1.Are you new to bodybuilding and really want to know How to Build Muscle Fast ?

Machines are much like having a personal trainer of your own – except they’re a lot less pushy and are less likely to ask for “one more rep”. The cables guide your movements and there is barely any need for you to balance as the machine’s trajectories are constant. For beginners who have not refined their technique yet, machines are a great way to start to build muscle fast without the risk of injury due to unintentional ignorance. It’s one thing to get muscle cramps, but it’s no joke dropping a dumbbell on your head.

2. Is circuit training part of your routine?

Circuit training involves going from one exercise to the next with very little rest time in between. Machines let you move from place to place without going through the hassles of transferring and adding weight, assuming there is no one else in line to use the equipment.

3. How to Build Muscle Fast and how much space is allotted for gym equipment?

Some bodybuilders argue that to build muscle fast a few dumbbells and a bench are basically all you need. For those without the luxury of a spacious home gym – any open space is fine as long as your equipment fits and there’s nothing you can trip on or knock over during your exercise. Machines take up much more space and cannot be detached after every workout unless you possess the remarkable ability to dismantle and assemble a complex piece of equipment before and after every session.

4. Durability

Free weights are much more durable than machines and understandably so. Since machines are composed of steel parts secured together with screws and bolts, it has more weak spots, not to mention cables can only withstand so much strain before succumbing to the weight. On the other hand, with free weights, the plates are solid and have less risk of falling apart. They can be rolled, tossed and dropped without any real damage done. Unlike with machines, there is always the possibility of the cable snapping and whipping you in the face mid-workout like for example, while doing a front lat pull-down.

5. Have you been injured recently?

Before you even start reading or researching about How to Build Muscle Fast, you must understand that machines offer more support because they move in fixed paths. With free weights, you are free to move however and wherever you choose to, which could increase chances at injuring yourself even more because of improper form and overall lack of support. Free weights also require you to use your stabilizer muscles. For example, if you are doing front squats, your abdominal muscles and your back are working hard to keep your body stable and balanced. Machines are not as hard on the body because in a sense, they do part of the work for you.

One of the supplements that has been around quite a while now is Muscle Milk. Being a fitness enthusiast, you are looking for the next best supplement that will give you the edge, having worked hard on all areas to ensure that you do get fit and build muscle fast. Today, I am writing about my interest in Muscle Milk, aproduct which has been developed by Cytosport.

The main principle used in the development of Muscle milk was borrowed heavily from the benefits of Human milk, most notably, to encourage the fast muscle gain in young children, which gives a rapid increase in the weight of breast fed children over those fed on formula. The use of this supplement is recommended for people who regularly work out. The similarity of human milk and this supplement (Muscle Milk)is mainly in the form of the fats that are available in it.

The fats that are present in this supplement are one of the unique factors when compared to other supplements and have been wrongly labeled as a supplement that will make you fat. The fats contained here are medium chain triglycerides.

To cut the jargon, these fats are said to have the function of providing energy to the body, and send your energy soaring post work out. This I must say is quite a vital requirement, especially if your work out is quite intensive and lasting in excess of 60 minutes. You should therefore not be worried of storing the excess energy here as it is excreted, ensuring that you stay in shape.

Another vital ingredient that has been used in the manufacture of Muscle Milk is polyunsaturated fats that help to Build Muscle Fast. The main function of these fats is that they help in restoring muscle fitness whenever inflammation occurs as a result of your training. The anti inflammatory properties that are present in the polyunsaturated fats ensure that recovery of the inflamed muscle is fast. You will also appreciate another vital function that these polyunsaturated fats have and that is to boost the body’s metabolism that gives you a lot of energy to go through the day.

The proteins that are also used in this supplement aka Muscle Milk are also said to be high quality proteins that are similar to those in breast milk, as the highest proportions are made of whey and casein. The proteins here are the ones responsible in fast muscle gain. With all the vital elements that are used in the supplement these hold a solution for a person looking on a solution of How to Build Muscle.

If you are looking to how you should consume your supplement, it will come down to your preference. This can be taken prior to or after training. If you are to take it after exercise, ensure that the duration does not exceed 30 minutes. The reason to this is because it helps the body to recover and helping in distributing the nutrients around the body. Ensure that you take Muscle Milk throughout your training and you will with time come to know why this is a great supplement.

1.  The first important Muscle Building Fact is that it’s not just how much you lift – It’s how you use the weight and your body to build muscle.

How you use your muscles when bodybuilding is more important than how much you lift. This is equally true for strength trainers in every sporting field. Training your muscles to act in a certain way, at a certain joint angle, and in conjunction with other muscles – is more crucial to your performance and the outcome of the visual appearance that you are aiming to achieve while staying fit and building muscle fast.

