in the diet can also elevate cholesterol levels,
particularly LDL (low density lipoprotein) which is bad cholesterol.
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Fats should comprise of 10% to 25% of your dietary needs. A low fat
diet should contain more unsaturated than saturated fat as such: 5
percent saturated, 8 percent monousaturated, and 7 percent
polyunsaturated.
Structuring your diet and getting your nutritional requirements down
is one of the more important aspects to achieving success with a
weight training program. To totally structure your muscle building
diet is beyond the scope of this guide.
Therefore, if I had to recommend a great resource to help you put
together your muscle building diet, I suggest you take a look at Will
Brink’s e-book Muscle Building Nutrition.
The e-book will show you exactly how many calories you should be
consuming, how much protein, carbohydrates, and fat you should be
taking in for optimal results for lean muscle growth. The e-book can
be downloaded in an instant and it will show you how to structure
your muscle building diet.
Click here for a free sample of Muscle Building Nutrition.
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“10 Tips To Get Huge”
1- Consume at least one gram of protein per pound of body weight
each day. For example, if you weight 150 pounds, you should be
eating at least 150 grams of protein each and every day.
2- Consume at least 3 to 4 grams of carbohydrates per pound of
body weight each day. Make sure that most of these carbohydrates
come from complex sources such as pasta, rice, oatmeal, potatoes
and yams and fibrous vegetables such as broccoli and asparagus.
The only time you should be feeding your body fast acting
carbohydrates is immediately after your workouts.
3- Ingest health fats from sources such as nuts and seeds, olives,
flax seed and canola oils. Reduce your intake of saturated and trans
fatty acids.
4- Read Will Brink's e-book entitled “Muscle Building Nutrition”.
Believe me, this is one book you will want to read.
5- No need to starve yourself on this program. If you want to add
muscle, you need to consume calorie dense foods such as complex
carbs and weight gain drinks. I suggest you try a weight gain drink
such as Prolab's N2 Large. A fantastic weight gain powder that will
put a serious kick in your gains.
6- Your diet ratio should be 50 to 55% carbohydrates, 25 to 30%
protein and 15 to 20% fat. See Will Brink's Muscle Building Nutrition
for a complete break down of optimal nutrient ratios.
Mr. Brink will show you step by step how to figure out how much
protein, fats, and carbohydrates are needed and in what ratios for
your individual requirements for gaining lean mass.
7- Spread your eating over a minimum of five meals per day, taking
in at least 30 grams of protein per meal. By spreading out your
meals in this fashion will ensure that the nutrients for the muscle
building process are constantly being supplied.
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8- Try drinking a whey protein shake 1 hour before your work out.
This way you ensure your muscles are filled with top quality protein
before going into a hard workout. Trust me, this tip can greatly
enhance your weight lifting program.
9- Try drinking a protein shake immediately after training. The shake
should be made up of 40 to 50 grams of whey protein and about 50
to 100 grams of fast acting carbohydrates. This is a very important
tip! And will definitely boost your efforts.
10- Drink a lot of water! Try drinking at least one gallon of water per
day. Water is essential for building muscle.
* Nutritional Secret To Gaining
Quality Muscle*
Ever wonder why some people just keep growing and growing? No
matter what these people do, they just seem to build more and more
muscle. I’m going to let you in on one of the most important aspects
to building muscle, OPTIMAL NUTRIENT INTAKE.
Ingesting the proper amounts of nutrients that is optimal for your
body type will get you on the road to building power and size,
quickly.
This is an essential component to building muscle and must be in
place if you ever want to build a muscular body. It doesn't matter if
you are gaining lean body mass or losing body fat, you have to know
exactly what your putting into your mouth.
To find your optimal nutrient intake you must first find your base
caloric intake. From there, slowly increase the amount of quality
calories your ingest per day until you start gaining at your desired
pace. This is one of the true keys to building muscle.
Believe me, once you start feeding your body the right amount of
calories, protein, carbohydrates, and fat, you'll grow like wildfire!
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Here's a quick way to do it. First, take your body weight and multiply
that by 17. If you weight 176 pounds, multiply that by 17 and you'll
get roughly 3,000 calories. This is your base caloric intake per day.
Secondly, you will break down your base caloric intake into optimal
amounts of macronutrients you will need to start growing.
Macronutrients are protein, carbohydrates, and fat. You will need to
determine how much protein, carbohydrates, and fat you need to
start.
“Determine The Amount Of Protein You Need To
Achieve Your Goals”
A weight lifting diet will contain 20% to 30% protein. I recommend
25% of your weight lifting diet be made up of protein. Remember
that one gram of protein is equal to 4 calories.
To find out how much protein you need in your weight lifting diet,
simply take your desired caloric intake that you figured out above
and multiply that number by your desired protein percentage (25%).
Use that number and divide it by 4 which will give you your new
daily protein requirement in grams.
For example, if you need 3,000 calories to gain an extra pound of
body weight per week, you will need the following protein
requirements:
3,000 x .25 = 750 / 4 = 188 grams of protein per day.
If you are eating 6 times a day (which you should be doing), you will
need 188 / 6 = 31 grams of protein per meal
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“Determine The Amount Of Carbohydrates You
Need To Achieve Your Goals”
A weight lifting diet will contain 55% to 65% carbohydrates. I
recommend that 55% of your weight lifting diet be made up of
carbohydrates. Remember that one gram of carbohydrate is equal to
4 calories.
To find out how much carbohydrates you need in your weight lifting
diet, simply take your desired caloric intake (as above) and multiply
that number by your desired carbohydrate percentage (55%).
Use that number and divide it by 4 which will give you your new
daily carbohydrate requirements in grams.
For example, if you need 3,000 calories to gain an extra pound of
body weight per week, you will need the following carbohydrate
requirements:
3,000 x .55 = 1,650 / 4 = 413 grams of carbohydrates per day
If you are eating 6 times a day, you will need 413 / 6 = 69 grams of
carbohydrates per meal
“Determine The Amount Of Fat You Need To
Achieve Your Goals”
A weight lifting diet will contain 15% to 25% of fat. I recommend
that 20% of your weight lifting diet be made up of fat. Remember
that one gram of fat is equal to 9 calories.
To find out how much fat you need in your weight lifting diet, simply
take your desired caloric intake that you figured out above and
multiply that number by your desired fat percentage (20%).
Use that number and divide it by 9 which will give you your new
daily fat requirement in grams.
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For example, if you need 3,000 calories to gain an extra pound of
body weight per week, you will need the following fat requirements:
3,000 x .20 = 600 / 9 = 67 grams of fat per day.
If you are eating 6 times a day, you will need 67 / 6 = 11 grams of
fat per meal
Once you figure out your base caloric intake, you simply determine
your meal plan. Break your meals down into breakfast, mid morning,
lunch, mid afternoon, post workout and dinner.
Once you find your base caloric intake, simply increase the amount
of calories you consume by 300 to 500 calories per day until you
start gaining at your desired pace.
For example, let's say you start out consuming 3,000 calories per
day. In order to start gaining 1 pound per week, you need to add in
an additional 500 calories or 3,500 calories per day to start gaining
a pound per week.
