Tip 6 - Build a menu plan that supports your nutritional goals

Once you find out what your nutritional goals are, you need to build a menu that will support your goals. Try and find menus that are easy to cook and taste great. The trick is to adjust the menus and recipes to match your nutritional goals.

What you want to do is adjust the amount of ingredients in the original recipe to match that of your own.

For example, if you know that you want to gain weight and build muscle, you first must decide how much calories you need to achieve this goal. Let's say that in order to gain weight, you have to eat about 25 calories per pound of body weight. So, if you weight 130 pounds, you should be eating about 3200 calories per day (130 x 25 = 3200). With that in mind, you need to plan your meals that will get you to 3200 calories per day.

How do you do that? Actually, it doesn't have to be hard. Simply find out how much calories you need and find a resource that lays out menu plans for that particular calorie intake. Building muscle 101 has a web page that has this resource.

Tip # 7. Use weight lifting supplements to enhance your muscle building program

Do you need sports supplements to build muscle? No, you don't need them. What you do need is proper nutrition.

However, with that being said, supplements can enhance a weight training program once all nutrition and training issues have been dealt with.

If you've been following a consistent diet for at least 8 weeks and your seeing progress with your workout routine, you may want to introduce supplements.

Sports supplements are not going to save your weight training routine or be solely responsible for it's success.

Supplements are exactly that, to help enhance (supplements) an already successful diet and weight training program.

I can say this for certain supplements, they work (reputable ones anyways). They can help give you that slight boost, but there are some things you need to remember with supplements. Firstly, certain supplements have to be taken a the proper times and in the right amounts for it to be useful. For example, in my humble opinion, whey protein isolate is best taken immediately after weight training in order to get the best results. However, taking 5 grams of whey protein isolate for a 180 pounds weight trainer is not going to do a thing. in this case, the timing is right but the dosage is way off. 40 grams of protein would be more appropriate for building muscle.

Secondly, you need to make sure the supplement does what it is supposed to do. You need to practice a bit of due diligence before you start dishing out your hard earned cash. At one time, inosine used to be the big thing back in the late 80's.

This supplement was totally useless but it didn't stop hoardes of body builders from buying the stuff up (Including yours truly). There was absolutely no evidence that this stuff worked but supplement companies knew exactly what buttons to push. I'm ashamed to say that I've been a sucker on more than one occassion for the next big supplement. Stick to what works and you'll do just fine. What works? See this page here for supplements that help build muscle size.

Read as much literature as possible on your chosen supplement. If there is any doubt, save your money.

Thirdly, make sure the company is reputable. There is simply too many scammers out there in the supplement world. FDA is pretty lax on sports supplements so any joe with a kitchen sink can make shotty supplements, package it up and charge you for sub par ingredients. Places like GNC rely on quality supplements that work. It is not in GNC's best interest to simply sell any old supplement on the market. The brands at GNC are pretty reputable so it's safe to say they work. Don't ge me wrong, I personally think GNC's charges too much for their supplements but, they do come from reputable companies.

I just read a book by Jeff Anderson called Homemade Supplement Secrets and it is simply wonderful. You'd be surprised what supplement companies will do just to get your hard earned money. I like the way Jeff presents his book because he really goes after the supplement companies. It's really an eye opening book that I recommend you read.

Tip 7 - Use supplements to enhance your program

Do you need sports supplements to build muscle? No, you don't need them. What you do need is proper nutrition.

However, with that being said, supplements can enhance a weight training program once all nutrition and training issues have been dealt with.

If you've been following a consistent diet for at least 8 weeks and your seeing progress with your workout routine, you may want to introduce supplements.

Sports supplements are not going to save your weight training routine or be solely responsible for it's success.

Supplements are exactly that, to help enhance (supplements) an already successful diet and weight training program.

I can say this for certain supplements, they work (reputable ones anyways). They can help give you that slight boost, but there are some things you need to remember with supplements. Firstly, certain supplements have to be taken a the proper times and in the right amounts for it to be useful. For example, in my humble opinion, whey protein isolate is best taken immediately after weight training in order to get the best results. However, taking 5 grams of whey protein isolate for a 180 pounds weight trainer is not going to do a thing. in this case, the timing is right but the dosage is way off. 40 grams of protein would be more appropriate for building muscle.

