3 Essential Steps to Build Muscle Strength and Size

The fastest way to build muscle strength and size is good old-fashioned strength training, done right. Over time, strength training challenges your muscles by breaking them down so they repair and recover bigger and stronger than before.

To be optimally effective, strength training must be combined with proper nutrition and rest. Although there are some strategies to accelerate the process, there are no shortcuts. You have to do the work and follow the plan.

Nutrition

Without proper nutrition, you will compromise any muscle strength and size gains you hope to achieve. Simply stated, your body needs the raw material that food provides for growth.

It’s essential to eat sufficient calories, as well as carbs and protein, 30 to 90 minutes before and after working out. For every pound you weigh, aim for 0.8 grams of lean protein per day; whole grain and high fiber carbs; and healthy fats, like those found in olive oil, nuts, and salmon.

Weight Lifting

You’ll need to work out three or four days per week to reach your goal. Here are some guidelines to get you on your way:

Favor compound movements over single-joint movements: compound exercises, like Squats, Deadlifts, Bench Presses and Inverted Rows, involve more than one joint and engage multiple muscle groups. Triceps Extensions and Biceps Curls are single-joint isolation exercises. Compound exercises require greater muscle activation, recruit larger muscle groups, and stimulate strength and size gains.

Lift heavy weights: if you want to build muscle fast, you need to push your body to use as many muscle fibers as possible during exercise. Lifting heavy weights allows you to challenge your muscles, which is the key to making strength and size gains.

For any given exercise, build strength and power by using a weight that you can lift no more than 4-6 repetitions per set; build muscle size by using a weight that you can lift 8-12 reps per set; and build muscle endurance by using a weight you can lift 15+ reps per set.  If you can perform more repetitions than that, the weight is too light and you will fail to make gains.

Try supersets: we emphasize supersets at Athletic Performance Training Center. By pairing push and pull exercises, you are able to work twice as many muscles in a time-efficient manner to help build overall muscle strength and size.

Rest

Several different rest factors must be considered in your training:

• Get a good night’s sleep, seven to eight hours each night.
• Do not rework a muscle group until it has the chance to recover for 48 hours.
• Rest between sets to allow your muscles to recover so you get the most out of each set. As a general rule, the higher the intensity of your workout (the more weight you lift) the longer your rest interval should be.

Your thoughts?

WE WILL HELP YOU BECOME A BETTER ATHLETE!

We provide motivated athletes with a simple, customized training plan to help them improve performance and reduce injury risk.

Boost Your Results With Rest-Pause Training

Rest-pause training is a relatively new approach that can yield better strength-training results, and significantly impact muscle size, strength, and post-workout metabolism.  Basically, you’re taking a weight you could normally lift six times and lifting it 10 to 12 times instead.

Here’s how to do it: After an appropriate warmup, choose a weight that’s about 80% of your 1-rep max, for any given exercise.  Perform as many reps as you can — probably 6 or 7.  Rest 20 seconds.  Pick up the weight and do as many reps as you can — maybe 3 or 4.  Rest another 20 seconds.  Now pick it up and do a couple more.

According to a recent Journal of Translational Medicine study, experienced lifters were burning 18% more calories the day after the rest-pause workout — including a higher percentage of fat — than they were after doing a traditional workout.

Upper-body exercises — such as bench presses, rows, and chinups or lat pulldowns — work well with the rest-pause approach.  Lower-body exercises, like squats and deadlifts, require strict attention to technique, since form tends to deteriorate as fatigue increases.

The benefit of rest-pause training is more muscle activation, more fat burned, and a more time-efficient workout.

Your thoughts?

WE WILL HELP YOU BECOME A BETTER ATHLETE!

We provide motivated athletes with a simple, customized training plan to help them improve performance and reduce injury risk.

3 Essential Steps to Build Muscle Strength and Size

Straight Bar Deadlift

The fastest way to build muscle strength and size is good old-fashioned strength training, done right. Over time, strength training challenges your muscles by breaking them down so they repair and recover bigger and stronger than before.

To be optimally effective, strength training must be combined with proper nutrition and rest. Although there are some strategies to accelerate the process, there are no shortcuts. You have to do the work and follow the plan.

Nutrition

Without proper nutrition, you will compromise any muscle strength and size gains you hope to achieve. Simply stated, your body needs the raw material that food provides for growth.

It’s essential to eat sufficient calories, as well as carbs and protein, 30 to 90 minutes before and after working out. For every pound you weigh, aim for 0.8 grams of lean protein per day; whole grain and high fiber carbs; and healthy fats, like those found in olive oil, nuts, and salmon.

Weight Lifting

You’ll need to work out three or four days per week to reach your goal. Here are some guidelines to get you on your way:

Favor compound movements over single-joint movements: compound exercises, like Squats, Deadlifts, Bench Presses and Inverted Rows, involve more than one joint and engage multiple muscle groups. Triceps Extensions and Biceps Curls are single-joint isolation exercises. Compound exercises require greater muscle activation, recruit larger muscle groups, and stimulate strength and size gains.

