As heavy as some machines might feel, they do not involve as much of the ancillary muscles areas 
    as do free weights and, therefore, do not build as much compound mass.  

2. Utilize Compound Movements 

    How you perform an exercise is perhaps the most important dynamic in building mass. If you want 
    full, hard bulk, do not isolate. Instead, use what Dave Draper calls 'body thrust' to compound the 
    involvement of all the muscles in the area. Also, don't fall for the theory that cheating robs you of 
    separation. On the contrary, it augments the compound benefit and builds even greater size so that 
    there's more muscle in which to carve separations.  

3. Find areas of improvement 

    Assess your physique to determine which muscle groups need to be brought up in size, then go to 
    the gym with that in mind, concentrating on working those areas first. Begin your workout with a 
    barbell movement and follow with dumbbells. If you use cables, do so at the end of your workout. 
    Never count cable sets as muss building sets.  

4. Experiment to find your best mass building exercises 

    I used to perform lots of squats, and I became incredibly strong with them, going as high as 40 reps 
    with 315 pounds. But there came a point where, even at that level of intensity, my legs weren't 
    growing to my satisfaction. I discovered that my lower back and hips were taking too much of the 
    stress; the solution lay in working my quads more exclusively. I therefore stopped squatting and 
    switched to leg presses and hack squats instead. My legs are now better than ever.  

5. Avoid injuries 

    Be wary of dangerous exercises. Squats and flat bench presses, for example, possess the highest 
    injury potential, so I stay away from them. I can't count the number of individuals whose 
    bodybuilding careers were ended by torn pecs, slipped discs or strained erectors. With proper 
    knowledge and execution, you can get commensurate or even better growth from exercises that work 
    those muscle groups thoroughly without placing undue stress on tendons and ligaments.  
 

6. Utilize optimum sets 

    Use a range of 16 - 20 total sets per bodypart.  
 

7. Don't count exercises 

    There is no optimum number of exercises. Most bodybuilders prescribe four sets each of four or five 
    different exercises per bodypart, but for some muscle groups, there might be only one or two 
    movements that work them effectively. In those cases, you should do 16 - 20 sets of one exercise, or 
    8 - 10 sets each of two exercises.  

8. Perform optimum reps 

    I like to train heavy, but I also like to use lots of reps. I recently performed incline barbell curls with 
    405 pounds for 10 reps, but I consider that to be medium to light weight, and, therefore, not mass 
    training. My favorite number of mass reps on a regular basis is 10, to failure, of course. However, 
    that doesn't mean you should avoid going as heavy as possible now and then.  

9. Flirt with maximums 

    Check out your strength levels every so often by maxing out with one or two reps. Remembers, 
    though, that any time you play around with benchpress poundages above 405, you flirt with danger. 
    The body cannot consistently take that type of training. When you want to test your max, do not 
    take big jumps. Rather, work up gradually to keep your body accustomed to the changing forces and 
    their deflections at each level. For example, I go up to 500 pounds for two reps on the incline barbell 
    press, but I do not jump directly from 405 to 500. Instead, I make sure I can do 465 for at least four 
    reps before I go to my max.  

10. Eat your meat 

    The more protein you eat, the better, and the best form of protein for mass is meat, especially red 
    meat. That's where you get your muscle building nutrients, your strength reserves and the necessary 
    fats for joint protection. Make all of these tenets second nature to your bodybuilding lifestyle and you 
    will gain good solid mass.  

Squats - An Exercise You Shouldn't Forget 

Some tips on squatting: 

     Do not bounce in the bottom position. 
     Look forward not down when squatting. 
     Do not round the low back in the bottom position. 
     Do not place your feet at extremes i.e. too wide or to narrow. 
     Make sure you keep your flexibility by stretching before and after a workout. 
     Do not wear knee wraps (unless a power contest is in a few weeks). 
     Do use a spotter - make that a competent spotter. 
     Do no more than two sets. If you are REALLY doing squats with intensity, you won't want to even do 2  
     sets! 
     Squat only once every 7-10 days. 
     If you want to gain muscular bodyweight and your squat poundages to go up, deep six the aerobics or  
     running. 

