As the saying goes, “the methods are many, the principles are few, the methods may change, but the principles never change”, this is as true with weight training and bodybuilding as with anything else. Every day we hear about new and revolutionary training programs, exercises, tricks, quick fixes, you name it. While I can’t say I agree with many of the different “methods” for gaining weight and building muscle mass these days, the principles of reaching your goals will always remain the same.
As a result, I have created what I call “The Ten Success Principles for Rapid Muscle Building”. I have listed these principles so that even the skinniest and hardest gainer can apply them and grow. Follow these principles, etch them in your mind, and you’ll be well on your way to the long-term success of your endeavors. If you are wondering what is the best way to build muscle fast, your answers are below. All you have to do is apply these principles.
Principle 1: You don’t know what you don’t know – Become a student
When we realize that you don’t know what you don’t know, we can become more teachable and absorb knowledge that we can apply to improve our results in the gym. If you have the “know it all” attitude, it simply means that you are stuck and your mind will never grow beyond its current state. Become a lifelong student of weight training and bodybuilding, read as much material as you can on each topic: training, diet, supplements, all the work. A word of caution is this: be careful where you get your opinions and information from. Just look for those with proven results and beware of “armchair experts” and “magazine bodybuilders.”
Principle 2: Begin with the end in mind
Too many trainees today just wander aimlessly around the gym doing whatever workout they like and working out whenever they feel like it. If you don’t have a target, you’re going to hit it with incredible precision! In other words, if you don’t know EXACTLY what you’re trying to accomplish by going to the gym every day, you’ll never get anywhere. Always make sure you are on a show and stick to it to the end. Figure out your “why” and you can overcome any “how”. Always go to the gym knowing exactly what you are going to do until the last repetition of the last exercise.
Principle 3: you get what you imagine
As David Schwartz says in his fantastic book, The Magic of Thinking Big, “Belief, strong belief, causes the mind to discover ways and means and how…Disbelief is a negative power. When the mind disbelieves or doubts , the mind attracts “reasons” to support disbelief. Always go to the gym with a positive attitude and with the firm belief that little by little you are gaining muscle mass. Eliminate all negative beliefs about your success or you will pay the price of getting exactly what you envisioned.
Principle 4: There is no great success without great commitment
If you are not committed, you can let yourself go. Set in your mind exactly the results you want and commit to yourself to do whatever it takes to get them. When you are committed, truly committed, no insignificant or inconvenient thought will ever stop you on your way to your goal. You will be unstoppable and your end in mind will be a foregone conclusion. As Yoda said, “There is no trying, just do it.”
Principle 5: You are only defeated when you accept defeat as a reality and decide to stop trying
Failure is a HUGE key to success. The price of success is thousands of failures. Those who are not willing to pay that price will not get the body they want. As long as you learn from your experience, you will always be moving forward. Keep learning and performing, and do this cycle over and over and over again until you succeed. Success is usually right after most people give up. Remember, “Quitters never win, winners never quit.”
Principle 6: Less is more – Quality, not quantity
When your goal is to gain weight and/or build muscle mass, always keep your workouts short. All your muscles need is an intense workout with compound exercises and 110% effort, a few days a week. Do not think that training 7 days a week for 2 or 3 hours a day will get better results. Focus on a few exercises, a couple of days a week for no more than 1.5 hours, tops. Overtraining is one of the leading causes of failure when it comes to gaining weight and building muscle. Don’t confuse ambition with training time, it’s not how much time you spend in the gym that counts, but the desire you put into the time you spend in the gym.
Principle 7: Specialization in compound exercises
Although there are literally thousands of training programs that you can find today, one truth that will never change for gaining muscle mass is that compound exercises have and always will be the best of the best. Exercises like the squat, bench press, and bent over row will always remain at the top of any successful bodybuilder’s list. Focus on these and other basic compound exercises and you will never be disappointed with your results.
Principle 8: Hard Work
There’s nothing better than good old fashioned hard work and what better way to express it than weight training. Unfortunately, today’s media is always trying to make your training and exercises “easier”. If you want to build a mass of muscle, you’re going to have to put out some blood, sweat and tears, there’s no two ways about it. As long as you’re following some solid muscle mass workouts and are using common sense and safety precautions, then push yourself to your limit every workout. You’re never going to ease your way to true muscle mass, even if you trained easy for a thousand years.
Principle 9: Progressive overload
If you want more muscle mass, you’ll need to continue to gain weight regularly, period. This is one of the most basic yet overlooked principles for gaining muscle mass. Get in the habit of gradually adding weight whenever you can. The moment you calm down and stop pushing yourself is the moment your muscle mass gains will start to plateau. Resistance is the only opportunity for growth. The worst thing you can do is reach a goal without setting another one beforehand.
Principle 10: An adequate diet
I couldn’t leave this one out. After all, the food you eat is the direct fuel for your muscles to grow. You can exercise until the cows come home, but without a proper diet plan to build muscle mass, your body simply won’t grow, it’s not physically possible either! It is an absolute must to know the right foods to eat in order to build muscle properly. Take a look at the first principle and learn all you can about dieting for muscle mass so you can get the most out of your efforts in the gym.
