Yahoo Answers

After a few comments that it would be better if I just posted the answer here on the blog, I've decided to do just that! So, here it is.

You need to concentrate on 3 things for building muscle:

1. Train right
2. Eat right
3. Recover right

For training, you want to lift heavy weights for 2-5 sets (more sets for more experienced lifters) of 6-10 reps on compound exercises only (exercises that use multiple muscles like squats, deadlifts, bench press, pull ups, overhead press). Train 3 times per week. Full body workouts.

For nutrition, make sure you eat at least 6 meals per day. Get 20-40 grams of protein per meal. At 160 pounds, you want at least 160 grams of protein a day. Good protein sources are eggs, milk, beef, fish, poultry, and pork. Eat plenty of raw fruit and vegetables, too. Drink lots of water.

Before your weight training workouts, mix up a protein shake. Make it a double serving. Mix whole milk and a good protein powder and drink roughly 1/3 of it about 30 minutes prior to working out. During your workout, drink another 1/3. Afterwards, finish it off.

Get at least 8 hours of sleep and rest as much as possible. Walk when you can run, sit when you can stand, lie down when you can sit. The idea is to expend as little energy as possible throughout the day.

The best system I've seen for building muscle is the Stair Step Training System (SSTS). It's a 16-week course that shows you how to build muscle, shred body fat, and get bigger, stronger, and faster all over a 4 month period.

You also get the Arms Race for free, too. The direct link is –

Hardgainer Manifesto

No sales page (if you want to read about it, read this). The link above takes you right to the order page.

Once you buy this special report, why not sell it? Become a Muscle-Build.com affiliate. Sign up here (free, no obligation, opt out at any time). Get 75 percent commissions (or, when I boost the price back up to “normal” get roughly $27 per sale).

Be sure to read about eggs here and here. You can bet your bottom dollar that eggs, milk, creatine, and whey will make up the biggest components of the mix. Oh, and chocolate milk!

That’s it for now. Stay tuned.

If you don’t want to miss it, sign up to get my best updates here:

Now is a great time to become a subscriber because I’m able to write more often now and I’m finding and creating lots of content that I think you will find pretty cool and informative.

Oystein Lund presents So what does fitness mean anyway? posted at Muscle building for fat loss, saying, “What’s your motivation for doing this anyway?”

Joe E presents New Diet Craze: I Gross You Out So Much That You Quit Eating Crappy, Disgusting Fast Food! posted at Promote Health, saying, “Here’s 12 reasons why you should quit eating fast food!”

Steve Faber presents Aerobics is a Waste of Your Time if You Want to Burn Fat posted at Belly Fat Loser.

Conan Stevens presents Gain Weight – 20kg In 3 Months posted at Conan Stevens Online, saying, “Before i was a hardgainer, i was an easy gainer, then…”

FitJerk presents Building Muscle Mass By Eating More? Carbs? Why Gluconeogenesis Is Your Enemy posted at FlawlessFitness, saying, “Most know that protein is the fundamental element that you need to eat to build rock hard muscles, and carbs are something you should cut down on to avoid getting fat. Right? WRONG! Learn the secret carb to protein ratio that explodes muscle mass!”

Verna Morris presents 25 Bookmark-worthy Cheat Sheets for Healthy Living posted at Nursing Assistant Guides.

Ralph Jean-Paul presents Lessons Learned During My Self-Discipline Fast posted at ralphs words, saying, “The benefits and lessons I learned during a challenging juice fast.”

FitJerk presents Supplement Review: Purple K Creatine From Fusion Bodybuilding posted at FlawlessFitness, saying, “I stumbled upon a buffered type of creatine which is pH balanced, doesn’t need to be cycled, comes in a pill form and best off all, gives you the same results with a smaller dosage! Find out if it lived up to its claims!”

Colin Timberlake presents Training Log: The 2009 Arnold Classic 5K Pump and Run- Day 35 posted at colintimberlake.com, saying, “Former Mr. Olympia and the King of Perseverance Samir Bannout is used as the inspiration for a day of hard training.”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Hardgainer blog carnival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: hardgainer blog carnival, blog carnival.

It’s a complete guide to building muscle for the hardgainer. Some of Jeff’s stuff is novel; some of it is “old school.” But all of it is effective.

Read the full Hardgainer Project X review here.

• Go to the store
• Buy a gallon of milk
• Drink it in a day

That’s it. Well, not really. You’ll want to ease into this. Some folks report stomach issues. Also, don’t do follow this program if you suffer from milk allergies or if you’re lactose intolerant.

Finally, make sure you train hard and rest easy while following the GOMAD program.

Lots of trainers have experienced even greater success with this program when coupled with a Breathing Squat training routine.

Training Log

Sometimes it’s difficult to gauge progress, especially when you’re building muscle and losing fat at the same time. Your waist size might get bigger before it gets smaller, or your arms may decrease in size if you’ve lost an appreciable amount of body fat.

So, how can you tell when both the mirror and the tape measure lie?

Check your training logs! If you’re able to lift more for a given set/rep combination, you are progressing! Those are tangible results that cannot go unnoticed!

