Instead, why not just throw all that out the window and tackle chest day from a whole new direction this week? Let’s start the day on the dip machine. You’ll be fresh, so you can probably knock out 20 or 30 reps in a row, right? Wrong! You’ll be strapping some weight upon you for this movement, in order to make it a mass building exercise! Grab the chain, wrap it around your weight training belt, and after a few warm up sets, strap two 45 pound weights to your body and get to some dipping! You’ll be just as strong as if you were climbing under the dumbbells on the incline bench. Knock out FIVE sets of this movement. And when you’re done with each set, detach the weight and keep training to failure with your own body weight. You can do it!

From there, move to the dumbbell racks and alternate some decline and incline dumbbell presses and flyes. Don’t focus so much upon keeping track of which movement you’ve done for how many repetitions. Rather, focus upon the minutes you spend, and how much of a pump you obtain. After 12 to 15 minutes of various presses and flyes from various angles, your pectoral muscles will be torched beyond belief!

From there, you should move to the machine section and work instinctively. You know you’ll want some butterfly or cable action to work that shoulder/pectoral tie-in area, but you don’t have to stick with traditional movements, you know! Instead, why not opt for new angles, new machines, and new movements. Try higher repetition ranges too!

This kind of instinctive training works for all body parts. Instead of starting leg day with squats and leg presses as usual, why not begin with heavy hack squats, followed with lunges? You always start back day with heavy deadlifting. Why not begin the day with heavy dumbbell rows followed with the t-bar movement. The idea is that you are going to be able to stimulate new areas of each muscle group with heavier movements and more reps. You may complete these exercises normally, but often at the tail end of your training session. By using them earlier in your session, you can push certain blocks of muscle fibers further than they have ever gone before – which leads to new muscle growth!

Eat more food
You aren’t going to meet too many 150 pound monsters who can bench press 405 pounds. Sure, you’ll find the world-class genetic freak that is 4 foot, 9 inches tall who may fall into this category. But for the vast majority of us, the amount of weight you can lift is going to be somewhat related to the scale reading. If you keep your body fat levels the same, you will be stronger at 200 pounds than you will be at 150. So if you can’t get that bench press to move, try increasing your daily carbohydrate and protein intake. As the scale move up, your benching numbers will as well!

Sleep more
We all know that muscle growth – and strength increases – do not occur in the gym. They occur when you sleep. So if you can’t bench more than 315 and you sleep 5 hours per night, we may have just discovered your problem! Go to bed earlier, sleep in, take naps, and grow stronger! Turn off the television, and pick up a book on nutrition. You’ll be sleeping before you can say macronutrient…

Higher repetition range
The slow twitch muscle fibers – the ones which aren’t stimulated until repetitions 12 through 20 arrive – are often neglected by powerlifters and Olympic lifters. Cut the weight in half, and train with more repetitions. You’ll move far more blood into the pectorals, deltoids, and triceps than you ever have before. The result will be a greater number of muscle fibers stimulated, and presumably, suddenly able to develop some new muscular size and strength. This may translate to you moving more weight.

Hit triceps and shoulders
Perhaps your chest is capable of moving more weight, but your shoulders and triceps are the weak points which prevent you from benching more. This is very common with lifters on back exercises as well, when their biceps and forearms prevent them from deadlifting or rowing more weight. Whichever the case, building up these support muscle groups so that they do not become the failure points as the secondary point of stimulation, will be the key to success.

Supplement
We can only do so much to create the anabolic environment within our bodies with food alone. This is why the vast majority of lifters will select some sort of bodybuilding supplement. Creatine will force your body to retain more water, resulting in fuller muscles which are sturdier under the bench press bar. Mesobolin can boost testosterone levels, making you more aggressive in the gym and better able to heal following workouts. Study the top popular supplements, and talk to your peers. These supplements are very popular because they do help many lifters to move up their bench press numbers.

Sets and their respective repetitions is the major part of this contention. The body at times demands for a greater stress for it to develop muscles effectively. Therefore, a person is forced to increase the number of sets in the routine and probably add some repetitions for the same. By doing this, you not only strain the muscles but you give them a challenge to cope with the harder situations in that, they are prepared for more to come. This is the reason why, you will get in the gym and find out that, the smallest guy in size is the one lifting the heaviest weight. There is no short cut about it, you have to get the muscles used to that kind of contractions and this is what generates more muscle development.

