I think the biggest problem for a lot of people is that they can´t build muscle continually. Progress is the fastest when you are just starting out. But it is difficult for most people to make progress month after month, year after year. There comes a time when nothing happens. Some are so dissapointed that they give up, others start using steroids hoping that this will solve the problem.

But actually it is very easy to make build muscle weight continually. Every time you go to the gym you have to make some kind of a Personal Record. You can do more reps with the same weight, put on more weight to the bar, add another set or just make your workout more intense. Doing the same thing that you have done in a previous workout will not help you to build muscle. If you apply new stress to the body with more weight or extra reps, then the body will adapt by building itself up bigger and stronger. But if you don´t apply new stress then your body has no reason to adapt. That is why a PR is so important.

You don´t have to set a sinle rep PR. You can set a 3 rep, 5 re or 10 rep record. If you want to build muscle weight all the time, then you have to break records all the time. Of course it is impossible to keep track of every record without a training journal. Having a training journal is very important because you get detailed records of everything you do in a training journal and you can always look back at it so you have a goal to shoot for at every workout and on every set you do.

Having a PR will also give you more motivation and makes the workout more interesting. It is like you are combeating with yourself all the time. If you finish your workout and you have made a PR or more, then you also build muscle weight. If you follow that simple tip, then you will be surprised how much progress you will make.



By: Rando Meresmaa

About the Author:

Build Muscle

Many factors go into whether or not you are actually building muscle or not. Things like rep count, workout frequency, routine type, nutrition, supplements amount of rest and so forth. Everyone is different but the right combination of the variables exists for everybody. But only ONE thing and one thing only keeps everybody building muscle once they find their way.

Since we are all unique, what works for some will not necessarily work for someone else. The way that I have managed to build mass over the years took many years for me to discover and may not work for you. I tried what I thought was all the text book ways of lifting for upwards of 5 years before I found the right “mix” for me. For the record, it turns out that low rep (4-6), very heavy weight, 90 seconds rest between sets, 5 pyramided sets, 2 body parts per workout, training 5 days a week was the way I finally started adding mass. Not to mention very little cardio work and heavy protein and creatine supplementation. I have many friends that have tried following my routine and it doesn’t work for them, but they eventually found their way. But the same thing keeps everybody growing once they start.

Set a Personal Best ONCE in every workout.

Fine. How do I do that? Here’s how and why it works.

Let’s say today’s chest day and you do 6 different exercises for your chest. If you are like most people you probably do the six lifts in the same order each workout and chart your progress. Hence the term “chest routine”. Once you start getting stronger you will grow but eventually plateau. Frustration sets in, you change your routine and maybe progress continues for a while. But when you go back to the original routine, you might actually be weaker, because you haven’t done these moves in a while. A common occurrence.

What works is this: Keep doing the same six moves in your original routine (they were working, right?), but change the order. You will obviously be strongest on either the first or second exercise because you are freshest at this point in your workout. So make that lift a different lift each session and during one of the sets of this exercise set a personal best for either most weight or more reps at your previous high weight. The trick is that you must perform at that level every workout thereafter. So now when you do this exercise next time, you are trying to match what was a personal best at a point in your workout when you are not at your freshest and strongest, as well as setting a new PB on a different exercise when you are, and so on and on and on.

If you do six exercises with 3 sets for each one, and follow this pattern, at the end of 18 chest workouts, every single set will be at weights higher than when you started 18 workouts ago. Which means if you hit your chest twice a week, in 2 months every set you do would be one that 9 weeks ago you couldn’t. So, how big do you want to be?



By: Steve Robbins

About the Author:

Build Muscle

Bodybuilders have been flocking to the use creatine supplements for the past 15 years or so and it is no surprise. The reports, mostly anecdotal, of tremendous benefits from using creatine make it seem almost like a miracle potion. But is it? And, more importantly, does creatine have any harmful side effects when used as a bodybuilding supplement?

Lets take a look at what creatine is, where it comes from and what effect it actually has in and on our bodies.

Creatine is a naturally occurring amino acid in our body, like the building blocks that make up proteins. It is produced in the liver, kidneys and pancreas through a synthesis of arginine, methionine and glycine. It’s purpose is to supply energy to muscle cells and it acts as a storage battery for the energy that comes from food.