What do you eat? This is a question I hear over and over. I suggest
you take a look at these 25 muscle building recipes to give you an
idea of what you should be eating. The recipes are simple and great
tasting. Simple click here to get your muscle building recipes.
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“Supplements To Help You Get
Big!”
Do you need supplements to build muscle and get strong? No. You
can certainly get by without using supplements. There have been
many claims to what building muscle supplements can and cannot
do.
As weight lifters we are bombarded with advertisements about the
latest break through or wonder sports supplement that will literally
change our bodies overnight.
It’s important to put muscle building supplements into perspective.
You can make great muscle building gains without supplementation.
However, you cannot make great muscle building gains without
proper training and nutrition.
Supplements enhance and promotes the muscle gains made from
hard training and nutrition. Muscle building supplements should not
replace the food in your weight lifting diet.
However, supplements can play an important role in your muscle
building as convenience tools in our very busy lives. For example:
• Perhaps there are some foods that you can't eat or don't like.
Supplements can fill in the nutritional gap left by excluding
such foods
• Maybe your schedule is so busy that you don't have time to
prepare food
• Maybe you want to gain that competitive edge
In order for supplements to function properly, they must be taken at
the proper times and in the proper amounts.
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At this stage, we are interested in building muscle, so it is an
excellent time to begin taking supplements if you aren’t already.
Remember to have your diet down to a science before you start
taking any supplements.
Let’s go over some of the more popular supplements that may be
useful in your building muscle program. The basics...
“Protein Powder”
To build muscle, you need protein. You need to supply your body
with the necessary amino acids found in protein. Protein is the
nutrient most responsible for the creation of new muscle
tissue.
Without an adequate supply of protein, new muscular growth is not
possible. If you lack protein, you radically reduce your chances of
building new muscle.
In the worst case scenario, you risk the chance of losing hard earned
muscle. Training hard while in a protein deficiency state can be very
hazardous to your training regime. If you want to build muscle,
you're gonna need lots of protein.
Supplementing with protein in the form of premixed drinks or shakes
made from powders can help supply your daily protein needs.
Consume a protein powder shake containing 30 grams or more or
protein. Try drinking at least one per day to supplement your
whole food diet.
“Weight Gain Powders”
We’ve all seen the ads on the huge pails, “mass monster”, “weight
gainer 3000", “lean builder”or “muscle builder”. These products
belong to a group of weight lifting supplements known as weight
gainer powders.
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Most weight gain powders contain a mixture of carbohydrates,
protein, vitamins and minerals, amino acids and other ingredients
that are thought to improve body performance.
These weight lifting supplements contain huge amounts of the basic
food nutrients. Protein in particular, comprises the bulk of these
weight lifting supplements.
If you’re under weight, and having trouble gaining muscular weight,
these high calorie supplements may be what’s needed to pack on
those extra pounds.
A word of caution, these weight lifting supplements are loaded with
calories, over a thousand per serving in some cases so don’t over do
it. It’s very important to monitor your weight lifting diet and caloric
intake in order to make sure you don’t add too much body fat as
opposed to muscle.
Remember that each meal must be balanced according to your
desired nutritional goals and weight gain powders are no exception.
“Meal Replacement Powders”
Another option to weight gain powders are meal replacement
powders. Meal replacement powders (MRP) are great weight lifting
supplements to use as balanced snacks and after weight lifting
exercise to consume as balanced carbohydrate-protein-fat
combinations for potential muscle building enhancements.
These weight lifting supplements provide less calories than weight
gain powders and are much better tasting.
Some of the more popular MRP’s include MuscleTech’s Meso-Tech,
MET-RX, Labrada’s Lean Body, and EAS’s Myoplex.
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“Creatine”
Creatine is a very popular weight lifting supplement because of it's
ability to produce results very quickly. Here's why.
Creatine is produced in the liver and kidneys from 3 non essential
amino acids, arginine, glycine, and methionine. Roughly 95% or the
body's creatine travels by blood to be stored in the muscles, body
cells, and heart.
Once inside the muscle cells, it's turned into a compound called
creatine phoshate. Creatine phoshpate acts as a short term energy
supply, enough for several seconds of action.
Creatine works best in activities such as weight lifting and strength
training where short bursts of strength are required. This is very
beneficial for our purpose since we want to build muscle and power.
Creatine boosts the pace of energy production in your cells. You can
work out more intensely, and this means more muscle gains.
Creatine also replenishes reserves of ATP, the fuel that provides the
power of muscle contractions. More ATP means more muscle
contractions and hence, a stronger muscle. Once creatine is in your
muscles, you are able to push harder and longer in your workouts.
Creatine usually comes in a powdered form as creatine
monohydrate, a white powder which is tasteless and odourless. The
best time to take creatine is immediately after training. It should be
combined with 50 grams of a simple carbohydrate such as dextrose
or glucose and 50 grams of whey protein.
The body can only absorb so much creatine at a given time and too
much creatine can cause cramps, nausea and bloating.
I suggest you take your creatine weight lifting supplement before
and after your workouts. This increases creatine levels before
exercise and speeds up recovery afterwards.
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By ingesting creatine, you will recover faster from your workouts,
reduce muscle soreness, and increase muscle volume. Try taking 5
to 10 grams per day.
“Glutamine”
This one is a very interesting weight lifting supplement which has
gained a lot of popularity these recent years.
Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body. Most
glutamine is stored in your muscles, but there are rather significant
amounts found in your blood, lungs, brain, and liver.
Among other things, glutamine serves as a building block for
proteins and other amino acids. Glutamine has been shown in recent
studies to optimize recovery. It does this in the following
ways:
1) Spares protein
2) Stimulates the formation of glycogen
3) Protects immunity
4) Enhances protein synthesis
During very intense exercise, your muscles release glutamine into
the blood stream. This can severely deplete the amount of glutamine
reserves you have in your muscles. Such a short supply
of glutamine in your muscles can pose a problem.
A glutamine deficiency can possibly lead to the breakdown of muscle
tissue. But if there is sufficient glutamine available, muscle loss can
be prevented.
Glutamine also promotes the formation of glycogen. As you know,
glycogen is the number one fuel source of muscle. The more
glycogen you have available for energy, the better.
Glutamine is the number one fuel source for cells that make up your
immune system. Very intense exercise can severely deplete the
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amount of glutamine you have in your muscles.
Researchers now believe that this may be the cause for a weakened
immune system for hard core trainers and athletes.
Supplementing with glutamine may ward off some of those nasty
bugs and keep you training hard. Glutamine also enhances protein
synthesis by assisting with controlling hydration levels of cells (cell
volumization).
By assisting in maintaining cell volume, protein synthesis is
stimulated and protein breakdown is decreased. If you are interested
in maximum performance, muscle repair, and immunity, glutamine
may be what your looking for.
The role of glutamine in protein synthesis cannot be underestimated.
A great supplement that enhances immunity as well as muscle
recovery and growth. Take 10 to 35 grams of glutamine daily.