Nutrition is also affected a lot when giving this idea a consideration. You make be used to foods rich in fats and sugars, but when times come, you have to reduce the amount of calories being driven in your body to make sure that the muscles are toned effectively. This is what calls for self responsibility since the meals are more of a group adventure than a single decision. Convincing your friends or the family how you have change your diet will call for a lot of enthusiasm and commitment. On the other hand, you will also have to dig a little deeper in your pocket to get the appropriate body building diet. Junk foods are always cheap and available but foods with less calories and still maintaining a balanced diet are very rare and very expensive. That is why you have to close your eyes and focus on what you want to achieve with the diet even if it is more expensive.

Many people have been used to body building for fitness alone. They therefore have chosen light exercises which use simple machines or free weights. They are therefore comfortable with the less they have in terms of equipments and skills. However, there are times when one wants to engage in body building for competition purposes. This is the time where that extra mile is required. You have to think of how to set up a home gym which will help you be committed to your training. Including a trainer would also be necessary at this point to add more skills in your training and help you perfect it. Therefore it is more sacrifice in terms of time and resources. This is how the prospective body builders have made it and it is good to always keep in mind that, you will never succeed in body building without that extra step.

The squat is a compound movement which involves many muscle group besides the quadriceps. The hamstrings, glutes, hips, calves, and back all contribute to this movement. This makes it a great movement for overall growth. However, it also leads to some problems when, due to genetics or lifting style, these supporting muscle groups absorb too much of the brunt of the work. Sometimes, people develop great glutes and hamstrings, but their lifting style prevents the thighs from become all that involved in the lift. When this occurs, the bodybuilder must recognize this shortcoming, and work to pre-exhaust the thighs with isolation movements before moving on to the mass building, compound movements. Essentially, he will be reversing his workout. It would look something like this.

Leg Extensions — 4 sets x 12 – 20 repetitions
Dumbbell Lunges — 4 sets x 10 – 12 repetitions
Leg Press — 5 sets x 8 – 10 repetitions
Barbell Squats — 5 sets x 8 – 12 repetitions

You can substitute movements, based upon personal preferences and available equipment. The first two movements should be of isolation nature, and the last two (or three!) should be of a mass-building nature. You’ll notice that for the most part, you are working backwards from the isolation movements to the compound movements. This will allow you to isolate the muscles of the quadriceps first. After all, due to shape of frame and training experience, many of use allow hips, hamstrings, and calves to detract from quadriceps during compound movements. Once you complete the isolation movements, you move up to more and more compound movements. This allows your thighs to be truly stimulated in the earliest sets. They will then be somewhat pumped already when you arrive at the mass-building movements such as leg press and barbell squats. At this point, even if your body’s natural tendency is to let the supporting groups do more of the work, the thighs will still be involved to a very great degree.

A simplified version of this front thigh per-exhaust routine involves simply placing a movement such as leg extensions at the front of your thigh workout. You’ll still be able to complete the barbell squats when you’re near your strongest point, which will bode well for those “power-builders”, trainers who care about both size and strength. As long as you find ways to stimulate the front thigh muscles individually, before you employ the larger compound movements, you’ll find success.

Close-grip bench press

Complete them after your regular benching on chest day as a transition to your triceps training.

Skullcrushers

These are probably the best overall movement for adding mass. Wear gloves and use a spotter for safety. Go heavy, but ensure you can always control the weight.

Overhead extensions with a heavy dumbbell

Be sure to adequately warm up, as these can lead to injury if heavy weight is used on a cold arm.

Seated extensions with an EZ-curl bar

These are comparable to skullcrushers, albeit a bit safer. Move through this exercise slowly and always control the weight carefully.

Dumbbell kickbacks

This movement catches a bad rap, as it’s often associated with spandex bunnies using pink 5-pound dumbbells. Completed with a 35 or 45 pound dumbbell, it’s very effective.

Cable pressdowns

Done with a lot of weight, these can lead to a lot of growth. Keep your form tight the entire set, and flirt with higher repetitions if you’re feeling strong.

Cable pressdowns behind head

These allow for a much greater range of motion than the standard pressdowns, and can leave you sore for days!

Incline close-grip bench presses

These warrant their own movement, as they seem to target the triceps in a manner much different from standard CG bench presses. Give them a shot!

If you’re looking to add mass, then your rep range should be on the low end. After completing a good set of 12-15 repetitions to stimulate the slower-twitch muscle fibers and bring blood into the region, it’s time to get to work. Your second set should be 10 to 12 very solid repetitions. Follow that one up with more weight, and work in the 8 to 10 rep range. You can cheat on this movement once you complete the 8th repetition. Finally, end the movement with 6 to 8 repetitions with an even heavier weight. Once you have completed the sixth repetition of that 4th set, it’s cheat time! Use body English, hip swing, or a training partner to drag out a few extra reps. You’ve done your work already, so this is all for bonus growth!