Red meats and fish are rich natural sources of creatine and with a balanced diet most people get all of the creatine they need to maintain their health. Vegans have it a little tougher. The only vegetarian source I could pin down is juniper berries which are reported to be a good source. Creatine is degraded during cooking making it very hard to get a large dosage of creatine from foods.

While it is not possible to take in enough creatine through diet alone to gain a significant benefit, we can safely add it as a supplement. Extensive research shows that creatine can help you pack on muscle size and strength fast with no harmful side effects, when combined with your weight training regime. That is a key. Creatine by itself is not a miracle pill. When used together with vigorous workouts it produces good results.

Many athletes turn to various supplements to get a winners edge and many also find they are throwing their money away on useless, and sometimes harmful, garbage. Creatine, however, may actually be able to deliver improved athletic performance – for a short duration. It has been shown to be such an advantage in body building that some countries have banned the use of several forms of creatine in competition.

Athletes who compete in sports dependent on weight, power, and short bursts of intense activity (sprinting, football, basketball, weight lifting) may benefit from creatine. Those involved in endurance sports see little improvement.

Normal recommendations are to divide creatine intake into two phases. The first phase, called the “loading” phase, fills up the muscle fiber’s storage capacity for this nutrient. A recommended loading dose is 20 grams of creatine a day for five or six days. A “maintenance” dose of 2 to 5 grams of creatine a day is then continued after that.

Creatine is one of the most studied supplements in the world with none of the studies indicating any serious side effects. But, as with any substance it should be taken with caution, constantly observing your body’s reaction.

Creatine is incredibly popular among high school athletes and other youngsters hoping to “bulk up,” but nobody knows how the supplement affects them long term. It’s possible that regular doses of creatine could disrupt the natural growth of muscles and promote tears in tendons.

In summary, creatine helps build lean body mass, which allows still greater force to be used; provides energy so duration of exercise or work can be lengthened; and speeds recovery so exercise frequency can be increased. There appears to be no harmful side effects but long term studies have not been done to confirm this.



By: Gerry W Marsh

About the Author:

Build Strength

Everyone today seems to be a fitness freak. They all want better looking bodies, more muscle, and more strength. People today are ready to shell out thousands and thousands for gym fees, supplement, expensive training programs and personal trainers. Unfortunately, even after spending exorbitant amounts of money not everyone gets a body like a Greek god. Then again not all of us are genetically endowed to have killer physiques. But that really shouldn’t be an obstacle between you and a bigger, better body. Building muscle might be difficult but not impossible. Here is a step by step guide on how to build muscle quickly.



Increase strength to increase muscle: Begin with strength training because more strength will mean more muscle. Strength training is done using weights, and increasing the weight on the bar slowly will help in muscle development.

Use free weights: The next step in knowing how to build muscle quickly is using free weights like dumbbells and barbells which are useful in building muscle quickly. This allows you to work with the natural movement of the body instead of using fixed machines. Free weights are more helpful as an advantage is that when using them you have to balance the weight and control its movement which enhances the muscle development.

Doing compound exercises: The step by step guide on how to building muscle quickly believes that it always helps to do exercises that work out more than one muscle group instead of just a single muscle. Thus we suggest doing squats instead of leg extensions for better muscle development.

Increasing stamina: The next tip is that when working with weights it is important to systematically increase the amount of weight you are lifting. I believe that the body gets used to the stress it is being put under and thus it is necessary to keep pushing it towards more to help build muscle quickly.

Eating right: Muscle building in the body requires the intake of the correct nutrients in correct quantities. Proteins are responsible for building muscles. Thus if you’re looking to increase your muscle mass, the step by step guide on how to build muscle quickly thinks it is necessary that your diet be a high protein diet including various foods like chicken, fish, eggs, milk, pulses, nuts etc. At every meal, consume protein rich food first, and then if hungry, have those with sugar and carbohydrates. This will provide for satisfactory energy levels without adding to increased weight.

Pamper your body: Over training doesn’t help build muscle quickly. It will just tire you out and leave your body without the energy to build muscles. Instead, allow your body enough time to sleep since the body heals and grows while it is at rest as well as releasing growth hormones. We also insists on giving your body the water it needs instead of dehydrating it. The water is necessary for your muscles and to avoid cramping and fatigue.



Having a good body is every man’s wish, and by clicking below you can find not just a few tips but the bible of bodybuilding to help you get ripped!

http://www.102tips.info/bodybuilding



By: Frank Croft

About the Author:

Build Strength

Has all the money, time and effort spent in the gym been a waste of time? Have you still not gotten the kind of results that you expect- that you deserve? Well that’s because most of what you have heard and learnt about how to build muscle up is dead WRONG! A lot of build muscle tips and tips to build muscle are actually doing you more damage than good.

