The Biggest Muscle Mass Gain Myths Exposed

Performing low repetition/heavy weight workouts will enable you to build muscle mass, however they will only do so for a very short period of time. The reason is that your body is always striving to maintain homeostasis, other wise know as the status quo, or to remain the same. Your body is not interested in building muscle mass, and in getting bigger and stronger, your body is interested in survival and in avoiding change. In order to do this your body has developed many mechanisms that allow you to quickly adapt to a host of possible stimuli's and stresses. So by repeatedly performing low repetition/heavy weight workouts, your body will quickly adapt to this form of stress, and as a result stay the same.

Therefore, in order for you to prevent your body from adapting to the weight training you are performing, and in order to keep yourself growing and getting stronger, you must provide an ample amount of variety to your training. However, you can't just go to the gym and do anything as long as it is different from what you did the last time you where in the gym, the variety must be cycled into your training while adhering to a system. Your system of training should incorporate such training concepts as cycling of repetitions, percentage training, your individual workload capacity, exercise selection, total number of sets, intensity techniques, body part split, and recuperation. And remember above all MAXIMUM VARIETY BUILDS MAXIMUM MUSCLE MASS.

Muscle Mass Myth # 2: Basic exercises only

Yes the basic exercises, like the bench press, squat, dead lift, military press, barbell curl and close grip bench press, etc will definitely help you to pack on muscle mass, but that doesn't mean that they are the only exercises that you should perform to gain mass. You need a complete and balanced training program in order to really do the job and make you grow. What makes you grow is applying stress in the form of weight training at the proper work load capacity for your body. This requires more than just a bunch of basic exercises constantly repeated over and over again. What I suggest is a more balanced approach for getting big. Structure your training around the basic exercises. For example bench, however don't stop there, follow that up with 1 or 2 more exercises that work you're chest, just that they do so in a different manner. And rotate these other exercises, chose a different exercise to perform for your chest after you bench press for each chest workout. Therefore, by keeping the bench press first in your program you will ensure that your training is structured around a basic exercise, and by following it up with 1 or 2 other exercises that you will rotate each workout, you will be providing the variety that is necessary to continuously stimulate your muscles and make you grow.

Muscle Mass Myth # 3: Protein, protein, protein

Just upping your protein intake so that you are consuming massive amounts of protein is yet another muscle mass gaining myth, and I've heard other so called expert's state things like "only protein can build muscle, carbohydrates and fats can't", well I've got news for you buddy, your dead wrong and here's why: As stated in the Merck Manual which is a physician's reference, "carbohydrates and fat spare tissue protein. Unless sufficient nonprotein calories are available from dietary sources or tissue stores (particularly of fat), protein cannot be used efficiently for tissue maintenance, replacement, or growth. What this means is that if you just go and up the amount of protein that you are consuming each day without paying attention to the amount of carbohydrates and fats that you are consuming each day that your body may not use that protein for muscle growth. In addition, Water intake is also vital for protein absorption and muscle growth. Protein will retain 9 parts of water to form tissues, and build muscle. So if you are going to increase your protein intake, you had better make sure that you also increase your water intake so that all of that extra protein will be properly digested and absorbed in order to build muscle.

Muscle Mass Myth # 4: Eating 8-10 times per day

Unless you really are that hungry, that often, eating 8-10 times per day is just one step shy of lunacy. I say this because unless your appetite really is that big, your body couldn't possibly need or use that much food. And as a result of consuming so much food, you are either going to get fat or even worse sick. So what's the best way to eat to build mass? Quite simply you need to increase the total amount of calories that you consume each day. This can most easily be accomplished by choosing to eat foods/drink liquids that are denser than the foods/liquids that you are currently eating/drinking. In this way, you can eat/drink the same serving size of food/liquid that you are currently eating/drinking, but now you can get more calories. For example if you typically drink a can of soda like Coke or Pepsi with your lunch this will provide you with approximately 150 calories. Now if you switch and drink a can of Sunkist, the same serving size is approximately 220 calories, that's 70 calories more for the same amount of liquid. If you apply this principal to the rest of what you eat and drink each day, you can easily find ways of increasing your caloric intake by at least 400-500 calories per day, while still consuming the same serving sizes of food/liquids. This addition in the total amount of calories you consume each day will enable you to keep gaining muscle mass without getting fat or getting sick.