“Multivitamin/multi mineral”
Hard weight lifting workouts increase your nutritional needs. There
is no doubt about it. Having extra amounts of vitamins and minerals
may be the one weight lifting supplement you may really want to
consider adding into your weight lifting diet.
Taking vitamin weight lifting supplements should not take the place
of good nutrition. Your body can get almost all the nutrients it needs
from a balanced weight lifting diet.
However, research has shown that most North Americans fall short
of the requirements for many key nutrients, including vitamins C, E,
B12, folic acid, zinc, and magnesium, which is why a growing
number of people are turning to supplements.
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It is important to remember that vitamins are not a source of
energy. Vitamins do not necessarily affect exercise but perform
highly specific metabolic functions, especially in energy metabolism.
Vitamins and minerals are vital to all our biological functions
including the synthesis of new muscle tissue. Vitamins help release
the energy provided by the macro nutrients such as protein,
carbohydrates, and fat.
Although you should be getting your daily requirements from your
weight lifting diet, I'm a proponent of taking a quality
vitamin/mineral weight lifting supplement.
I like to think of it as good insurance, especially a good antioxidant
multiple containing 100% of the daily values for vitamins and
minerals.
These formulations will help you cover your nutritional bases,
ensuring your body is at maximum performance.
A good multi pack is the best defence against vitamin and mineral
deficiencies, which can hinder your progress. Make sure the multi
pack contains anti oxidants.
“ZMA”
What is ZMA? It is a scientifically designed anabolic mineral support
formula. It contains Zinc Monomethionine Aspartate plus Magnesium
Aspartate and vitamin B-6, and is an all-natural product. studies
have shown that ZMA has been proven to increase muscle strength
in trained athletes.
If you have don't have access to a health food store, try going to
Muscle Surf Their pretty cheap and the delivery time is fast. Click
here to go directly to Muscle Surf.
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Here is a sample supplement schedule.
Wake up
½ hour before breakfast- 10
grams of glutamine
Immediately after breakfast
Multi/vitamin tablet or packet
Use according to label
directions
Desiccated liver tabs
3 to 5 tablets
Mid morning snack
Protein powder/*MRP/weight
gainer
Use between meals as snack
Immediately after lunch
Desiccated liver tabs
3 to 5 tablets
1 hour before training
20 to 50 grams of whey protein
powder with some slow burning
carbs.
Post workout drink
Protein powder or weight gain
drink with 5 grams of creatine
Immediately after dinner
Desiccated liver tabs
3 to 5 tablets
Evening snack
Protein drink with 10 grams of
glutamine
ZMA - before retiring
Use according to directions
*MRP = Meal Replacement Powders
Remember to experiment a little when it comes to weight lifting
supplements. Use the best weight lifting supplementation that works
best for you.
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“Get Big! FAST”
Don't get too crazy when it comes to dieting. I suggest you indulge
in a cheat meal every week or so that includes one of your favourite
meals. This can be pizza, cheeseburgers, or whatever you fancy. Just
remember not to go over board.
What most hard gainers want is to pack on the pounds, even if some
of those pounds are a little "soft". Don't get to worried about not
seeing your serrated serratus at this point. What you want to do
here is develop mass and strength.
You can't do that on a diet that's fit for birds. Don't worry about the
"after" details until you've achieved the "before" mass. In other
words, get big first and then worry about dieting later.
The following points will help pack on the pounds fast:
• Restrict the amount of cardio work you do. Focus of resting to
recuperate from your weight lifting routine.
• Consume more calories. Eat slightly beyond the point of satiety.
Remember to eat a big, healthy breakfast.
• When boosting your caloric intake, gradually increase the amount
of calories over a period of 7 to 10 days. This way, you are using
the extra calories as fuel as opposed to storing it as fat. If you
find yourself stuck, gradually increase the amount of calories per
day.
• Eat at least 6 times per day, counting significant snacks such as
protein shakes as meals.
• Use weight gain powders to boost your daily calories. Remember
not to go overboard on the drinks. Try one a day immediately
after your workouts. If you find your not gaining, try adding one
more.
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• Don't go crazy on the cheating principle. Try and minimize the
amount of high fat and high sugar foods you consume.
“The Get Big! Diet And Meal Plans”
When most people think of dieting, they think of getting smaller. Yet,
it's equally important that you diet to grow big. To expand your
muscles, you need to always be aware of the foods you're fueling
and feeding them with.
Along with training and rest, proper nutrition is one of the three
essential principles of optimal muscle growth. Always remember this,
in order to get big, you have to eat big.
I recommend that for the first two weeks, you keep your base caloric
intake constant and adjust to the new levels of nutrient intake. What
you want to do here is adjust your body metabolism and prime your
body.
After two weeks, think about putting on ½ to 1 pound of body weight
per 100 pounds of body weight each week for the next two to three
weeks. After 5 weeks, gain an average of ½ pound of body weight
per 100 pounds of body weight each week. You will need to monitor
your progress and make any adjustments.
You will also need to weigh yourself first thing in the morning and
record your weight. If you are not gaining your desired weight,
slowly add in another 300 to 500 additional calories per day.
Continue adding calories until you gain at your desired rate. Word of
caution.
If you start gaining to rapidly, decrease your caloric intake in the
same fashion. At some point, you will eventually gain at your desired
rate. Always remember to monitor your weight gain.
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As you gain body weight, you will need to eat more to support the
additional pounds you are carrying.
The following meal plans examples of the frequency and types of
food you should be eating. Remember, be creative when you are
putting your meal plan together. You can choose other foods,
depending on your taste and budget, and other meal times,
depending on your meal schedule.
Meal Plan 1
Wake up
½ hour before breakfast- 10 grams
of glutamine
Breakfast
4 oz of turkey bacon
4 eggs
1 glass of 2 percent milk
120 grams of oatmeal
2 table spoons of raisins
1 Multivitamin pack
Mid morning snack
1 piece of fruit
1 low fat granola bar
1 glass of 2 percent milk
or
weight gain drink
Lunch
6 oz canned tuna or chicken
1 potato
8 oz of mixed veggies
Midafternoon snack
1 cup yogurt
1 low fat granola bar
1 apple
Post workout drink
Protein powder or weight gain drink
with 5 grams of creatine
Dinner
8 oz lean chicken or lean steak
8 oz of mixed veggies
1 baked potato
1 glass of 2 percent milk
Evening snack
Protein drink with 10 grams of
glutamine
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Meal Plan 2
Wake up
½ hour before breakfast- 10 grams
of glutamine
Breakfast
½ cup bran flakes
1 cup 1% milk
1 medium peach
1 whole wheat toast
1 tbsp peanut butter
1 Multivitamin pack
Mid morning snack
½ cup strawberries
½ cup low fat yogurt
1 scoop (2oz) vanilla protein powder
1 cup 1% milk
½ cup orange juice
Mix all ingredients in a blender.
or
Weight gain drink
Lunch
½ can salmon
2 tbsp light mayonnaise
1 tsp horseradish
2 green onions-chopped
1 tbsp toasted pecan-chopped
Dash of parsley
2 slices whole wheat toast
1 cup 2% milk
In a bowl, flake salmon, remove skin.
