Adding muscle should be the goal of every serious athlete. From reducing bodyfat levels, to increasing strength and speed, adding muscle to your frame is a proven way to improve athletic performance. While many people throw the term “hardgainer” around as an excuse for not gaining weight. Strength coach Mark Rippetoe, owner of the Wichita Falls Athletic Club, in Wichita Falls, Texas, says in his book “Starting Strength,” that hardgainers are a syndrome of poor training theory, and can actually add muscle fast. The “secret” according to Rippetoe, is to use an “abbreviated” strength program. To do this perform three workouts per week, maximum. Split the workouts each week into two different workouts, A and B. Alternate these workouts every time you perform strength training. For example, week one, perform workout A on Monday and Friday, while performing workout B on Wednesday. Reverse these on week two.
Step 1
Start all of your workouts with barbell squats. Hold the loaded barbell across your upper back and the back of your shoulders, and sit back and down until your upper legs are parallel to the floor. Explode back up to the standing position by driving with your butt and thigh muscles. Perform three sets of five repetitions of the barbell squat to start each workout. Rest of as long as it takes, between sets, to perform the next set to completion.
Step 2
Follow your squats with bench presses during workout A. Lay back on a flat bench, and press the barbell from the center of your chest straight up until your arms are locked in the extended position at the top. Lower the bar back to your chest in a controlled manner. Perform three sets of five reps of the bench press as well.
Step 3
Replace the bench press with overhead presses during workout B. Stand upright, with your feet no more than shoulder width apart. Hold the barbell on the front of your shoulders, palms facing forward. Press the bar straight up overhead, explosively, until your arms are locked straight. Lower the bar with careful control back to the starting position. Perform three sets of five reps of this exercise as well.
Step 4
Follow your bench presses during workout A, with deadlifts. Stand with the barbell resting on the ground in front of you, over the top of your feet. Squat down and grasp the bar with both hands. Holding the bar close to your legs and body, stand straight up, until the bar is hanging in front of your thighs. Slowly lower the bar back to the floor. Perform just a single set of the deadlift, for three reps. The deadlift is a whole body lift that is extremely intense. Performing too many reps or too many sets will cause over-training and hinder your progress.
Step 5
Replace the deadlift with power cleans during workout B. Start in the same position as the deadlift, but with a lighter loaded barbell. Start the power clean with the same motion as the deadlift, but much more explosively. Jerk the bar as high as possible, and squat under it at the top of it’s rise, catching it on the front of your shoulders with both hands still holding the bar, as if you were about to start an overhead press. Perform five sets of three instead of of the reverse. The power clean is a very skill-instensive lift and performing it while tired can cause failure to complete and subsequent injury.
Tips and Warnings
- In addition to lifting heavy weights, you will need to increase your caloric intake in order to gain lean body mass. In his book "Brawn" author and bodybuilding coach Stuart McRoberts recommends at least 3500 calories per day, if you weigh 180 pounds, and increased amounts if you are heavier. Increase the weight used for each exercise every week, in order to continue improving your strength and challenging your muscles to grow.
- The exercises described above are dangerous if not performed with a spotter. Always use a spotter and/or perform them in a power cage to prevent injury from failed lifts. Consult your personal physician prior to beginning any new exercise program.
Things You'll Need
- Olympic barbell and weight plates
- Flat weight lifting bench
- Power Cage
References
- "Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Techniques, 2d Ed;" Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore, PhD; 2007
- "Brawn;" Stuart McRoberts; 1991
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