This article will discuss the characteristics of high quality weight gainers and how to use them effectively in your weight gain diet to help achieve your goals.

One reason that some people don’t become successful and maintain consistency when trying to gain weight is because they hate the taste of the weight gain powder or drink they were consuming. If you don’t enjoy doing something then you will struggle with motivation. There are that many choices when it comes to picking weight gainers there really is no excuse for not liking the one you use.

What Makes A Good Weight Gainer?

Weight gainers should taste good and be easy to consume. You may not think this is an important quality, but I don’t believe in punishing myself day after day by force feeding myself something that is difficult to swallow or that tastes horrible. Whether or not something tastes horrible is completely subjective, but building a better body should be an enjoyable process, and you should enjoy every part of your weight gain diet including your supplements.

Of course you can make yourself swallow something with the belief that it is going to be good for you in the long run, and many of us have done this, but the point is that there are enough brands of weight gainers and flavors out there for you to find something that you enjoy consuming.

While we are talking about the qualities of a good weight gainer, let me stress the fact that a good weight gain supplement should dissolve well into water, milk, or whatever liquid medium you are using. Some people don’t mind this, but I absolutely hate trying to swallow any liquid that contains lumps of powder that haven’t been dissolved properly (those unexpected lumps are the worse).

I don’t always have the time to find a blender in the middle of the day to use to mix all the ingredients that goes into making weight gain shakes. So for my success it was very important to find supplements that taste great, and that can be easily and completely dissolved in a portable shaker cup.

Weight gainers should be easy to digest and not interfere with the rest of your diet. A good quality supplement should be formulated in a way so that your digestive system can easily break it down and absorb it for utilization. So it shouldn’t sit on your stomach for hours or make you feel sick to your stomach. It also shouldn’t give you excess gas or diarrhea.

In some cases when you start using a new weight gain supplement there is a period of adjustment that your body goes through as it gets used to the new product. But this adjustment period should not be prolonged and it shouldn’t lead to excess disturbances in your digestive system.

A good supplement should fit in well with the rest of your diet and eating plan and not stand out as something that makes you completely lose your desire for food. Some brands of protein powder can just sit on the stomach making you feel awful and unable to eat for the rest of the day. If any weight gainers prevents you from your normal daily activities, including your training and nutrition program then get rid of it because it is counterproductive.

Choosing Weight Gainers

Choosing the best weight gainer is one that will help you meet your daily caloric needs for gaining weight. However, don’t just consider the weight gainers with impressive calorie numbers as some of the brands are filled with simple sugars and fats. Look at the protein and complex carb ratios and decide which supplement will work best for you. I am a big fan of Optimum Nutrition Pro Complex Gainer because in my opinion they set an industry standard, and exceed the aforementioned criteria.

Weight lifting can be used in a variety of ways, but the three most common types of weight training programs are based on strength training, endurance training, and mass training. It is important to realize that there is some degree of overlap between these programs, and advanced lifters often incorporate aspects of each training type into their overall plan.

For example someone who is engaged in mass training might perform an exercise in a way that is considered to be endurance training to achieve certain goals. The point is that once you understand the effects of each training style you can draw from this knowledge to maximize your own workout plan.

Let’s begin by briefly discussing each of the major weight training programs.

On one end of the spectrum there is endurance training. This is a very vigorous type of weight lifting that requires the lifter to use a weight with which they can effectively perform 12-15 repetitions. In other words you will be using a lighter weight and you will be doing more repetitions (reps).

Your body responds to this type of training by increasing the vasculature (blood vessels) to the exercising muscle. New blood vessel formation means that your body has the ability to deliver more blood, carrying oxygen and other nutrients to your exercising muscle.

As a result you develop the ability to utilize your muscles for longer periods of time without rest. This means you have increased stamina or endurance. This type of training will increase your cardiovascular fitness and provide you with more muscular definition in terms of your physique.

On the other end of the spectrum lies mass training also called bulk training. The primary goal of mass training is to bulk up; to increase the size of your muscles (hypertrophy). To engage in this type of training you should use a weight that allows you to correctly perform an exercise with 6-8 reps. Some trainers recommend doing 8-10 reps for mass training; but my research and personal experience suggest that maximum results can be attained with a weight that can only be correctly lifted in 6 reps and in some cases only 4 reps.

To understand the rationale behind determining the best number of reps for mass training, consider the effects that mass training has on your body. When you engage in mass training you are using heavy weights to place a load on your muscles that they aren’t used to supporting. This causes micro-tears in your musculature and during the repair process your muscle fibers increase in size (hypertrophy) and contractile force.

Even though this happens to some degree with all of the weight training programs, the theory behind mass training is that using heavier weights will result in bigger muscles. So it makes sense that if you are doing less reps your muscles can support heavier weights. Keep in mind that you must consume enough calories and water to support to support bigger muscles or you won’t see the results you are seeking with mass training.

Strength training falls in the middle of the two aforementioned weight lifting styles. In strength training the primary goal is to increase the contractile strength of the muscle fibers; in other words, as the name implies, it makes you stronger. Typically, you should use a weight that you can lift to properly execute with 8-10 reps.

The bonus with strength training is that in addition to increasing muscular strength, you will experience an increase in the size of your muscles (hypertrophy); and you will improve muscle stamina. In a sense, you get the best of both worlds, and you can always tweak your weight training program by incorporating aspects of the other training styles in order to focus on specific goals (e.g. mass or definition).

As you would know, the bench press should form the foundation of your mass training routine as it’s one of the best chest exercises for building masculine pecs. However, with all of the bench press variations such as the flat bench press and incline bench press, what should you focus on then?

Some people love the incline bench press, while others hate it. If you try to tell a person who benches on a flat bench press that the incline is better then you better watch your back because they might want to fight you!

What are the main advantages of the flat bench press?

Before I talk about why the incline bench press is good I thought I would get out a few nice things about the regular bench press.

The main advantage of the flat bench is that you can handle more weight. The motion is very natural and it is easy to master the technique. This usually means that you have all the elements of a good weight training workout. It is an excellent strength and power motion as it is so simple and brute forceful.

The position that your body is on when you lay on the flat bench is also very comfortable. Again, it is natural and easy to do and usually doesn’t leave you lifting a heavy weight in a strange way. You are able to push off of the bench and it supports you well. However, the incline has certain advantages. Here’s why…

Why is the incline bench press better for chest growth?

Now I move onto the dangerous waters – the incline bench press is better for your pectoral muscles than the flat bench. By far.

You see the main disadvantage of the flat bench is that it works your shoulders a lot. This is why I am not a fan of it. People think that the flat bench is all triceps and chest but they are wrong. The anterior deltoid muscles get worked quite hard and as such your pectorals get a lot of help. This is not good for muscles growth.

If you want to target your pectoral muscles you are much better off using an incline angle for your bench press. You are also better off using a pair of dumbbells instead of your barbell. Now I am really getting into controversial territory! As I mentioned in this post the dumbbell allows you to get a much better stretch and range of motion. These two things are vital for good muscle growth.

In summary, next time you want to target your pectoral muscles and remove as much shoulder work as possible try using an incline bench with some heavy dumbbells instead. Although the flat bench press has a huge role in effective strength training and muscle building, it is not the be all and end all of weight training exercises as many trainees would have you believe.