Mash bones with salmon. Stir in
mayonnaise, horseradish, onion,
pecans and parsley.
Serve on whole wheat bread. Serve
with milk.
Midafternoon snack
3/4 cup 1% cottage cheese
½ can (4 oz) sliced peaches
1 English muffin
1 tbsp peanut butter
Post workout drink
1 scoop protein powder (2oz)
1 cup orange juice
1 medium banana
1 cup 2% milk
½ tbsp honey
5 grams of creatine
Blend all ingredients in a blender
or
Weight gain drink with 5 grams of
creatine
Dinner
2 oz lean beef
1 oz spaghetti
1 slice whole wheat bread
1/4 cup pasta sauce
1/4 onion- sliced
½ cup mushrooms
1 tsp light margarine
Evening snack
Protein drink with 10 grams of
glutamine
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Meal Plan 3
Wake up
½ hour before breakfast- 10 grams of
glutamine
Breakfast
1 whole wheat bagel
1 tbsp peanut butter
½ cup cottage cheese
½ cup strawberries
1 multivitamin and mineral tablet
Mid morning snack
½ cup strawberries
½ cup low fat yogurt
1 scoop (2oz) vanilla protein powder
1 cup 1% milk
½ cup orange juice
Mix all ingredients in a blender.
or
Weight gain drink
Lunch
Lean Roast Beef Sandwich
6 " whole wheat bun
4 ounces lean roast beef
1 cup lettuce
1 tomato cut into slices
½ oz low fat cheddar cheese
2 tbsp mustard
1 cup of 1% milk
Midafternoon snack
1 granola bar -Quaker
½ cup blueberries
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 cup low fat natural yogurt
½ glass of low fat milk
Post workout drink
1 scoop protein powder (2oz)
1 cup orange juice
1 medium banana
1 cup 2% milk
½ tbsp honey
5 grams of creatine
Blend all ingredients in a blender
or weight gain drink with 5 grams of
creatine
Dinner
3 oz skinless/boneless chicken breasts
1/3 cup prepared teriyaki sauce
1/3 cup orange juice
1 tsp cornstarch
1/3 tsp ginger
½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ cup small broccoli florets
½ can (4 ounces) sliced water chestnuts
½ cup rice
1 cup pure water
Cut chicken breasts into 1 1/4" pieces;
set aside. In a small mixing bowl,
combine teriyaki sauce, orange juice,
cornstarch, and ginger; set aside. In a
large skillet, heat oil over high heat. Add
the chicken pieces and stir fry until they
are lightly browned, about 3-7 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the
chicken to a bowl, leaving the drippings in
the skillet. Reduce the heat to moderate.
Add broccoli to the skillet and stir fry for
3-5 minutes. Stir the teriyaki mixture and
pour it into the skillet with the broccoli.
Cook the mixture, stirring constantly,
until it is thickened and bubbly, about 2-4
minutes. Add water chestnuts and the
cooked chicken. Continue cooking until
heated through, serve over cooked rice.
Evening snack
Protein drink with 10 grams of
glutamine
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Here's how the Get Big! Diet should progress:
Week 1 and 2:
Keep calorie intake constant. Don't increase calories. You want to get
your body used to the new eating schedule and nutrient intake.
Weeks 3 to 5:
Increase calorie intake by 300 to 500 calories per day. That is, if you
are start out with 3,000 calories per day, add another 300 to 500
calories on top of the 3,000 figure.
If you started out consuming 3,000 calories per day, increase your
daily caloric intake to 3,300 to 3,500 calories per day.
Weeks 6 to 12:
If you are not gaining the desired body weight, try adding another
300 to 500 calories per day.
Remember to monitor your progress on a weekly basis. If you find
you are gaining too fast (too much body fat) cut back 300 to 500
calories per day. If you find your not gaining at your desired pace,
increase caloric intake by 300 to 500 calories per day.
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“Muscle Building Recipes”
Muscle building recipes gotta taste good. They not only gotta taste
good, they got to be easy and fast to make. I don't know about you
but I've had my share of tasteless chicken breasts and plain pasta.
This kind of plain diet can test even the most dedicated of weight
lifters out there.
Eating plain chicken breast and tasteless pasta day in and day out is
a thing of the past. The trick is to find quick and easy body building
recipes that taste good. I've learned that you have to be a little
creative with your food if you want to survive any length of time with
a weight lifting diet. I find that great tasting and easy to cook body
building recipes very helpful when putting together a complete
weight lifting diet.
When I first started weight training, there were no body building
recipes, healthy cook books or any other recipes that would help
improve the taste of plain chicken breasts that were healthy and
inducive to building muscle. It's still hard to find great tasting body
building recipes today.
However, I have just recently stumbled upon on a great recipe book
for weight lifters and body builders. It's called Tasty Fat Loss and
Muscle Gaining Recipes. Click here to check it out.
A true gold mine of body building recipes designed for, you guessed
it, weight lifters. You'll find plenty of great tasting body building
recipes in this book.
The best thing about this book is that it's free. You get over 25
recipes and they are delicious and a snap to make.
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51
Here are just some of the recipes:
• Ground Turkey Omelette
• Chocolate Banana Protein Bars
• Protein Fortified Rice
• Spicy Turkey Chilli
• Protein Waffles
• Chicken Kabob
• Beef Chop Suey
• Home Made Meal Replacement Powder
And much more...
Simply click here and you'll have instant access to over 25 delicious
muscle building recipes.
If you're looking for fantastic body building recipes, check out this
free e-book.
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52
“Getting Big! Weight Lifting
Routine”
A strong muscle will always be a big muscle. I don't know about you,
but I've never seen a big, weak muscle. The stronger a muscle gets
the bigger it gets, all things being equal. That is what we strive for,
a bigger and stronger muscle. In order to get big, you're going to
have to get strong and that means lifting big.
In order to get strong, you need to concentrate on basic compound
movements that incorporate a variety of muscles. This is the only
way. Forget about doing 10 sets of cable cross overs. You'll never
get big doing isolation exercises unless you're a genetic freak.
Remember, this workout is designed to get you strong. In order to
get big and strong, you have to lift heavy and SMART. That's right,
you not only have to lift heavy, you have to lift smart. By lifting
smart, you will essentially speed up the amount of time you need in
order to get strong.
Building muscle 101's Get Big! program is broken down into 2 main
weight lifting programs. The first program is a whole body workout
designed to use all of your supporting muscles.
This workout should be followed for 8 weeks. The second weight
lifting program is a full body split. This workout is designed to work
the push/pull muscles. You should follow this routine for 6 to 8
weeks.
Here is the weight lifting routines you'll be following for the next 15
weeks or so.
The repetition range for this free workout routine is 5 to 7 repetitions
per set. Occasionally, you may go for a lower range but I suggest
you stay within the 5 to 7 rep range.
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Since you are using a lower repetition range you can use heavier
weights. Using heavy weights will force the body to respond rapidly
with strength and size gains. The best exercises for this free workout
routine are basic compound movement such as bench presses, front
presses and squats.
Compound movements involve several muscle groups as opposed to
the isolation workouts. Compound movements are often called multi
jointed exercises because they tend to use supporting muscles as
well as the targeted muscle.