However today with my simple 3 step muscle building guide, you will right your wrongs and actually start to get close to that beach body you desperately desire.

Ok, so here are the 3 build muscle tips that you must know if you want to build muscle.

1.    Make sure you do your cardio. A lot of trainers preach that weight training is just as good as cardio for keeping your heart and lungs in good shape. However weight training, designed for body building, is actually almost completely useless for enhancing your cardiovascular system. In fact weight training is about as good as sitting watching TV all day for your cardio system. Furthermore don’t listen to all the trainers who believe that cardio will make it much harder to build muscle. In fact a cardio workout speeds up your recovery and is vital for building maximum muscle gain. Cardio is a crucial aspect in this muscle building guide.

2.    Spending too much time training your biceps and triceps. Most people want to have bulging biceps and triceps so that’s the only thing they work on. The point that they miss is that your biceps and triceps are much smaller than your back, chest, shoulders, thighs etc. By focusing on your majority muscle groups, you will find that building your arm muscles (biceps and triceps) will become much easier.

3.    Focus on getting stronger. A lot of people ask for tips to build muscle. Instead of just trying to become more ripped and muscular, focus your efforts on getting much stronger. Then in turn you will actually get much more ripped and muscular. When you become stronger you will be able to perform more reps, lift more, recover quicker and have better technique. Then in turn, you will have the big muscles to show for it.

Now that you have read my muscle building guide and my 3 special build muscle tips you are much closer to your ideal body. Remember and apply these tips and you will be building muscle like never before.



By: Rory Wilkinson

About the Author:

Bodybuilding Workout

Lee Hayward asked:


 

The desire to build a better body unites all bodybuilding enthusiasts, but for most of us, the gains come too slow. So we look for shortcuts. In this article we are going to dive into 5 of the most common workout “shortcuts” that people take.

Shortcut # 1 – Training More Often

A lot of times aspiring bodybuilders think they are not training enough and fall into the more is better mentality. After all more workouts must mean more muscle, Right?

It is not uncommon to find less experienced bodybuilders to start spending more and more time in the gym. Daily workouts become the norm and the length of those workouts gradually gets longer and longer. They usually think they are doing themselves good, and sometimes even brag about how they workout “everyday”.

Is there a better way?

Your body can only recover and grow so fast. Training a muscle again before you have fully recovered from your previous workout will lead to overtraining. Generally the most you can train a bodypart is twice per week and still recover and grow.

While there are some rare exceptions to this rule. You should limit yourself to working each bodypart at most twice per week and take at least 2 days off from weight training each week for optimal muscle gains.

Shortcut # 2 – Doing More Sets

Making the transition from a beginner, to intermediate, to an advanced lifter usually involves increasing your workout training volume to some extent. The better shape you are in physically, the higher your work capacity, and the more volume of training you can handle.

For example, a beginner workout may consist of 6 sets per bodypart. An intermediate workout may consist of 9 sets per bodypart. And an advanced workout may consist of 12 sets per bodypart. While this is all good general training advice, it breeds the “more is better” mentality. After all no one wants to be a newbie for long so they jack up the training volume too much, too soon.

Another problem with this train of thought is that if 12 sets per bodypart are good for an advanced lifter, will more sets be even better? How about 15 sets, or 20 sets, and beyond…?

Is there a better way?

Generally it takes at least 3 years of training to progress from the beginner, to the intermediate, and on to the advanced levels of training. Once you reach the advanced levels adding more sets and training volume beyond this is often counterproductive.

While there is no hard set rules for exactly how much training volume you should do, there are some general guidelines that you can follow. 9 sets per workout should be adequate for smaller muscle groups like biceps, triceps, calfs, and abs. And around 12 sets per workout will be enough for larger muscle groups like chest, back, and thighs.

Once you are at the advanced training level the key to more muscle growth is using progressive overload and by adding variety to your workouts. NOT from adding more training volume.

Shortcut # 3 – Training Less Often

The world of bodybuilding is full of extremes, for a lot of guys it is either all or none… there is no middle ground. So after learning about the negative impacts of training too often, as outlined above, many bodybuilders make a complete U-turn and go the opposite direction and drastically cut back on their workouts figuring that “less is more”.