Read the other articles on this site to learn how to do the incline bench press and flat bench press with good lifting technique.

The following is a 3000 calorie weight gain diet plan which is suitable for a 150 pound person who wants to go on a bulking up diet to gain 5-10lb of lean muscle mass.

If you find that you are not putting on any weight in a couple of weeks then you probably have an especially fast metabolism and would need to increase your caloric intake by an extra 300-500 calories.

On workout days, it would be the same meal plan, except that you would also take a weight gain protein shake for the post-workout meal to makeup for the calories you burned during the training session.

6:00 am Breakfast: 6 Egg Omelet

6 eggs, whole
1 cup of mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 cup of onions, thinly sliced
1 cup of green bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups low-fat chocolate milk

9:00 am Snack: Banana Oat Weight Gain Shake

2 cups low-fat milk
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1/2 cup Quaker Oatmeal (cook with boiling water)
1 small banana
1 tablespoon honey

12:00 pm Lunch

1 baked potato
150 grams of canned tuna
salad with low fat dressing
1 glass of orange juice

3:00 pm Snack: Grilled Chicken Sandwich

2 grilled chicken breasts
2 slices whole wheat bread
1 banana

6:00 pm Dinner

2 cups of cooked white rice
100 grams of grilled swordfish
1/2 cup of cooked vegetables
1 glass of water

9:00 pm Late Night Snack

2 cups cooked white rice
100 grams of chicken breast grilled
1 cup broccoli

Total Calories: 3082

As you would know, you need to be eating every 3 hours or so. To maximize the time you spend in the gym, no matter how hard you train, if you do not eat properly and supply the body with the necessary calories and nutrients, then ultimately you are stopping progress. That’s why bodybuilders attribute about 80 percent of their success to a “clean” diet.

However, although you now have a better idea of what a 3000 calorie diet plan looks like, in the case of failing to stick with an elaborate diet plan like suggested above, it would be advisable for beginners to follow these guidelines:

Do’s

• Consume a small amount of protein at every meal. Eat meat, fish, eggs, poultry and dairy products. The body can only digest and absorb about 60 grams of protein at every meal, making it unnecessary to cram large amounts of it in one sitting.
• Eat fresh fruits and vegetables that are as natural as possible.
• Eat a little vegetable fat, such as seeds and nuts, which is useful for healthy nerves and skin.
• Take some form of vitamin supplement each day.
• Eat at least three times a day. Light meals are digested better and more effectively uses by the body.
• Drink a lot of water.

Dont’s

• Eating highly processed food like fried chips and fast food which have a high sugar and fat content.
• Eating excessive amounts of animal fat (try to remove most of the fat from the meat or choose lean cuts).
• Drinking alcohol or carbonated drinks.
• Using too much salt or seasoning for salads, etc.

The bench press is one of the best muscle building exercises that allows you to build big muscles and real power. It works all the pectorals and triceps as well as your shoulders and if you use it correctly it will be one of your best muscle building tools. Read this article to learn how to do the best bench press of your life with these instructions.

Bench press requires perfect lifting technique. If you want to improve your bench press strength then you really need to master the technique and get every aspect of it perfect. This is especially true if you are using a heavy weight and are really trying to push yourself beyond your ordinary growth.

I have said it over and over again that technique is the most important aspect of weight training for strength or for muscle growth. If you have every other element of lifting down (diet, reps, sets, etc.) but are cheating on your lifting technique then your muscle gains are going to be average.

This is especially important for the bench press as it requires a lot of muscle groups to work together to perform a lift. You are also carrying a lot of weight so if you muck something up chances are a joint or muscle is going to pay the price.

Here are some tips you should remember to make sure your bench press technique is correct:

• The weight should not be too heavy as this will force you to cheat on each rep.
• Each rep should be slow and controlled
• The barbell should be lowered to a spot below the nipples
• Your head should be position in the correct spot on the bench
• Your back should not lift off of the bench throughout the whole motion
• Your feet should be planted firmly on the ground. DO NOT place your feet up on the bench you will lose stability.

Try and read as much as you can on the bench press and get help from the big guys and the trainers in teh gym. Just ask them to spot you and point out any errors for one set. They will be thrilled that you asked.

Switch from the bar to dumbbells

When I was in high school I always thought the only way to do the bench press was on a flat bench with a heavy barbell. But, as my training progressed and my mind opened up to the idea of different weight lifting methods I started to see that what I had been doing was only a very limited way of training the bench press. Many years on and I now do my bench press mostly on an incline with a pair of heavy dumbbells!

Dumbbells are an excellent way to take your bench press to a new level. They allow you to get a deeper stretch in the pectoral muscles and allow for a more free lifting motion which means the muscles will have to do more work to keep the weights stable.

Do the bench press first

If you want to be able to lift a heavier weight or build the muscles that the bench press targets then you should do the bench press first in your workout.

Doing one exercise before another means that you will be able to hit it with maximum energy and strength and hopefully get the most out of it. If you wait until later in the workout, however, your muscles will be tired and you will not be able to handle as much weight or do as many strong reps. You will also find that your muscles contraction is not as tight as it is early in the workout.

Do each rep super slow

I hinted at this earlier on in the post but it really is so very important. Whenever I go to the gym I see people pumping out bench presses like that are on fire and they need to get it over and done with as soon as possible. This is wrong because it allows the muscles to get off lightly as the motion and gravity do most of the work for you.

If you take in nice and slow, however, each muscle is tensed to its full and is put under a maximum load of pressure. This means better muscle growth and strength gains.

Conclusion

The bench press really is one of the best exercises you can do to build upper body strength and power. However, do not be confined by the ordinary ways of doing it. Try to be creative and mix up your bench press workout so that your muscles are forced to keep adapting to the change. You will be much better off if you do.

High calorie snacks are great but it’s best to have a well thought out eating regimen, so you can plan and prepare your meals for the week. However, we’ve all had those times where we get away from our plan or fail to prepare a meal and we need something quick to maintain our caloric intake. Below are some suggestion for snacks you can have when you can’t get to, or don’t have time for a real meal. With that said, please keep in mind the importance of consuming regular balanced meals. I suggest using high calorie snacks like these to fill in the gaps.

Breakfast cereal – Cereal is a great tasting high calorie snack that you can take and eat almost anywhere; just remember to also pack some fruit and nuts. A 50 gram serving will give you about 185 calories. Some cereals can be full of added sugar and don’t offer much in the way of nutritional value, so instead you should go for a healthy cereal option like Special K. Check to see if the cereal contains ingredients like whole grains, oats, and has 13 grams or less of sugar, per serving. Also, who says it’s suitable to eat only for breakfast? You can have it anytime of the day, it makes a great night time snack.

Meal replacement shake – These are great and many different companies make shakes like these. Some of these meal replacements come in a powder form that you mix with water or milk; while others are already in a liquid form that you can drink whenever you’re ready. All of them usually have a good balance of all the macronutrients you need to support healthy nutrition.

Protein bars – Weightlifters have a notorious reputation for always munching on these or stocking their bags with these bars. I recommend trying a few different brands until you settle on a product that taste great, can be easily chewed and digested, and has sufficient calories and protein.