The result? A stronger system of muscles. Remember, a strong
system of muscles means larger muscles.
You're probably wondering why this program is split into upper and
lower body workouts and not into individual body parts. In order to
get big, you need to get strong and in order to do this you need to
stress your body enough for it to grow. You need to work your body
hard and use all of the supporting muscles.
For the first two weeks, this workout may feel awkward but trust
me, after four weeks, you will start to get strong!
Just remember to try and increase the weight by 5 to 10% every
other workout. A word of caution--Don't increase the weight if you're
not ready for it. Listen to your body and when the diet starts to kick
in, you'll know when it's time to increase the weight because you'll
feel fantastic.
It's important to get the proper amount of rest while on the Get Big!
program. Try and get at least 8 hours of sleep per night and don't be
shy to take a quick nap after work (don't sleep to long since you'll
feel sluggish!).
A word of caution for those of you who choose to use this free
workout routine. Always remember to warm up properly for 5 to 10
minutes on the exercise bike or elliptical trainer followed by 5 to 10
minutes of stretches.
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Building muscle 101's Get Big! weight lifting routine is designed as
a 1 one, 1 off routine. That is, you will follow the Get Big! routine I
on Monday, rest on day two.
The Get Big! routine II will be performed on day three followed by
2 days of rest and repeat the cycle. It's very important to note that
if you feel you need an extra day rest in between workouts, take it.
Here's how it will look:
“Get Big! Program I”
Get Big! Routine I:
Day 1 Day
2
Day 3 Day
4
Day 5 Day 6
Routine
I
Rest Routine
II
Rest Rest Repeat
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“Get Big! Routine I”
Body Part Exercise Warm up Repetition
Warm up Aerobic exercise 5 to 10
minutes
Chest Heavy bench presses
Rest 60 to 90 seconds in
between each sets.
Increase the weight with
each set
Heavy incline presses
Rest 60 seconds in
between sets. Increase the
weight with each set.
1 x 20 reps
1 x 15 reps
1 x 7 reps
1 x 7 reps
1 x 5 reps
1 x 7 reps
1 x 5 reps
Shoulders Heavy front shoulder
presses
Rest 60 to 90 seconds in
between each sets.
Increase the weight with
each set
1 x 15 reps 1 x 7 reps
1 x 7 reps
1 x 5 reps
Lower Back Dead lifts
Rest 60 to 90 seconds in
between each sets.
Increase the weight with
each set
1 x 15 reps 1 x 7 reps
1 x 7 reps
1 x 6 to 7
reps
Biceps Heavy barbell curls
Rest 40 to 60 seconds in
between each set. Increase
the weight with each set.
Preacher curls
Rest 30 seconds in
between each set
1 x 15 reps
1 x 15 reps
1 x 7 reps
1 x 7 reps
1 x 5 reps
1 x 12 reps
1 x 10 reps
1 x 8 reps
Hamstrings Stiff legged dead lifts
Rest 40 seconds in
between each set. *
Remember not to use
heavy weight on this
exercise
1 x 15 reps 2 x 10 reps
Calves Standing calf raises
Rest 30 seconds in
between each set. Increase
the weight with each set.
1 x 20 reps 3 x 10 reps
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The leg movements in this free workout routine have a higher rep
range since legs can handle heavier weights with a higher rep range.
The exception being stiff legged dead lifts. Stiff legged dead lifts
should never be used with heavy weights.
Try and use each exercise for up to seven repetitions, then when you
have become used to using the weight for seven reps, add more
weight. Try to bring your repetition count up to the target range of
between five to seven.
You will need to rest a little more in between sets to generate
maximum power. Try resting a couple of minutes in between sets.
Remember to record all aspects of your training in a weight lifting
log. You will make better gains by recording all weight and reps.
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“Get Big! Routine II”
Body
part
Exercise Warm
up
Repetitions
Warm
up
Aerobic exercise 5 to 10
minutes
Triceps Heavy close grip bench
presses
Rest 60 to 90 seconds in
between each sets.
Increase the weight with
each set
Dips
Rest 60 seconds in
between each sets.
1 x 20
reps
1 x 15
reps -
body
weight
1 x 7 reps
1 x 7 reps
1 x 5 reps
2 x 7 reps - weighted
Back Chip ups
Rest 60 seconds in
between each sets.
Increase the weight with
each set
Heavy bent over
barbell rows
Rest 60 seconds in
between each sets.
1 x 12
reps -
body
weight
1 x 15
reps
2 x 7 reps - weighted
1 x 7 reps
1 x 7 reps
1 x 5 reps
Legs Squats
Rest 60 to 90 seconds in
between each sets.
Increase the weight with
each set
Leg press
Rest 60 seconds in
between each sets.
Increase the weight with
each set
1 x 20
reps
1 x 15
reps
1 x 7 reps
1 x 7 reps
1 x 5 reps
1 x 10 reps
1 x 8 reps
1 x 8 reps
Remember, if you can’t yet use added weight for dips and chin ups,
don’t worry about it. Keep on using your body weight until you can
do the exercise for 15 easy reps. Keep eating right and training
consistent and before you know it, you’ll be using added weight.
The Get Big! workout routine is aimed getting you strong. Remember
to increase the amount of weight you are using. Also remember to
keep your form strict.
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Your motto while on this free workout routine should be "strict and
heavy".
It is easy to start getting sloppy once you start using heavy weights.
Once you start showing off and begin to get sloppy, you open
yourself up to injuries. Injuries can sideline you anywhere from
a couple of months to permanent. Trust me, you don't want this.
Here's what your weight lifting program will look like:
Week 1 and 2:
Keep weight constant and get used to the program.
Weeks 3 to 5:
Try adding 10% more weight to your exercises except stiff legged
dead lifts.
Weeks 6 to 7:
Keep weight constant.
Week 8:
Increase the weight by 10 to 15%
Remember, if you feel you're not ready to add weight, don't feel that
you have to. Add weight when you feel comfortable to do so.
Using strict form while using this free workout routine will keep you
from making a mistake which could cause an injury. Train heavy but
train smart.
I suggest you follow the Get Big! routine for 8 - 12 weeks.
Remember to eat and train big to get big.
After you have completed the above noted routine, you should be
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59
able to adjust to the following routine quite effectively. The Get Big!
Program II is a routine that is designed as a full body split routine
and is aimed at adding mass and strength.
The routine is as follows:
“Get Big! Program II”
Day 1 Day 2 Day
3
Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day
7
Chest
and
Tricep
Back &
Biceps
Rest Shoulder
and
Traps
Legs Rest Rest
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Workout 1: Chest and Triceps
Body
part
Exercise Warm up Repetitions
Warm
up
Aerobic exercise 5 to 10
minutes
Chest Bench press or flat
dumbbell press
Rest 90 seconds between
each set. Increase the
weight with each set.
Incline dumbbell press
Rest 60 to 90 seconds
between each set.
Increase the weight with
each set.
