Click Here for Free Bodybuilding and Fitness Magazine Subscription
Muscle Building Basics
Your Testosterone Levels
Did you know that your testosterone levels start to decline in your mid 20's to early thirties?
Some sources cite test being down 30%+ when you hit your early 40's.
That sucks! That means you gain fat easier, your energy drains faster, and you can't put on as much muscle... not to mention the side-effects in the bedroom!
Well - the good news is, there is a lot you can do about it.
A lot of guys these days are opting for TRT - Testosterone Replacement Therapy.
I am much more a fan of boosting Testosterone levels naturally.
And that's why I am excited to share with you our Andro-Shock Test Booster.
It's the best test booster formula on the markter today - it is LEGIT.
Get some at http://www.trulyhuge.com/andro-sh.htm
You can also order Andro-Shock by calling 800-635-8970 or 503-648-1898, 10 am to 6 pm PST
Keep It Basic For Muscle Growth
Recently I didn't have enough time to concentrate on my workouts, which proved to be a good thing. Plus, I was receiving quite a few e-mails from beginner bodybuilders asking me "How do I get big?". This all brought me back to one idea: KEEP IT BASIC. This applies to both exercises and supplements. At the end of this article, you will find a list of basic exercises and supplements.
I have found that if you want to grow, you must keep your exercises basic. The good ol' core, compound exercises build muscle mass. Let's face it, people like Arnold didn't start out doing machine curls and working on a pec deck. They started out with nothing more than barbells and dumbbells. They performed exercises at the most basic level, exercises that involve many muscle groups throughout each repetition. These exercises also allow you to use maximum weight because of the fact you are using so many different muscles. Using compound exercises with heavy weights will damage your muscles completely (remember, this is a good thing). The subsequent repair of these muscle fibers will result in the thickening of your muscles overall.
Stay away from defining exercises until you start to cut down. This is when you want your muscles to start to look nice and shapely. However, I never completely stop doing compound exercises. Even when cutting down, I still do compound exercises for half of each muscle group's workout. Defining exercises (such as chest flyes or leg extensions) are designed to define your muscles as the name portrays. They will help you get down to the nitty gritty of the muscle fibers when trying to shape them up for competitions or even just looking good for summer time. They will not help you add overall muscle mass. It drives me nuts to watch some little guy try to get huge by doing nothing but endless sets of machine chest presses and work on the pec deck. People like this just need to get to the basics, no fancy stuff, just good ol' proven bench presses.
Using nutritional supplements should also be kept basic, especially when trying to gain overall muscle mass. The best procedure for getting big is eating big. Again, nothing fancy, just lots of protein and plenty of calories to give your body ALL the energy it requires for pounding the weights and recovering. Don't take me wrong, you don't have to become overly obese (though I come close!), but you must consume more calories than your body needs. This way you are never going to be lacking nutrients that are used to build muscle tissue. My best gains have come from when I was using nothing more than protein and vitamins along with big meals (especially lean beef). In my experience, it is absolutely worthless to take a thermogenic stimulator (fat burner) when trying to get big. It defeats the whole purpose, by taking thermogenics, you are making your body burn more calories which are better used as energy and fuel for recuperation.
Basic, basic, basic. That's all it takes to get big. Don't waste your time trying to remember what fancy exercise Mr. Olympia did, just hit the barbells with all you got. Use your time wisely to get in at least 6 meals per day. Use your money wisely by not buying unnecessary supplements. Just concentrate on growing.
Basic Exercises:
Squats
Deadlifts
Stiff-legged Dead Lifts
Pull-ups, Rows (barbell or dumbbell)
Bench Presses (barbell & dumbbell)
Military Presses (barbell & dumbbell)
Barbell Curls
Dips (great for triceps)
Basic Supplements:
Protein
Multivitamins
Creatine
Amino Acids