Granola bars – These are much cheaper than protein bars and sometimes they can be just as effective. Just compare the nutritional panel on each of them and find a bar that meets your needs.

How about a smoothie – You can make smoothies at home and take them with you or if you live in a city like New York with at least 2 delis on most city blocks, you can get someone else to whip you up one in a jiffy. Most of the shops or juice bars that make smoothies usually have some protein powder on hand and a bunch of other stuff that you might not have otherwise considered adding to your smoothie.

Ice Cream or a milk shake – Very tasty and plenty of calories in the form of carbohydrates, protein and fat. I suggest choosing a brand that is lower in cholesterol and saturated fat.

Bananas – This fruit is a good source of potassium, quick calories, and fiber. You can find bananas almost anywhere in the world, and at anytime. Have a couple bananas when you can’t get to a full meal.

Yogurt – Not only is yogurt full of protein; it’s a very valuable snack because of the active cultures (good bacteria) it contains. These cultures have been known to improve your digestive system and support a healthy immune system. When you’re shopping for yogurt be sure to read the label and only buy brands that contain “live and active cultures”. A suggestion is to add fruit and nuts to the yogurt as desired for even more calories.

A quick sandwich – It’s true you can make a sandwich out of anything: tuna, deli meat, peanut butter, etc! Another idea is to use wraps (like a tortilla) and spread out some salad greens, cheese, and meat and roll it up.

Doughnuts, brownies, or cookies – I am not by any means suggesting that you load up on sweets as your high calorie snacks, but when you can’t get to a real meal treats like these will help you meet your caloric goals.

Use these 5 powerful tips to supercharge your weight training progress. Don’t start lifting weights before you read this!

Weight Training Tip #1 – Eat Well

When you engage in weight training it is necessary to be very intentional and consistent with your eating and meal frequency. Before you start working out, if you haven’t been doing so, make sure you eat 6 meals per day. Your body requires the necessary stored nutrients at its disposal to fuel your training and for recovery. Don’t just show up in the gym one day without thinking about nutrition! You diet is just as if not more anabolic then training.

Weight Training Tip #2 – Prepare Your Mind For Success

Packing on muscle mass is going to be hard work and you should know that up front. That is what I love about the No-Nonsense Muscle Building program. Vince doesn’t sugarcoat the fact that it’s going to require a lot of discipline, consistency, and dedication to your training and nutrition program if you want to reach your goals.

So get excited about eating and training because you are going to be building a better you. It’s as much a lifestyle change as it is building a healthier, stronger, and more muscular you. Clear any negative thoughts from your mind and start to embrace change.

It’s important that you work hard, but don’t try to rush success. Set yourself achievable goals so that when you reach your goal weight or size you are no longer doubting yourself if you can actually do it.

Weight Training Tip #3 – Strength Training The First 3 Weeks

Even if your primary goal is to gain weight and muscle mass, it would still be a good idea to engage in strength training for the first 3 weeks, lifting in the 10-12 reps range, until you have learned how to perform each exercise with proper weight lifting form. This will allow your body to build a solid foundation and help you establish muscle memory with regard to proper technique.

After 3 weeks or more of strength training you can engage in mass training, where the goal is to use a weight that is heavy enough that you can only successfully complete about 6 reps. It is a lot of hard work and you will be glad that you first took the time to build a proper foundation.

Weight Training Tip #4 – Get As Much Sleep As Your Body Needs

You are going to feel exhausted during the first few weeks of your weight training program. This is normal as an intense training program is very taxing on your body, and your system will respond to mass training by becoming bigger and stronger. Most of the muscle repair and growth takes place while you are sleeping, so make sure you listen to your body and get sufficient sleep.

Weight Training Tip #5 – Design A Solid Weight Training Program

All of your efforts may be in vain if you use an inefficient training program. There are various factors which can inhibit muscle gains, so you want to ensure every component of your weight training program is designed to achieve your desired results. Here are a few things to keep in mind if you design a weight training program that will build muscle yourself.

In addition to resistance training, are you spending time doing some form of cardio exercise to burn fat and get rid of that pot belly? If your primary goal is to bulk up, you are making a big mistake. It IS counter-productive trying to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. Your diet and training program should be tailored to “gain muscle” or “lose fat”, not both, because they have very different requirements.

As a hard gainer, the last thing on your mind should be “fat loss”. One of the attributes of being an extreme ectomorph is that you don’t put on weight easily. Although it can make it tougher to gain more muscle, you will actually be glad you have this body type when you begin to increase your calorie intake to gain mass, because you can eat anything and not put on fat.

If your goal is to gain weight then don’t do any cardio exercise at all, the calories you burn during the cardio workout will result in you having to consume even more calories to make up for the calorie deficit. The focus should be on gaining muscle so you can tailor your diet and training routine to achieve this goal. Stick to doing weight training three days a week, working in the 8 to 12 rep range, and make sure you’re eating to gain muscle not to bulge.

I wouldn’t even do cardio training on your off days, cut it out all together. Too much cardio exercise will increase cortisol levels in your body, which is catabolic, meaning it breaks down muscle tissue. That is why you would never see a bodybuilder doing any form of cardio workout – it is counterproductive to muscle gains.

If you are that desperate to get lower body fat levels so you have a more ripped looking appearance, then you can integrate some cardio into your weight training program once you have gained your desired weight. But as I said this should be the last thing on your mind when you just start training and want to pack on the pounds.

The only cardio I would recommend is some light cardio before working out to warm up the muscles you are going to use, but even this is not really necessary and can be achieved by doing warm-up sets instead.

Don’t get me wrong, there are a wide variety of health benefits you receive from doing cardio, it’s just something which you will want to put on hold whilst your goal is to gain weight.

Fruits are an excellent food choice for people who lift weights and trying to gain weight. Despite being high in natural sugars, fruits are nutritionally very good for us. Simple carbs are also very concentrated, so they are an easy way to add calories.

I believe that fruits are the most underestimated part of a weight gain diet. Unfortunately, fruits are often overlooked by many people, especially the younger guys who think its all about protein intake. Protein is important for building muscle, but if you eat too much protein, your body will resort to using it for energy rather than building muscle. Not good! You want to get calories from other food sources like fruits (bananas and apples, for example) which are loaded with vitamins and minerals.

Even though you are lifting heavy weights to gain muscle mass, your body is required to prioritize its activities. Way down the list of priorities is building muscle. You need to keep the heart pumping and the organs working to stay alive. By eating fruits you supply your body with the vitamins and minerals necessary to keep you healthy. A healthy body with a strong immune system is conducive to getting more muscular, so make it a priority to eat more fruits. Here are five ways to include more fruit in your diet:

1. Eat fruit for breakfast

A fruit salad is the perfect for anytime of the day but is great for breakfast. Its a light meal and makes you feel good. I find the energy lasts a lot longer than traditional breakfasts like toast and cereal. To make a fruit salad, you can add apple, grapes, tomato, sultanas etc. Add whatever fruits you prefer really.

If you are in a bit of a rush in the mornings, you can also add it to cereal. Add a tonne of fruit to your cereal bowl with milk and honey. This will turn any ordinary cereal into something really tasty! A delicious breakfast that gives you everything you need.

