The Secrets of Building a Coveted Physique
Built like Hercules.
by JC
| Follow @JCDFitness
Filed in : Articles
Tags : bodybuilding, brain, counting calories, deadlift, diet, dumbbell, Grip Work, HIT, hypertrophy training, insulin, leg press, magazines, protein, recovery, sleep, squat, walking
Hercules. Photo by antmoose.
You Want That Greek-like Physique Huh?
OK, so what I am about to reveal is not an actual secret, however many do not understand the muscle building process. Hence, to them it is still a secret. Building muscle is a relatively simple process. However, it is not a quick and easy one. There are a few important factors to keep in mind when ones focus is to pack on some serious muscle mass. In my experience many trainees fail at something that is fairly simple because they get lost in all of the details. Of course this is not rocket science, but individuals tend to treat the muscle building process as if it were so. I will break the process down into a few key concepts, that if one were to follow only these ideals and never learn anything else about muscle building, they could create a very respectable physique. Keep these tips in mind, maintain a decent level of sanity and your muscle building quest will be shortened greatly.Proper Training is Crucial
Most fail in the training department. In fact, many are still lost after years of being in the gym. The typical trainee has been working hard for years without any appreciable size or strength gains, however they continue to do the same stuff over and over with less than stellar results. Focus on the following:- Frequency Matters - Most trainees will make the best gains from hitting each body part 2-3 times per week. The typical 1 body part per week splits are not optimal for the majority of the population.
- Build Strength - Focusing on progressive overload in the 5-8 rep range is generally a good idea. This is a great way to track progress and as strength goes up you will be building muscle. Remember to keep a log book.
- Compound Movements - Compound exercises are not the be-all, end-all solution. However, these movements are efficient and great when focusing on progressive overload. Deadlifts, squats, leg presses, over head presses, rows (many variations), and the various chest presses are all great exercises when you are building mass. They also keep you from wasting time on unnecessary isolation movements.
- Hypertrophy Rep Totals - A total of about 80-100 reps per large body parts and about 40-50 per smaller body parts per week will be enough stimulus to spur muscle growth. One should divide the total reps by 2 to 3 depending on the weekly workout frequency.
Eat A Lot
Many people fail here as well. You have to eat if you want to grow. Muscle will not magically appear out of thin air; I don't care what that asinine muscle building Ebook tells you! Building muscle requires energy. We ingest energy in the form of calories. You must consume an excess of energy to fuel growth. A few main points:- Create a Surplus - This can be accomplished by eating 400-500 calories over your daily maintenance calorie range. Gaining 1 pound a week is a decent rate to shoot for. If you start gaining much more than that, you are probably adding unnecessary amounts of fat.
- Protein - Eat at least 1x bodyweight in grams of protein. This will be enough to produce muscle gains. Excess protein is not needed when in a caloric surplus, so save your money and enjoy the other more interesting food groups.
- Carbs + Fats - Fill in the rest of your caloric amount with these macros. Consume a minimum of 20% fat in your diet and fill in the rest with carbohydrates. As far as I am concerned, you can manipulate these macros to your own liking. I personally like my diet to be carb based, but it's really up to the individual. If you are insulin resistant, it may be smart to strategically place starchy carbs around training only (at least 100+ grams).
- Meal Frequency - This is not an important issue as I described in my Meal Frequency Article. Just make sure to get the proper pre and post workout nutrition for recovery purposes. Frankly, I am not too concerned with however you choose to spread your food out during the day as long as you create a surplus of calories.
You Might Also Like...
Brilliant device. If your shoulders aren't quite as flexible as you'd like, grab The Rotater. Love it.
Already got one? Looking for something specific? Swing by the Straight to the Bar Store. It's all in there.
Recovery Is Key
Do not underestimate the importance of your rest days and bed time. You only grow when you are not training, sitting on your can and sleeping. I always emphasize a solid 3 to 4 rest days per week.- Sleep - During your sleep cycle, your body is restoring itself from the previous day's wear and tear. When you sleep, you grow. Yes, it's that simple. The muscles are knitting themselves back together using the excess nutrients you stuffed yourself with a few hours earlier. Hormones and other important muscle building mechanisms are recovering during this time as well.
- Rest Days - For all of those that have an exercise addiction, its time to cut the crap. If you want to build some serious muscle, rest days are not for unnecessary activity. Sure, maybe a pick up game now and then or some walking in the park with the significant other but no deliberate strenuous activity. These days are for recovery between workout sessions. Your nervous system can only take so much abuse within any given time frame. Use rest days to your advantage so you can make the most of your training efforts.
Do Not Over Analyze Everything
If there is an issue that chaps my rear more than anything else, it has to be paralysis by analysis. Too many people change their workouts every other week because of some BS they read in a magazine about "shocking their muscles". Too many get caught up in whether flat bench or a machine bench is better than dumbbell presses. They obsess over whether to use a pronated or supinated grip when doing rows. Worrying about minutiae will destroy your efforts and turn you into an OCD birdbrain. Worry about the small stuff when you have made some decent progress. Then and only then do you need to think about messing with the details.Take Your Time
Building a respectable physique is going to take some serious effort and a lot of time. Embrace it, enjoy it and learn to love the journey. Remember these 2 points :
- Arnold Didn't Wake Up Huge - Shaping his physique took years of hard work. Do not fall for false promises of building a jacked physique overnight with little to no effort.
