How to Bulk Up

Bulking up with lean muscle mass is difficult, yet attainable by most any determined individual. By following a disciplined, consistent training regimen, marked increases in muscle size can be experienced in six to eight weeks, and even less with high intensity training. The key components are disciplined approaches to nutrition and heavy weight training, together with adequate recuperation periods to allow for muscle growth.

Things You'll Need

• Protein rich diet.
• Weight lifting equipment.
• Training notebook.

Instructions

1. Establish a weight lifting program that emphasizes movements that exercise large muscles and multiple joints simultaneously. Train upper and lower body muscles on different days, while taking every fourth day off for complete body rest and muscle recuperation.

2. For each exercise, arrange weights and repetitions into a pyramid structure. First, perform three sets of repetitions with progressively increasing weights and decreasing repetitions. After the heaviest set, perform two additional sets with decreasing weights and increasing repetitions.

3. Formulate a nutritional plan that supplies one to two grams of high quality protein per pound of existing body weight. Supplement the diet, as needed, with protein powders to achieve this high rate of protein consumption.

4. Maintain a notebook in which you diligently record the weights lifted and number of repetitions accomplished in each set. Likewise, record nutritional information to track body response to foods consumed.

Tips & Warnings

• Examples of high quality protein sources include red meat, chicken, fish, and eggs.

• Milk is also an excellent protein source. If gaining weight is particularly difficult, consume whole milk.

• A sample lifting program for alternating muscles groups would be the following: Day 1 - exercise chest and triceps; Day 2 – exercise quadriceps and hamstrings; Day 3 – exercise biceps and back; Day 4 – rest. Repeat.

• A sample pyramid of poundages, sets and repetitions for squats would be the following: 135 pounds x 8 repetitions; 155 pounds x 6 repetitions; 175 pounds x 4 repetitions; 155 pounds x 6 repetitions; 135 pounds x 8 repetitions.

• For each set, perform the most repetitions that you can accomplish at the listed weight. As you successfully increase total repetitions per set, increase poundages. The goal is to force muscle growth by continuing to overload the muscles with heavy weights.

• With the exception of an initial warm up set, lift heavy weights, meaning those that you can lift no more than six repetitions in a set.

• It is best to vary exercises over the course of a training regimen. For example, when training the chest, select two to three exercises from the following: barbell and dumbbell flat, incline, and decline bench presses; barbell incline presses; dumbbell flies, cable crossovers. Change to different exercises every two to three weeks so as to force the body to respond to altered angles and resistance with new muscle growth.

• Always use a spotter on any bench exercise where weights are raised above the chest and head.

• Never train the same body part on consecutive days. Adequate recuperation is essential to muscle growth.