Muscle Building

Many people seek rapid muscle gains and increased overall bodyweight. To achieve this, the body requires additional premium quality protein from the right sources, as well as complex carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients for optimum growth and muscle performance.

Muscle Support Training

Train with weights

When you train with weights, two things happen; first by positively stressing your muscle through exercise, you stimulate growth of new muscle tissue. This results in you burning more energy, which means you also burn more calories. Secondly the body will burn additional energy to maintain the muscle tissue that is being regularly stressed.

Many women worry that by weight-training they'll get big muscles - this is not the case. By weight-training, you'll tone, tighten and shape your physique! You can find some training advice here.

Do cardiovascular exercise at least twice a week

Low to moderate intensity cardiovascular exercise plays an important role in any fat loss program. Of primary importance, low intensity cardiovascular exercise stimulates the release of fatty acids from tissue. This has two benefits: Firstly, you're actually burning fat, secondly, your body will up-regulate the enzyme systems necessary for burning fat more efficiently. So you’re burning more fat and you’re burning it faster.

The second reason why you should perform regular cardio work is that it helps protect your heart. Good cardiovascular health is vitally important to your long term condition and longevity. Take care of your heart and it will take care of you.

Tips to get you Started!

Winter season is the perfect time to begin your winter bulk. As a general rule, whenever you are trying to add additional muscle to your frame you are going to have to also accept some fat gain. The reason being - in order to stimulate muscle growth you need to be in a caloric surplus and oftentimes some of those additional calories will get transfer to body fat. Luckily, as long as you are smart about your bulk, you can minimize fat gain while maximizing muscle gain.

1. Lift Heavy!

One of the biggest factors you need to remember with your training program is that you MUST be applying an overloading stimulus. Without this, your body is not going to have any reason to turn those extra calories into muscle and you will just gain a great deal of body fat. Definitely not what you are looking for here.

2. Eat carbohydrates around your workout

During a bulk you cannot be afraid of carbohydrates. They are going to supply your body with the energy it needs for muscle building. Generating muscle tissue is a very energy consuming process so you need to be sure to meet your needs. If you are hoping to minimize fat gain it is best to consume the greatest portion of your carbohydrate intake around your workouts, as this is when your body needs them the most and they are least likely to end up on your body in the form of fat. You still should consume some carbohydrates during your other meals however the portion sizes can be slightly smaller.

3. Eat More... Period

This could possibly be the biggest mistake most beginners make when they are entering a bulking period. The minute they lose sight of their abs they shy off the amount of food they are consuming for fear of getting fat. This will severely short circuit their potential muscle gains and possibly even stop them altogether.

4. Limit Cardio Sessions

While you are on a bulk you should limit your cardio sessions to once or twice a week. You are going to want all of your energy to go towards adding muscle so if you are expending a great deal through cardio activity then you are defeating your goal. If you do choose to include more cardio work into your program (for example if it is necessary for a sport you participate in) then you are going to have to increase your calories even more to compensate for this.

5. Eat More Fat

Many younger guys who are trying to successfully gain weight are going to have to consume astronomical amounts of calories. If you try to eat completely clean foods while doing this you may find your stomach feeling rather uncomfortable. The best way to handle this is to look at consuming foods that, while still are healthy, are more dense in calories. This means that they will take up less room in your stomach thereby allowing you to consume more calories to meet your needs. Since one gram of fat has 9 calories whereas protein and carbohydrates both have 4 this will make it easier. Make sure these are healthy sources of fat you are eating.

6. Focus on compound exercises

When creating your workout program for bulking it is best to always first choose compound exercises. These are the ones that are going to stimulate the greatest number of muscle fibers and give you the biggest bang for your buck. Examples of such are:

Chest press
Military press
Squats
Deadlifts
Lunges
Bent over rows

7. Allow for enough rest

As important as your workout program is, rest is also just as important. Without allowing your body to recover from your workouts you will not provide it with the opportunity to grow back stronger. Remember that you progress while you are resting. When you are actually performing your workouts you are tearing down your muscle, thus in all reality, making it weaker.

8. Ensure you are getting enough sleep

In addition to rest, sleep is also essential. Not only is it the ultimate form of rest but getting ample sleep will also help to optimize your hormonal profile. When your body is not getting enough sleep you will tend to release more cortisol, which acts as a catabolic hormone on the body. This will make gaining muscle much more difficult as for that you are looking for anabolic processes to occur (the opposite of catabolic).

9. Don't overdo Protein

One common myth that many people hold with regards to bulking is the notion that they must consume massive amounts of protein. While it is true you need protein since it supplies your body with the building blocks necessary for creating muscle tissue, any extra is only going to be used for energy or stored as body fat.

After your needs are met you would be far better off consuming more carbohydrates or dietary fat. Aim for 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight.

10. Don't let yourself get too out of control

A final thing you should consider for a successful bulk is not to let yourself get too out of control with regards to fat gain. While gaining some fat is certainly alright, if not expected, gaining too much is not in your best interest. Just remember that you are eventually going to have to lose this excess weight and it will be much easier to do so if you have only gained 10 pounds extra compared to 30 or more. Once you reach a level where your body fat is passed where you feel comfortable then do a short 'cutting' period where you lose some body fat and then continue back on with your bulk. Note that if the fat gain happened quickly then you might want to revise your bulk protocol and consume slightly less of a surplus of calories to help minimize fat gain in the first place.

By following these 10 tips you should be able to really improve your physique over the winter so after you reduce your body fat during the spring you will be lean and muscular for beach season!