- Jamie Eason Didn't Become Lean and Sexy from A Magic Pill - She works her tail off day in and day out to maintain her shape. Don't lie to yourself.
All things aside, if one can maintain the discipline to follow these 5 guidelines I have presented, there is no reason why you won't build the physique you are longing for.
JC is the creator of the fitness resource JCD Fitness. If you can appreciate a relaxed, no BS approach to training and diet, then you may find his ideas about the fitness lifestyle to be very practical and applicable.
Like this? Check out :
Report from the Big Seminar Part I: Lecture Notes.A wonderful return.
3 SIMPLE Rules For Superior Fitness.If you've been around the fitness scene for a while (or you're just starting to 'Get in shape') then I'm sure you've found a truckload of information. What are the basics?
Recovery and Regeneration for the Strength Athlete.Does your training plan involve a solid dose of recovery work?
From Losing to Lifting.An incredible journey.
From the Archives : 10 Questions with Strongman Mike Gill.I'm travelling for a couple of weeks (back around March 15). In the meantime, here are a few hidden gems from the archives.10 Questions with Strongman Mike Gill.Time to dive a little deeper.
Of course, if you enjoyed these, I'd highly recommend grabbing the Strength & Fitness Newsletter. Delivered weekly, and absolutely free.
(there's also a Daily Update, if you're looking for an even larger dose of training-related goodness.)
NB : If you'd like to write a guest post for Straight to the Bar
, or if you'd like to join the team of Moderators here (I love hearing about everyone's training approaches) - get in touch. And if you've got a fitness competition or seminar coming up, add it to the calendar.Look forward to hearing from you.
Over to you. Leave a comment below, or send us a tweet :
blog comments powered by Disqus
Are You as Strong as You Could Be?
Grab the Straight to the Bar Strength Kit.
Training Guides, eBooks and of course the Strength & Fitness Newsletter. Absolutely free.
If you love talking about training, make sure you check out the Gymchats. There's a full list of previous shows here.
To give you an idea of what they're like, here's an example :
Gymchat 277 - Barefoot Running - Believe the Hype! (Steven Sashen)
Fantastic discussion.
NB : if you'd like to be interviewed on an upcoming show (or know someone who should be), drop us a line. It's great to find out how other people train. And if you'd like to add your comments and suggestions on the Gymchats in general, we'd love to hear them. Cheers.
what we're saying
NB : As well as leaving a comment or two beneath the articles themselves, you might like to swing by the Daily 'Paper' for a somewhat more frequent dose of training goodness.
ready to get in shape?
A dose of Online Personal Training is ideal. Your place, their experience.
As you'd expect, I work with a number of Fitness Professionals myself - including the wonderful Josh Hewett. If you're about to begin your own strength-training journey, swing by his site at :
top-form-fitness.com/online-coaching
Highly recommended. If you're looking to get serious about 'getting in shape', book some time with Josh. Fantastic guy.
setting up a home gym?
If you're getting ready to put together a solid Home Gym (fantastic thing), here's how.
And for more, swing by the full guide. Absolutely free.
images of strength
Want to see (and learn) more Feats of Strength like this? Dive in.
reading : Ferocious Fitness (Phil Ross, Marty Gallagher)
Remember this? Great book. Ferocious Fitness : A Fighter's Proven Action Plan to Develop Blazing Power, Animalistic Strength and Killer Conditioning is a distillation of Phil Ross' training wisdom, in the form of a superbly comprehensive book. We took a look at the digital version recently, and you'll be pleased to know that the paperback version is now available. Definitely worthy of a place on the fitness shelf. Phil Ross' Ferocious Fitness.
community
talking about If you tweet a lot about fitness and would love to be on this list, let me know.love your grip work?
Check out The Grip Authority. Fantastic site.
daily newsletter
For some people, this site's weekly newsletter (The Strength & Fitness Weekly - part of the Strength Kit) isn't quite frequent enough. For those I produce a daily version, which you can grab here. Absolutely free.
in the wild
It’s always great to see how other people train.
If you’d like to send in a photo of yourself in action (wearing one of the Straight to the Bar Shirts of course - the latest design is here), just upload it somewhere and send us a link. Cheers.
the future of fitness
Over the years we’ve looked at the fitness industry from a number of angles - discussing the history, present approaches and potential future trends involved. Fascinating areas.
When it comes to the last part - discussing potential future trends - things get a little, well, unusual. If it’s an interest you share, or you just want to find out the types of things we think are likely, check out the posts tagged ‘Futurism’. And of course, Gymchat 224 (Roundtable) - The Future of Fitness. Superb discussion.
air pollution & health
We discuss air pollution quite a bit on this site - particularly the various health impacts involved. If you'd like to dive in a little deeper, I invite you to check out the following :
- The 'Electric Cars' list on Twitter
- The 'Leave it in the Ground' newsletter
- The daily 'EVs in Australia' 'paper'
and of course :
Cheers.
checking out
Trap Bar Training 2 (Kindle Edition) This looks great.
We looked at the first edition a while ago, and this second volume looks equally superb. I'm about to dive in to it myself, and you can check out the details (and grab a copy) here :
John Wood's Trap Bar Training 2.
And for the full list of the Books & DVDs we recommend, swing by the Recommended Books & DVDs page. To check out what we're reading at the moment (and to make suggestions), join us on Goodreads.
See you there.