Secondly, you need to make sure the supplement does what it is supposed to do. You need to practice a bit of due diligence before you start dishing out your hard earned cash. At one time, inosine used to be the big thing back in the late 80's.

This supplement was totally useless but it didn't stop hoardes of body builders from buying the stuff up (Including yours truly). There was absolutely no evidence that this stuff worked but supplement companies knew exactly what buttons to push. I'm ashamed to say that I've been a sucker on more than one occassion for the next big supplement. Stick to what works and you'll do just fine. What works? See this page here for supplements that help build muscle size.

Read as much literature as possible on your chosen supplement. If there is any doubt, save your money.

Thirdly, make sure the company is reputable. There is simply too many scammers out there in the supplement world. FDA is pretty lax on sports supplements so any joe with a kitchen sink can make shotty supplements, package it up and charge you for sub par ingredients. Places like GNC rely on quality supplements that work. It is not in GNC's best interest to simply sell any old supplement on the market. The brands at GNC are pretty reputable so it's safe to say they work. Don't ge me wrong, I personally think GNC's charges too much for their supplements but, they do come from reputable companies.

Tip 6 - Build a menu plan that supports your nutritional goals

Once you find out what your nutritional goals are, you need to build a menu that will support your goals. Try and find menus that are easy to cook and taste great. The trick is to adjust the menus and recipes to match your nutritional goals.

What you want to do is adjust the amount of ingredients in the original recipe to match that of your own.

For example, if you know that you want to gain weight and build muscle, you first must decide how much calories you need to achieve this goal. Let's say that in order to gain weight, you have to eat about 25 calories per pound of body weight. So, if you weight 130 pounds, you should be eating about 3200 calories per day (130 x 25 = 3200). With that in mind, you need to plan your meals that will get you to 3200 calories per day.

How do you do that? Actually, it doesn't have to be hard. Simply find out how much calories you need and find a resource that lays out menu plans for that particular calorie intake. Building muscle 101 has a web page that has this resource.

Tip 5 - Nutrition

Do you really want to build muscle mass? How badly do you want to pack on 20, or even 30 pounds? I'm sure most people reading this page now will say "I want this really, really bad".

However, only a small portion of people will actually build quality muscle mass. I don't mean to tell everyone reading this page now to simply give up and go home because it's not like that. I'll give it to you straight. If you want to build the kind of muscle that gets stares from both sexes, fills out a tight fitting sweater or a t-shirt, you absolutely must have your act together in the kitchen.

Actual weight training is only half of the muscle building equation. Remember that equation from above? Well, nutrition is the one key that separates an o.k physique to one that gets stares. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but if you don't have any desire to fix up your diet, your not going to build the muscle you want. I don't care what you do, that may be high intensity training, super sets, tri sets, giant sets, or what kind of supplements you take, even steroids, it won't do a thing unless your nutritional plan is in place.

I can say this with complete confidence because I know it works. If you can get your nutritional plan down and consistently follow it, you will start to see results almost overnight. Once your body is in a nutritionally optimal state, your strength will go through the roof and it will feel like someone has attached a tire pump to your muscles!

How do you do this? Here's what suggest:

• Start eating 6 small meals per day (these meals don't have to be big and fancy);

• Eat only whole foods - Nothing processed (That means kraft dinner!);

• Each meal should be 2 to 3 hours apart - No longer than 3 hours apart!;

• Eat a very nutritious breakfast consisting of complex carbs;

• Make sure to have something immediately after a workout such as a protein and carb drink;

If you can simply do the above, you'll start seeing some results. Oh yeah, cut out all junk food. If you need to, designate one day out of the week for a junk food meal.

Tip 3 - Keep a weight lifting and diet log

What's so helpful about a log or diet log? This all ties into reaching your number one goal. By taking a log with you to the gym and recording everything down, you will start to see where your strengths and weaknesses are. The magic of weight training logs are the patterns you see.

For example, let's say you show up to the gym on day and open up your logs and see that over the course of 7 weeks, you've been improving each and every week in the bench press. Let's say you couldn't even do 5 repetitions with 135 pounds but as you look at your log, you've progressed to 12 repetitions with this weight. What does this say? It means you've improved and it's only going to get better. By the time you put your log book down and hit the bench press, you want to get 14 repetitions with 135 pounds or, better yet, add another 20 pounds to the bench press and do it all over again. See this page for using the best repetition ranges to build muscle.

