I’m sure that some of you read the title of this article and said “That bull$*%*!” But I’m am dead serious. The best way to build muscle, and build it quickly, is to get out of the gym. Many think spending countless hours in the gym is the way to get a great body and I really think that training concept needs a good shattering. Do you need to lift weights to build your muscles? For the majority of people, I’d say yes…unless you’re a gymnast or have some kind of similar, body-resistance regimen. Does building a body you can be proud of take time? Yes. You will have to put in the time, but doing so little by little will help you to develop a lifestyle and body you can sustain year after year.
Learn to build a body like Adonis. Click My Delts!!
YES, YOU DO HAVE TO TRAIN! Train smart, train hard, and get the heck out of the gym! Your muscles are built OUTSIDE of the gym not inside. But I have to be very clear on this. Reducing your time in the gym does not mean lowering your intensity, quite the opposite actually. If you’re not pumping your muscles, if you’re pushing yourself, you’re not priming your body for muscular growth. You have to train heard enough to tear down your muscle fibers.
If you’re doing four hour workouts to build your muscles, there is a possibility that you could be seriously over-training or spinning your wheels. Overtraining only leads to problems in the long run: limited muscular growth and potential injury.
I like to keep my workouts between 60-90 minutes long. For me, that gives enough time to warmup, get to the intense, meat of my workouts and cool down without feeling rushed. If you find your workouts are taking too long, change up your split. Try reorganizing your workout plan so that you get to train everything you want to without having to waste your life away in the gym.
Okay, so you’re training intensely, training smart, and getting out of the gym. What do you do once you’re out of the gym? What do you put into your body? If you do the overfeeding that so many people fall victim to after a workout, you could be sacrificing quality muscle tissue. Getting protein/amino acids in your system immediately after you train is CRUCIAL for proper recovery and growth.
I know first hand how easy it can be to fall into a cycle of over-training and get stuck there. If what you’re doing is giving you the growth you want, keep up the good work. But if you’re struggling and you’re spending too much time in the gym make some minor tweaks, test and tweak again. One of the cool parts about bodybuilding is the problem-solving aspect of it. You find out what’s wrong with what you’re doing, fix it, and get the results you want.
Keep your workouts reasonable, keep your workouts intense, and take the time to recover…that’s the best way to build muscle.
To your fitness success…