Another way to look at this is the following: If you’re not gaining strength and/or muscular endurance, you may not be building muscle OR losing fat! In fact, you may be losing muscle and getting fatter!

But rest assured, if you are getting stronger and your endurance is building, then you’re on the right path.

Hardgainer? Need Muscle?

Over at the Hardgainer Manifesto (full disclosure: I own, run, and manage the site), I’m selling a special report I wrote specifically to give the hardgainer all he or she needs to know to finally start putting on weight and building muscle. The report is brief, only costs $20, but most importantly, it gives you specific exercise routines, meal plans, supplements that work, and some other stuff that’s important to hardgainer training.

I’ve written a lot about hardgainers. It’s kind of natural — I spent 20 years trying to crack the code for muscle development for the most difficult trainee I know — ME!

Yep, I spent my entire teens and twenties figuring it all out. The muscle mags did me no good, the guys at the gym didn’t help (they tried, but they were using all the same techniques the mags prescribed), and working out really hard didn’t do any good at all. Eating like an elephant didn’t work for me, either.

In fact, you might say all of that did more harm than good!

When I finally “got it,” I put on weight like a newborn bear. I gained over 60 pounds my first year on the program. Once it clicked, I was able to put on weight almost at will.

And it’s not hard, once you see how it works.

That’s it for my “sales pitch.” Head over to the Hardgainer Manifesto where you can read all about it.

Do you mind if I be frank and ask you a honest question? If you had to transform your body which required you to know how to build muscle and gain weight quickly, and you only had a few weeks, could you step up to the challenge?

Let’s say your wanted to enter a fitness model or beginner bodybuilding competition? Perhaps you want to be considered he ‘buffest’ guy in your gym? If you get starred at because your physique stands out in the crowd than click away because your probably already know how to build muscle and gain weight quickly.

However if you are the guy on the other extreme and receive surprised looks when you tell people you work out with weights, don’t look any different than any body else in your gym and have never been approached for advice than please read this article carefully because this is your next step to building muscle and gaining weight quickly!

‘Hardgainer’ – Dump the title!

As soon as you start labeling yourself as a ‘hard gainer’ don’t be surprised when your results come to a screeching halt.

This single word has more power to sabotage your potential for a muscular physique before you even begin training. Keep calling yourself a ‘hard gainer’ and don’t be surprised if you continue to waste your time, effort, and money.

If you’re lucky maybe you will build 3 – 5 pounds of muscle a year…

I have no problem with the term ‘hard gainer’ except for what happens when people label themselves to be so-called ‘hard gainers.’ Sure you might be a ‘hard gainer’ but I think most skinny guys believe they are actually ‘no gainers.’

‘Hard gainers’ do exist but THERE IS NO SUCH THING as a ‘NO GAINER!’

You might think you are a ‘hard gainer’ because you have trained your butt off for a few years, you eat the right foods, take all the latest supplements and yet still get a surprised look when you tell people you work out!

I don’t know anybody that does not have the ability to put on slabs of muscle in record time. I have proven every client dead wrong who perceived themselves as a ‘hard gainer.’ This term is just a poor excuse.

Plain and simple: excuses are for the weak. It’s easy to point the blame when your workouts are inconsistent, your training is sub-maximal and you indulge in a undisciplined social lifestyle. How convenient to shift the blame from yourself to a convenient label.

But it’s easier telling everyone that you are a ‘hard gainer.’ Right?

This term is a great disguise for skinny guys who will never reach their true genetic potential. Instead of taking responsibility for your actions, it’s a lot easier to pull out the ‘hard gainer’ card and flash it to everyone. It sits by your driver’s license and has become a part of your identity.

The deadliest mindset in the world.

Consider this. It’s like saying, “I can’t afford it.” This should be considered a deadly statement because it forces your brain to stop working and reinforces a false perception of your true abilities. Instead you should say, “How can I afford it?” By constantly saying, “How can I afford it” or “I can afford it,” you will reinforce a new perception of yourself – you will no longer think of yourself as poor, but as a rich person.

If you examine these two statements, you will see that “How can I afford it?” opens your mind to examining the possibilities of accumulating wealth. “I can’t afford it,” on the other hand, closes your mind to any possibility of attaining what you desire.

Let’s make this example practical now. By simply being aware of the words you use, you can self-detect your self-perceptions. By changing your words, you can begin to change your self-perceptions – if you choose. So by simply reminding yourself to say, “There is no such thing as a ‘hard gainer’” you will be able to bring out the muscular person inside of you. By saying, “I am a hard gainer” you are reinforcing the small and weak person who was already there.

Do you truly think that you can casually or unintentionally build muscle and gain weight quickly?

No way! Do you really think deep down that if you believe you are a hard gainer and a muscular physique is out of your limits, that you will ever achieve any significant results? I’m not talking 3 or 5 pounds of muscle a year. I’m talking about 20-50 pounds of massive muscle. Of course not. Every trip to the gym, every set, every meal, every shake you gulp down will be snuffed out because the beliefs in your mind have sentenced you to a life of smallness.