Another great thing about keeping a weight training log is that it keeps you very honest with your routine. You may think your going to the gym every two days, but for the last two weeks, according to your logs, you've missed two workouts.

The insight that logs can give you is awesome. You will find out what your eating patterns are like and where you need to cut down or add more food. Weight training logs will give you an actual blueprint of what works. I've been weight training for over 20 some odd years and I still keep logs. I can't stress the importance of this tip - Keep a weight training and food log and write everything down.

Tip 2 - Setting your goals

What's so important about setting goals? Like weight lifting tip # 1, you need to know where you want to go, once you know where your coming from (tip number 1).

Alright, you've just taken a measurement of your arms and they are a sinewy 15 inches. You want to add another two inches to your arms which is 17 inches. Now, you have a goal in mind - two inches of muscle to each of your arms. How important is this? This will make all the difference in the world between failure and success. You see, you've just given your brain an absolute figure. Your brain now knows, without a doubt, what it needs to do.

Without these figures, your brain doesn't know, or care what it needs to do. You show up to the gym and do a workout but really, without any direction, there is no reason for your brain to tell the rest of your body to grow 2 inches of muscle to your arms. I know, this might sound crazy but I know, without a doubt that this works.

The term "goal setting" shouldn't be used. It should be called "This Is What I Want More Than Anything In The World" term. Whether it be to lose 30 pounds of fat, become a body builder, or tone your body up, you need to give your brain a direction, which in turn will open up your body to muscle growth (If building muscle that is what you want).

Here's what I like to do. I will usually give myself a long term goal such as losing 30 pounds of body fat in 15 weeks. This is my number one goal. I'll break that long term goal into medium goals. What do I mean by medium goals? I want to lose 2 pounds of fat each and every week. Each week is a medium term goal and to reach this medium term goal, I need to lose 2 pounds of fat each and every week.

In order for me to reach these medium term goals, I need to come up with small mini goals. Small mini goals are to improve with each workout. For example, let's say I do 10 minutes on the elliptical trainer on level 5 on Monday. On Thursday, I want to improve on that time and do 15 minutes using the same level. This is a mini goal that has been met, which in turn will help be burn an additional 2 pounds of fat per week, which in turn, as long as I keep improving, will get me to my final goal of losing 30 pounds of fat in 15 weeks.

Take a look at the big picture and break it down into smaller goals. If you can do this, you'll reach your ambitions whether it be to build muscle and strength or lose body fat and weight.

Monitoring and updating your goals will be just as important. Once you start to see your goals being met, it will only reinforce these ideas and your brain will know it can reach those goals and therefore will work harder. This is very, very powerful. I suggest you keep a log handy and bring this log with you to every workout.

Evaluating Your Body

How does anyone really know where they want to go unless they know where their coming from? If you want to build 18 inch arms, you need to know how big your arms are now and from there, put a plan together to achieve this goal. Or maybe you want to lose 30 pounds of body fat, you need to know how much fat you have now and from there, put a plan in place to reach your goals.

This is an important weight lifting tip because this can give you an idea of the direction you want to go. Here's what I suggest. Get yourself a chart that you can record your body statistics such as your weight, body fat levels, lean body mass, and body measurements. Once you get them down on paper, decide what it is you want. If that's to lose 30 pounds of body fat, write it down. If it's to build 20 pounds of muscle mass, write it down.

As you progress with your routine, you will need to monitor and record your numbers. You will probably want to keep track of your measurements on a weekly basis. This way, you know how you're progressing with regards to your fitness program and goals.

You can find out your body fat percentage and lean mass composition using the Accu-Measure body fat calipers. Tools such as the Accu-Measure skin fold calipers will give you a rough idea of how much lean body mass you have on your body. You can generally get the Accu-Measure calipers at your local health food store.

4. Not Enough Rest .

No matter how hard you train or how much you eat, if you don't get the rest you need, your workouts are going to fizzle. It is during sleep that most growth and repair occurs. Without adequate sleep the body becomes weakened.

It is crucial to your program that you get the correct amount of sleep and rest because muscle growth happens while you are resting, not while you are training. An optimal recovery cycle is just as important as your weight training program.