Lift heavy weights: if you want to build muscle fast, you need to push your body to use as many muscle fibers as possible during exercise. Lifting heavy weights allows you to challenge your muscles, which is the key to making strength and size gains.

For any given exercise, build strength and power by using a weight that you can lift no more than 4-6 repetitions per set; build muscle size by using a weight that you can lift 8-12 reps per set; and build muscle endurance by using a weight you can lift 15+ reps per set.  If you can perform more repetitions than that, the weight is too light and you will fail to make gains.

Try supersets: we emphasize supersets at Athletic Performance Training Center. By pairing push and pull exercises, you are able to work twice as many muscles in a time-efficient manner to help build overall muscle strength and size.

Rest

Several different rest factors must be considered in your training:

• Get a good night’s sleep, seven to eight hours each night.
• Do not rework a muscle group until it has the chance to recover for 48 hours.
• Rest between sets to allow your muscles to recover so you get the most out of each set. As a general rule, the higher the intensity of your workout (the more weight you lift) the longer your rest interval should be.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

Boost Your Results With Rest-Pause Training

Rest-pause training is a relatively new approach that can yield better strength-training results, and significantly impact muscle size, strength, and post-workout metabolism.  Basically, you’re taking a weight you could normally lift six times and lifting it 10 to 12 times instead.

Here’s how to do it: After an appropriate warmup, choose a weight that’s about 80% of your 1-rep max, for any given exercise.  Perform as many reps as you can — probably 6 or 7.  Rest 20 seconds.  Pick up the weight and do as many reps as you can — maybe 3 or 4.  Rest another 20 seconds.  Now pick it up and do a couple more.

According to a recent Journal of Translational Medicine study, experienced lifters were burning 18% more calories the day after the rest-pause workout — including a higher percentage of fat — than they were after doing a traditional workout.

Upper-body exercises — such as bench presses, rows, and chinups or lat pulldowns — work well with the rest-pause approach.  Lower-body exercises, like squats and deadlifts, require strict attention to technique, since form tends to deteriorate as fatigue increases.

The benefit of rest-pause training is more muscle activation, more fat burned, and a more time-efficient workout.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

3 Essential Steps to Build Muscle Strength and Size

Straight Bar Deadlift

The fastest way to build muscle strength and size is good old-fashioned strength training, done right. Over time, strength training challenges your muscles by breaking them down so they repair and recover bigger and stronger than before.

To be optimally effective, strength training must be combined with proper nutrition and rest. Although there are some strategies to accelerate the process, there are no shortcuts. You have to do the work and follow the plan.

Nutrition

Without proper nutrition, you will compromise any muscle strength and size gains you hope to achieve. Simply stated, your body needs the raw material that food provides for growth.

It’s essential to eat sufficient calories, as well as carbs and protein, 30 to 90 minutes before and after working out. For every pound you weigh, aim for 0.8 grams of lean protein per day; whole grain and high fiber carbs; and healthy fats, like those found in olive oil, nuts, and salmon.

Weight Lifting

You’ll need to work out three or four days per week to reach your goal. Here are some guidelines to get you on your way:

Favor compound movements over single-joint movements: compound exercises, like Squats, Deadlifts, Bench Presses and Inverted Rows, involve more than one joint and engage multiple muscle groups. Triceps Extensions and Biceps Curls are single-joint isolation exercises. Compound exercises require greater muscle activation, recruit larger muscle groups, and stimulate strength and size gains.

Lift heavy weights: if you want to build muscle fast, you need to push your body to use as many muscle fibers as possible during exercise. Lifting heavy weights allows you to challenge your muscles, which is the key to making strength and size gains.

For any given exercise, build strength and power by using a weight that you can lift no more than 4-6 repetitions per set; build muscle size by using a weight that you can lift 8-12 reps per set; and build muscle endurance by using a weight you can lift 15+ reps per set.  If you can perform more repetitions than that, the weight is too light and you will fail to make gains.

Try supersets: we emphasize supersets at Athletic Performance Training Center. By pairing push and pull exercises, you are able to work twice as many muscles in a time-efficient manner to help build overall muscle strength and size.

Rest

Several different rest factors must be considered in your training:

• Get a good night’s sleep, seven to eight hours each night.
• Do not rework a muscle group until it has the chance to recover for 48 hours.
• Rest between sets to allow your muscles to recover so you get the most out of each set. As a general rule, the higher the intensity of your workout (the more weight you lift) the longer your rest interval should be.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

Power Up Your Workout

Plyometric pushups (aka, military pushups) and squat jumps are great additions to any workout because of the way they target your fast-twitch muscle fibers, leading to gains in muscle strength and size.

To perform a plyometric pushup, push yourself away from the ground with enough force so that you raise your hands off the floor between repetitions.  Try substituting this exercise for regular pushups or, for more of a challenge, perform a set of plyometric pushups immediately after a set of regular pushups.  If you’re not quite ready for ground-based plyometric pushups, try doing them with your hands on a bench (and feet on the floor) to reduce your load.

