35 tips that will help you double your muscle gains
It's time to increase your training intensity and improve your gains. In this article, we will present 35 effective ways to help you achieve better results with your training and diet.
Are you stuck in your efforts to build more muscle? Tired of the same old tactics like descending sets, rest-pause and pre-fatigue? Read on to learn a few unique ways to breathe new life into your training program and double your muscle gains.
35 tips that will help you double your muscle gains
#1 - Do the opposite:
Are you a stickler for the order of your exercises? Turn the order of your exercises completely upside down from time to time. For example, start your next leg training session with the calves, then train the hamstrings and finally the quadriceps. New perspectives mean new gains.
#2 - Train unilaterally:
Bench presses, barbell rows and squats are part of most mass programs, but what about doing a full training session unilaterally? You'll quickly identify weak sides and strong limbs by training each side separately.
#3 - Use high reps:
Are you getting stuck with low repetition sets? Has the "heavy and low reps" mentality stopped working for you? Then try training with high repetitions for a while. Keeping the number of repetitions in the double-digit range does not mean that you should take your training easy. Performing a set with higher reps until muscle failure will boost your metabolism, increase your testosterone levels and give you a killer pump.
#4 - Nothing under 10:
Nothing can build body-wide muscle like a leg workout. Squats performed through full range of motion to muscle failure will make you muscular all over. Try to reach muscle failure on all leg exercises with no less than 10 reps and find out what a true lower body workout should feel like.
#5 - Use only one exercise:
Multiple exercises for muscle groups are great, but if you train your muscles from too many angles, your gains will suffer here. Try using just one exercise per muscle group for a few weeks and doing 10 sets or so per exercise - keep your training simple.
#6 - Train squats three times a week:
The fear of overtraining is a trend that will hopefully eventually die out just like the dinosaurs. As mentioned above, nothing beats leg training (especially squats) when it comes to building mass. Train squats three times a week - you can only win.
#7 - Perform (and master) every heavy exercise:
Anything that will improve your current condition will hurt or be uncomfortable in some way. Do the hard stuff and internalize it. Squats, deadlifts, deadlifts and deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts and bent-over rowing. Don't stick to the easy way.
#8 - No isolation training:
Give up all the isolation stuff for a few weeks - cable pulls, concentration curls and even side raises. Focus on the big and heavy basic exercises like bench presses, rows, overhead presses, squats and deadlifts.
#9 - Wear a watch:
All that texting and chatting will take its toll on your muscle building efforts. Do you really know how much time you're leaving yourself between sets? Not controlling your rest times can easily become one of the worst crimes in muscle building. Wear a watch and time your sets.
#10 - No cell phone:
If it were up to me, everyone would train without a cell phone. Not only will this allow you to focus better on your training, but it would also create a community of like-minded people helping each other. Did the bodybuilders of the golden era seem to be distracted and anti-social? I don't think so.
#11 - Train semi-sober:
Have you ever worked out on a full stomach? Have you felt sluggish and unable to achieve a pump? All that food in your stomach has drawn massive amounts of blood needed to aid digestion. A semi-fast state (a very small meal an hour or two before training) will aid hormone regulation and blood flow.
#12 - Perform compound sets:
A compound set - also known as a compound set - simply stands for performing two sets one right after the other for the same muscle group or group of muscles. Compound sets are often performed standing with isolation exercises such as incline bench curls in combination with barbell curls. But don't be afraid to play around with some heavy basic exercises like barbell squats in combination with leg presses.
#13 - Machine Gun Sets:
An age-old style of training can still build muscle today. If you're training with a partner, try to pause between sets only long enough for your partner to complete their set - and no longer. This me-one-set-you-one-set style (sometimes referred to as machine gun sets) is a great way to pick up the pace and stop wasting time.
#14 - Reduce the weight, make sure you perform the exercise strictly:
Sometimes you'll catch yourself faking it a little too much on some exercises. Are you lifting the weight upwards when rowing? Do you lift your butt up on the bench when bench pressing? Reduce the weight, relearn perfect form and start growing again.
#15 - You need a plan:
Are you one of the many who don't really have a plan? You may have a favorite chest or bicep workout, but do you have a battle plan when it comes to building mass? If not, then get one. I've mentioned some tactics before that were about not following a structured plan, but sometimes all you need to double your muscle gains is a solid, sensible plan and a big dose of consistency.
#16 - Double in a shorter amount of time:
Here's a new challenge that you're probably not used to. Try to perform twice as many sets within the same amount of time per training session. Use shorter rests, incorporate a few supersets into your workout, or do whatever it takes to get double the work done.
#17 - Keep it simple:
Dumbbells, cable pulls, Hammer Strength machines, the multi press and other machines are great but try to occasionally go (really) old school and only use barbell exercises. Bench presses, bent-over rows, squats, shoulder presses, barbell curls, lying tricep presses, Romanian deadlifts. You'll move heavy weights if you keep things simple.