Loading does provide the necessary and obviously named ‘overload’ to your central nervous system, but this benefit needs to be balanced with what you can achieve by selective recruitment – which means fully stimulating and activating the targeted muscle. The amount you lift can be manipulated by momentum and tricks depending on how you adjust your body position – but this  has nothing to do with how your muscles should be trained so you can build muscle fast and safely.

HOW you isolate and activate your muscles through Selective Recruitment is far more important.  Simply put, proper lifting techniques that recruit the target muscle are more important than loading weights.

2. The second Muscle Building Ideas is “Intuition is more important than science”.

This point declares my difference of opinion to commonly held foundational beliefs and the majority of mainstream ideas that many muscle gurus hold a little too tightly (in my opinion).  Western world science was founded on the ability that man can control and measure all aspects of life, including the training process – which is simply not true. Building muscle is just one factor.

Simply put, many believe that science has all the answers and you should not trust your own intuition.  My philosophy is that you can, and should learn to get in touch with and respect the natural feedback provided by your intuition.  Your intuition can be just as informative – if not more – than so much of the non-specific data provided by research papers, text books and scientific beliefs. Of course, science has a wonderful part to play in all aspects of our lives, however – be selective – particularly when it comes to your own body.

Case in point: if a scientific calorie calculator tells you to eat XXXX amount of calories and it results in fat gain, should you ignore your intuition of cutting back or respect the science? I would hope you would follow your intuition and cut back on the calories.

3. The very important 3rd Muscle Building Idea is that “Recovery is half of the training effect”.

The training effect only occurs after training is matched with recovery.  If the training trumps the recovery, or to view alternatively, if the recovery is not optimal for the training, the training effect is diminished and can even be denied.

Enter yoga.  Yoga is not for women, old people or quirky types.  Yoga is for everyone, including bodybuilders. Not stretching limits the growth and size of your muscles.  Stretching elongates the fascia, which is a protective sheath of connective tissue covering all your muscle.  On a molecular level, fascia is stronger than structured steel. Believe that –  It’s tough stuff.  This is why lazy-style stretching of 5-10 minutes before or after a workout is virtually useless.

Again, enter 60-90 minutes yoga sessions.  When the fascia is stretching using the techniques of yoga, the muscle underneath is given greater room to grow.  Stretching also gives the muscle greater shape, which causes more convolutions, so your muscle separation will naturally improves at the same time.

Yoga stretching can be especially good for muscles groups that respond well to regular muscle training.  Yoga stretching should be approached with the same mindset as bodybuilding training – progressive overload and recovery.  Each session should lead to a greater range in motion and result in soreness. Of course, not too much painful soreness, but to progress, you must super-compensate from your previous session.

5. Somewhat funny but this is very much a true Muscle Building Idea, “Don’t take stretching advice from people who can’t touch their toes”.

Unfortunately, much of the flexibility and stretching advice given to date is done by bodybuilders, coaches and “gurus” who have never even been involved significantly in a stretching training program.  Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but my suggestion is that you don’t put much weight into the words of someone who cannot touch their toes, and who has never lived or committed to this form of training.

6. Learn by doing

Learning equals behavioral change. There are many levels of learning.  Level ZERO learning is gaining knowledge from a theoretical perspective. Level ONE  learning is trying and gaining new insights from the experience. Level TWO learning is ultimate behavioral change and transformation.  Naturally I am going to recommend you strive for Level TWO learning.

Of course, you have to implement what you learn into your training to attain any significant result from it.

I was fortunate to have mentors and coaches who pushed me to learn by doing, after I gained the knowledge from reading, such as through my advice and the lessons on www.howtobuildmusclefasthq.com. I encourage you to learn through action also – and never say, “I know that…” unless you have made the change.

7. Last but not the least Muscle Building Ideas, “Your body has the power to recovery and rebuild – your goal is to assist it”

Often times it’s not what you do but what you don’t do that leads to new muscle gains.  Your goal is to create an optimal environment to influence muscle growth.  If your body is exposed to progressive overload - your body must grow and adapt.  That’s the cornerstone principle of muscle building. Double check that your lifestyle and nutrition habits are not sabotaging the gains you should be experiencing.

For example, your training program and intensity may be perfect right now. However, are you getting to bed by 11pm each night? Are you eating natural and healthy foods or are you relying on supplements and packaged foods? Are you hydrated enough to rebuild muscle or are you getting drunk on the weekends, lowering your testosterone levels?

Your body will rebuild and repair itself if you simply don’t do counter productive habits that hinder your results.

