Adding lean muscle mass to your body is not something you do by accident. There are proven principals that work no matter your age, gender or current level of fitness. But as with all things, some ARE more important than others. With that in mind here is my list of things, in order of priority that you should incorporate into any weight lifting routine that is geared to muscle mass building.
Keep Each Workout Under 1:30
This is basically the law of diminishing returns. With each set performed, your energy level drops to the point where you are not able to truly push your self enough to build muscle. The same theory applies to rep count. Doing 6-8 of the highest weight you can handle builds more muscle than failing on the 50th rep. It has been scientifically proven that any session beyond your bodies limit is counterproductive. That number seems to max out at 90 minutes.
Limit Your Cardio
If cardio contributed to lean muscle gain, then more cardio would build more lean muscle right? Ever see a muscular marathoner? Enough said.
Keep a Weight Lifting Log
The whole basis of muscle building is grounded on the idea of lifting ever increasing weight amounts. How will you be able to know you are doing this if you don’t keep track? A log provides your road map to what you will lift, not for what you have lifted.
Get Enough Calories
Gaining muscle requires a calorie surplus. If you are not consuming more calories than you are burning per day for energy, than you will never gain new lean muscle. Period. You may lose some body fat, but new muscle growth will not occur. When bodybuilders go into their cut cycle, they stop adding new muscle. A cut cycle is, by definition, designed to make you smaller. This what happens when you train without a calorie surplus. But consuming too large a surplus leads to fat gain as well. You must know the right number for you.
Visit MuscleandHealth.org for the rest of the list and more free info on how to develop weight lifting routines for Muscle Mass Gain.