You need to plan your program that gives your body the best rest and recovery time. What's the use of a weight training program if you train biceps 4 times a week? Or how productive is it to build muscle if you do the bench press 5 out of 6 days? If you want results, you need to rest, and get plenty of it.

If you were to lift weights on a steady basis and not get any quality rest, your body would slowly fall apart, just like going to the gym for 6 days straight would. Weight training tears your body down and leaves it in a weakened state. By tearing your body down on a consistent basis with no rest, you will ultimately start to break apart. This will leave your body vulnerable to illness and injuries. Do yourself a favour and plan for rest and recovery. You really want to know where you build the most muscle mass? In your bed while your eyes are closed - That's where.

Weight training tears the muscle tissue down and diet provides the necessary fuel and material for repair, but it is during sleep that the repair and growth process occurs. Therefore, sleep is as vital to building muscle as is your training program and diet.

3. Poor Technique

If you don't work the muscle, your not going to grow. If you overtrain the muscle, your not going to grow. The trick is to find a happy medium that places enough stress on the muscle that gives it a reason to grow. Proper weight training is the catalyst to muscle growth. Do it right, and you'll build slabs of grade A beef (Of course, your diet and rest must be in place), do it wrong and you'll walk a fine line between poor results and injuries. The most important thing you can do in your program is to stimulate enough muscle fibre for growth (The more muscle fibre you employ the better).

If your goal is to build muscle, you need to use exercises that stimulate the most muscle fibres as possible. These exercises are compound movements such as the squat and dead lift. Do these exercises with proper form, and improve with these exercises from workout to workout and you'll build ALOT of muscle mass. The key here is proper form.

2. Poor Nutritional Habits .

You have to feed your body the right amount of calories, protein, carbohydrates and fat in order for it to grow. All of these nutrients must be in balance if you ever want to build muscle. Poor nutritional habits is probably one of the number one killers of weight training/fitness and fat loss programs (besides not showing up to the gym!).

The process of successful weight training programs is pretty simple. Show up to the gym and perform the exercises (And improve with each workout), follow a healthy, common sense diet, and get plenty of rest. Simple right? Not really because it's hard to give up bad eating habits. I can tell you this with complete honesty, get into the habit of eating 6 small, health meals per day (cut out the junk food) and you will see results almost immediately.

Don't let anyone tell you that you only need protein to build muscle. Protein is only 1/3 of the equation to building muscle. You need the right combination of protein, carbohydrates and fat to build quality muscle mass. Think of protein as your bodies building material. Think of carbohydrates is your bodies fuel source. Think of fats as the material that helps absorb vitamins and minerals. Each has it's place and must be kept in balance.

How Does Creatine Work?

We've all heard how great creatine is and how it can help increase strength in a relatively short period of time. But...What is creatine and how does it actually work? How does it get you strong?

Creatine is a substance that is produced in the liver and kidneys at about a rate of 2 grams per day.

Creatine is naturally occurring, and is derived from 3 non-essential amino acids - arginine, glycine, and methionine.

Basically, 90 to 95 percent of the body's creatine travels to the muscles, heart, and other body cells via the blood stream. However, a large majority of this creatine is stored in skeletal muscle.

Once consumed, creatine travels to the muscles via the blood stream. Once inside the muscle cells, it is turned into a substance called creatine phosphate.

Creatine phosphate is used for very short term energy bursts for such activities like strength training and other sports that require short, fast bursts of activity. How does it do this? Creatine phosphate aids in replenishing your reserves of ATP. Adenosine triphosphate -ATP is the molecular fuel that provides the power for muscular contractions.

So, whenever you do an activity that requires short term burst of energy such as strength training and weight lifting, your body relies on ATP. ATP is used as the primary fuel source for short term energy bursts that lasts for about 5 to 10 seconds (Of maximum muscular output). However, after this time period elapses, your stuck with little ATP reserves which means low fuel.

Your ATP reserves need to be replenished after the first 5 to 10 seconds on intense muscular contractions. Wait a minute, doesn't glucose (from carbs) provide the fuel for energy? Yes, glucose does convert to ATP which provides the energy needed for muscular contraction but this process takes time (At least 20 seconds to kick in).