In this article, I have gone beyond the small-time thinking of reps, sets, protein intake and creatine.  I wanted to communicate different Muscle Building Ideas that many coaches and gurus don’t talk about or consider important.

If you are looking for more information on how to build muscle fast without drugs, bogus supplement and training less than before, check out this muscle building program

I find it confusing and constantly contradicting…

…fortunately, I’m better at learning by being told what not to do rather than what to do.

This is what led me to discover these six muscle building nutrition mistakes, designed for males or females who wish to gain quality muscle…

This article is especially for you if you’re skinny or underweight.

I meet skinny guys all the time who are just like me. We love training hard and learning new muscle tricks and techniques.  We have a library of muscle books but no nutrition books.

Huge mistake.

My “Skinny Guy Savior” taught me that nutrition played a MUCH bigger role in building muscle than I ever imagined.  Simply put, the food you eat DOES matter.  This was a BIG LESSON for me since I used to be an endurance athlete who could out train a bad diet.

In bodybuilding, you can NOT out  train a bad muscle building diet.

So if your muscle progress has hit the wall, your nutrition may be the CULPRIT. Here are two LIFE-CHANGING ideas you MUST grasp before I share the 3 mistakes:

Idea #1 — “To gain muscle mass, you’re going to have to spend more money on groceries than you’re currently spending. If you endeavour to get bigger and don’t start increasing your weekly grocery bill, all your muscle building prayers will go unanswered.”

Idea #2 — “To gain muscle mass, you’re going to have to shop, cook, eat, and clean the kitchen more often than you’re currently doing. That’s right, if you don’t increase your grocery store frequency as well as the amount of food you prepare, the amount of daily fork lifts you do, and the amount of dish washing you do, your reign as the world’s weakest man will continue to go uncontested.”

Here are 6 Muscle Building Nutrition Screw Ups Men and Women Must Avoid

Screw Up #1: Not Eating ENOUGH Calories

A clean bodybuilding and weight gain diet is the cornerstone of your muscular development. A bodybuilding diet that leaves you in a caloric deficit is like trying to buy a $50,000 car with only $25,000 in the bank.

Another analogy of a weak bodybuilding diet is rowing against the current.  You’ll move a little but in the end you’ll be exactly where you started.  On the flip side, not knowing how much to eat can make you fat.

Consider building a house that requires 4000 bricks but you buy 6000 bricks. You’re going to have extra bricks that need to get stored in a storage facility.  That storage facility becomes your gut and leads to the embarrassing Skinny-Fat Syndrome.

Screw Up #2: Cupboards Are Empty

As you know, food can not appear into thin air and most of the time your cupboards are ill-equipped to do battle with your stubborn genetics.  In order to ensure you’re getting enough calories, you need to treat the root problem of this dilemma:

Stock your cupboards and fridge with enough food so you never have to wish for a magic act of food suddenly appearing when you need it the most.  My book, No Nonsense Muscle Building, has a complete system for shopping and keeping your cupboards topped up, especially if you want to muscle up.

Screw Up #3: Failing To Prepare Meals

You’ve heard the famous saying, “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.”  Relying on the “do my best to eat healthy”, “grab something on the fly”, or “catch a quick lunch with my colleagues” is a guaranteed way to continue looking like all your colleagues.

To transcend the average physique, you need to STOP being average. You should be aiming for 5-6 meal per day (sometimes 7-8 if you’re using my workout nutrition drinks).  If you can’t tell me right now what you’ll be eating as your breakfast, mid-am meal, lunch, mid-pm meal, dinner and ore-bed snack plus what will be in your pre and post workout drinks, most likely you’re going to be winging it or miss many opportunities to pack on mass.

If you’re not eating enough it’s probably because you don’t know what to eat in the proper quantities or don’t have your meals pre-planned to create a regular routine.

Screw Up #4: Lack Of Variety

Want me to prove this to you?  Write down all (if any) the fruits and vegetables you ate yesterday. Did you hit my book’s standard of 10-15 serving of fruits and veggies yesterday?  Did you hit the standard, at all, last week? If not, don’t kick yourself yet.

Not many people do, even professional athletes and bodybuilders slip up. This screw up is pretty simple to fix.  Shop for more variety and rotate through different fruits, veggies, carbs, proteins and fats each week.

An easy way to do this is shop for the BARGAINS.  If steak is on sale instead of chicken then switch it up.  If berries are sale instead of apples, you know what to pick Each week different foods go on sale at the grocery store which is an easy way to rotate your foods.

If you continue limiting your vitamin and mineral intake from a limited amount of food choices, your muscle gains will be limited and reflect in your physique.

