Sorry if this comes as a disappointment, but this just isn't true. I have been training religiously for 3 years, and have tried a variety of training methods and diets. For the last 2 and a half years, I gained very little muscle, and very little weight.
In the last 4 months I joined a new gym, for a fresh start. With these honest recommendations with training, I GUARANTEE an improvement with your body. I am a Rugby player, and used to play for the London Irish Rugby Academy but was ejected due to my size (I was too small and light to make it professionally), this was my motivation having been ejected; too gain size, and quickly.
In November 2009, I weighed 13 stone. I had a natural athletic build.
It is now February 2010, and I weigh 15 stone 4 lbs. I now have a very athletic build, and my rugby career has taken off again, and I feel in the best shape of my life.
This is what I recommend in order to gain alot more self confidence and just generally improve your body.
1. ALWAYS train with a partner, or in a group of 3. Never more than 3 as this negatively affects the intensity of your training. Try and train with someone of almost equal strength and fitness and this helps with moral and you can use them as competition and motivation to push yourself further.
2. When training, superset every exercise; this is where you perform one exercise, then immediately after having completed that exercise you perform another exercise similar to the one you have just done, which targets the same muscle group. For example, firstly you would do one set of Bench Press, then you would do a set of Chest Flies. With the use of supersets, your training intensity is alot higher, and will result in greater muscle growth as your muscles are being overloaded, and this leads to progression.
3. Train with intensity. Take short recovery periods between each superset. I take 20-30 seconds between each superset.
4. Try and train early in the morning. In the morning, your body naturally produces a growth spike, and if you train whilst your body is producing this hormone, muscle growth will incur.
5. When you are training abs, do not eat before (Ideal in the morning). If you dont eat before, this improves your vascular shunt, which means your body doesnt need to waste oxygenated blood by feeding the digestive system and so your abs have the priority of the oxygenated blood.
6. Try and train Monday to Friday, and rest all weekend. Monday and Tuesday upperbody, Wednesday Legs and Abs, Thursday and Friday upperbody.
7. Always vary your exercises each session. If you train Chest on Monday and Friday, avoid doing the same exercise patterns as the last session. Maybe do Muscle endurance on Monday by doing high reps, then on Friday do a heavy weight with minimal reps. Variety keeps you motivated.
8. I have a very healthy diet from Monday to Friday. Then Friday night, and all day Saturday I treat myself to junk food and take aways etc. Then I eat healthy again on Sunday. You need a break from healthy foods all the time. Plus it motivates you during the week, knowing you can eat anything you want during the weekend. Fat is required in the diet.
9. Only binge drink once every 2 weeks. Alcohol seriously impacts muscle building in a bad way, and you will just be taking backward steps if you drink heavily every friday and Saturday night. Having one or two pints is completely fine, but more than this and it will hinder your chances. Being tee total (no drink at all) will give you the best form of muscle gain.
10. Sleep. Although its obvious, your body repairs the muscles every night whilst you sleep. When you train your muscles go through a process of micro tears. When you sleep your body uses the protein in the body to repair the micro tears, where the muscles repair bigger and stronger. A good night sleep will mean a good chance of muscle gain.
This is my diet during a week:
Breakfast: 8AM
3 fried eggs and tin of baked beans
or
6 eggs scrambled with bowl of Special K
or
Bowl of porddige and a Protein Shake
11AM:
Protein Shake
Tuna, Mayonnaise and Pitta bread
1pm:
6 egg omelette
or
Chicken and Rice
or
Tin of Baked Beans
4pm:
Protein Shake
or
Tuna and Pitta bread
or
Fruit Smoothie
6pm:
Chicken and Rice (I have this every night)
9pm:
Tin of Baked Beans
or
Selection of Fruit or nots
Before I go to bed:
Protein Shake
I hope this helps, it has worked for me.