2. Snack on fresh and dried fruit

When you are hungry try having fresh fruit like a banana, apple or dried fruit. Don’t always think about a can of coke or some hot chips. Think about eating some fruit they are great to snack on. One of my favorite fruit snacks is dried apricots I can’t get enough of them. Consider adding dried fruits to a nuts mix. It’s a really yummy and high calorie snack. You can even make your own dried fruit.

3. Add fruit to your weight gain shake

Adding fruit to weight gain protein shakes is a great way to get more vitamins and minerals after working out and will also help fill you up. Banana is best or any frozen fruits like strawberries and berries will add flavor and calories. These weight gain shake recipes should give you some ideas.

4. Fruit smoothies

A fruit and yogurt smoothie is a quick and easy way to get more fruit in your diet. After a workout its best to have a high protein weigh gain shake, but for other times of the day, a fruit smoothie is a great alternative. No time to make one? There are a ton of those juice shops which provide juices and smoothies squeezed from pure fruit.

5. Drink fresh fruit juice

Fruit juice is more concentrated then eating the fruit itself, thus a good option when gaining weight to consume more calories. For example, one medium size orange contains about 60 calories, drinking a glass of orange juice contains about 160 calories.

And I don’t mean you should drink the juice you can buy at the supermarket. That fruit juice has been heated to temperatures that kill its nutritional value and has had preservatives added to stay on the shelf longer.

The type of fruit juice I am talking about is the real stuff that you make yourself – 100% natural fruit juice, where you add a variety of fruits into a juicer and drink it fresh. This is a much more healthful option then drinking supermarket fruit juice.

One of the biggest mistakes I have noticed many lifters make in the gym is neglecting to do a proper warm up before working out. They dive right into a heavy weights workout and then wonder why they are injured after only a few months of training. In this article you will lean about the importance of warming up and how to go about it.

Warming up before intense weight training workouts is important for a few reasons. By warming up you will:

1. Get your blood flowing and heart rate up.

2. Warm up the muscles you are going to use.

3. It prepares your mind and body for exercise.

4. Most importantly, you can decrease the risks of injury.

Many people remember to do a light warm up to get the bloody flowing and the heart rate up, but the neglect to warm up the correct muscle groups which they will be training.

For example, if you are going to do a big back and biceps workout with chin ups and deadlifts and barbell curls then a run on the treadmill isn’t really going to do much is it? How does working out your legs help you warm up your rhomboids? It doesn’t.

What is a better warm up? Okay so you know running isn’t a good warm up for an upper body workout but what do you do instead? You need to work the muscles you are going to use. If you are going to workout your back then get on the rowing machine for 10 minutes and really get the blood flowing through those lats and rhomboids.

How you choose to warm up is completely up to you. I will say it again though. Make sure you warm up the muscles you are going to use in the workout. At the gym, you can use the exercise bike, treadmill, rowing machine or a jog will all suffice for the cardiovascular component of the warm up, depending on what weight training routine you have planned.

It’s time to move to the resistance component of the warm up. This component of the warm up requires that you do 5 warm up sets. For example. if it was a chest day and your first exercise was the flat barbell bench press. You would perform 5 sets of that exercise with a very light weight and high reps. The goal of warm up sets is not to fatigue the muscles, so make sure you only use light weights. You just want to increase blood flow to the muscles and prepare the CNS for a heavier weight.

But won’t all this warming up make the muscles tired for the workout? Many people are obsessed with the fact that warming up will make them tired and stop them from lifting as heavy. This is garbage. You guys are strong and motivated, a little warm up is not going to kill you. By properly warming up with some light cardio and warm up sets you will be able to lift more weight during the workout and the increased performance capacity will allow you to build more muscle.

Every skinny guy wants to know what it takes to gain weight and build bigger muscles but not everyone is prepared to accept the answer. When it comes to weight training, the honest truth is we are forgetting the basics which gets you the raw strength to pack on muscle. How do you think bodybuilders trained before all these fancy machines? They stuck to the basic compound movements that work, which include the bench press, squats, and deadlifts. These three exercises are essential for building muscle and I will explain why in this article.

If there was was one thing you could change in your training program in order to improve your results – let this be it. Stop doing all those “pretty boy” exercises like biceps curls and triceps extensions. Instead, in addition to using the bench, start doing some leg work. This change alone will have a huge impact on your results.

The reason this is so important is because these exercises will help achieve your weight gain goals a lot quicker. If you want to get bigger and stronger then you have to be prepared to give these three killer exercises a go.

You see the bench press, squats, and deadlifts are anabolic exercises. They use a lot of muscles in your body and they use them hard. The squat is “king of all exercises”, a heavy squat will work your calfs, quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes as well as your abs and back. It is a huge exercise. And using all of these muscles with a heavy weight causes your body to release mass loads of anabolic hormones like growth hormone and testosterone, which causes other muscles to grow, not just the muscles you are targeting.

Keep in mind that exercises like deadlifts, squats and the bench press use heavy weights. If you are a weight lifting beginner don’t make the mistake of cheating with these exercises to compensate for the extra weight. Increasing the weight when lifting with bad form does not mean you will gain more muscle. All it will result in is injuries and wasted time. Make sure you learn to do these exercises with proper form. Decrease the weight if necessary to get the technique right!

If you haven’t figured it out already, exercises which recruit large muscle groups and enable you to lift heavy weights are the most effective for building muscle. Think about the king of all chest exercises – the bench press! It’s considered to be the best upper body exercise because you can lift heavy with this exercise and it targets the entire pectoral area, deltoids, triceps, and even secondary muscles like the biceps and forearms. This is no different for squats and deadlifts which also work lots of muscles. If you have not been experiencing the muscle growth that you would like then maybe you need to start hitting the big muscle groups a bit harder.

Generally compound exercises like the bench press, squat, and deadlifts should be performed before isolation exercises. Whether or not you incorporate these exercises into your workout routines is your choice, but without them you are limiting your potential progress as they are proven mass builders. You might be surprised with just how quickly you will achieve your desired goals by implementing the three best muscle building exercises in your training routine.

If you are planning on getting into weight training and thinking of starting a home gym here is the equipment you’ll need and the terminology you’ll need to know before starting your first weights routine.

In terms of equipment for a personal home weight training program, the following basic home gym equipment is needed: a bar, plates, collars, and dumbbells.

Bar

This is a steel bar usually 4 to 6 feet in length, 1 inches diameter, and weighing about 20 pounds. It is used to support the collars and plates. A knurled middle area provides for firm gripping by the hands prevent slipping, loss of control, and possible injury.

Plates

The plates are round in shape and sized according to weight, a with a hole in the middle to slide them on and off the bar. The plates or “weights” come in sizes ranging from 1 pounds to 100 pounds.

Collars

Collars are the protective locks used to secure the plates on bar. Set screws are generally used to attach the collars, with one set of collars on the inside and one set located outside the plates. The proper setting and securing of the collars is important to prevent the plates from sliding and upsetting the balance of the total lifting weight. The bar and collars together usually weigh about 25 pounds and are included with the plates in determining the total poundage.

Barbell

Barbell is the term used to describe the completed setup wheii ready for an exercise, including the bar, selected plates, and collars.