Screw Up #5: Missing Meals

If you’re only eating 3 “square” meals a day like breakfast, lunch and dinner then you’re missing three EXTRA opportunities to gain size.  You’re not in prison, so eat up!

Your bodies physiology is catered to absorbing 5-6 meals a day, especially if your goal is muscle. Yes, you’ll get ridicule from normal people who say you’re crazy but I’m guessing you don’t want to look like “normal people”?

Screw Up #6: Emotional Based Eating

This doesn’t just happen to females.  Guys are plenty guilty of eating when under stress or not eating because “I don’t feel like it.”  I’m sure you’re guilty, like me, too.

Look at eating like taking a long road trip.  Would you fail to fill up the tank with gas just because you don’t “feel like it.”?

Of course not (hopefully).  Muscle requires calories to maintain and build so you have to keep your muscles fueled.Adjust your mindset around feeling like eating so that you can stop feeling like you’re skinny.

So those are the 6 biggest muscle screw ups that skinny guys make, which my Skinny Guy Savior shared with me and I’m sharing with you.

Did Any Of These Screw Ups Characterize Your Eating?

If so, it’s time to make the decision to get your habits working for you rather than against you.  It’s time to make your time SPENT in the kitchen to time INVESTED in the kitchen.

My article post is just a start – it’s a mirror for you to examine yourself. The next step is for you to get a complete action plan which tells you exactly what and when to eat.  If you’re not sure how to eat properly then you’re a perfect candidate for checking out No Nonsense Muscle Building . It’s designed to give you everything to experience some insane muscle gain.

See ya in the kitchen

6 body-energizing pre workout supplements that can make the difference between an average and a amazing workout.

I currently use Blue Star Nutraceuticals Power XD – 120 Capsules

Another great resource to keep you motivated on your way to great abs, I recommend checking out Click Here!

Building Muscle The Wrong Way #4 – Reading Bodybuilding Magazines

Did your last bodybuilding magazine promised 2 inches on your arms in 2 weeks? Did it tell you could increase your strength by 40% in one week? Did it show you the latest ‘arm program’ which looked the exact same as last months arm workout? I know this sounds extreme, but almost 90% of the information you see in bodybuilding magazines is dead wrongand only works for guys who are using steroids.

The modern mainstream bodybuilding magazines are really just muscle comic books written at a 6th grade level. They glorify drug-using bodybuilders and portray them as the picture of health. The cleverly combine two or three rehashed articles, a lot of pictures, gimmicks, sex and hype to sell this nonsense to millions. These magazines may have inspired millions by the pictures but they have also mislead millions.

Building Muscle The Wrong Way #5 – Taking Advice From A Guy Who Uses Drugs

Drugs allow you to train more often because of one’s increased ability to recover, but they also speed up normal physiological processes that normally would not occur, i.e. increased hormonal levels. Not only do bodybuilders take an ENORMOUS amount of drugs; they are also known to inject various substances into their bodies to give selected body parts that enhanced look.
 

Building Muscle The Wrong Way #6 – Trusting The Supplement Ads

Most are unaware that bodybuilding magazines are owned by million dollar supplement companies that use the magazine as a vehicle to sell their supplements. They intentionally get professional bodybuilders to make programs that will cause the Average Joe with average genetics to literally fail. Because the programs are printed in black and white, the trusting consumer believes the advice must be right, and resorts to the latest cutting edge supplement promoted on the next page! The sale has been made.
 

Building Muscle The Wrong Way #7 – Following The Bodybuilding Programs

How would you also like to know that many of the articles in the popular muscle magazines are ghost written! Yep, many times the staff writers of a certain magazine will simply get the approval of a certain bodybuilder to use their name in an article they write. So, sometimes you will not even be reading an article that was actually written by your favorite bodybuilder.
 

Stop Taking Advice From Bodybuiding Magazines…

 
Once skinny guys discover there are no short-cuts or secrets, just time-tested, universal muscle building principles that are not as complicated as perceived, but work for anyone who applies them – then they will begin to build an impressive physquie and conquer their perceived unfriendly genes. You must learn to train smarter and not harder.
 
The training programs in these magazines are heavily influenced by professional bodybuilders who are on a lot of drugs, let us not pretend otherwise. Yes, other sports also are guilty of using drugs to enhance performance, but possibly no other sport is so dependent on the use of drugs than bodybuilding.
 

Your Solution : Take Advice From Someone Like You…

 
If you goal is to become huge and ripped naturally – you need to get advice from someone who has been in your own shoes. Would you take money advice from someone who inherited a million dollars? Probably not. So why would you take muscle building advice from someone who inherited genetics that makes him grow muscle even when he sneezes?
 
I have no idea either!