Dips
Rest 60 seconds between
each set
Flat bench flyes
Rest 40 seconds between
each set. Keep the weight
constant
20 reps
15 reps
1 x 12 reps
body weight
1 x 10 reps
1 x 7 reps
1 x 7 reps
1 x 5 reps
1 x 10 reps
1 x 8 reps
1 x 6 reps
2 x 10 reps -
weighted
2 x 12 reps
Triceps Lying triceps
extensions
Rest 60 seconds between
each set. Increase the
weight with each set.
Standing triceps push
downs
Rest 30 seconds between
each set. Increase the
weight with each set.
1 x 15 reps
1 x 15 reps
1 x 10 reps
1 x 8 reps
1 x 6 reps
1 x 12 reps
1 x 10 reps
1 x 8 reps
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Workout 2: Back and Biceps
Body
part
Exercise Warm up Repetitions
Warm
up
Aerobic exercise 5 to 10
minutes
Back Heavy bent over barbell
rowing.
Rest 90 seconds between
each set. Increase the
weight with each set.
Close grip pull downs.
Rest 60 seconds between
each set. Increase the
weight with each set
One arm dumbbell rows
Rest 30 seconds. Increase
the weight with each set.
1 x 20 reps
1 x 15 reps
1 x 15 reps
1 x 12 reps
1 x 10 reps
1 x 8 reps
1 x 6 reps
1 x 12 reps
1 x 10 reps
1 x 8 reps
1 x 8 reps
1 x 8 reps
1 x 8 reps
Biceps Standing barbell curls
Rest 50 seconds between
each set. Increase the
weight with each set.
Barbell preacher curls
Rest 30 seconds between
each set. Increase the
weight with each set.
1 x 15 reps
1 x 15 reps
1 x 12 reps
1 x 10 reps
1 x 8 reps
1 x 8 reps
1 x 10 reps
1 x 10 reps
1 x 8 reps
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Workout 3: Shoulders and traps
Body part Exercise Warm up Repetitions
Warm up Aerobic exercise 5 to 10
minutes
Shoulders Dumbbell side laterals
Rest 30 seconds in
between each set. Keep
the weight constant. This
exercise is to get the
blood flowing and to
warm up the shoulder
area.
Seated front barbell
press
Rest 90 seconds in
between each set.
Increase the weight with
each set
Seated dumbbell press
Rest 60 seconds in
between each set.
Increase the weight with
each set.
Bent over dumbbell
laterals
Rest 30 seconds in
between each set.
1 x 15 reps
1 x 15 reps
1 x 15 reps
1 x 15 reps
3 x 12 reps
1 x 12 reps
1 x 10 reps
1 x 8 reps
1 x 6 reps
1 x 10 reps
1 x 8 reps
1 x 8 reps
1 x 12 reps
1 x 12 reps
Traps Barbell shrugs
Rest 40 to 60 seconds
between each set.
Increase the weight with
each set
1 x 15 reps 1 x 12 reps
1 x 10 reps
1 x 8 reps
1 x 8 reps
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Workout 4: Legs
Body part Exercise Warm up Repetition
Warm up Aerobic exercise 5 to 10
minutes
Legs Leg extensions
Rest 30 to 50 seconds between
each set. Increase the weight
with each set.
Squats
Rest 90 seconds in between
each set. Increase weight with
each set.
Leg Press
Rest 60 seconds in between
each set. Increase the weight
with each set.
1 x 20 reps
1 x 20 reps
1 x 15 reps
1 x 12 reps
1 x 12 reps
1 x 12 reps
1 x 12 reps
1 x 10 reps
1 x 8 reps
1 x 8 reps
1 x 12 reps
1 x 10 reps
1 x 8 reps
Hamstrings Stiff legged dead lifts
Rest 50 seconds in between
each set. Keep the weight
constant for the first couple of
weeks.
Lying leg extensions
Rest 40 seconds in between
each set. Increase the weight
with each set.
1 x 15 reps
1 x 15 reps
4 x 10 reps
3 x 8 reps
Calves Standing calf raises
Rest 30 seconds in between
sets. Increase the weight with
each set.
25 reps 4 x 15 reps
* I suggest you follow this routine for 6 to 8 weeks. Remember to
keep increasing the weight whenever you can. Aim for 10% to
15% every other workout.
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64
*Weight Training Secret of The
Pros*
Have you ever seen those guys at the gym with slabs of muscle on
their frames. You know, the guys with veins on their arms that look
like garden hoses and backs that seem to have muscle hanging over
their sides.
Have you ever noticed how they train? You might have noticed that
when they train, it looks like there not using all that much weight.
You might have even have thought to yourself, "hey, that weight
isn't all that impressive". I hear it all the time, "so and so is huge
but I though he was stronger than that!"
Well, I got news, these guys are plenty strong, but they know
something that most trainers don't . They know how to train
heavy at optimal times to produce maximum muscle and
strength gains.
Take a look at that statement once again. They know how to train
heavy at optimal times to produce maximum muscle and strength
gains. What does this mean?
First, top pros and athletes have known this for ages (well the smart
ones anyways) and this will always be the number one principle that
will always allow a person to gain muscle, month after month, and
year after year, injury free!
You see, the human body can only put up with so much stress in a
certain period of time. After a certain point, no matter how well you
construct your diet, how much rest you get, or how much
supplements you take, you simply cannot go all out day after day,
month after month and year after year without getting injured or
burning out. The body just can't handle all out stress for extended
periods of time.
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65
I see it every day in the gym. The same people doing the same
thing, day in and day out, using the same weight with little or no
results.
The secret to building large amounts of muscle is to apply the
correct amount of intensity to your body for a certain period of time,
than giving your body the time it needs to repair itself through rest
and feeding it the correct amount of nutrients.
You would do this in cycles. Sometimes the cycle will last 8 weeks or
16 weeks depending on the type of training you are doing.
This is what top powerlifters and bodybuilders call staggering or
cycling. Once you have completed a cycle, take a couple of weeks off
from training and let your body repair itself (you may need more
rest). Once you master this technique, you will start to gain a
lot of muscle!
Here's how a typical cycle looks like:
Weeks 1 and 2: Start out using lighter weights and get your body
used to the exercises. No heavy lifting or all out maximum lifts.
Should be at 50% to 60% of your maximum. The last set of your
program should be 50% to 60% and not the warm up.
Week 3: Add a little more weight to core compound exercises. Do
not go for all out maximums. You should not be taking your body to
failure.
Weeks 4 to 6: Add more weight to exercises and lower the
repetition range. No maximum lifts. You should be pyramiding your
sets up to the final work set.
Weeks 6 to 8: Add more weight to exercises and lower the
repetition range.
Weeks 9 to 10: Should be near 80% to 90% of your maximum lifts.
Repetition range should be low and near failure. The last set of your
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66
exercise should be 80% to 90%.
Weeks 11 to 12: Should be nearing 90% to 100% of your
maximum on final work sets (final sets) for core exercises. core
exercises taken to failure. That is the final two sets should be taken
to failure.
After week 12: Rest for 2 weeks to one month
Repeat cycle:
Now the trick is to repeat the cycle using slightly heavier weights
than your previous cycles. This is where you build serious muscle
and power. Seriously start thinking of training with cycles.
