10 secrets for building muscle mass

Here's what you need to know...

1. If you have 36 inches of upper arm circumference and want to start a mass building program, then you shouldn't worry about your abs (at least for a while).
2. The best exercises for mass building only make a very short list and you need to perform these exercises in every training session, as mastering these exercises is key to building mass.
3. 5 to 10 repetitions is a magical range for mass gain and even the weight training enthusiasts of the last century will confirm this.

So you want to build mass - and you want to build it fast. I have a program that will do just that, but first a few guidelines.

1. mass gain must be done just like fat loss to the exclusion of everything else

A guy with 36 centimeters of upper arm circumference will sometimes ask for a mass building program, but at the same time be most concerned about his six-pack, his cardio training and about five other things. Once you reach 41 to 46 centimeters of upper arm circumference, I will allow you to worry about all these other things.

2. you need to spend time under the bar.

You need to find ways to stress your body and move the weights for up to several minutes without letting go of the weight (putting the bar down or resting on a machine). This program will be based on that understanding.

3. eat.

You will now stop worrying about every calorie as if you were a college cheerleader. You must eat during a mass building program. When I built forty pounds in 4 months during my freshman year of college, I ate a couple sandwiches before dinner so I wouldn't be so hungry at dinnertime. Eat like a carnivore and warn others not to reach over your plate. Similarly, nutrition around training is essential.

4. you need to master resting....

I know there is that urge to do it and that urge is there after every training session, but during a mass building program you have to accept that your cardio training will consist of flipping the TV channels with the remote. If you don't sleep for eight hours or more every night, it will affect your mass gains. Many famous bodybuilders have promoted the "muscle nap" - a long nap in the afternoon to build muscle. Remember that you grow while you rest.

5. mass building programs consist of very few exercises.

Well, let's put it this way: good mass building programs consist of few exercises. When I had my greatest mass building success, the total number of exercises was seven to eight. Learn to love them.

6. you need to do enough repetitions.

Even though people have built amazing amounts of muscle mass with low repetitions (1-5), the weight required to build mass with a low repetition program is difficult for most people (and mere mortals) to handle. So if you can't handle 180 kilos on the bench press, 230 kilos on squats and 270 kilos on deadlifts, then you're going to need reps to build mass. There is something magical about mass gains in the 5 to 10 repetition range and the last century of weight training enthusiasts will attest to this.

7. never perform less than 10 repetitions of squats.

There are those who can ignore this advice (primarily powerlifters), but for most, this is sage advice. Whenever you put the bar on your back, you should do 10 repetitions. This gives you the time you need under load and seems to stimulate the whole body - including the appetite!

8. fix your rest intervals.

Few exercisers know the answer to the question "How long should you rest between sets?" The correct answer is "it depends." An advanced exerciser can take an eternity to recover from a record repetition, whereas a beginner can be recovered and ready for the next set just seconds after completing a set on a machine. When building mass, three minutes for squats and bench presses and 90 seconds for other exercises are good guidelines, but these can vary from person to person.

9. leave one or two repetitions in the tank.

In other words, you should always finish a set knowing that you could have done a few more reps. We all love the pictures from Pumping Iron with all the forced reps, but most guys who need mass aren't ready for that yet. It's better to do an extra set or two than to roast yourself on one exercise.

10. coddle yourself (in a certain way)

This is definitely old school advice, but conserve energy while performing a bodybuilding program. Wear extra clothes so your body doesn't have to use extra resources to stay warm. Park closer to the gym. Find shorter routes for everything. Sit more. Remember that this is not a lifelong plan, but a short, focused, fiery attempt to build muscle mass.

The Dan John Mass Building Program

This program is based on an older successful concept of training that repeats the same exercises every training day, but each training session still focuses on specific body parts. For example, we will focus on squats in session C, but you will still repeat the exercise in sessions A and B as well.

There are several excellent reasons for this. First of all, mastering the exercises is key to building mass. You won't make excellent gains if you have to remind yourself to bend your elbows when doing bench presses - you're more likely to kill yourself. Secondly, the best exercises for building mass only add up to a very short list and you need to do all of them - and often. I wish it was more complex. Lastly, the best cure for sore muscles is to do the exercise that caused the soreness in the first place. Enjoy it!

The exercises

Reposition and press:

Take a dumbbell in each hand and stand upright. Using some momentum from your hips, reposition the dumbbells so that they are at shoulder height. Then press the dumbbells straight up until your arms are straight. Then move the dumbbells back to the starting position and repeat the entire movement. Each repositioning and press counts as one repetition. A set of repositioning and pressing therefore consists of ten repetitions of repositioning and ten repetitions of pressing.