The See Food Diet Is NOT The Answer

One of the biggest benefits you’ll get from sprinting is the EPOC effects it creates. This is known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption and is where the body will expend a great deal of calories returning the body back to its former state after the workout.
 
Because sprint training is so intense, this will contribute to a large calorie burn after you have finished the workout. To even further increase the EPOC that is seen, consider doing hill sprint training. Since this is even more intense in nature, it will further challenge your body.
 

Metabolic Adaptations

The reality is that many skinny guys’ nutritional level does not exceed the See Food Diet, that is, ‘see food’ and eat it.  Not a bad option if you can avoid getting a potbelly in the process.  If this is you, then consider yourself blessed with a Lamborghini-style metabolism. Go right ahead and eat whatever and whenever you want until you’re ready to audition for Rambo IV.
 
For the most part, the See Food Diet is typically not the most healthy meal plan since it puts zero restrictions on any food categories and is more a concept to shift a skinny guy’s mind-set than anything else.  These days, the majority of readers should know the fallacy of a See Food Diet.  Sure, you can eat a super high calorie diet, like the See Food Diet, and add some muscle, but you’ll add even more fat.  And from personal experience, and I’m sure many of you can personally testify,  putting the fat on is much easier than taking it off!  Conveniently, bodybuilders now have an  “off-season shape” card to flash year-round to excuse themselves of looking like a pregnant powerlifter.
 

Muscle-Building Nutrition Principles

Mastering the principles of nutrition should be like mastering the principles of training – simple.  Master the basics and execute them consistently.  Think about the 80/20 rule.  80% of your results will come from 20% of your knowledge.  Taking what you already know and putting it into action consistently is the magic formula.  Let’s go over the most important nutrition principles you’ll need to practice to get your body growing.
 

Principle #1: Eat Often – Every 2.5 to 3 Hours

Don’t expect to pack on quality mass – muscle without body fat – on three square meals a day. This would lead to massive quantities of both protein and carbs at each meal.  Your body can only store so many calories per meal, so guess what this results in?  Bloating, poor digestion and unwanted body fat.
 
Your first meal should be consumed within 15-30 minutes of waking up and consumed every 2.5 to 3 hours.  Set your stopwatch to beep until you get something in your body.  Don’t view these meals as burdensome but as opportunities to fuel and grow your muscles.  Look at them as growth surges.  Think of the next meal as a fuller chest, broader shoulders, bigger arms and rock-hard abs!
 
And if you miss a meal, visualize a sea of piranhas eating up your muscle tissue like it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet. And those deadly piranhas are eating up your CURRENT muscle that you are not even satisfied with. They are actually making your muscles smaller. No, you will not lose an inch on your arms if you miss one meal, but once you start averaging 3-4 instead of 6-8 meals a day, don’t be upset when people look surprised when you tell them you work out with weights regularly!
 
So how many meals should you be eating? That’s easy - just divide the time you’re awake by 2 or 3. I would suggest mastering eating every 3 hours before you consider every 2 hours. So if you’re awake 18 hours a day, eat 6 meals.
 
What if one of those meals falls right before bedtime? Then eat up!  Take the opportunity to eat. If we went to the extreme we would eat every 3 hours throughout the night as well. No matter what you have heard on this (never eat after 7 P.M. garbage) ignore it. Trust me!
 
Also, don’t view these feeding opportunities as ‘snacks.’ This is a wimpy word mentality that should not be in your vocabulary if you are trying to build muscle. Do you think Ronnie Coleman says, ‘Hey, I think I’m going to go eat a snack?’ Every 3 hours you should be eating decent size meals that will make your body better.
 

Principle #2: Eat A Variety Of Foods

It is easy to get into a robotic state of nutrition where we eat the exact same foods every day, ingesting the same breakfast, lunch and dinner and the only time we eat differently is when we go out for dinner or someone else cooks for us. It is easier to choose convenience over variety.
 
Just like our training that we rotate around to prevent boredom, you should rotate your food selection. Normally, you will eat whatever is in your house, so the best strategy to eating a healthy variety is to shop for different foods each week. This will help balance out your diet and help you measure the response a variety of foods. Don’t go for the boring and easy route.
 

Principle #3: Eat Enough Calories

Building muscle is an eating game because your muscles grow on calories.  Not eating enough calories is like an attempt to buy a $50,000 car with only $25,000 in the bank.  It’s not going to happen.  If you are not gaining at least 1-2 pounds per week, then add some extra carbohydrates and proteins to your breakfast, pre-workout meal or post-workout meal.
 