Dumbbell

Originally, the dumbbell was an end-weighted piece of equipment cast in one section, about 12 to 18 inches long and of varying poundages. Though still available in solid construction, small bars with changeable collars and plates are now more commonly used to allow for greater adaptability. They are primarily used with one-arm lifts, while the barbell is used for two-arm lifts.

Basic Terms

As most other activities, weight training has its own unique language. Knowing the language will help in understanding directions and learning the rules and techniques of the activity.

Repetitions

Number of times a complete exercise movement is performed.

Sets

Number of times a given number of repetitions are performed, usually consecutively after a brief rest period.

Load

The actual weight or poundage used for an exercise or in a set including the bar, plates, and collars.

Repetitions maximum (RM)

The maximum load that can be lifted given number of times. Thus, 10 RM is the greatest weight that can lifted 10 times.

Minimum or maximum repetitions

The minimum or maximum number of repetitions performed with a given load.

When you are beginning weight training it is important to learn the fundamentals of the lifts you are doing. Here are some of the basics you will be relying on through out of your weight training cycle.

Grips

There are three basic barbell grips: the overhand grip, the underhand grip, and the combination grip (one hand over and the other under). The grip used will vary with each exercise, and whether the palms face up or down will depend on the starting position. The over hand grip is the one most used and is sometimes referred to as regular grip. The underhand grip, also called the reverse grip, is used in only a few exercises and only when the starting barbell position below the waist. The combination grip is also used only for a few lifts mostly low lift exercises in order to provide greater control.

Hand spacing

The distance between the hands when taking a grip depends on the exercise performed and may be either: (1) close (hands touching); (2) normal (about shoulder width apart); or (3) wide (out a the collars).

Starting positions

Starting body positions may be either standing, supine (back lying), sitting, or bent-over (trunk inclined forward), with the legs either bent or straight. The barbell may be either across the thighs, chest, or shoulders (also referred to as the front-hanging, chest- rest, or shoulder-rest positions). In the front-hanging position, the arms are fully extended and the bar may be held with any grip. In the chest- rest position, the arms are flexed, with the forearms under the bar and the hands in an overhand grip position. The arms and hands are in this same position in the shoulder-rest position, except that the bar lies behind the neck and on the shoulders and upper back.

Lifting to the starting position

In lifting a barbell to the thigh, chest or shoulder-rest position, a definite technique must be used to avoid injury. For lifting to the thigh position, the feet should be spaced about shoulder width and placed well up under the bar, with the bar close to the ankles. The body should then be bent at the knees and the hips at about a 45 degree angle with the head and back straight and the arms reaching for the bar. It is then important to set the proper grip for the exercise (close, normal, or wide) and check to see that both hands are equal distance from the collar on their side to insure that the load is balanced. After taking the grip, the head is then extended slightly and, with the back kept straight, the bar is brought to the thigh simply by straightening the legs. The arms must be thought of as mere attachments and lifting with the back avoided.

In lifting to the chest position, the procedure for approaching the bar and setting the grip is exactly the same. But now after setting the grip, extending the head and making sure that the back is straight, the barbell is brought directly upward from the floor in an explosive movement to a position across the chest (the degree of explosiveness depending on the load). The initial force for the lift comes from extending the legs and pulling up with the arms.

As the elbows approach hip level, they are thrust forward under the bar to a position in front of it; at the same time a slight dip is taken with the legs. To place the weight behind the neck, the bar is always brought to the chest position first. Then, it is pushed directly upward with the arms, assisted by a slight upward thrust of the legs following a slight dip, if necessary. The bar is then lowered to the shoulders as the head and shoulders are moved slightly forward.

In returning the bar to the floor from the shoulder position, the procedure is reversed. It is first pushed directly upward and then lowered to the chest. From here, the elbows are brought up behind the bar, and the hands are lowered to the thighs while keeping the head and back straight. The barbell is then lowered to the floor by bending the legs and hips.

As a hardgainer, you understand the importance of protein, and when you are trying to include more protein in your diet, there is only so many cans of tuna you can have before you begin to hate tuna with a passion. The trick is to eat muscle building foods which are versatile and can be easily combined with other ingredients to make a tasty meal.

1. Peanut butter

The number one super food to us hardgainers is peanut butter. Peanut butter is tailor made for hardgainers and many seriously credit it with helping them gain weight. While being calorie dense it does not have much saturated fat, it has carbohydrates as well as proteins making it a complete meal. Snack on some crunchy peanut butter and celery sticks, have a peanut butter sandwiches or eat a few spoonfulls.

2. Low fat milk

Another super food for hardgainers is milk, especially low-fat or two percent milk. This is full of good carbohydrates, protein and has enough calories to really help a hardgainer. It’s easy to mix milk with fruit and protein powder to make a tasty weight gain shake. Having a weight gainer shake as the last thing you eat before bed is a good idea. This can be replaced by mixing some flax seed or canola oil with some whey and milk. This is to cater to calorie loss during hours of sleep. As soon as you wake up, you have to once again eat with a vengeance.

3. Chicken breast

Chicken breast is another super food to include in a hardgainer’s diet because it’s one of the best sources of lean protein. You should be taking chicken breast, lettuce, and mayo sandwiches to work everyday.

4. Fruits & vegetables

A muscle building diet should also consist of lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. Similar to protein requirements, you should try and include some fruit and vegetables with every meal. Eat fresh fruit like berries, bananas, and oranges. Good veggies include broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, squash, and yams.

5. Brown rice

Brown rice is another really good super food to include in a hardgainer’s diet because it’s a great source of complex carbs. You can serve brown rice alongside chicken breast and cooked beans to form a good post workout meal when your body really needs the carbs and protein. Brown rice can also be used to make a tasty stir fry, which is one of my personal favorites.

As proper nutrition for hardgainers you need to consume a good mixture of carbohydrates and protein every time you eat. To ensure that you are never hungry, carry high calorie muscle building foods such as peanut butter, protein bars, and fresh fruit and veggies to curb the appetite.

When in situations where you have to eat fast food, go for the better nutrition option by going for the chicken burger instead of the fries. When possible eat the grilled and not the fried. If possible, avoid the desserts and highly processed snacks – instead fulfill that hunger with a few spoonfuls of peanut butter, yogurt, or glass of milk. But what matters most is to EAT and when you do not have a choice – eat what is available to you – just EAT because you are a hardgainer and you want to beat your metabolism into submission.

Since we are on the topic of building muscle without equipment in these tough economic times, I thought it would be a good idea to list the essential ingredients you should include in a basic muscle building stack which you can take pre and post workout to increase strength and gain some quality muscle.

First of all, let me just say that as a beginner your focus should not be on supplements. You first want to understand and follow a good nutrition and training program, however it must be said supplements if used properly can give you a boost.

With so many bodybuilding supplements on the market begging for your attention, you are bound to be confused with exactly what is the best muscle building stack for putting on lean muscle mass. The aim of this article is to include the most essential ingredients which you should include in your muscle building stack without having to break the bank.

In bodybuilding circles a “stack” refers to the different products used in a bodybuilder’s steroids cycle, but the term is more loosely referred to using multiple supplements or products in the one “stack” or daily supplement regimen.

