A while back I was browsing through athletic trainer, Kelly Bagget’s, site at Higher Faster Sports and stumbled across this article titled, “Creation of a Bodybuilder.” That article is perhaps the most non-bullshit, non-fluff, straight-to-the-point training primer for anyone looking to pack on muscle mass fast. The article is all action and lays out a direct plan to gain 50 lbs or however many pounds of muscle mass you desire in the shortest time possible (shortest time is relative to your body’s response to training stimulus, since everyone grows at different rates).
The program is simple and employs training and dietary principles of building muscle outlined here at Project Physique. Take a look at the article and go over all the details. The basics of the program are as follow,
We'll use the premise of building 60 lbs of muscle for purposes of understanding this program.
Diet
1) First figure out how much muscle you want to gain. Double that number. That number is the total weight gain you’re aiming for. If you want to gain 30 lbs of muscle, you’ll aim for a total weight gain of 60lbs. It will take one week to achieve one pound of weight gain, total of 60 weeks for 30 lbs of muscle.
2) Add your current body weight and 60 lbs (total weight gain figure) = total amount of protein in grams you'll eat. For example, if you currently weigh 160 lbs, 160 + 60 = 220 grams of protein daily. Lots of protein. Fun stuff.
or alternatively consume at least 1.5-2 grams of protein per lb of body weight.
3) Aim for 1 lb of weight gain per week.
Eat a lot. At least 500 calories above maintenance. Ultra hardgainers and those with ultra-fast metabolism might need upwards of 800-1000 calories above maintenance intake.
- take a multivitamin each day
- get plenty of EFAs (essential fats like omega 3s and 6s) , carbs, and protein
- don’t worry about the exact macronutrient ratio breakdown as long as you take in enough protein and calories
Training
1) The training program is set up in a simple way. You will do 100 total reps of squat and deadlift variations each week.
2) You will do 100 reps of upper body pressing compound movements like military press, bench press, db shoulder press, dips each week.
3) You will do 100 reps of upper body pulling compound movements like chinups, barbell/db rows, pullups, t-bar rows each week.
4) Split it up in a week in any way you like.
- In other words, structure your program any way you like as long as you get all 100 reps each week.
- Throw in isolation exercises like leg curls, bicep curls, extensions and calf raises as you see fit but do not count them towards the 100 reps requirement.
5) Do 1-2 hours of low intensity cardio like walking and jogging per week just to maintain general aerobic fitness.
6) Ensure 2 consecutive days of no weight training. Take the weekends off.
7) Sleep 8-10 hours a night
Now these rules allow for a lost of structuring and leeway to scheduling and drafting your program. But keep the big picture in mind. The program you come up with following these guidelines do not have to be perfect because what matters most are these factors,
- lifting heavy weights using compound exercises with sufficient volume (100 reps here)
- eating a lot, eating a surplus of calories, about 500-800 above maintenance requirement
- sleeping a lot
- progressive overload
- maintain cutting cycle to lose excess weight, 1/2 of original weight
Here’s a sample program taking all of the above factors. You can just take this program and roll with it.
Monday, Lower body
squats 5×10 (50 reps), sets x reps format
standing calf raises 2×15
stiff legged deadlift 5×10
Tuesday, Upper Body
bench press 5×10
bench press 5×5
military press 5×5
pullups 5×5
db rows 5×5
Wed-rest
Thursday, Lower Body
deadlift 10×5
front squat 10×5
Good morning 2×10
Friday, upper body
bb rows 5×5
close grip chinups 5×5
close grip bench press 5×5
db shoulder press 5×5
Sat and Sun are rest days
do cardio on off days if desired
- rest 2-3 minutes per set, 2-3 minutes per exercise
- for 5×5, use 80% of 1 RM, RM is repetition maximum or the most amount of weight you can lift for one rep
- for 10×5, use 75% of 1 RM
- for 5×10, use 65% of 1 RM
Use weight progression for progressive overload.
Example of weight progression:
military press, 80% of 1 RM for 5×5 is 100 lbs, 100 lbs as starting weight for training cycle,
workout 1: 100 lbs 5×5, achieved all 5 sets of 5 reps with 100 lbs, increase weight next workout
workout 2: 105 lbs 5×5
workout 3: 110 lbs 4×5, 1×4, stay with same weight until all 5×5
workout 4: 110 lbs 5×5
workout 5: 115 lbs 5×5
workout 6: 120 lbs 4×5, 1×3
workout 7: 120 lbs 4×5, 1×4
workout 8: 120 lbs 5×5
workout 9: 125 lbs 4×5, 1×3
workout 10: 125 lbs 4×5, 1z4
workout 11: 125 lbs 5×5
- total of 11 workouts resulting in 25 lbs gain, not bad, hypothetical example of linear weight progression, results will vary for each person, follow this method of progression and you will gain strength and muscle.
Take progress pictures with double bicep, back, and leg poses. Weigh yourself on an empty stomach early in the morning.
Using the figures above to calculate protein and calorie requirements, it is possible to gain 60 lbs with this simple program.
Nothing complicated. Principles are the same and will always be the same for building strength and muscle. Action is key here. Take this general template, Read Bagget’s article or use the above sample routine and you’re well on the way to build strength and muscle mass.
Train Hard. Train Safely. Train Smart.
Don't hesitate to contact me at ZQH245@gmail.com or ZQH250@gmail.com if you have any questions or comments.
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