THERE IS NO WAY AROUND THIS STEP. Even if you have the perfect training routine, you will never grow unless you provide your body with the proper amount of nutrients. It’s like saying you want to build a house but you do not have enough bricks, cement and wood. It will be impossible to build that house. It’s like saying you want to race a car as fast as possible but you don’t have any gasoline or oil. It’s downright impossible.
 
If you wish to ensure that your muscles have enough fuel to support your workouts, lift heavy weights for high reps, recover from workout to workout and, let’s not forget, GROW NEW MUSCLE, then you have to keep track of what you are eating every day. There is no way around it. This is the number one reason why skinny guys never gain weight or why anybody for that matter will not make quality gains that they so desperately strive for.
 
Keeping track of what you eat is a lot easier than it sounds – it’s probably why most people avoid it, because they perceive it to be difficult.
 
Sure, you’re going to have to take some extra time to read containers and labels, but if this method will promise another 20 pounds in a few months from now, is it not worth it? And the good news is that your brain will create a new file to store all your new nutrient calculations, and since you are eating from the majority of the same foods, your ‘memory food bank’ will expand quickly.
 

Principle #4: Eat 40-60 Grams Of Protein Per Meal

Building muscle is not on  your body’s ‘to do’ list – simple survival is.   Not getting enough protein for your internal organs results in your body robbing it from your muscle tissue.  Your body cannibalizes itself for the amino acids it needs!  This is the polar opposite of what skinny guys want.
 
Proteins should make up at least 35% of your overall caloric intake.  This translates to 40-60 grams of protein per meal for males less then 200 lbs and will be enough to maintain your appetite, increase your muscle mass, accelerate recovery and keep body fat levels low.  Hit this level and you’re doing well.
 
It is better to get your protein from whole, complete, and lean protein. Remember that protein is a costly food and burns twice as much energy as carbs and three times as much energy as fat. You need protein to maximally turbo-charge your metabolism, improve your muscle mass and accelerate recovery.
 
Aim for lean meats such as ground beef, chicken, turkey, etc. Aim for fish such as salmon, tuna, orange roughy, etc. Aim for Omega 3 eggs and pasteurized egg whites. Aim for dairy from cottage cheese, yogurt and partly skimmed cheeses. And if you have to resort to supplement shakes, go for whey, casein or milk protein blends.
 

Principle #5: Eat 60-80 Grams Of Carbohydrate per Meal

Not getting enough carbohydrates will make you feel like you’re carrying a bear on your back throughout your workouts.  Your body’s gas tank is comprised of carbohydrates.  No carbs and don’t expect to get that car too far.
 
A lack of carbs in your diet can slow the muscle-building process because your muscle tissue can be used as energy if your body’s preferred source of energy, carbs, are not available.
 
It is best to get your carbohydrates from a variety of high-fiber, complex and low-glycemic carbohydrates as opposed to simple carbs (sugars) found in fast food, fried food, processed food and junk food.  Complex carbs release a slower and longer lasting energy that is critical for your intense training workouts.  Complex carbs will rarely get converted to fat unless you are clearly eating too many of them.  If you are gaining more fat around your midsection as opposed to muscle, then you know you should cut back on your complex carbs or add a few cardio workouts.
 
Aim for high-complex, muscle-building carbs such as bran, barley, buckwheat, beans, brown rice, cornmeal, oatmeal, pasta, potatoes and whole grains.
 

Principle #6: Eat 20-30 Grams Of Fat Per Meal

About 30% of your diet should consist of fat – this number should remain pretty consistent for everyone. And as a skinny guy or anybody who wants to maximize muscle growth, then eating 30% of your intake from fat is critical for boosting testosterone levels. However, the key is to balance out your intake between saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat. If you achieve 1/3 in each of these, then you will optimize your health and muscle gains. This is not as complicated as it looks.
 
Since North Americans are harshly deficient in mono (olive oil) and poly fats (from fish oils) and get enough of saturated fats as it is, your job is to simply include more olive oil and fish oil into your diet. This is something that can be recommended for every man and women and has no potential side effects. Again, don’t worry; the meal plans included have got you covered.
 
The only fats you MUST avoid at all costs – for so many reasons – are trans fats.
 
Trans fatty acids, also known as trans fat, is an artery-clogging fat that is formed when vegetable oils are hardened into margarine or shortening. It is found in many other foods besides margarine and shortening, including fried foods like French fries and fried chicken, doughnuts, cookies, pastries and crackers. In the United States, typical French fries have about 40 percent trans fatty acids and many popular cookies and crackers range from 30 percent to 50 percent trans fatty acids. Doughnuts have about 35 percent to 40 percent trans fatty acids.
 
To determine the amount of trans fat in a food you must know what to look for on the food labels.  Whenever you see shortening, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil higher up on the list of the ingredients, the more trans fat.
 