Some experts have gone over the deep end with the fear of overtraining. Mike Mentzer and his Heavy Duty style workouts were one of the biggest influences of the “less is more” idea. Overall the basic principles of this workout were good because it implemented a solid plan of action, used progressive overload, monitored your progress, etc.

But one major flaw of the system was that if you weren’t making progress with your workouts it was automatically assumed that you were “overtraining”, so your workouts were cut back. Sometimes going to the point of working out once a week or less.

Is there a better way?

For some extremely hardgainers training less often (i.e. every second day) may be the best frequency for muscle gains. But most people will respond well to more frequent workouts (i.e. 2 days on, 1 day off).

There are no hard set in stone rules that work for everyone, but a general guideline of working out 4-5 times per week and training each bodypart twice per week is a good place to start. As you get more experienced you be able to find out exactly what your body responds the best to and customize your workouts to fit your specific needs.

Shortcut # 4 – Heavy Weights & Low Reps

One of the basic bodybuilding principles is a bigger muscle is a stronger muscle. So in order to get bigger, you need to get stronger. Progressive overload is the cornerstone of all successful workouts. You need to gradually increase the weights you are lifting over time in order to make progress.

During the early phases of a starting a workout program beginners can make fast gains because all training stimulus is new at this stage. And a lot of the initial strength gains come not only from increasing muscle strength, but also from improved lifting technique and better coordination.

But once you get past the initial beginners phase, your strength gains come more slowly. When this happens a lot of lifters will simply do fewer reps so they can continue to increase the weights.

For example, if I can lift 100 lbs. for 10 reps, maybe I could drop the reps to 8 and lift 120 lbs., or drop the reps to 6 and lift 140 lbs., etc… While this may work to some degree initially to get you growing again, there comes a point where it can back fire and bring your gains to a screeching halt.

Is there a better way?

Lifting heavier weights for lower reps increases your odds of getting an injury such as a muscle tear. When you are doing fewer then 5 reps per set you lose the mind muscle connection. The lift becomes an end in itself and no longer a means for building muscle. Lifting too heavy makes it harder to concentrate on the muscles you are working, your focus switches to simply moving the weight and not getting crushed under a heavy barbell.

For bodybuilding purposes try to stay within the 6-12 rep range. This is the “sweet spot” for keeping your muscles under tension long enough to stimulate growth, while still allowing relatively heavy weights to be lifted.

Shortcut # 5 – High Intensity Techniques

A lot of hardgainers think the key to making faster gains in the gym is to simply work harder. So they increase the intensity of their workouts with various advanced training techniques such as forced reps, super sets, drop sets, and so on… Thinking that the harder they push themselves, the better gains they’ll make.

Is there a better way?

For the average drug free lifter using advanced training techniques and pushing yourself to the limit will quickly lead to burnout, overtraining, and possibly injury.

A very common mistake that you can witness pretty much any day of the week in the gym is to see a couple of eager young lifters doing bench presses with WAAAYYY too much weight on the bar. One guy will be getting ready to bench while his trusty spotter is standing by ready to assist the lift. After getting psyched up the lifter plops down on the bench and takes the bar from the rack, he manages to struggle up 2-3 reps using **** poor form and every ounce of effort his body can muster. Then he gets his spotter to assist him with an addition 3-5 reps.

At the end of the set you wonder who worked the hardest, the guy benching or his buddy pulling the bar off his chest…?

Once you reach failure with an exercise you have stimulated the muscle. Doing more then this is often not only waste of time, but could potentially set you back in your training through risk of injury. Simply doing your sets to positive failure is intense enough to stimulate your muscles to grow.

After each workout record it in your training journal. Each workout strive to do better by lifting an extra 5 lbs. or doing an extra rep with the same weight. Using progressive overload like this will ensure that you constantly push yourself to make steady strength and muscle gains.