How to Avoid Blowing Out Your Shoulders 

     Don't do behind the neck presses. 
     Don't do wide grip bench presses. Use a medium grip. 
     Don't do very narrow grip bench presses. You should have at least 16 inches between your thumbs. 
     Don't bounce your pressing exercises. 
     Don't overstretch (relax your shoulders ) in the bottom position of chins or other back exercises. 
     Don't use a cambered bench press bar. 
     Don't train through shoulder pain - change the exercises until there is no pain. 
     If you have shoulder pain and can't work around it, take time off to let it heal. 

     Next time at the gym make sure you treat your shoulders like your best friend....you won't be sorry. 

     For lifting longevity, you need to pay careful attention to your lower back! 

     When you perform squats, don't round your back. Go down as far as you can while keeping your back   
     straight. If you can't squat to parallel, don't round your back to get there, work on your flexibility so your  
     back can remain straight. 

     Don't round your back doing deadlifts. 
     Don't do overhead presses standing, do them seated with support. 
     Don't do straight leg deadlifts, your knees should always be bent. 
     Don't do maximum range leg presses. Your back should never round, and beware of leg press machines.  
     Most are low back death traps! 
     Don't jerk your deadlifts. 
     Don't lean way back at the top of the deadlift repetition. 
     Don't do cheat barbell curls. 

     Next time at the gym make sure you treat your lower back like your best friend....you won't be sorry. 

    The most common weight training injuries are related to poor exercise technique. Incorrect technique 
    can pull, rip or wrench a muscle, or tear delicate connective tissue quicker than you can strike a 
    match. An out of control barbell or stray dumbbell can wreak havoc in an instant.  

    Each human body has very specific biomechanical pathways. Arms and legs can only move in certain 
    ways, particularly if you're stress loading a limb with weight. Strive to become a technical 
    perfectionist and respect the integrity of the exercise - no twisting,, turning or contorting while 
    pushing a weight. Either make the rep using perfect technique or miss the weight. Learn how to miss 
    a rep safely; learn how to bail out.  
 

2. Too Much Weight 

    Using too much weight in an exercise is a high risk proposition rife with injury potential. When it's too 
    much: if you can't control a weight as you lower it; if you can't contain a movement within its 
    biomechanical boundaries; and if you have to jerk or heave a weight in order to lift it.  

    An unchecked barbell or dumbbell assumes a mind of its own; the weight obeys the laws of gravity 
    and seeks the floor. Anything in its way (or attached to it) is in danger.  
 

3. Bad Spotting 

    If you lift long enough, you'll eventually reach a point where you need to have a spotter for a number 
    of exercises, including the squat and bench press. When you work as hard as you're supposed to, 
    you occasionally miss a rep. Nothing is wrong with that - it's a sign that you're working to your limit, 
    which is a good thing if it isn't overdone. Yet when you work this hard, you need competent spotters. 
    A good spotter should conduct him or herself at all times as though the lifter is on the verge of total 
    failure. Your training partner can also lend a gentle touch that allows you to complete a rep you'd 
    normally miss. A top spotter needs to be strong, sensitive and ever alert to the possibility of failure - 
    not looking around or joking with friends.  
 

4. Incorrect Use of Cheating & Forced Reps 

    Cheating and forced reps are advanced techniques that allow the lifter to train beyond normal. 
    Taken past the point of failure, the muscle is literally forced to grow. When incorrectly performed, a 
    cheating or forced rep can push or pull the lifter out of the groove. The weight collapses and a 
    spotter must come to the rescue.  

    Cheating movements work; real world data prove this statement. Yet cheating, by definition, is 
    dangerous. Any time you use momentum to artificially goose rep speed, thus allowing you to handle 
    more poundage than when using strict techniques, you risk injury. To play if safe, use the bare 
    minimum cheat to complete the rep. On forced reps, make sure your training partner is on your wave 
    length. Don't go crazy.  
 