Diet and Nutrition

Eat the right types of food

In order to build lean muscle mass you need to combine an adequate calorie intake with a solid muscle strengthening program. A large number of calories are needed to fuel both workouts and muscle tissue building. Whilst eating enough calories is important, it is also important to eat the right kind of calories.

Carbohydrates

This is the predominant energy source for strength training. Stored as glycogen in the muscles, it is the fuel used to supply energy for short, intense bursts of power or long duration exercise. Consumption should be around 2g per 1lb of bodyweight. You can find out more about carbohydrates here.

Proteins

This is the basic building material for muscle tissue, and is critical for anyone engaging in high-intensity resistance exercise since increased amounts of protein become necessary to support muscle growth. Try to eat at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight daily. This daily requirement can be easily achieved by supplementing your diet with protein supplements.

Essential Fats

After taking care of your carbohydrate and protein needs, there is a little room left for healthy, essential fatty acids. The right kind of fat is an essential nutrient, however, you only require a small amount of it to remain healthy. Less than 30% of your total daily calories should come from unsaturated fat sources.

Eat Several Small Meals A Day

Eating this way ensures you are providing your body with adequate nutritional support. Frequent, small meals provide a consistent supply of nutrients for efficient muscle growth, and also helps maintain a faster metabolic rate. To gain muscle, you should be consuming at very least, about 500 calories above your daily requirements.

Need a diet plan? See the USN's Mass Gain Diet Plan here

Commitment and Focus

Try to visualise your goals and work towards them each time you train. Set realistic short and long term goals with rewards as each goal is accomplished. Thinking positively can also enhance the muscle-building process in a number of ways. Quality of training will improve if one is able to approach each session with confidence and an expectation that you will achieve your training goals.

Training Guidelines and Tips

1. Training Journal
   Write down the daily routines and weights you used. Pick a few every week to improve on, not only in weight, but in any of the above training principles. Routines that put unnecessary strain on weak areas, like the back, can then be eliminated.
2. Eat several small meals per day
   Glycogen production and supply depends heavily on the constant supply of carbohydrates, and a constant supply of carbohydrates boosts the metabolism. Constant flows of amino acids ensure nitrogen retention and muscle repair. Water-soluble vitamins constantly leave the body and need to be replaced to fulfill its synergetic function. A good exercise routine will not counteract poor eating habits.
3. Vary your Program
   Vary the order, and type of exercises you do, also switch the muscles you train on the same day. This created muscle confusion which leads to renewed gains.
4. Increase the Weight
   Eventually, you also need to increase the resistance which forces muscle to compensate by renewed growth.
5. Train Smart, not Long
   45 to 90 minutes is all you should spend in the gym, longer than that you either waste your time, or you over train. Limit time between sets so the body "thinks" the whole exercise is one long set. Rest roughly two times the time it takes you to complete a set. Focus on your form, you can rather use a smaller weight, but do it with great form, no swing, no cheat, high intensity, and work on the negatives/eccentric (going down). If your next machine is occupied, proceed to the next and come back later, don't hesitate to ask how many sets a person has left.
6. Aim at a complete physique
   Concentrate more on the parts of your body that lack, and less on your strong points. Abs, calves, and shoulders are common weak points. If you have excess fat, work a cardio session into your routine, it's no use having a good physique under a camouflage of fat!
7. Isolate the applicable muscle
   Do the exercise in such a way that it is not as easy as can be, but that it strain the targeted muscle as completely as possible. Like when you do a bench press, lower the weight slowly to the end of your chest as close to your throat as possible, turn the elbows as far out as possible, pause at the bottom to stretch the pectoral muscles through its full range of motion. Finish the movement at the top by pushing all the way up to fully contract the pectorals.
8. Breathing
   However you choose to breath, exhale on the up or down movement; never hold your breath against force. This causes an increase in the blood pressure in the brain and poses a danger to health.
9. Do not lock
   Keep constant tension on a muscle by avoiding the lock at the top of a lift. This "resting time" interrupts a set.
10. Peak Contraction and Range of Motion
    Always squeeze at the point of fullest contraction, and move through the whole range of motion to the point of maximum stretch.
11. Rest
    A muscle should rest for 72 hours after a strenuous training session.
12. Cross-train Legs
    All of the muscles on the upper body get the chance to cross-train with other muscles, like when you do chest, you also use triceps and front delts, and when you do shoulders, the chest and triceps work hard too. The legs however very seldom get the change to cross-train, which is the main reason why most men have under developed leg muscles compared to their upper bodies. Work in an extra set of heavy lunges on another day.
13. Positive Muscular Gain vs. Negative Skeletal Strain
    Each person differs, many routines may suit one person, but not another, but don't decide a routine doesn't suit you just because it is working on your weak point. There is a healthy trade-off between positive strain on the muscular system, and negative strain on the skeletal system. Routines like Squat, Dead lift, and Stiff leg dead lift must only be done by advanced athletes involved in a sport where it forms a critical part, like Power lifting, Weight lifting, Strongman etc. Otherwise the negative skeletal strain outweighs the positive muscular gain.

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USN Products for Muscle Building

Muscle Support and Amino Acids

Nitrox Voltage NO2

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Creatine X4

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Creatine Monohydrate

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GAKteC

GAKteC is formulated with glycine, arginine & KIC(Alpha-ketoisocaproic acid). Studies show that when all three ingredients are teken together, in the exact ratio, it can immediately boost your strength levels by 10,5%, allowing you to left more weight and complete more reps in every set.

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AminoPro NanoStack

Amino ProNanoStack provides all the amino acids needed to support protein synthesis.

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L-Glutamine Powder

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ZMA TS6

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LEUteC

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17 Testo-Metho X

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Meal Replacements

Muscle Fuel Dynamic

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Muscle Fuel STS

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