The Real Shortcut To Fast Muscle Growth

Gains in muscle and strength don’t come overnight. They take consistency over the long term. By taking things at a manageable pace and making small frequent improvements week after week with your workouts your muscle size will increase faster then you ever thought possible…

Inch by inch life’s a synch… Yard by yard life is hard…



Build Strength

vinced08 asked:


Do you know what it really to build big muscles? Do you think that it is as simple as buying a gym membership, training each body once a week, slamming back some protein shakes and trying to eat as much chicken and tuna possible? Viola, you are big enough for a bodybuilding contest. Can you imagine that it is so easy to build big muscles? Unfortunately, your monthly gym membership, regular weight training workouts and casual eating habits, will not delete. Here are five simple steps to big muscles faster:

Squat and Deadlift

Huk and Deadlifting are known as two of the three major exercises that are responsible for the strength and build muscle mass. Consider these two animals exercises kings of the jungle! Without them, you do not have a chance to survive. These two exercises on their own, figure out approximately 75% of all your muscles, including your fall, shoulders, arms, back. Solid, ham, calves and core muscles.

Be sure to talk about what level of intensity, squat and dead lifts force your body to large amounts of growth hormone, leading to larger muscles throughout the body. This results in the strength of the side benefits of all of your lifts to be transformed into a more muscular you! Huk and dead lift is very critical for hard gainer as a result of the hormonal surges affect the whole body.

Hold on the compound exercises

What will isolate more muscle fibers? A bank or press the cable cross over? A military press or lateral raise? A chin-up of biceps curl? A dive or triceps kickbacks? If you ever hope to gain big muscles than compound lifts are not optional, they are required. Stick to hurken, leg presses, deadlift, bench Preses, barbell rows, pull ups, chin ups, the head pressing, and valleys.

If all you need to do is to concentrate on building your puny muscles such as arms and calves, you can use what you have to focus on – puny muscles!

Keep Your rest Honest

When was the last time in the gym, and you looked at the average time vent his recovery, with a stop watch? Stop watches are not only for the endurance of athletes, but should be used by a person who is serious about building big muscles.

The general, the closer you lift your one rep max, the longer the rest period and the greater number of representatives, the shorter the period of calm. This is an important variable, which is often overlooked, but will determine whether you have a good education response.

For example, if you are training for maximum strength, which requires a minimum of 3-5 minutes rest between sets and you are just 2 minutes, you’re not in your nervous system a fair job. If you are training for muscle size that requires shorter 30-90 second-style recovery, but are staring at the sweet girl in elliptical leaves your time to rest these margins that you are not your metabolic system, an honest work.

Finally, how do you know that if you really are stronger if you do not monitor your rest? For example, let’s say your bank last week pressed 135 pounds for four groups of ten. This week you bench-pressed 145 pounds for four groups of ten. Provided that the rest were identical for both workouts, it’s a huge improvement and a measurable signs of improvement! But what happens if you have an extra minute or two between each set finally work? This means that you have not actually been stronger. You have just had a long rest!

Conclusion

You know now to build big muscles are not properly displayed on the gym and throw back a couple of protein shakes. Use these three simple steps in your next program, and I promise that you begin with the construction of an entirely new muscles throughout the body!



Build Muscle

Eugene Armand asked:


A poorly conceive muscle mass routine will only lead to minuscule gains, therefore it’s very important that you focus on getting your training routine right so you may stand to reap the greatest gains in muscle size and strength. Now, before I start my take on planning effective muscle building workout routines, I would like to point out a couple of mistakes often made by weight training newbies:

1. Subscribing to the idea of more training volume equals more muscle mass. I fell for this too back when I first started lifting weights. Training a particular muscle group (often the showy ones such as the chest and biceps) more than once a week and performing way too many sets for each specific muscle group. This sort of training habit would only lead to overtraining and possibly muscle injuries as well.

2. Selecting exercises that do not stimulate maximum muscle fiber recruitment. I’m talking about isolated movements like the dumbbell flyes, barbell or dumbbell pullovers, as well as machine exercises. I’m not claiming that the aforementioned are worthless or anything as they all have a place in your workout regime, but in order to recruit muscle mass as quickly as possible, look no further than compound, free-weights exercises. Always keep in mind that the best muscle mass routine has to incorporate heavy, compound movements, otherwise your may end up with extremely poor muscle-building results.

Alright with that out of the way, let’s go over on how you can plan muscle building workout routines that can make noticeable changes to your physique in about 6 – 8 weeks (combined with proper mass gaining diet, of course). I believe that the following routines will serve well as a guideline for you to construct your very own workout plan.