5. Training Too Often 

    How does overtraining relate to injury? It negatively impacts the body's overall level of strength and 
    conditioning. Overtraining saps energy, retarding progress. You can't grow when you're overtrained. 
    It also interferes with both the muscles and the nervous system's ability to recuperate - ATP 
    (adenosine triphosphate, an energy compound in the cells) and glycogen stores are severely 
    depleted when an agitated metabolic status is present. In such a depleted, weakened state, is it any 
    wonder that injury is common, particularly if the athlete insists on handling big weights? The solution 
    is to cut back to 3-4 training sessions per week and keep session length to no more than an hour.  
 

6. Not Stretching 

    Stretching is different from warming up. Properly performed, a stretch helps relax and elongate a 
    muscle after warm up and before and after weight training. As a result of warming up and stretching, 
    the muscle is warm, loose and neurologically alert - in its most pliable and injury resistant state. In 
    addition, stretching between sets actually helps build muscle by promoting muscular circulation and 
    increasing the elasticity of the fascia casing surrounding the muscle. Finally, if you perform muscle 
    specific stretches at the end of your workout, you'll virtually eliminate next day soreness.  
 

7. Inadequate Warm Up 

    Let's define our terms. A warm up is usually a high rep, low intensity, quick paced exercise used to 
    increase blood floor to the muscle. This quick, light movement raises the temperature of the involved 
    muscle while decreasing blood viscosity and promoting flexibility and mobility. How? Everyone knows 
    that a warm muscle with blood coursing through it is more elastic and pliable than a cold, stiff 
    muscle. Riding a stationary bike, jogging, swimming, stair climbing and some high rep weight training 
    are recommended forms of warm up.  

    Try a 5-10 minute formalized warm up before stretching. If you choose high rep weight training, try 
    25 ultralight, quick reps in the following nonstop sequence: calf raise, squat, leg curl, crunch, pull 
    down, bench press and curl. Do one set each with no rest between sets. This can be accomplished 
    in fewer than five minutes and warms every major muscle in the body.  
 

8. Negatives 

    Negative (eccentric, or lowering) reps are one of the most difficult and dangerous of all weight 
    training techniques - and very effective at stimulating muscle growth. What makes negatives so 
    risky? The poundage you can handle in negative exercises is likely to be the heaviest you'll ever lift.  

    Normally, we only lift what we're capable of moving concentrically. In negative training, we handle a 
    lot more weight. Most bodybuilders can control approximately 130% of their concentric maximum on 
    the eccentric phase of a lift. Someone using 200 pounds for reps in the bench press, for example, 
    would bench roughly 260 in the negative press. Because of the increased weight used with 
    negatives, you need strong, experienced spotters. Exercise extreme caution. If the rep gets away 
    from you, the spotters need to grab the weight immediately.  
 

9. Poor Training 

    If you undereat and continue to train hard and heavy, you're likely to get hurt. Again, it relates to 
    your overall health: Before of heavy training when in a weakened state brought on by severe dieting 
    or restricted eating. It's best to save the big weights, low reps, forced reps and negatives for nondiet 
    growth periods. While dieting requires reduced poundage, this doesn't mean you can't be intense in 
    your workout - it just means you need to use lighter weight.  
 

10. Lack on Concentration 

    If you're distracted, preoccupied or lackadaisical when you work out, you're inviting injury. Watch a 
    champion bodybuilder train and one thing you'll notice is his or her intense level of concentration. 
    This is developed over time, and the athlete systematically develops a preset mental checklist that 
    allows him or her to focus on the task at hand. More concentration equates to more poundage. More 
    poundage equates to more growth. More poundage can lead to getting hurt if you don't pay 
    attention. Train smart.  

If the squat is the king of exercises then surely this one is the queen! The deadlift is, as it sounds like, a lift where you lift a "dead" 
weight of the floor to resting it around your hip level. There are several different kinds of deadlifts, for example the sumo and the 
straight leg. The one described here is the most common, the conventional deadlift. 