The very first step you must take before you read any of the training or nutrition content of this book is DITCH THE TITLE. Stop labeling yourself and start thinking of yourself as a ‘untapped reservoir with explosive muscular strength.’

Many personal development coaches stress the principle, ‘you get what you focus on.’ Therefore if you focus on being small, you will be small. Focus on being big and muscular and this will direct your mind and actions to the things you must do to become just that. All actions come from your beliefs and if you truly don’t believe that you can succeed then what chance do you have?

Focus on believing in yourself and your abilities and re-classify yourself as a ‘consistent gainer’ or an ‘unstoppable gainer’ or whatever title suits your motivation best. If you focus on being successful you will be and you are already one step closer to becoming the person you really want to be!

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About the Author:

Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at http://blog.muscle-build.com/go/no-nnmb.php

He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than before.

Building muscle

By Vince DelMonte

Do you truly know how to build muscle and gain weight quickly?

If you knew how to build muscle then the skinny jokes would have ended long ago. If you knew how to gain weight quickly then the blank stares would stop when you tell someone you work out with weights. And if you knew how to build muscle and gain weight quickly you would no longer frustrated that the scale has not budged upwards since you first started lifting.

I know from first hand experience what it feels like to train for hours in the gym, slug back protein shake after protein shake, spend your hard earned money on over-priced and over-hyped supplements, with little or nothing to show for it! If this is you than you’re not alone and are probably missing a few key ingredients that you’re executing effectively.

If you’re a naturally skinny person than you must play by a different set of rules. If you were not gifted with muscle friendly genes than does it make sense to follow a program by someone who builds muscle even when they sneeze? If you’re training drug free than does it make sense to take advice from a guy who’s spending a few thousand dollars a month on steroids?

Or maybe you’re taking advice from someone with great genetics? That’s like taking money advice from someone who inherited a fortune! You must accept the fact if you have muscle ‘unfriendly’ genes you must be prepared to play by a different set of rules if you want to build muscle and turn heads!

Here are a few simple tips to show you – the skinny guy – how to build muscle and gain weight quickly :

Train like a barbarian!

Do people stop and watch you work out? Do you reach the point in a workout where you question your ability to finish? If you treat working out more like a hobby than a job than it’s no surprise that you do not stand out in a crowd and are still spinning your wheels.

The majority of people that work out in a gym barely sweat and spend more time starring in the mirror and trying to impress the new front desk girl than getting into the ‘zone’ and crashing through previous training limits.

Here are some tips on how to ‘train like a barbarian’:

1. Treat every single set like it is your last set.
2. Treat every single rep like your life depends on it.
3. Wear a stop watch and ensure that you keep the rest period honest.
4. Wear a sweater so you can’t stare at yourself in the mirror.
5. Wear a head set on that tells others ‘do not disturb.’
6. No girl friends allowed or wimpy guy friends who are going to compromise the intensity of your workout.
7. Train with an intensity that scares the gym shorts off of every person in your path.

Are you starting to get the picture? There is a philosophy that simply states, “You get what you focus on.” Focus on training like a barbarian and you will soon start looking like a barbarian!

Give your muscles a reason to grow!

Guess what happens when you train at the same intensity as you did in a previous workout? Your muscles laugh back at you and say, “Nice try, we did this workout before and can handle this stress! Is that your attempt on getting us to grow?”

Don’t get caught up in the latest hype of bodybuilding and fitness magazines. Most of it is rehashed and just packaged sleeker to sell magazines. There are two forms of training that must be cycled in a successful weight training program:

1. HEAVY HEAVY HEAVY! Put everything into lifting heavier weights and getting as strong as possible. Use only one compound exercise per major muscle group and focus on a 5% increase in strength from week to week. This will ensure neuromuscular development and targeting the fast twitch muscle fibers which have the greatest opportunity for growth.

2. VOLUME VOLUME VOLUME! Expose your body to as much work possible in the shortest period of time. Placing your muscles under more tension will result in more tapped and untrained muscle fiber being recruited therefore more muscle growth! The key here is to find the correct balance in time and work. Volume training does not mean 2 hour gym workouts lifting light weights. Instead lift heavy weights close to your max threshold but with shorter rest periods, slower tempos and more exercise selection per muscle group.

No more program hopping!

Sure, it’s easier to test drive a program for a few weeks and than say it does not work and move on to the next latest ‘breakthrough’ program. This is called the blame game and neglecting responsibility! Do you think you will become rich if you test out a new job for a few weeks and than call it quits when your first paycheck does not meet your expectations? No way! But if you stay with the company and exploit the companies benefits and opportunities to the fullest than you will succeed.

The reality is that virtually every program will work for a certain period of time if it is done at the right intensity and as the author has written.

Find a program and study the details of its full entirety. Ensure that the program goals of the author are in alignment with yours and study all the fine details. Do not ask a million questions and try and find holes or flaws or attempt to make it ‘perfect.’ The perfect program does not exist. Trust the program, follow it honestly and monitor the progress. The experience and results you gain from following one program for a consistent period of time will be priceless.

Stay tuned for Part 2.

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About the Author:

Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at http://blog.muscle-build.com/go/nnmb.php

He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than before.