Obviously, you’re not going to be using all eight movements in every workout. However, at least three of them should make their way into your weekly routine, and you should use all 8 of them at least once per month. Toss in adequate rest, plenty of food, and a well-balanced training routine, and you should see some serious growth on those triceps in no time!

Why should I train the neck?

The neck should be trained for several reasons. The most important reason is to help avoid injuries. When you consider the intense workload you place on the back and chest, muscle groups directly connected to the neck, it seems maddening that one would completely neglect this adjacent muscle group. Additionally, we’ve all heard the term “pencil-neck geek” used to describe the look of a skinny person with a very thin neck. Contrast that with the look of boxer “Iron” Mike Tyson or bodybuilder Jeff Long, who both sported very thick and muscular necks, and you begin to realize the level of power and thickness that a well-developed neck can exude. The neck cannot be hidden in the way that one can keep poor calves out of sight in pants, or hide underdeveloped abs in a tank top. A weak neck shows constantly.

What do we know about the structure of the neck?

The neck is comprised of a swirling network of small, thin muscles. These include the erector spinae, splenius capitis, semispianalis cercisis, sternocleidomastois, and the trapezius. From this list, the trapezius is probably the only muscle group with which bodybuilders may be familiar. Each of these muscles works to extend the neck and head in different directions. These muscles don’t possess the propensity to gain much size, but they do possess the ability to gain a bit. A fraction of an inch on each of these muscles will add up to a great deal of muscle perception to the eye of the beholder.

How do I train the neck?

Obviously the trapezius should already be a staple in your training routine. Barbell shrugs (with the barbell gripped both in front of the body, and behind the back) are remarkably effective for stimulating the trapezius and hitting all of the neck muscles with a rush of blood to some extent. Dumbbell shrugs work as well. Manual plyometric resistance is also very helpful for the neck. Placing your hands on your forehead, side of head or back of head, apply resistance and move neck in different directions. Additionally, the neck harness works as a substitute for manual resistance, and allows for an additional workload.

What should my neck training protocol be like?

All neck exercises should always be performed in a slow, controlled motion. Any “jerking” can result in a range of maladies, ranging from a minor neck strain (which could derail chest back training for a week) to a serious neck injury requiring surgery, which could sideline your gym efforts for weeks or months. Always warm up, move through movements slowly, and use moderate weights and medium reps, in the 8 to 15 range. Low repetitions (3 to mean you’re using too heavy of a weight, which can lead to injury.

Rack Deadlifts

1 set x 12 repetitions
1 set x 8 repetitions
2 sets x 4-6 repetitions

Check the safety cage pin settings to ensure the barbell can rest at a location halfway between your knees and the floor. This allows you to go heavy by still experience a decent range of motion.

Incline Dumbbell Presses

1 set x 12 repetitions
1 set x 8 repetitions
2 sets x 4-6 repetitions

Use a spotter for the last two sets. These should be slow, smooth, controlled repetitions – but very heavy ones as well.

Chins

1 set x 12 repetitions
1 set x 8 repetitions
2 sets x 4-6 repetitions

If you are able to complete more than 4-6 repetitions on the last two sets, hang a 25 or 45 pound plate from your weight belt using a chain.

Squats

1 set x 12 repetitions
1 set x 8 repetitions
2 sets x 4-6 repetitions

Use a partner on these last two sets, as you’ll be using 80 or 90% of your 1RM, and injury could occur.

Military Presses

1 set x 12 repetitions
1 set x 8 repetitions
2 sets x 4-6 repetitions

If you don’t have a seated bench, simply stand up and raise the barbell overhead using standing barbell presses.

Skullcrushers

1 set x 12 repetitions
1 set x 8 repetitions
2 sets x 4-6 repetitions

Wear gloves and take very close notice of any slippage. With heavy weight on those last three sets, you could seriously injure yourself with this movement.

Biceps Curls

1 set x 12 repetitions
1 set x 8 repetitions
2 sets x 4-6 repetitions

Keep your form very solid and consistent on this movement!

For finishers, if you still have something in your, spend some time mixing in calf, forearm, and neck training. Remember, this isn’t a standard bodybuilding physique designed to add symmetry and lines. Rather, this full-body routine is designed to add meat to your bones. This is best accomplished through the use of heavy, compound movements.