In the meantime, your body turns to creatine phosphate it stores in the muscle for immediate fuel. Creatine phosphate can be converted to ATP very quickly (This process takes only a fraction of a second).

For example, let's say your going for a heavy duty bench press. Your going for four to six monster reps with a heavy weight. You have enough ATP stores in your muscle to do 5 to 10 seconds of intense work, probably one or two reps. Thereafter, your body will begin to search for creatine phosphate for additional energy (For the completion of an another couple of reps).

Now, depending on how much creatine phosphate you have in your “muscle stores”, you can hope to get another 15 to 20 seconds of additional work from your muscles.

If the activity goes on for more than 20 seconds, your body looks to break down glycogen in order to replenish ATP reserves (fuel from carbs). However, if you're trying to build muscle and strength, we know that we need to lift heavy weight for low repetitions. And since this activity can take anywhere between 5 to 20 seconds to complete, we need more quick acting energy.

However, because you get only a minimal amount of creatine from your diet, there's just not enough creatine to convert to creatine phosphate to be stored in the muscle. And of course, we now know that creatine phosphate is needed to convert to ATP. Therefore, since you lack the short term energy, you don't get the last couple of reps.

Therefore, what if you had access to more creatine to be stored up in the muscle for this very purpose? Let's say you're stores of creatine phosphate were topped up in the muscle.

Wouldn't this prolong the energy needed to complete those last couple of reps for that monster bench press? Of course it would! It only stands to reason that the more creatine phosphate you have in your muscles to be converted to ATP, the stronger your going to be.

This is the magic of creatine supplementation. By supplementing with creatine, you build up your stores of creatine phosphate in the muscle which prolongs the conversion of ATP. The result? You have more energy and power to blast up that weight. More power equals more muscle. That's how it works to build muscle.

Remember, creatine boosts the pace of energy production in your muscle cells. It doesn't build muscle directly. It builds muscle by providing more energy to the muscle for additional muscle contractions. More energy means more power. More power means more reps. More reps means more muscle growth.

Expert advice on how you can burn body fat

How many times have you looked in the mirror and thought, “Geez, I really got to get rid of this FAT”. How many time have you tried on a pair of jeans and they suddenly don’t fit anymore?

Don’t worry, your not alone. There are literally, millions of people in your shoes who desperately want to lose that unwanted fat.

These are everyday, working people, who, for whatever reason, have put on a few pounds (Ok, maybe alot of pounds) and now want to do something about it. We've all been there (Including yours truly).
I'll be honest with you, the sheer amount of information (especially online) on losing weight and body fat is a sea of confusion.

There are literally hundreds of weight loss programs on the market today that make a simple process seem like rocket science. Let me say this, this process is not rocket science and anyone can do it.

Really, the only thing you need to bring to the table is motivation. Once you have the motivation to lose that body fat fat, your halfway there.

However, what is rocket science, is trying to find the right information. Well, it's a good thing your here because I'm going to show you how to do this - Without all the bells and whistles.

Building Muscle 101

Eating plain chicken breast and tasteless pasta day in and day out is a thing of the past.

I've learned that you have to be a little creative with your food if you want to survive any length of time with a diet.

When I first started weight training, there were no healthy recipes, healthy cook books or any other recipes that would help improve the taste of plain chicken breasts that were healthy and conducive to building muscle.

It's still hard to find great tasting recipes today but with the help of the internet, it's a lot easier. With that being said, there are much more resources online that make it much easier to follow a healthy diet.

Fortunately, I've kept a stash of recipes on hand to share with you. These recipes are tasty and very quick to make.
The important thing to remember about putting together your diet is to ensure your recipes and menus contain your own nutritional requirements. If you don't know your goal nutritional requirements, please click on the link below. Remember that complete and balanced nutrition is the real key to building muscle.

Diet Section

Healthy Crunchy Granola Recipe

1/4 cup granola
1 ½ cup low fat plain yogurt
1 cup strawberries- sliced
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 scoop (2oz) protein powder- vanilla

Pour yogurt into a medium sized serving dish. Add granola and protein powder. Mix together and add brown sugar. Top with strawberries and serve immediately.