Deadlift with straight legs:

This is a tonic for the entire program. With soft knees and a light weight, lower the weight down to sock height and then straighten up again. Try to feel the exercise in the leg flexors and not in the lower back If you have any problems performing this exercise, do not do it. This is a tonic after squats and not a training exercise.

Pull-ups:

Pull-ups serve a dual purpose as an excellent latissimus building exercise and perhaps the best ab exercise I know of. I don't know anyone who can do 20 pull-ups and not also dominate every abdominal strength test.

Rowing on the machine:

Over the past few years, my opinion of exercise machines has changed. Rowing bent over with a barbell is fantastic if you do it correctly. It's the problem with correct execution that I struggle with. If there's a good machine at your gym that won't strain your lower back, please use it.

Bench press:

With repositioning and pressing with dumbbells in the first part of your workout, the bench press will take care of all your other upper body mass and pressing needs.

Barbell curls:

I hate how barbell curls get a bad rap. I've always believed that strictly performed curls give a good impression of an athlete's overall strength. I once saw an athlete perform strict curls - without bending the back or moving the elbows backwards - with 100 kilos. This is etched in my memory. Funnily enough, he also had really, really massive arms.

Farmers Walk:

This is my answer to the worst question in the weight training world: "If I could only do one exercise, what should it be?" If you have the guts to take half your own body weight in each hand and bravely stomp away, you'll discover that there won't be an inch of your body that has no idea what you just did.

Exercise A

	Exercise	Sets
	Warm up
A	Repositioning and pressing with dumbbells	3	5
	Aim for 3 x 5. Keep the breaks short.
B	Squats	3	10
	Increase the weight with each set.
C	Deadlift with straight legs	1	20
D	Rowing on the machine	5	5
	Try to maintain the tension in the end position. Use the maximum weight with which you can still perform 5 repetitions.
E	Pull-ups		25
	Perform as many sets as necessary to complete 25 repetitions. Use additional weights if the exercise is too easy.
F	Bench press	3	5
	Complete the last set a few repetitions before muscle failure.
G	Curls	3	5
	Try to increase the weight slowly.
H	Farmers walk	1
	One set with heavy dumbbells. Try to finish the set before the dumbbell rack. You will thank me for this later.

Training session B

	Exercise	Sets
	Warm up
A	Repositioning and pressing with dumbbells	5	5
	Aim for 5 x 5. Keep the pauses short.
B	Squats	2	10
	Increase the weight on the second set. This is a preparatory training session for training session C.
C	Deadlift with straight legs	1	20
D	Rowing on the machine	3	5
	Train slightly lighter than in training unit A.
E	Pull-ups		15
	Perform as many sets as necessary to complete 15 repetitions. Use additional weights if the exercise is too easy.
F	Bench press	5	5
	Warm up with a few light repetitions before you start counting the sets. All 5 sets should be relatively heavy.
G	Curls	3	10
	It's okay to feel the burn and the pump today.
H	Farmers Walk	2
	Two sets today. Walk as far away from the dumbbell rack as you can and put the weights down. Then simply walk back again.

Training unit C

	Exercise	Sets
	Warm up
A	Repositioning and pressing with dumbbells	3	5
	Aim for 5 x 5. Keep the pauses short.
B	Squats	5	10
	Increase the weight with each set. The last set is the one that will make you stop your training.
C	Deadlift with straight legs	1	20
D	Rowing on the machine	2	5
	Try to maintain tension in the end position. Use as much weight as possible.
E	Pull-ups		12
	Perform as many sets as necessary to achieve 12 repetitions. The goal would be one set. Use additional weights if it is too easy.
F	Bench press	3	5
	Finish the last set a few repetitions before muscle failure (keep yourself in check today.)
G	Curls	2/1	5/10
	2 x 5 plus one set of 10 reps. The best of both worlds with curls today - some strength training and then a set that pumps some blood into the biceps.
H	Farmers Walk	2
	Aim for a heavier weight each week. Push yourself to your limits with this exercise. Walk a long way, stop, catch your breath and try to get a little further. I always use a goal that I want to achieve. Remember that you also have to run back again.

Check your progress after 6 weeks of A/B/C workouts and lots of food. I would strongly recommend that you start the program with a "before" photo and end it with an "after" photo. Body weight gains depend on many factors, but I have seen these common sense programs produce far better results than some of the voodoo I often see on the web.