Principle #7: Eat Vegetables With Every Meal

How are vegetables supposed to promote muscle gain? Your mom was right when she told you to eat up all your vegetables if you wanted to grow big and strong. Finally, the ‘muscle-nerds’ are catching up. Not only are vegetables loaded with vitamins and minerals but they also contain important plant chemicals called phytochemicals that are essential for optimal physiological functioning.
 
The most neglected benefit of eating vegetables is their role in recovery. Sure, you need calories to grow, but you also need these veggies for their high antioxidant profile that will help reduce the amount of free radicals from heavy training, and they will accelerate recovery by healing damaged muscle cells.
 
Most people are unaware that proteins and grains create high levels of acid loads to the blood, and if this is not balanced out with alkaline rich vegetables and fruits, then too much acid can result in a loss of bone strength and muscle mass. So it is important to keep these acid levels balanced by ingesting vegetables (and fruits) for their alkalinity to the blood.
 
The best way to get your vegetables is to cut them all up at the start of the week. This will make life easier and make them more accessible. Aim for at least 2 servings, which is the equivalent of 1-2 cups per meal. Yes, every 2-3 hours you must be eating veggies.
 

Principle #8: Eat Your Biggest Meal At Breakfast, Pre-Workout and Post-Workout  

No matter what anyone says, I believe this is the safest and most effective way to maximize your muscle:fat gain ratio when bulking. In this article we will not discuss the topic of nutrient timing.
 
Shortly we will discuss the benefits of packing the bulk of your calories around the most catabolic and anabolic times of the day so you will have sufficient energy to train hard and heavy without any risk of muscle breakdown, not to mention enough calories to support muscle growth. How much food you eat at a particular time of the day should be based on the NEEDS OF YOUR BODY AT THAT CURRENT MOMENT.
 

Principle #9: Plan Ahead

This principle could easily be number one because oftentimes it is not a shortage of  information that creates a roadblock but our lack of CONSISTENCY and CREATIVITY. I bet if you did not change anything about what you are currently eating but ensured food was there when it was time to eat, you would experience a growth surge.
 
I strongly agree with the famous cliché that states, ‘Failing to plan is planning to fail.’ It is so true. You must have a plan that will ensure you have the food prepared and cooked in the right selection and amounts every time you eat. This might require you to spend a few hours on Sunday evening cooking and storing all your food in Tupperware containers. This might mean waking up half an hour early so that you can cook all your meals for the day. This might require you to carry a lunch bag wherever you go. This might mean packing a few shaker bottles if you know you will be on the road most of the day. Bottom line – be prepared.
 
Principle #10: Eat Whole Foods 60% Of The Time and Liquid Meals 40% Of The Time
 
I often have my clients use as few supplements as possible for the first few months of training. You will be amazed at the results achieved by simply putting all your efforts into following your meal plan, proper training and sleep. It’s a very eye-opening experience when they see almost immediate changes in body composition, health and energy levels.
 
Your food intake should come from high quality food at least 60 % of the time, which means at least 4 of the 6 meals you are eating.
 
This will ensure more vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber that supplements and pills lack. Whole food is loaded with digestive enzymes as well that help the absorption of food instead of eating too much ‘ground up’ food in the form of powder. Power shakes will make your life much easier and will remove some of the inconveniences of having to cook and prepare food all day. Aim to use these at least 2 out of your 4 real meals a day and never more than three power shakes unless your life is extremely hectic and unmanageable.
 

Conclusion

For a complete custom nutrition plan check out Somanabolic Muscle Building and dedicate the next 12 weeks to putting these muscle building nutrition principles into action. Building muscle is really quite simple and exciting because you get to indulge in large quantities of food, try new recipes and become a master chef since you’ll be spending more time in the kitchen. Taking these principles and applying them consistently over time and making them a part of your lifestyle is the secret.

Question: Are there any natural testosterone boosters that could raise my levels without having to resort to drugs? What about lifestyle choices?

• Get 8-9 hours of sleep per night. Nothing will help boost testosterone production more than that. If you can’t sleep look into fixing that problem ASAP. One thing that has helped me is the Night Wave.
• Get to bed by 10:30 or 11 every night.
• Eat an adequate amount of healthy saturated fats like coconut oil and grass fed beef.
• Minimize your stress levels (meditation can help out big time with this).
• Avoid all processed foods.
• Avoid all factory farmed animal products and non organic produce (the drugs and chemicals contained in these foods can negatively affect your hormone levels).
• Compete (competition elevates testosterone levels).
• Avoid all whey protein that isn’t made from grass fed cows that haven’t been treated with dangerous drugs or chemicals that will lower your testosterone. The best grass fed whey on the market, made from raw milk is One World Whey.
• Keep your workout short and intense. Testosterone production starts to dip after about 45 minutes of intense training.
• Focus on big compound lifts like snatches, dips, chins, pushups, squats and deadlifts.
• Don’t train to failure. When you do so the adrenals get fried. When the adrenals are fried testosterone production drops.
• Lift heavy objects.
• Run sprints.
• Don’t do a ton of medium to high intensity, long duration, steady state cardio. This will boost your cortisol levels. Stick with short duration, high intensity conditioning methods for the most part.
• Stare at scantily clad women.
• Have sex more often. Three times per week is ideal in most cases.