#18 - Super Pyramid:
Pyramid sets are something many exercisers are completely used to. Start with higher reps and then gradually increase the weight as you decrease the reps - but we're going one step further (or rather 5 steps) and using super pyramid training. Instead of stopping at 8 or 6 reps, you go to the bitter end. For example, the repetition numbers for the incline bench press could look like this: 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1.
#19 - Reverse pyramid:
If you've ridden the whole traditional pyramid thing to death, just turn it around and try reverse pyramid training for mass gain. After a few warm-up sets, start with your heaviest weight and a low number of repetitions. Reduce the weight slightly on each subsequent set and perform more repetitions.
#20 - Use someone else's program:
It's hard to leave your comfort zone, but this might be just what you need to get out of your usual rut. Put your faith in a qualified training partner's program for a week or maybe even a month. You may learn a thing or two and have new ammunition when you go back to your regular program.
#21 - Set yourself a time limit:
It's common to have a plan that includes a set volume - so many sets of this and so many sets of that. But have you ever considered simply setting a time limit for your workout and training until the time is up?
#22 - Set yourself an overall repetition goal:
Much like a time limit, setting a limit on the total repetitions of a training session could have a similar effect. This can either be applied to a specific exercise, a specific muscle group or a complete training session. Just choose a repetition goal and then get to work.
#23 - Train without a plan:
Are you someone who plans your workouts down to the dot? Are you meticulous when it comes to exercises, sets and repetitions? Or have you made a habit of doing the same program every day? Give your brain a break and go to the gym without a plan. Do whatever comes to mind. If it's 10 sets of bench presses for the chest, so be it. Let your instinct guide you.
#24 - Do a full body workout:
Your body builds muscle better when you keep things simple. And you can't keep it simpler than doing a full body workout. This has two benefits. First, you get full-body hormone and muscle stimulation with every workout, and second, this gives you the opportunity to work every muscle three times a week.
#25 - Back off:
How much volume are you performing per training session? Does your chest workout consist of barbell bench presses, dumbbell presses and flying movements, followed by crossover cable pulls or dips? Scale back a little and simplify your training. Concentrate for a while on increasing the weights and the intensity of the press and perhaps perform a few dips.
#26 - Train more often:
Quiz time: Will you grow faster if you train everything once a week? If you train each muscle group once a week, you will have 52 opportunities per year to stimulate muscle growth, whereas if you train each muscle twice a week, you will have 104 opportunities. Train more often and watch your gains double - literally.
#27 - Perform plyometric training:
Plyometric training has quickly become a mainstream form of training for building muscle. Ballistic muscle actions activate muscle fibers and stimulate your muscle growth in a unique way. Don't believe the hype? Then take a look at the legs of sprinters.
#28 - Pre-load:
Recent scientific research shows us the benefits of a pre-load. What the hell is that? After a thorough warm-up, you load the bar with enough weight for 3 to 5 reps on squats, for example, without going to the point of muscle failure. Immediately after this, reduce the weight to your normal working weight and perform your set. You will notice that this set is lighter than normal.
#29 - Eat fat:
Make sure you're eating healthy fats. Why? These fats help regulate key hormones like testosterone and growth hormone while keeping your metabolism in check and providing energy while you diet on a low calorie intake. Eat eggs, avocados, nuts, olive oil and nut butters.
#30 - Ditch the processed:
Are you eating too much junk? No, I'm not talking about cakes, cookies and ice cream. I'm talking about too many processed foods like chips, crackers, convenience foods, breakfast cereals and anything else that isn't natural fruit, vegetables, meat, eggs or other whole foods.
#31 - Eat protein in the form of whole foods:
Supplements are great, they provide high quality protein and get important amino acids into your muscles quickly. But it's not ideal if you rely too much on these powders. Make sure you're eating a variety of whole protein sources such as eggs, beef, poultry and fish. Nothing beats real food when it comes to building real muscle.
#32 - Stay consistent:
Sporadic workouts? Training times vary? Put up with it. Stay on track during tough times and be resilient. Over time, you'll develop the discipline to take on any challenge.
#33 - Cheat intelligently:
When you plan a cheat meal, this shouldn't mean stuffing as much pizza and ice cream into you as possible if low-fat muscle gains are your goal. Of course you can indulge in a dessert or a burger - or two - but keep the rest of the meal relatively clean. It doesn't have to be chicken and rice (you wouldn't really call that a cheat meal) but don't overdo it either.
#34 - Sleep:
Let's get something straight: working out damages muscle fibers and stimulates certain responses, but sleep builds muscle. Sleep 8 to 9 hours a night. End of story.
#35 - Reduce stress:
If I had to name the most common culprit for lack of gains in hard-training athletes, it would be stress. Stress kills. You need the positive stress of training to create growth and change, but the stress of daily life needs to be controlled if you want to reach your full potential.
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