589 calories
40 grams of protein
83 grams of carbohydrates
10.5 grams of fat

1. Consistent

You have to be consistent with your program. I'm not going to lie to you, building muscle is hard work and it will take consistency to build quality muscle mass. You have to show up to the gym (or your basement) and follow your workout program on a regular basis in order to start seeing the results and reaping the benefits from weight training. Doing a couple of workouts here and there doesn't cut it.

Remember that building muscle is a slow process and takes months to see any quality results. Be consistent and your efforts will eventually pay off.

How long does it take to see any quality results? Well, that depends on how well you progress. If you can keep consistent with your workouts and keep improving with each workout, you will start to see results in as little as 30 days - Of course it may be less or more, depending on your body type.

Ground Turkey Omelette

Ingredients
8 large, fresh egg whites
2 large whole eggs
2 small, raw onions, diced
3 oz. ground, raw turkey
1 1/2 cups canned kidney beans, drained (any type)
1 c. chopped green bell peppers
1 c. chopped red bell peppers
1 c. raw mushrooms, sliced
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 dash ground black pepper.
1 tsp. hot pepper sauce.
1 tsp. ground turmeric
3 cloves raw garlic, minced
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
Directions
Saute’ turkey, vegetables and spices - except turmeric - in a non-stick
skillet w/1 tsp olive oil until tender. In mixing bowl, whip the eggs,
egg whites and turmeric together. Pre-heat 2 tsp olive oil in a second
skillet, then add 1/4 egg mixture and cook until omelet is formed.
Repeat to make 4 omelettes. Place 1 omelette on plate, top with 1/2
of the turkey mixture, then place 1 omelette on top to form a
sandwich. Repeat to form 2nd sandwich. Serve hot.
Nutritional Information
Calories (Per Serving): 508
Protein (g): 42
Carbohydrates (g): 50.5
Fat (g): 17
Carb - Protein - Fat % Ratio: 39 % - 32% - 29%

What Types Of Supplements Work

Do sports supplements actually work? Do you really need supplements in order to build muscle? Are they worth the money? So many questions with even fewer answers...

Let me help clear it up a bit.
Selecting and using the right supplements can be a very confusing subject, with so many products on the market. Supplement advertisers will make you believe that their product will turn you into a Mr. Olympia contender overnight.

As active weight trainers we are bombarded with advertisements about the latest break through or wonder supplement that will literally change our bodies overnight. However, we really need to think about what it is we are expecting from supplements. It’s also important to put supplements into perspective. You can make great gains without supplementation. However, you cannot make great gains without proper training and nutrition.

Sports supplements enhance and promotes the muscle gains made from hard training and nutrition. Supplements should not replace the food in your diet. It is very important that you understand this perspective.

Supplement Rule #1

Quality Food Should Be The Number One Supplement In Your Diet.


Supplements should only be used once you've built your nutritional foundation and have your diet down to a science. Once you have your diet plan down, and are seeing quality results with your training program, you can add sports supplements to enhance your muscle building program.

I suggest you do your homework when it comes to using weight lifting supplements and make an informed decision before consuming any powder, pill, or brew. Read as much literature as possible on your chosen supplement.
If there is any doubt, save you money. You will also want to ensure that the health supplement manufacturer is well established in the industry and not a fly by night company.

Exercise Equipment Reviews

I'm guessing you want to get into shape and lose those extra pounds without having to worry about whether or not a certain type of exercise apparatus is well made? Or if the company is on the up and up? Or maybe you want to know if a company is really on your side by the type of exercise equipment they are offering.

Too many times (including myself) have people been ripped off by shoddy equipment, loop hole filled warranties, bad customer service and outrageous pricing. If your like me, you don't want to have to worry about this stuff and you simply want to find out which equipment is the best for the cash you have to spend.

Let Building Muscle 101 help you review and choose the best home exercise equipment that best suits your needs and budget. You'll find interesting articles and tips for using and buying home fitness equipment as well as non biased, comprehensive reviews.

On a tight budget? No problem. We will help you choose the best type of fitness equipment for your budget. Exercise equipment isn't cheap so we know the importance of making an educated decision when it comes to making a purchase.

Bring Your Weight Training Program To The Next Level

I'll be the first to tell you that building muscle requires the right information.

There's no question about it. Building your body is sort of like building a house, you need the proper tools and information to get the job done.

Without the right information, your not going to build a proper house, and the same can be said for building your body.