Building Muscle The Wrong Way #1 – Skipping Out On Your Cardio…

Before you disagree take note that I was once a long distance triathlon and running champion so my cardiovascular standards and perceptions of ‘fit’ are much higher than your local trainers or expert bodybuilding author. It drives me crazy when I hear fitness experts preaching that weight training is just as good for keeping your heart and lungs in prime condition. Who are they kidding?
 
Weight training, designed for bodybuilding, is almost useless for stimulating your cardiovascular system. Bodybuilding style weight training for your cardio is just about as good as spending the day playing video games. Sure, I know your leg training workouts and super sets make you feel like you sprinted up the street for 100 m but this is far cry from a optimal cardio system.
 
Do not buy into the latest fad that cardio will kill any chance of building muscle. Cardio must be in your program even if your goal is maximal muscle gain and you are the skinniest of skinny. Aerobics plays a vital role in building muscle and has been shown to speed up recovery from weight training by transporting oxygen and blood flow to the muscles.
 
The circulatory system is developed because more oxygen is pushed through your blood resulting in a greater number and size of blood vessels. Since there is a greater cardiovascular density of blood vessels, your circulatory system has more ‘supply routes’ to shuttle oxygen and nutrients to the body tissues, including muscles, and shuttle away waste products that can slow muscle growth, repair and recovery. In the end, this means you will create a more optimal environment for building muscle!
 

Building Muscle The Wrong Way #2 – Overtraining The Biceps And Triceps

I’ll bet any money that you would do almost anything for a set of sleeve-stretching set of arms. Any money that you would do almost anything for a pair of bulging biceps and rock-hard triceps!
 
Interestingly, every time I ‘m at my gym, I see small and weak dudes spending a full hour doing every bicep and tricep exercise imaginable. They do set-after-set, week-after-week with nothing to show but the same skinny noodle arms. What they fail to realize is that for maximum muscle growth and strength, the biceps and triceps require very little direct stimulation!
 
Do me a favour and take a close close at the size of your thigh. Now compare the size of your thigh to the size of your bicep. Does it make sense to spend the same amount of time training arms versus your legs when your legs are over 4x as big? Of course not! Now compare the overall size of your back to the overall size of your arms. Now compare the size of your overall chest to the size of your overall arms. You should now realize that a larger muscle group should be trained differently than a smaller muscle group.
 
Focus the majority of your training on the large muscle groups – that is chest, back, shoulders and legs. Focus on increasing the strength and size in these big muscle groups and rest assured, building muscle in your arms will become easier.
 
Now hear me out. I’m not saying that direct arm training is a waste. I’m simply leading you to discover that less is often more when training small muscle groups such as your bi’s and tri’s.
 

Building Muscle The Wrong Way #3 – Not Focusing On Getting Stronger

I can’t count how many times I have down a fitness consultation with a young new trainee and bring up the idea of including a strength cycle early in the program and he instantly fires back, “But I don’t care about how much I can lift, I just want to get ripped and muscular.”
 
I get his short attention span back by stating, “Building muscle will almost always follow if you simply focus on getting stronger, I mean getting really stronger.” Unfortunately, training to get stronger seems to no longer be apart of the average trainees training regime.
 
Since the fitness industry has become more commercialized with balls, balance pads, fancy selectorized equipment and ridiculous infomercials, people have neglected the necessary time building requirements to build a solid foundation for long term success. Including bodybuilders.
 
Consider that the stronger you become the more sets and reps you will be able to lift for more specialized movements. The better your technique. The faster your recovery. The longer and harder you will be able to train. And rest assured, when you get stronger from week to week, the muscle mass will follow!
 
Don’t believe me? Next time you go to your gym check out who the biggest guys are. Don’t be surprised if they are also the strongest. Have you ever seen anybody with a small frame who can deadlift four plates, squat three plates, bench press two plates or curl 1 plate (per side respectively). I didn’t think so.
 
UPDATE 11/13/11:Continue to Avoid Building Muscle The Wrong Way! Part 2!