There are pre-packaged muscle building stacks such as Muscletech Musclebuilding Stack (the same manufacturer which makes the pre workout supplement naNO Vapor), but the focus of this article is not to recommend the best muscle building stack product, instead we want to discuss the best ingredients to include in a stack when on a budget. It can be preferrable to make up your own stack because that way you know exactly what ingredients you are putting in your body.

So what should you include in an effective muscle building stack?

In other articles I have already discussed what I feel to be the most effective bodybuilding supplements, so it should come as no surprise when I say that the basic muscle building stack should include protein, creatine, carbs, and a good multi-vitamin supplement.

Protein should form the foundation of your muscle building stack. Heavy resistance training increases the demand for protein (more specifically amino acids) so make sure you are consuming some protein before and after working out. Whey protein powders are one of the most convenient ways to consume protein. It can easily be added to weight gain shakes and it contains a high percentage of protein with every scoop.

Creatine monohydrate is another supplement you must include in a muscle building stack. This is a proven supplement with many scientific research studies to backup it’s claims. Creatine is particularly useful to increase explosive strength, gain lean muscle mass and gain weight. Here is how much daily creatine you should include in your stack.

A quick absorbing high glycemic carbohydrate is a nice addition to a basic muscle building stack. It’s important to combine carbs with protein for your post workout meal because carbs help transport nutrients to muscle cells and increase protein synthesis, which is the main objective. Carbohydrate also helps to prevent muscle catabolism (break down of muscle tissue) and jump starts the recovery process. The complex carbohydrate source can come from raw foods such as oats or you can use supplemention for convenience.

Taking a good multi-vitamin is also very important. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies can be determinental to muscle gains because your body is not performing to its full potential.

How should you take the muscle building stack?

You can take the daily multi-vitamin in the morning and combine the whey protein, creatine and carbs to form a great post workout shake.

By far, caffeine is the most popular drug in the world. But is caffiene good for working out? That is the question many lifters would like the answer to. We drink coffee, cola, tea and energy drinks, so we consume a lot of caffeine everyday. But what do you really know about it? Is it good for working out, and most importantly, good for your health?

I thought it would be a good idea to take a deep look into caffeine and find out whether it is something that is good for you or not. I started doing my research and the first thing I noticed is that there is a lot of conflicting information about this substance. Some say it is good, other say it is bad. So look at the advantages and disadvantages of taking caffeine when working out and then decide for yourself.

The Advantages and Benefits of Caffeine

Now it is time to take a look at some of the advantages of this popular drug.

1. It makes you feel good

When you develop a slight addiction to caffeine it makes you feel good when you consume it. This is evident in people who drink a lot of coffee. An early morning cup makes them feel great but if they go a day without one they are grumpy and tired. So this benefit is also a negative.

2. It will increase exercise performance

Bodybuilders and many other athletes have been using caffeine for a long time to enhance their training and workouts. While it is usually illegal to use during a sporting even itself, caffeine does provide you with a lot of energy and extra stimulation. It might help you go that little bit farther which is why it’s a popular ingredient in pre workout supplements.

3. It increases mental alertness

If you need to study for exams or work then the stimulants in caffeine can help you stay focussed for longer. It helps you stay attentive and alert but too much can make you feel too awake and agitated.

4. It can help with burning fat

It has been shown for a long time now that caffeine can improve your fat loss results. For example, many bodybuilders will take a caffeine supplement or have a cup of coffee before going to the gym to do their cardio as it can help with the workout. The way it does this is to speed up your metabolism as well as helping to break down the fat itself.

5. Prevents bowel cancer

One of the best benefits of caffeine, however, is that it can help prevent bowel cancer. This is in relation to coffee – it can help you clean out your bowels by making you go to the toilet more; partly due to the diuretic function that it has.

6. Prevents other illnesses

Caffeine in some forms has shown to have a preventative effect for some long term diseases like diabetes and alzheimer’s disease. This is a big bonus for anyone who drinks coffee or tea.

The Disadvantages and Dangers of Caffeine

Now that we have looked at the advantages of caffeine it is important to look at some of dangers that are associated with this drug.

1. Sleeplessness and anxiety

If you have problems sleeping or are highly stressed then too much caffeine is a bad idea. This relates to the stimulant effect that caffeine has one the body – it wakes everything up.

2. It can increase blood pressure

If you have heart problems then this drug isn’t a good idea (nor is any drug for that matter!). It has been shown to increase blood pressure as well as speeding up the heart rate.

3. It is addictive

The bad thing about drugs is that they are addictive. Once your body gets used to a certain amount it needs more to stay happy. This is the same with caffeine. Many people start off drinking a cup of coffee in the morning but after a while they need one at lunch and in the afternoon as well. Soon they need more then two or three cups during the day just to function properly. It would be a more healthful approach to fuel your body with nutrients instead of stimulants.

4. It comes in bad foods

Think about the times when you consume caffeine. Usually it is a coffee with cream and two sugars, a can of Coke filled with more sugar than you care to think about or in chocolate where, again, the fat and sugar is a worry. This is a serious downside to caffeine, more often then not it’s associated with the foods you want to try and avoid.

5. It can be detrimental to building lean muscle

Excessive caffeine consumption can increase cortisol levels in the body, placing it in a catabolic state. This is the oppositive of what you are trying to acheive if you want to gain muscle weight.

6. It’s easier then you think to overdose on caffeine

Caffeine is not just in coffee. You will find it in teas, chocolate, and many soft drinks/energy drinks. While you think you may only be drinking two cups per day, you may in fact be consuming a lot more.

Conclusion

Like anything that we consume it is important to do it in moderation. If you are drinking more than two to three cups of coffee per day it is likely that it’s doing more harm then good. If your goal is to gain weight then you should try and minimize caffeine intake whenever possible.

However, I don’t see it as being a huge problem if you occasionally consume a strong coffee in the morning or have a pre workout supplement with caffeine to get a better workout.

Due to the diuretic effect it can have it would be a good idea to consume water when you are drinking coffee to prevent dehydration.

Many “bodybuilders” dismiss bodyweight exercises as being not hard enough and not providing sufficient progressive overload to build muscle. That maybe the case if all you did was regular pushups and situps, but you are not here to just learn the basics.

If done properly, it is possible to build muscle without weights using bodyweight exercises. You only have to look at the 100 strongest and biggest men in the world and I bet you close to 90% of them would spend a lot of time doing bodyweight exercises. I think they only become unproductive if you are not doing progressively more difficult bodyweight exercises (for example, going from regular push ups to “clap your hands” pushups) and not increasing exercise intensity.

A great way to increase the intensity of bodyweight exercises is to include them in a circuit training workout routine, so you go from one bodyweight exercise to the next with less recovery time.

Benefits of Bodyweight Exercises

The reason I have dedicated a whole post to bodyweight exercises is that you don’t need any equipment and they are a great addition to weight training exercises. You can do them at home or when you are travelling and still get amazing results.

Moreover, bodyweight exercises are a great tool to develop explosive strength. If you are working out to gain mass for a specific sport, you want more then to just gain weight, you want to develop speed and agility for your specific sport. It’s easier to develop that explosive strength with body weight exercises, because you are typically only lifting 60% of your bodyweight.