Here is a sample cycle looking at the repetitions and sets. Let’s
say you really want to improve your bench press, this would be
the way to do it.
Week Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4
One 1 2 r e p s 10 8 8 50% - 60%
Two 12 10 8 8
Three 10 8 8 6 70%
Four 10 8 8 6
Five 10 8 7 5
Six 10 8 6 5 80% - 90%
Seven 8 8 6 4
Eight 8 8 6 4 85%
Nine 6 6 4 2
Ten 6 6 4 1 90% - 100%
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“Can You Build The Body You
Want?”
Creating the body of your dreams is hard work. Whether you want
to add 10 pounds of muscle or lose 20 pounds of body fat, it will all
depend on the amount of commitment you have. Weight training and
nutrition deserve 100% commitment if you ever want to attain the
body of your dreams.
Weight training is no longer an exclusive activity for body builders,
power lifters, and athletes. Today, weight training is a practical
means for people of all ages and both sexes to stay strong and
healthy. The benefits from weight training includes increased
strength, stronger bones, improved body image, faster metabolism,
and stronger self confidence.
Building muscle101 combines optimal nutrition and planned weight
training techniques to attain the highest degree of health and
fitness. The basic techniques you learned above will stay with you for
the rest of your life. The information provided in Building muscle101
will help you choose and implement an appropriate weight training
routine supported by your bodies optimal nutritional intake.
I’ve decided to attache a sample training diary to use. Simply print
the following pages and store them in a small binder. These will form
you starting training manual.
Building Muscle101 and this guide has been designed out of need.
Over the years, I have noticed that a lot of information on building
muscle to be very misleading and sometimes even dangerous. I
sincerely hope this guide and Building Muscle 101 is helpful to you
in helping you reach your goals.
Blake Bissaillion
http://www.building-muscle101.com
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“Training Diary”
Day:
Weight
muscle exercise warm up set
1
set
2
set
3
set
4
set
5
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Building Muscle101 Training Diary
Notes:
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70
“Exercise Descriptions”
Flat Bench Press
The bench press is one of the more popular weight lifting exercises
among weight lifters. If I had a dime every time someone has asked
me “how much can you bench?”.......
The bench press can be a fantastic weight lifting exercise if it is
performed properly. What you want to concentrate on is the muscle
being worked and not on the weight being used.
I’ve seen too many weight lifters using incorrect form using too
much weight, relying on the deltoids as opposed to the pecs. This
leads to an over development of the deltoids and underdevelopment
of the chest area.
This is not what you want, what you want is to perform the bench
press the correct way in order to build full pectoral muscles.
You really want to boost your bench press? Try Building Muscle 101's
Bench Press Program here.
Weight lifting exercise position.
1. Lie back on the bench with your feet firmly planted on the floor
and back pressed firmly against the padding.
2. Take a tight grip of the barbell (overhand) with your thumbs
roughly 3 feet (90cm) apart. Make sure that your grip is balanced
between both sides of your body. Once your grip is set, press your
shoulders down and back into the bench. This will push up your
pectoral girdle and allow for a much better stimulation.
3. Lift the bar from the rack.
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Execution
1. Take the barbell from the rack and lock your elbows at the top
position. Lower the barbell to the nipple area of the chest, slowly and
under control, keeping your elbows away and outward from the
trunk of your body.
2. As the weight lowers, be sure not to bounce the weight - very
important - do not bounce the weight from the chest. Lightly touch
the chest and push the weight back up in a controlled fashion.
Beginners may find that the weight starts to fall forward or backward
or that the weight is rising unevenly because one arm is stronger
than the other.
Don’t worry too much about this and concentrate on the movement
itself. After a couple of weeks you will develop a groove and this
movement will be second nature.
Incline Bench Press
This is an excellent weight lifting exercise for the upper pecs. But if
the exercise is done incorrectly, the only muscles that will be
developed are the front deltoids. A great upper chest weight lifting
exercise.
Weight lifting exercise position.
1. Lie back on an incline bench (35 to 45 degrees) with your feet
firmly planted on the floor. Your back should be pressed firmly
against the padding.
2. Grip the barbell with your thumbs roughly 3 feet (90 cm) apart.
Make sure that the grip is balanced between both sides of your body.
Lift the bar from the rack.
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Execution.
1. Take the barbell from the rack and lock your elbows at the top
position. Keeping the arms away from the body, lower the barbell to
the upper chest area slowly and controlled.
2. Lightly touch the upper chest area and push the weight back up
in a controlled manner to the starting position. Try and keep your
eyes on the barbell at all times as this will help out with balancing
the weight and movement.
3. Keep the movement fluent, slow, and controlled.
Seated front barbell press
There are variations of this weight lifting exercise such as the press
behind the neck but I find this particular weight lifting exercise a
more natural movement.
Weight lifting exercise position
1. Sitting down on a bench with back support and special supports,
press your back firmly against the padding for support.
2. Grasp a barbell with your hands spaced a little wider than
shoulder width. Keep your back and head straight with your feet
firmly planted on the floor. Make sure your arms are in the locked
position.
3. Take the weight off the rack and press the bar directly over your
head in a vertical line.
Execution.
1. Slowly lower the weight to the upper chest or just below the chin
and immediately press it back up to the locked position making sure
the arms are fully extended. Repeat the movement.
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2. Keep the movement fluent, slow, and controlled.
Dead lifts
At true power weight lifting exercise!
Weight lifting exercise position.
1. Standing in front of a barbell with your feet under the bar, grasp
the barbell in an alternate grip (one hand under grip, one hand over
grip) with your hands roughly 2 feet apart. Bend over the bar
keeping your back straight, knees slightly bent, head up and
thrusting your butt out.
Execution.
1. Without bending your arms, lift the weight from the floor until
your body is completely upright. Lower the weight to the floor and
repeat the movement.
2. Keep the movement fluent, slow, and controlled.
Standing barbell curls
Weight lifting exercise position.
1. Standing upright, grab a barbell using an underhanded grip.
2. Hold the bar in the arms down position. Hold the bar slightly wider
than shoulder width.
3. Keep your feet close together with your back straight and head
level. Keep your arms close to your body.
4. The bar should be resting across the thighs.
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Execution.
1. Curl the weight up in a controlled fashion until the bar is under
your chin. Pause for a second and slowly lower the bar until your
arms are fully extended in the arms down position. Repeat the
movement.
2. Keep the movement fluent, slow, and controlled.
Stiff legged dead lifts
This is an excellent hamstring builder if done properly. Remember to
never use heavy weight on this weight lifting exercise. Concentrate
on form.
Weight lifting exercise position.
1. You can either perform this exercise on a bench or block. Standing
on a bench, grab a light barbell and hold in the arms down position.
Keep your back straight and head level.
Execution.
1. Keep your knees slightly bent and buttocks out.
2. Slowly bend at the waist while lowering the bar past your knees.
3. You should feel a slight stretch in your hamstrings and glutes.
4. Slowly raise the bar upwards back to the starting position.
Remember to squeeze your buttocks and hamstrings on the way up.
5. Always keep your back straight and never use heavy weight on
this exercise.