To perform a squat jump, stand with your feet slightly apart and knees aligned over your toes. Bend from the hips to lower your rear until you are in a full squat, keeping your back straight. Keep your knees aligned; don’t let them fall open. Push down with your heels and explode up into the air. Don’t let your knees hyperextend; keep them slightly bent. Go right back into a full squat when you land and repeat.  Similarly to plyometric pushups, you can substitute this exercise for regular squats or increase the intensity by doing squat jumps immediately after regular squats.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

3 Essential Steps to Build Muscle Strength and Size

The fastest way to build muscle strength and size is good old-fashioned strength training, done right. Over time, strength training challenges your muscles by breaking them down so they repair and recover bigger and stronger than before.

To be optimally effective, strength training must be combined with proper nutrition and rest. Although there are some strategies to accelerate the process, there are no shortcuts. You have to do the work and follow the plan.

Nutrition

Without proper nutrition, you will compromise any muscle strength and size gains you hope to achieve. Simply stated, your body needs the raw material that food provides for growth.

It’s essential to eat sufficient calories, as well as carbs and protein, 30 to 90 minutes before and after working out. For every pound you weigh, aim for 0.8 grams of lean protein per day; whole grain and high fiber carbs; and healthy fats, like those found in olive oil, nuts, and salmon.

Weight Lifting

You’ll need to work out three or four days per week to reach your goal. Here are some guidelines to get you on your way:

Favor compound movements over single-joint movements: compound exercises, like Squats, Deadlifts, Bench Presses and Inverted Rows, involve more than one joint and engage multiple muscle groups. Triceps Extensions and Biceps Curls are single-joint isolation exercises. Compound exercises require greater muscle activation, recruit larger muscle groups, and stimulate strength and size gains.

Lift heavy weights: if you want to build muscle fast, you need to push your body to use as many muscle fibers as possible during exercise. Lifting heavy weights allows you to challenge your muscles, which is the key to making strength and size gains.

For any given exercise, build strength and power by using a weight that you can lift no more than 4-6 repetitions per set; build muscle size by using a weight that you can lift 8-12 reps per set; and build muscle endurance by using a weight you can lift 15+ reps per set.  If you can perform more repetitions than that, the weight is too light and you will fail to make gains.

Try supersets: we emphasize supersets at Athletic Performance Training Center. By pairing push and pull exercises, you are able to work twice as many muscles in a time-efficient manner to help build overall muscle strength and size.

Rest

Several different rest factors must be considered in your training:

• Get a good night’s sleep, seven to eight hours each night.
• Do not rework a muscle group until it has the chance to recover for 48 hours.
• Rest between sets to allow your muscles to recover so you get the most out of each set. As a general rule, the higher the intensity of your workout (the more weight you lift) the longer your rest interval should be.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

Boost Your Results With Rest-Pause Training

Rest-pause training is a relatively new approach that can yield better strength-training results, and significantly impact muscle size, strength, and post-workout metabolism.  Basically, you’re taking a weight you could normally lift six times and lifting it 10 to 12 times instead.

Here’s how to do it: After an appropriate warmup, choose a weight that’s about 80% of your 1-rep max, for any given exercise.  Perform as many reps as you can — probably 6 or 7.  Rest 20 seconds.  Pick up the weight and do as many reps as you can — maybe 3 or 4.  Rest another 20 seconds.  Now pick it up and do a couple more.

According to a recent Journal of Translational Medicine study, experienced lifters were burning 18% more calories the day after the rest-pause workout — including a higher percentage of fat — than they were after doing a traditional workout.

Upper-body exercises — such as bench presses, rows, and chinups or lat pulldowns — work well with the rest-pause approach.  Lower-body exercises, like squats and deadlifts, require strict attention to technique, since form tends to deteriorate as fatigue increases.

The benefit of rest-pause training is more muscle activation, more fat burned, and a more time-efficient workout.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

Power Up Your Workout

Plyometric pushups (aka, military pushups) and squat jumps are great additions to any workout because of the way they target your fast-twitch muscle fibers, leading to gains in muscle strength and size.

To perform a plyometric pushup, push yourself away from the ground with enough force so that you raise your hands off the floor between repetitions.  Try substituting this exercise for regular pushups or, for more of a challenge, perform a set of plyometric pushups immediately after a set of regular pushups.  If you’re not quite ready for ground-based plyometric pushups, try doing them with your hands on a bench (and feet on the floor) to reduce your load.

To perform a squat jump, stand with your feet slightly apart and knees aligned over your toes. Bend from the hips to lower your rear until you are in a full squat, keeping your back straight. Keep your knees aligned; don’t let them fall open. Push down with your heels and explode up into the air. Don’t let your knees hyperextend; keep them slightly bent. Go right back into a full squat when you land and repeat.  Similarly to plyometric pushups, you can substitute this exercise for regular squats or increase the intensity by doing squat jumps immediately after regular squats.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?