Also, if you have ever spotted someone who is struggling to complete a bench press, you will notice that if you can help them get past the sticky point they can complete the rep on their own. With proper explosive strength training you can lift the weight more forcefully and break through those plaeteaus, so body weight training will help you lift heavier and build more muscle! There are a few things to keep in mind though…

Don’t Cheat On Your Technique

When you are training at home there is the temptation to cheat on your technique a little bit because no one is watching. This is a big mistake that you need to avoid.

If you want to make big gains and not injure yourself you need to make sure your technique is solid. Read as much about every exercise that you do and start off slow. Never try and overdo it because your joints will not forgive you in the long run.

Furthermore, if your technique is poor your muscle gain will also be poor. Each exercise is done in a certain way. It is done that way firstly because it is the safest way and, secondly, because it is the best way to work the muscle. So, if you cheat on your technique you are only cheating yourself.

The 5 Best Bodyweight Exercises to Build Muscle

Now we can get into the real stuff. I am going to present the best 5 bodyweight exercises that you can do at home. Every exercise includes clear instructions so you can do them with proper form. If you do them correctly and with the right intensity you will see some amazing progress.

1. Burpees

There is a reason this is called the king of bodyweight exercises. This is a challenging exercise which combines the squat, pushup, and jump all built in to one exercise to give you a great full body workout. I would recommend beginners get familiat with the individual exercises on their own before attempting burpees.

How to do a burpee

To correctly do a burpee, start the exercise by standing upright with both feet close together. Squat down by bending your knees, put your hands on the ground and hop your feet backwards so you are in position to do a pushup. Do a regular pushup and when you are rising to the start position perform a jump.

2. Clap your hands pushups

This exercise is referred to as “clap your hands” pushups because you lift the upper body off the floor that fast that you can clap your hands in between each rep. If you are new to bodyweight exercises, then first get familar with doing regular pushups, but as soon as you can manage clap your hands pushups do so because they are really good for building explosive functional strength. They really shock your muscles into growth.

The great thing about the clap pushup is that it forces your muscle to contract and then expand very quickly. Many studies have shown this is the best way to make fast strength gains without damaging or slowing down your muscles. Normal weight lifting, on the other hand, has been shown to slow down your movement. If you are a mma fighter or athlete this will not do.

How to do a clap your hands pushup

To do a clap your hands pushup simply get in the normal pushup position and lower yourself down to the bottom. Instead of pushing yourself up as normal you should powerfully push down and cause yourself to jump with your hands. While your hands are off the ground you should clap your hands together under your chest before hitting the ground and repeating. Keep doing this over and over until failure.

3. Dips

Dips are like a bench press but more full on. Many of you are not going to like that statement but it is true. There is literally nothing harder than strapping some heavy weight discs to your weight belt and pumping out a set of dips.

You can make your own dip station at home by setting up two narrow bars parallel from each other. If you get a power rack they will often include dip bars.

How to do a dip

To correctly do a dip you simply grab on to the two parallel bars and lower yourself down as low as you can. Don’t try to keep your body upright. You should allow yourself to naturally lean forward as this will work both your chest and your triceps. Once you have lowered yourself down fully explode upwards for a fast incline. This will blast your muscles into some serious growth!

It is very important to take care of your shoulders during the dip. I know of many people who have ended up with pretty serious shoulder joint injuries. Never do dips on a dip station where the bars are too wide apart. If you can make your own that is the best idea because you can set it to your own width. The narrower the better.

4. Chin ups

When you want to develop full body power and strength as well as adding some serious size you need to work with the chin up. All of best boxers in history had huge backs. Just take a look at Muhummad Ali’s back. It was enormous! The chin up is a poweful way to train your back and biceps and is one of the best ways to add some size in a hurry.

How to do a chin up

Grab a thick bar with and underhand grip and allow your body to hang free. The thicker the bar the better because this will work your forearms. Once you are comfortable you should pull yourself up as quickly as possible. Imagine that you are pulling with your elbows as this will help you focus on your back muscles. Once you reach the top slowly lower yourself back down to a count of five or six seconds. This is when a lot of the strength is built. The slowe the better.

5. Jumping squats

Do you know the feeling of wanting the throw up because an exercise has pushed you beyond your limits? The jumping squat will do that to you.

The jumping squat is one of the best bodyweight exercises on the planet because it mixes aerobic and anerobic exercise in such an intense way. It will challenge your whole lower body as well as your back and abs and it will make your lungs burn like you are running a 100m sprint. People who stick at the jumping squat (not many do!) are blessed with huge legs, better running power and a truck load of lower body strength.

How to do a jumping squat

Crouch down in a squatted position with one foot in front of the other. Spring into the air as high as you can and land with your other foot now in front. Allow gravity to take you all the way down to the fully squatted position and then, without any break, spring yourself back into the air again. Repeat this until failure.

Conclusion

These five bodyweight exercises workout the entire body. If you did a workout without weights that consisted of only these exercises, you would get some amazing overall muscle development. However, if you can mix these up with some other mass gaining exercises.

One of the few bodybuilding supplements which I can recommend using is creatine monohydrate. Most supplements have no scientific research showing if they work or how safely they work. Creatine is an example of a nutritional supplement with sufficient scientific research to show its safety.

What Are The Benefits of Creatine?

Anyone who wants to develop muscular strength or would like a significant increase in body weight should consider taking creatine supplements. Creatine is a naturally occurring substance which is produced in the human body. This is what makes it a safe supplement. If you take too much creatine then is required, your body will simply convert the substance in to creatinine and excrete it. No known research exists that lead scientists to believe that creatine supplementation would harm the liver or any other bodily organ over a prolonged period of time. That being said, it’s best to urge on the side of caution when using creatine, less is always more.

What Does Creatine Do?

Production of creatine in the body aids in the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP fuels short-term energy output. This is very beneficial when you start lifting weights to build muscle mass. ATP is your body’s source of explosive energy. The increased energy will allow you to lift heavier which will result in greater gains in lean muscle mass. And no! Creatine is not a form of anabolic steroids.

Foods which contain creatine include red meat and fish. However, the creatine concentrations in food such as these food items tend to be small. One kilogram of beef contains only one gram of creatine. So, getting the recommended daily dose of creatine through whole foods proves unpractical. Therefore, taking creatine supplements is an easier way to consume optimal levels of dietary creatine.

Why You Need To Cycle Creatine Monohydrate

Muscles can hold only a finite amount of creatine. Research has shown up to a 50% increase in skeletal muscle creatine content following 5 days of supplementation. It is not known if this is the limit. In fact we know very little about different creatine dosing regimes. Creatine requires a receptor on the surface of the muscle cell to carry it into the cell. As soon as a person starts taking creatine, the body begins to get rid of some of these receptors. Also, the body stops producing its own creatine. This is the body’s way to try to maintain the status quo.

Therefore in the first few days your body will absorb about half of the ingested dose. After a week or so, however, it is likely that most of the creatine you ingest is not absorbed at all. That is why after an initial 5 day loading phase, very little creatine is required to maintain muscle levels. That is why cycling creatine monohydrate might be a good idea. After 6-8 weeks of supplementation you might take 2-3 weeks off and then begin with the loading phase followed by a maintenance dose for another 6-8 weeks. This time off will allow the body to begin to increase the number of creatine receptors and perhaps increase the body’s ability to absorb creatine.