Day 1 (Monday or Tuesday) – Legs

Quadriceps – 2 sets of heavy Barbell Squats and 2 sets of Dumbbell Lunges (5-8 reps)

Hamstrings – 2 sets of Barbell Stiff-Legged Deadlifts and a single set of Seated leg curls (5-8 reps)

Calves – 2 sets of Dumbbell calf raises (8-12 reps)

Day 2 (Wednesday or Thursday) – Chest, Shoulders and Triceps

Chest– 2 sets of Flat Dumbbell Bench Press, 2 sets of Incline Barbell Bench Press and 1 set of Chest Dip (8 -12 reps)

Shoulders – 2 sets of Arnold Press (5-8 reps), 1 set of Front Dumbbell Raise and as well as 1 set of Standing Lateral Raise (8 -12 reps)

Triceps – 2 sets of Close Grip Bench Press and 1 set of Dumbbell Triceps Extension (5-8 reps)

Day 3 (Friday or Saturday) – Back, Biceps and Forearms

Back – 2 sets of Barbell Deadlifts, 2 sets of Chin-Ups, 1 set of One-Arm Rows (5-8 reps) and a single set of Dumbbell Shrugs (8-12reps)

Biceps – 2 sets of all-time favorite Barbell Curls along with 2 sets of Incline Dumbbell Curls (5-8 reps)

Forearms – A single set of Barbell curls and a set of Zottman Curls (5-8 reps)

As you can see, structuring an effective muscle mass routine isn’t difficult at all and involves the following key considerations: lift heavy weights using low reps and sets, proper exercise selection, and adequate rest between workout days for optimal muscle recovery. I’ve made some decent gains thanks to the above muscle building workout routines.



Build Strength

Alien asked:


Three main factors are required to promote muscle growth:

1. Muscular stimulus. Resistance training (weight training) is needed to make the muscles work, use energy and cause microscopic damage to the muscle fibers.

2. Nutrition – after intense exercise the muscles need to replenish their stores of fuel.

3. Rest – it is during the rest or recovery phase that the muscles repair the microscopic damage and grow.

Here are the supplements I’d recommend for Muscle-building.

Creatine:

A great supplement that always produces positive health and muscle-building benefits. Helps to fill the muscles with fluid making you stronger and able to lift heavier and recover faster. Good bodyweight gains achieved with this, which allows you to lift more for better muscle growth stimulation.

Protein Powders:

Whey protein isolate is the best fast acting protein to aid in repair and growth of muscle tissue after an intense training session. Casein Protein is a slow digesting protein best taken just before bed to supply the body with a continuous flow of amino acids for repair and growth through the night while you sleep.

Muscle size increases due to hypertrophic adaptation and an increase in the cross section area of individual muscle fibers. Intensive exercise impacts more on the strength influencing fast twitch type II fibers, therefore the increase in muscle size is accompanied by greater strength.

Some other muscle building supplements include various amino acids, protein bars, growth hormone, and a huge selection of multi vitamins, all with varying ingredients used to help promote muscle growth. Growth hormone is released by the pituitary gland and is responsible for our growth, particularly during our teenage years when we hit puberty. In time, this hormone slows down, but by if we supplement with it, we can see a large increase in growth in both muscles and sometimes in bone growth as well. This is a popular choice for muscle building supplements, since the results are very stunning and often surprise people with repeated use. Protein bars are a safe and delicious way to help promote muscle growth. Many people love to eat them in order to help stave off hunger and provide the body with an extra boost of energy, without sugar or fat. Protein bars are made by hundreds of different companies, so you should be able to find one you like with a few different tries.

How to increase muscle size.

We must train hard enough to damage the muscle fibres so our body rebuilds them bigger and stronger.

We can trigger this type of muscle growth by using:

1. Heavy weights.

2. Low repetitions (6-8).

3. Long rest periods (2-4 mins).

The low reps affect muscle fibres in a unique way that causes maximum muscle growth. The heavier the weight, the more muscle fibres are used.

This type of training also stimulates our natural levels of testosterone. Testosterone is the ‘muscle growth’ hormone!

I prefer doing compound exercises for this type of training like the squat, the bench press and the shoulder press. You can use a lot of weight in these movements to strongly stimulate muscle growth.

A study published in 1997 found that knocking out the myostatin gene in mice enabled them to grow bigger muscles. Studies on cattle also found that those that were naturally bulky produced less myostatin protein. The scientists believe these latest findings show that the same process works in humans.

They also believe that techniques used to block this gene in mice could be used on humans, including those who have difficulty developing muscles.

“This is the first evidence that myostatin regulates muscle mass in people as it does in other animals,” said Dr Se-Jin Lee, professor of molecular biology and genetics at



Resistance Training