Using the wrong information can be very detrimental to your progress. However, finding the right information can be a very confusing subject.

Just walk into a bookstore and try finding a simple yet effective book on weight training and/or building muscle. Better yet, try doing a search on the internet.
You'll be so overwhelmed by the amount of information that chances are, you'll just call it quits. Don't feel like your alone because your not. I've been there and I know just how confusing it can be.

You see, I've tried just about every gimmick and scheme out there and you know what? There is really only one way to build muscle. I've come to the conclusion that the only way is to make sure you have a smart weight training program in place, a personalized diet program for your body type (aimed at your goals), and a quality recovery cycle in place. Once you have these elements in place, you will be able to constantly improve with each passing workout.

If you really want to build quality muscle, your going to have to train smart. By using smart weight training techniques, you can expect to double your strength and add significant size to your body.

The Right Track To Gaining Quality, Muscular Weight"

I know what it’s like to go to the gym for 3 hours a day, 6 or even 7 days a week and hoping to add one more pound of body weight.

I know what it’s like to be skinny and weak. I’ve always been a skinny kid and believe me, I’ve trained like a madman trying to gain those valuable extra pounds.

I vividly remember trying to reach that 150 pound mark and no matter what I tried, I simply couldn't jump that hurdle. At one point, I was almost ready to give it all up until one day, out of desperation, I joined the local gym.

It was here that I got my first “real” lesson on how to start building some serious muscle size and strength. Those lessons went against everything I learned up to that point (which wasn't much!).

However, once I changed my attitude and my training program, I gained like crazy.

So, I’d like to share with you some of those very same strategies that helped me pack on over 30 pounds of solid muscle.

I'm going to show you a simple and easy to follow diet along with solid weight training routine that will help pack on those much needed pounds.

20 Rep Workout Routine!!!

I’d like to pass on a routine that I’ve used in the past and it’s something I enjoy doing. In fact, I’ve been using this routine on a more frequent basis because it takes a lot of the stress off of my joints and ligaments associated with using heavy weights. I also like the fact that it still forces my body to work extra hard due to the higher than normal repetitions used to complete a set.

This routine is great for those of you who want to give your joints and ligaments a rest from the heavy weight but still want to:

• Maintain hard earned muscle mass;
• Get past weight training plateaus;
• Provide a different but intense workout environment for muscle growth;
• Burn additional fat while maintaining muscle
• Train even though you have an injured body part
• Break up your routine for additional variety

Please remember to be careful on the second last point. If you have an injury, please get it checked out and diagnosed properly.

There are some important benefits to using a workout routine such as the following 20 rep workout. First, it gives your joints and ligaments a break from heavy weight training. Take it from someone who knows, you don’t want to injure your joints and ligaments. Once you injure these delicate connective tissues, your body is never the same. Perform this workout for two to three weeks to give your joints and ligaments a break.

Secondly, it is a hard workout to perform. For those of you who want to take a break from heavy lifting, but don’t want to sacrifice your hard earned muscle mass, this workout will ensure you keep that mass. By providing an intense workout environment, this workout will keep you working just as hard but just not super heavy. Will you lose muscle mass? Nope, in fact you may even gain because of the extra volume involved.

Thirdly, this is a pretty intense workout and will fit in nicely to an overall fat burning plan. Since you’ll be performing higher than normal repetitions with minimal rest periods, you’ll burn extra calories while boosting cardiovascular endurance. It’s a nice change and will help refine the muscle you currently have.

Fourthly, it can be used to build muscle. I have shoulder tendinitis and this routine helps me keep my muscle mass without having to give up upper body training all together. I simply can’t go as heavy as I once did so this option keeps the exercise intense while alleviating the pain associated with heavy weight training.

Fifthly, it’s a pretty quick workout. Since you’ll be resting less in between each set and exercise, the amount of time to complete this routine is less.

In this workout, you will be performing 20 repetitions for each exercise while keeping rest periods to a minimum. Light weight will be used at the start of the routine which you can increase to moderate after a few sessions. Two exercises will be used for each body part. You can increase this to three as you progress with the routine. You can also customize this type of routine to fit your exercise preference and progression. However, the point of this routine is to perform 20 repetitions, per set with a minimum amount of rest in between sets and exercises.