How To Dose Creatine Monohydrate

Creatine is available in tablet, gel capsule and powder forms. The tablets and capsules are perhaps more convenient because determining exact doses is easier. The creatine monohydrate powder, however, is typically cheaper and has no taste. The recommended dose is 15-25 grams (depending on body weight) per day for 5 days followed by 3-5 grams per day for 6-8 weeks. This seems to produce pretty good results in most people. Since creatine monohydrate is virtually tasteless it should be palatable in water.

If the initial loading phase and maintenance dose is not working for you, you can try a new way of taking creatine monohydrate suggested on Muscle Hack, which involves loading and abstinence of creatine every 3 days to help maximize muscle creatine concentrations. There is reason to suggest that a small maintenance dose of about 5 grams per day is next to useless for maintaining high creatine concentrations, so you may want to try this method.

What Happens When You Stop Taking Creatine?

When a person takes steroids (which are actually synthetic forms of the hormone testosterone) the body begins to get rid of steroid receptors and stops producing its own testosterone. Because of this when a person stops taking steroids he may experience unusually low testosterone levels. In addition the receptor downregulation makes his body less responsive to the testosterone his body is producing. This may result in muscle loss. There is no equivalent process for creatine. Although creatine supplementation does cause creatine receptor downregulation, there is no decrease in skeletal muscle creatine content to below normal levels when a person stops supplementation.

Creatine Supplements Are Not The Only Answer

There are no magic bullets or guarantees when taking creatine monohydrate. No supplement will produce good results if you have a poor workout or diet plan. Perhaps you should begin by reevaluating your weight gain program. Supplements such as creatine and whey protein should never be the cornerstone of your overall plan. At best, even a very good “natural” supplement will make only a 20-30% difference in your rate of progress. Also, as with any supplement, individual results may vary.

Understanding how to accurately read food labels is a very important skill when starting a weight gain diet. It’s an important skill because you want to be able to determine how much protein, carbohydrate, and fat is present in the foods that you eat, and which foods to avoid.

Serving Size

The important thing you need to realize is that even though food labels list a certain number of calories per serving, this does not mean you are in fact consuming this number calories per serving. Often times the serving size listed on the food label is not accurate. This is a problem because the nutrition food label is based on the “serving size,” so if you make the mistake of assuming this is correct then you will be getting the wrong information.

So, what should you do to get an accurate serving size? After a while it will just become second nature and you will know how many calories you are eating just by looking at the serving size. I generally recommend breaking out the measuring scales for a few weeks when first getting started, until you have a good eye for determining serving size.

Calories

Calculating the total number of calories would have to be the most important data on the food label if you are trying to gain weight. Figuring out the correct number of calories from protein, carbohydrate, and fat is relatively straightforward. You simply have to take the number of grams listed in the amount per serving and multiply this number by 4 for protein and carbs. Figuring out the fat calories is a bit different. Take the number of grams of fat listed in the amount per serving and multiply this number by 9.

Carbohydrate

Carbohydrate would have to be the most misunderstood piece of information on food labels. Regardless of what you may have read, carbohydrate is an important part of a bulking up diet and should make up about 50% of total calories. There are two main types of carbohydrate – simple and complex carbs, but they are not created equal. Most of your calories from carbs should come from complex sources, but how do you know if a food is a simple or complex carbohydrate?

The first way of knowing whether or not a food is a simple carb or complex carb is identifying which foods fit into these two categories. Foods which contain complex (good) carbohydrates include most fruits, vegetables, pasta, beans, nuts, oats, whole grains, whole wheat bread and brown rice. Simple (bad) carbs can be found in most types of junk food, such as cakes, candy, soda, syrups, white bread and white rice.

The second way of knowing whether or not a certain food is a simple or complex carb is by reading the nutrition label. Listed below total carbohydrate is “dietary fiber” and “sugars”.

Dietary fiber is the indigestible parts of plant cells and is one of the few nutrients which you want to be high on the food label. If a food has a high amount of fiber (only needs to be a few grams), it’s more then likely a complex carb. Although it’s considered a carbohydrate, fiber does not convert to glucose and therefore does not raise your blood sugar the same way other carbohydrates typically do, which is what makes a complex carb good in the first place.

The “sugars” section includes those that are present naturally in the food. For example, lactose which is present in milk and fructose in fruit, as well as sugars added to the food during processing. Your body usually can’t distinguish between natural and processed sugars. Foods which have high sugar content will usually mean it’s a simple carb, so it’s best to stay away from them as much as possible.

Now that you know about the best arm exercises which you can utilize to build bigger arms, you can include them in an awesome arm workout. An awesome arm workout is a workout that makes driving home hard after your workout sessions. A fantastic arm workout for me should include drops sets as well as super sets to keep the arm burning like crazy. Imagine pouring gasoline over your arms and light it up!

Let’s hit the triceps first. Triceps should be the one suffering first because it is a lager muscle group and it requires a lot more focus on it. First, do the triceps press down with cables. Do around 3 sets. Moving the weight up as you drop the reps. Then on the fourth set, do a drop set. For example, move the weights down from 25 kg to 20 kg to 15 kg and the reps from 8 to 10 then to 12 non stop.

The when the triceps is all warmed up, lying triceps extensions with the EZ curl bar is next. This totally a true triceps mass builder. It hits all the three triceps muscle heads and it is a perfect exercise for mass. Take 3 solid heavy sets to really over load the triceps muscles.

If you want to get an awesome arm workout, do close grip push ups after each set of heavy lying triceps extension.

Do not miss out on over head cable triceps rope extension. This exercise can really give mass on the upper triceps as well as the lateral head. This exercise is a isolation movement there for it should be done towards the end.

After hammering the triceps, move onto the next exercise in the arm workout for biceps. I always start out by doing standing barbell curls. This is also another must do exercise for big biceps. This is because you can carry heavy weights on this bicep exercise. Do three heavy sets on this exercise. Start out moderate heavy and do 10 reps. Then pile on the weights and on the weight and do 8 reps. Finally, for a real killer arm workout, do 6 reps with heavier weights and make your biceps swell!

Then move on to incline 45 degree dumbbell biceps curls. This exercise really hits the biceps because it prevents momentum from helping in the biceps exercise. Here is a tip for getting a high bicep peak. During the top of the curl, rotate your wrist outwards.

For the last exercise to complete this awesome arm workout, do three sets of heavy preacher curls and on the last set, do a drop set. This will really burn the biceps and light them on fire. Make sure during this exercise, use the EZ curl bar and go for the full range of motion.

You can also option to do heavy standing cable bicep curls. The good thing about using cable curls is that you it works the entire bicep equally. What this means is when you use free weights, the top of the motion is always easy and the mid point of the curl is the toughest. If you use cables, the force of tension is the same throughout the motion is equal. There for you get a full development for the entire muscle.

Use this awesome arm workout for 3 months. Give full determination and you will get the results you want. You also have to eat lots if protein and carbs to supply the raw materials for you muscle to recover.