If you would like to read more articles by this author and view his workout programs please visit: http://www.questformuscle.com

Joseph Krachenfels is an ACE certified fitness expert with over 20 years of bodybuilding experience. He holds a B.S. degree in Exercise Science and Nutrition and is now working towards an M.D. degree. He has competed in numerous natural bodybuilding competitions over his career. Currently, he trains models and athletes who are able to attain world class results using his customized training protocol. He is also one of the founders of a personal fitness website http://www.questformuscle.com

---

Shoulder Exercises For Beginning Bodybuilders

The main shoulder muscles that concern bodybuilders are the deltoids... Read More

The Basics Of Dumbells And Dumbbell Workouts

Dumbbells are integral to a long term fitness and personal... Read More

Increase Your Training Intensity - Training To Failure

You can only build muscle tissue if you can generate... Read More

Dorian Yates Secret: What Lean People Are Doing To Get That Way

A consensus has arisen within the bodybuilding world over the... Read More

What Causes Muscle Growth?

In order for muscles to grow, three things are required:... Read More

How Proper Calorie Fragmentation Improves Body Composition?

It is a well-established fact that calories control everyone's bodyweight.... Read More

Weight Gain Myths

The vast majority of myths about weight gain are mostly... Read More

?Bodybuilding Sins? That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts

It's one thing for someone who sits at a computer... Read More

Complete Pec Training Tips

Put these pec techniques to use and develop that full,... Read More

Bodybuilding Sins That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts: Part 5

Welcome to article number five in our 5-part series "Bodybuilding... Read More

Most Amazing (and Ridiculously Simple) Trick For Stiff-Legged Deadlifts You Will Ever Read In Your L

The stiff-legged deadlift is one of the best exercises you... Read More

Why You Must Use The Right Dumbbells For Your Workout

A dumbbell exercise program is effective with the right equipment... Read More

10 Tips: How to Get in Shape without Sweating

Tip #1: The *Brazilian move*.The good thing about this move... Read More

Can Growth Hormone Boosters Enhance Muscle Growth?

Many experts feel that supplementation with growth hormones offers exciting... Read More

Add Intensity To Your Muscle Building Workout

One of the biggest difficulties facing bodybuilders is how can... Read More

Muscle Soreness After Exercise

Many individuals judge the quality of their exercise session from... Read More

Six Minute Abs

Six minutes out of your day. All you need is... Read More

The Anabolic Evolution of Modern Bodybuilding

Since the early days of physical culture, modern man has... Read More

The MYTH of Gaining Muscle Without Fat!

Many of you have expressed concerns about gaining too much... Read More

Planting And Nurturing Your Contacts And Resources

The success level of your bodybuilding endeavors is highly determined... Read More

Who Else Wants To Build Muscle Fast?

I see it all the time. Guys in the gym... Read More

Personal Training: 3 Keys to Training Clients in Their Homes

When considering your options as a personal trainer, one of... Read More

Personal Training: 6 Secrets of Award Winning Customer Service

Would you believe that your ability to provide quality customer... Read More

Gain Weight Fast With These Ten Powerful Tips! Part -2

By the time you finish reading this you will have... Read More

The Default Rep Range

I had an hour long conversation with Pavel Tsatsouline on... Read More

Muscle Building Workouts at Home!

Most people make an excuse that they don't have time... Read More

Body Part Isolation vs. Complex Movements in Strength Training - Build Real Muscle Instead of Fake!

Working as a fitness professional, there is one type of... Read More

Personal Lactate Threshold Training

These are not the reasons we do Lactate Threshold Training.What... Read More

Muscle Building Workout For This Week!

As experts says, "NO PAIN, NO GAIN." This specially applies... Read More

How To Get The Greatest Possible Muscle Gains... And... Still Have Time Left Over To Just Goof-Off!

The number one thing you need to get from this... Read More

Welcome Back Everyone!

Ah summer time, it's one of my favorite seasons and... Read More

Strong To The Core of Your Being - The Benefits Of Core Training

If you were to ask me which muscle group in... Read More

NO2 Muscle Enhancing Hemodialator

Whenever I go to the gym and tell a friend... Read More