U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Robert Padron, 27th Special Operations Contracting Squadron contracting specialist, demonstrates proper dumbbell chest press form in the Fitness Center at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., July 19, 2012. Begin by selecting appropriately weighted dumbbells.Position yourself flat on your back and bring weights to your chest with arms out and bent at 90 degrees. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Alexxis Pons Abascal)
U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Matthew Moore, 27th Special Operations Contracting Squadron contracting specialist, demonstrates proper leg press form in the Fitness Center at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., July 19, 2012. Being by selecting a proper weight and comfortable starting position on the leg press sled machine. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Alexxis Pons Abascal)
U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Robert Padron, 27th Special Operations Contracting Squadron contracting specialist, executes a proper bicep curl in the Fitness Center at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., July 19, 2012. From the starting position, curl the dumbbell toward yourself until your forearm touches your bicep. Hold the repetition and slowly lower back to the starting position. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Alexxis Pons Abascal)
U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Matthew Moore, 27th Special Operations Contracting Squadron contracting specialist, executes a proper squat on the Smith Machine in the Fitness Center at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., July 19, 2012. With head up, lower back arched and abs tight, begin the movement by bending at the knees and squatting towards the ground until your thighs are just below parallel to the floor.
Drive the weight, while exhaling, back up until you are in the standing position without locking your knees. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Alexxis Pons Abascal)
Commentary by Master Sgt. Claude Lawson
27th Special Operations Force Support Squadron
7/20/2012 - CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- If muscle building is the goal with your bodybuilding program, you want to be able to train each body part with as much resistance as possible. This is best accomplished with basic exercises and high levels of intensity while maintaining strict form to avoid injuries.
When it comes to building muscle mass, the longer you've been weight training, the more muscle mass you will build and the stronger you will become. With that said, you will also need more rest and recovery time.
When you're just starting out and trying to build muscle, you can train more often which builds endurance muscle (lean, slim muscle) and your body doesn't need as much time to recover from each workout, depending on training split, volume and intensity levels.
You want to target the following
Sets of 8 to 12 reps.
Low training volume, 3 - 6 working sets per body part.
Train intensely - take most workout sets to positive failure.
Recover - this one is crucial and is the most overlooked component of building muscle mass.
Basic exercises
Squats or leg presses
Barbell or dumbbell bench presses
Barbell or dumbbell shoulder presses and dumbbell upright rows
Barbell and dumbbell curls
Dips and lying tricep extensions
Standing calf raises
Deadlifts and pull ups
Stick to these basic exercises for three to six high intensity sets, get some quality nutrition, lots of protein, plenty of rest and you'll start seeing results for your efforts.
Below is an intermediate bodybuilding schedule that would fit with this routine and help you build muscle quickly.
A solid training split is very important. Without one, you're guaranteed to over train and build little, if any, muscle mass.
Day 1 - chest and shoulders
Day2 - legs and abs
Day 3 - rest
Day 4 - back
Day 5 - rest
Day 6 - arms
Day 7 - rest
Depending on muscle growth, your recovery ability, genetics, strength, training volume and intensity, you may be giving yourself too much recovery time on a routine like this and will need to adjust accordingly. You may only need five days of rest between body parts.
This is a good basic routine, but you always need to make changes to any routine to make it work best for you.