In addition to your heavy training, you should be sure you’re eating more than enough calories (along with 400+ grams of protein daily) to keep the torn muscles healing. Also, adding a 45-minute nap to your daily routine, in addition to your required 7-8 hours nightly, will go a long way toward creating growth. Above all, train hard and heavy using the movements listed, and you’ll see some new mass in no time!

Physical exercise is a discipline that takes patience and dedication to cultivate. The end result is always, I repeat always worth the while. Exercising regularly in addition to giving you a better looking body, it gives a better working heart. There are four components of a good program for working out. Namely, cardio respiratory endurance, flexibility, muscular endurance and muscle strength.

Cardio respiratory endurance is in simple terms the ability to deliver sufficient amounts of oxygen as well as crucial nutrients to the rest of the body and to excrete wastes that result from the body’s metabolic processes. Activities that ensure the optimal performance of these processes are running and swimming.

Flexibility relates to how swiftly one can move their body joints and at the same time coordinate muscular movements. This can be increased by various types of stretches as well as other activities that require coordination and movement of joints.

Muscular endurance relates to the degree of which the muscles of the body can sustain contractions that are repeated or ability to continue applying equal amounts of force in a given direction against an object that’s fixed. Pushups are used to evaluate ones muscular endurance.

Muscular strength is the ability of ones muscles to apply force for a short duration. Weight lifting exercising is used to evaluate muscular strength. An effective exercise program should contain these four components in the required amounts. Many people associate fitness with the gym which brings to mind bills and more bills. While going to the gym and getting an experienced trainer is advised, this doesn’t mean that you can’t get a good looking healthy body if you don’t go to the gym.

You can exercise right at home or even in your office. For example, you don’t need a treadmill to run a mile; you could always opt for the traditional lap around the neighborhood. There is also a wide variety of home gym equipment available in the market.

One must do continuous exercise for at least 20 minutes. With time this discipline will be a part of your DNA and depending on the kind of results you want, you can gradually increase your workout sessions.

Some simple exercises that can be done without an instructor are: superman stretches for the lower back, pull downs and chins are also good for the sides of the back. Curls are used for building biceps, tricep pushdowns for building triceps, and wrist curls for building the forearms.

Bench presses are very effective for building the chest. The fly is another good exercise.

Shoulder presses are a known exercise for the shoulders as well as shoulder shrugs.

Your psychological health will be affected in the following ways; you could experience mood swings, you could become very aggressive, you could suffer from withdrawal syndrome, depression, and suicidal tendencies. Your physical health will be affected as follows; liver disorders, kidney failures, and heart conditions and strokes. There are other side effects which are less life threatening and if a person quits taking steroids they could be reversible. They include; in men- shrinking testicles, there breasts could enlarge, low sexual drive or libido, impotence, and premature lose of hair. In females the side effects include; growth of facial hair, disrupted menstrual cycles, development of a hoarse voice, and an enlargement of the clitoris.

The only way you can be able to increase your muscle size is through intense training. Normally muscle growth occurs as a natural adaptive response of the body so that it can be able to handle a lot of demanding activities. Intense training is also very important if you want to increase your body mass. You need to lift very heavy weights so that you can be able to effect maximum damage on your muscles. If you are not able to effect maximum damage on your muscles then you will not be able to experience great body transformation in terms of increase in muscles. Therefore observe techniques such as compound movements and progressive resistance training.

Below are steps which can help you train intensely in the gym;

1. Prepare yourself mentally

You have to prepare yourself psychologically so that you can be able to handle the pain of intense training. This is because intense training is not as simple as taking a walk in the park; you have to prepare yourself for intense pain.

2. Learn to relish the pain

You have to set your mind such that you enjoy each pain you experience in your body due to intense training because this signifies you are progressing in transforming your body. If you train and yet you feel no pain then this means you have not gained anything from your workout.

3. Surround yourself with positive minds

The people you train with determine whether you are going to succeed in your training. If they are motivated and have a positive mind they will be of help to you in times when you feel your motivation levels are low. In order to perform intense training you have to be highly motivated and this is where they come in to assist.

Carbohydrates are also very important for a bodybuilder because they contain high amounts of calories. A person who is looking to increase his body mass requires to increase his calorie intake. The best carbohydrates are complex carbohydrates since they are able to be absorbed slowly by the body. This therefore means that a person is able to maintain consistent blood sugar levels.

Hard gainers also need to take a little fat in there diet because they are also a very rich source of calories. Your cooking should be done with vegetable fat which are more organic and therefore leads to less clogging in the blood arteries.

3. Avoid aerobics

Any form of aerobic exercise should be left strictly for those people who are more interested in losing weight. And therefore since you’re objective is to gain weight, the only training you need is weight lifting.