Exercise execution 

1.) The Stance. 
Stand with your feet about shoulder width or less. Some prefer a wider stance, find out what suits you. Step up as close as 
possible to the bar, it should be about 1 inch away from your shins. Keep your feet with the toes pointing straightforward to keep 
your knees in line. Bend your knees, lower your butt, lean slightly forward with your back slightly arched and grip the bar. Do not 
round your back! Doing that will put unnecessary pressure on your lower back, which could cause an injury. You should be in a 
squatting position with a good lumbar arch. Focus your eyes and look at something about 7-8" above you. In your heaviest lifts it's 
wise to use a lifting belt to take some pressure off your lower back and keep it warm. A lifting belt will also support your 
abdomen in the beginning of the lift. 

2.) The Grip. 
I recommend that you use an overhand grip. An alternate, one overhand and one underhand grip put a lot of stress on your biceps 
of the hand that is underhanded. You could tear your bicep this way, it has happened to some powerlifters. Place your hands 
about shoulder width, a narrower grip may be better for some people. Find out what is comfortable for you! Use wrist straps! I 
promise you that your grip will give out before your back, legs and glutes does. Lifting chalk (magnesium carbonate) can also help 
to improve your grip. 

3.) The Lift. 
When you're in position, lock your back in an arched and natural position. Pull your shoulders back and keep them there. Keep 
the weight back solidly through your heels. Lift the bar by the use of your legs. Try to drive your heels through the floor. When the 
bar passes your knees, continue the movement by straightening your back (push the hips forward). From this point and to the hips 
the bar should just barely touch your thighs. Do not lean backwards when completing the lift. Just stand straight up with your back 
slightly arched with straight arms and locked shoulders, then return the weights by first bending your legs and then your back! 
When the weights hit the floor, take one or a few deep breaths and repeat. Don't bounce the bar of the floor. Make every 
repetition a separate lift. 

Working muscles 

The deadlift work almost every part of your body. It's an excellent back exercise. It hits your spinal erectors, posterior delts, 
traps, and lats. As well are your legs taxed as the glutes, hamstrings, psoas and quads! 

Comments 

Powerlifters often use an alternate grip to be able to lift heavier weights without wrist straps. If you must use such a grip, be sure 
to alternate the underhand grip between you hands. If you don't, one arm, especially the biceps of that arm, will take a lot of 
punishment, thus creating an imbalance that could easily lead to injuries. 
As with squats, only use a lifting belt when lifting really heavy weights. 

                           You can shape a muscle by using different angles 

Would it not be great if you could work different areas of a muscle, add mass to the outside of the biceps or even improve the peak? Just read the muscle mags or ask a self-claimed guru in the gym, the narrow-grip barbell curl attacks the outer biceps and the concentration-curl adds beef to the peak. Yeah right! I guess the people behind these statements need a kinesiology lesson. Let's take the popular bicep muscle as an example. 
The biceps muscles operate the elbow joint, which is a ginglymus or hinge-type joint that allows only flexion or extension. In other words, it just bends up and down. A muscle connects to the bone and the place of connection doesn't change. When a muscle contract it pulls between the same two points of connection, moving the forearm upwards while bending the elbow joint. So, how can a different grip on the bar affect the operation of the direction of contraction of the muscles or the direction of travel 
of the elbow joint? Well, it can't! The muscles are going to contract in a straight line between point A and point B. The only factor that dictates muscle fiber activation is how heavy the weight is. 
Another fine example is the ever so popular belief that one can build inner pecs or outer pecs by choosing some fancy exercises. There's no such thing as an inner (medial) our outer (lateral) pec. Claiming this implies that you can contract a part of the muscle without contracting the rest of it. That would sure be one helluva neat posing routine!However, there is some evidence that you can isolate certain muscles in a complex muscle group as the back using differentexercises and angles. But are four or five separate exercises better than one compound exercise? What yield the highest intensity? I guess more research is needed in this area. However, five different exercises or more for biceps are ridiculous! (I can picture the 
20 set bicep or shoulder routine claimed to be used by the champions, which pops up in the muscle mags every so often.) And if you happen to be sore in the lower area of the biceps after a workout with Scott curls, it's not from the concentrated use of a part of the muscle but from a minor inflammation around the attachment points. 
So, in conclusion, the shape of a muscle is due to genetics, not some mumbo-jumbo exercise secret.  