6. Keep the movement fluent, slow, and controlled.
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Standing calf raises
Weight lifting exercise position.
1. Standing upright, place your toes on the apparatus platform.
Ensure that you are on the balls of your feet at the edge of the
apparatus platform.
2. Slowly drop your heels as far as they can go.
3. Place your hands on the shoulder pads.
Execution.
1. Rise up as high as possible on the balls of your toes without
excessive knee bending.
2. Slowly lower your heels as far as possible. Do not bounce at the
bottom of the movement. Repeat.
3. Keep the movement fluent, slow, and controlled.
Close grip bench press
A great mass building weight lifting exercise for the triceps
Weight lifting exercise position.
1. Lie face up on a flat bench. Plant your feet firmly on the ground
and keep your back flat against the bench.
2. Grasp a bar with a narrow grip so that your hands are about 2" to
3" (5 to 9 cm) apart.
3. Arms should be fully extended and palms should be facing
forward.
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Execution.
1. Keeping your elbows close to your body, slowly lower the weight
slowly to your chest. Lightly touch your chest and push upward. Do
not bounce the weight. Repeat the movement.
2. Keep the movement fluent, slow, and controlled.
Parallel Bar Dips
Weight lifting exercise position.
1. Support your body at straight arm’s length.
2. Keep your back straight, torso straight, knees flexed, and feet
behind you.
Execution.
1. Lower your body to a point where you feel a comfortable stretch.
2. Slowly push your torso upward back to the starting position.
3. Keep the movement fluent, slow, and controlled.
Wide grip chins
A classic back builder. Always remember to do your chins!
Weight lifting exercise position.
1. Grasp an overhead bar using an overhand grip (palms down) at
least one foot wider than your shoulders on each side. Keep your
back straight and legs slightly bent at the bottom position.
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Execution.
1. Pull your body upward in a vertical line, keeping your elbows back.
Gently pull upwards to either your chin or neck area making sure
the bar is directly in front of you.
2. Gently lower your body down until your arms are straight and
repeat.
3. Keep the movement fluent, slow, and controlled.
Bent over rowing
This weight lifting exercise is a pure muscle building exercise. Have
you seen those people who’s back muscles seem to hang out their
sides? Well, this is exercise that is responsible for those thick slabs
of beef! This one’s a must if you want to build a thick powerful back.
Weight lifting exercise position.
1. This exercise can be done while on a block or bench. Grab a
barbell with your hands placed about 24" (60cm) apart and remove
the bar from the racks.
2. Place your feet at shoulder width and keep them flat on the
ground.
3. Slowly bend forward at the hips keeping your back flat.
4. Slightly bend your knees and keep your head as high as possible.
Remember to keep your torso parallel to the floor and keep your
lower back flat and your butt thrust outward.
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Execution.
1. In a controlled fashion, pull the bar upwards until you touch the
lower part of your rib cage.
2. Lower the weight until your arms are straight. Repeat the
movement without letting the bar rest on the bench.
3. Keep the movement fluent, slow, and controlled.
Squats
Squats must be performed if you want to build large, powerful legs.
Weight lifting exercise position.
1. Take a barbell from a squat rack and hold it at the back of your
neck with your hands on the bar. Keep you back and head straight.
Your feet should be spaced at shoulder width. If you cannot squat
flat footed, try placing a two by four block of wood under your heel
to improve balance.
2. Grasp the bar with your hands spaced slightly wider than shoulder
width apart.
3. The bar should be resting comfortably across your trapezius
muscle.
Execution.
1. In a controlled fashion, slowly squat down until your knees are
parallel to the floor. Remember not to bounce at the bottom of the
movement.
2. Slowly straighten your legs and return to the start position. Keep
your head level at all times.
3. Keep the movement fluent, slow, and controlled.
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Leg press
Weight lifting exercise position.
1. While seated on a leg press, place your feet about 1 feet (30 cm)
apart under the leg press plate. Your buttocks should be supported
on the seat and your back pressed firmly against back rest.
2. Your head should be straight and slightly angle your toes outward.
3. Grasp the handles and unhook the weight making sure your legs
are ready to perform the lift.
Execution.
1. Slowly bend your legs, allowing your knees to travel towards your
chest.
2. Once your knees are at roughly 90 degrees, press your legs
upwards until they are straightened.
3. Keep the movement fluent, slow, and controlled.
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“Finally, an e-book that tells you
exactly how much calories,
protein, carbohydrates, and fat
you should be eating for building
lean, strong muscles”
“Are you pulled every which way when it comes to nutrition
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Are you tired of hearing the same old, re-hashed information about
muscle building nutrition?
If you feel utterly confused with all the mixed up information on
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“Anyone can build a solid nutritional plan that builds
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If there is one question that I get over and over when it comes to
building muscle, it’s about nutrition:
• How much calories should I consume?
• How much protein is enough to build muscle?
• Should I eat more or less carbohydrates?
• What kinds of fat should I be eating?
I know, you train hard, day in and day out, and you put everything
you got into your workouts. You know that your nutritional plan
could be a little better but you just don’t know how to do it.
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81
You just don’t know what you should be eating.
With so many diets on the market today, you don’t know which way
to turn. I totally understand the confusion because I’ve been there
and I know exactly how confusing it can be.
What if I told you that you could:
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• And much, much more...
If you’re goal is to build large, lean muscle and you’re really serious
about it, than you might want to check out Will Brink’s e-book...
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82
“Muscle Building Nutrition”
Muscle Building Nutrition takes the guess work out of nutrition and
specifically outlines the optimal amounts of nutrients you need to
build muscle.
No more guessing and no more hit and miss. You
get everything you need to build your muscle
building nutritional plan all in one book.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a serious bodybuilder,
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allows you to put together a powerful,
muscle building nutritional plan.
Click here for more information
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83
“At last, an e-book that shows you
exactly what diet supplements
work and which ones are a total
waste of time and money”
“Are you thinking about adding diet supplements
into your diet but you just don’t know which ones
work and which ones don’t?”
If you’re thinking about using fat loss supplements to help you loose
those unwanted fat pounds, you may want an independent review to
determine if the supplement is actually worth purchasing
With all of the marketing hype in the diet supplement industry, most
weight trainers simply don’t know which way to turn when it comes
to supplements.
Before you even think about buying any type of fat loss supplement,
you need to find out which ones work and which ones are a total
waste of time and money.
How would you like to:
• How to purchase the most effective diet and weight loss
supplements that can rapidly boost your efforts to build a lean
body (don't believe the advertising hype, only a handful of diet
supplements actually are effective - and you'll learn which)
• Discover little known information about ineffective "fat burning"
supplements that could save you a small fortune (this is
information the diet and weight loss supplement industry spend
millions to hide from you)
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84
• Read information from one of the U.S.'s top fat loss experts that
may well be the most important fat loss information you will ever
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• Learn the insider secrets to buying diet supplements that work -
Lose fat faster by learning exactly which diet supplements
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• See how to save a fortune by knowing those diet supplements
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• Discover which form of exercise is more effective for long term fat
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If you are interested in purchasing diet supplements to help you lose
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Click here for more information