                                         Bigger muscles equals slower muscles 

- "Gaining strength and muscle mass will make you slower." I guess you hear it almost daily. Even professional coaches and personal trainers believe that this is true. However, the truth is that a stronger athlete is a faster athlete just because of the increased strength!The speed of a body movement depends on the strength of the involved muscle and your capacity to recruit muscle fibers (neurological efficiency). So in other words, weight training will increase the force that a muscle can generate and velocity is increased by force. Let's say that a person want to press 100 pounds as fast as possible. If this person only is capable of pressing 105 pounds, it 
might take 4 or 5 seconds to move the weight. On the other hand, if the person is able to press 250 pounds, he'll be able to push the weight to a lock out position in less than a second. Since skill isn't significantly involved in pressing a barbell, the increase in speed is due to the strengthening of the muscles. 

                                    Isolation movements will create definition 

I guess you often read quotes from bodybuilders that go something like this. "I usually do compound movements for size, another exercise for shape, and a third to bring out the striations." Another common one is "I use leg extensions to cut up my legs." It's ridiculous but I hear and read statements and quotes like these all the time. 
What actually leads to the creation of definition is the lowering of body fat. This is, as most of us know, achieved by burning more calories than we ingest. Logically, the exercises that burn the most calories are the ones best suited for this goal. And which exercises are these? The simple answer to that question is the same exercises you use to build mass; that is heavy, basic, compound movements. It's quite obvious that squatting with 400 pounds will require more energy than repping out a set on the leg extension machine with only 200 pounds. But what about the striations seen in the muscles of professional bodybuilders? Well, all muscles have striations; they are a condition based on body fat percentage and genetics. They cannot be trained into a muscle. Please remember that there is no such thing as a "shaping" exercise or "definition" movement. 

The followers of instinctive training tell you to train accordingly to how you feel. In that case, I guess that the ordinary trainee wouldn't lift until he/she barfed, much less endure the pain necessary to make gains. Heck, in most cases most of us would rather stay home and pop a can of beer instead of going to the gym. Our body and mind strives to be comfortable, not to be exposed to stress. And I'm certain that modern psychiatry have never postulated that our species has a "bodybuilding instinct". When you stop training all that muscle will turn to fat Whoahaha, yeah right. If there's still people out there who believe this; then they're in great need of a cell biology lesson. That belief is totally divorced from reality. Does an apple turn into an orange? Does a race horse turn into hamburger meat? Well, eventually it does, but that's another story. The main point is that a muscle cell is a muscle cell and a fat cell is a fat cell. They can not magically transform themselves into the other. It's impossible. If a bodybuilder, for some reason stop training, his or her muscles will begin to atrophy, or shrink from disuse. Less muscle equals lower metabolism, or lower calorie need. And if the athlete, at the same time, continues to eat the same amounts of calories, he or she will become fat from overeating. However, most athletes should be aware of this and thus lower their food intake when they stop training or begin to train less. The fact remains, people get fat from storing excess calories as body fat not from cell transformation, which is physically and chemically impossible. 

                                         You don't have to be strong to be big 

Yeah, and you don't have to be fast to be a word class sprinter or heavy to be a good sumo wrestler. Well, for a variety of reasons, people with an equal amount of muscle mass vary in strength. The reasons behind this could be many. Some factors that affect muscle size and strength are for example; fast-twitch/slow-twitch muscle ratios, the location of tendon insertions, the efficiency of nerve pathways or even the length of muscle bellies and the resultant torque. Consequently, some people have greater genetic potential for developing muscle size and strength. But nevertheless it still is a relative term. As far as building muscle mass is concerned, you must increase the weights you lift to stimulate the muscles to grow further. It's a fact that a muscle's strength is directly proportional to its cross-section area. However, it's not always possible to assess muscle strength solely by external measurements. Because muscle strength is accompanied by muscle weight, body composition evaluations provide a better means for measuring an individual's muscle mass. So, in conclusion, if you want to become bigger, you've got to get stronger, and vice versa. You cannot be big without being strong, just ask Franco Columbo or Dorian Yates! 

 
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