"Free Weight Training Program To Gain Weight"In order to gain muscular weight, you will need to organize a training program that builds strength and muscle. For this program, you will be using free weights that incorporates core, compound movements with the progressive resistance principle.
Progressive resistance is a proven to be one of the number one ways to gain muscular strength and size and will be the key to maximum growth. Simply put, in order to get stronger, you must keep pushing the body with higher and higher intensity ranges and this means adding more and more weight. I have created a routine for you to follow that will allow you to optimize your training time and will certainly help you on your quest on how to gain weight fast. The program is based on the progressive resistance principle using a push/pull system that incorporates plenty of compounds movements. To see complete instructions, methods and illustrations for performing the exercises, please visit building muscle 101's weight lifting exercise page. Let’s look at setting up your weight training program. How to set up your training program If you are completely new to weight trainer, I recommend you go to building muscle 101's beginner weight trainer routine located here. Before we get into the actual program, it will be useful to go over some of the terminology you will be using. Repetitions Weight training exercises consists of repetitions and sets. One repetition consists of a series of muscle contractions with a weight or movement such as one push up. A series of repetitions is called a set. For example, 10 repetitions of push ups is considered one set. The number of sets performed will depend on your current level of fitness and goals. Beginners can only tolerate a couple of sets per body part. Anymore than one or two sets for a beginner is certainly not recommended as this can be counterproductive. As your training levels advance, you can add more sets in order to stimulate more growth. The amount of repetitions you complete will depend on your goals. There is no magic number of repetitions that will produce better results than any other number. You will have to determine your combination of body chemistry, feel, and trial and error to determine what works best for you. What work for one person may not necessarily work another. Deciding on a repetition range will depend on your goals. Do you want to build explosive strength, power, and muscle mass? Perhaps you want to train for speed, strength and a well defined body? Or perhaps you need stamina, and endurance. These points will help you in deciding what repetition range is best for you: 3 to 5 repetitions • Intensity levels are high 8 to 12 repetitions • Intensity levels are moderate to high 15 to 26 repetitions • Intensity levels are moderate to light 26 to 45 repetitions • Intensity levels are light The repetition consists of positive and negative resistance on the muscle. When the muscle contracts, the muscle is in positive resistance (concentric) movement. When the muscle elongates, the muscle is in negative resistance (eccentric) movement. For example, when you curl a dumbbell upwards, your muscle is contracting and in positive resistance (concentric). As you extend your arm downward, the muscle in elongating and in negative resistance (eccentric). Positive and negative resistance is very important to overall development. All aspects of the movement should be fluid and controlled. If you are a beginner to weight training, you should start with light weight and higher repetitions. As you progress, your strength and muscle gains will be moderate but what you want to concentrate on is form. This is very important. As a beginner, you want to perform the exercises with proper form. This will be very important as you progress to the intermediate and advanced levels of weight training. As your form and style improves, you’ll want to move to a lower repetition range using heavier weights. Although you will want to keep using the higher repetition range for warm ups. To build strength and definition, repetitions should be in the lower range. To build strength and muscle mass, your repetition range should be between 8 and 12. The heavier you lift, the more strength and mass you will gain. A word of extreme caution. The heavier you lift, the more stress you put on your body. Lifting heavier weights increases the chances of injury. Therefore, the heavier you lift, the more advanced you should be. Heavy weight lifting requires the proper form, style and inner body awareness. These attributes will not come overnight and should be practised in your beginning stages. Do not be tempted to show off as this will lead to injuries. Sets A set is the completion of a series of repetitions. Beginners should perform one to two sets per exercise for the first couple of months of weight training. This should be sufficient to stimulate increases in muscle size and strength. After a couple of months, you will probably need to add one or two more sets to further stimulate improvements. The number of sets you choose will depend on you weight training goals. If you are a serious strength trainer wanting to increase your athletic performance, three to six sets might work best for you. If you simply want to get in better shape or a you are a weekend warrior, two sets might be best for you. If you want to be a body builder, power lifter, or serious strength athlete, you will surely need to increase the number of sets you perform. Keep in mind that there
is a point of sets where you will experience diminished returns and this point will be determined by your weight
training goals. Two of the most common mistakes people make in their weight training programs is to: 1) Increasing the amount of weight too quickly; 2) Not increasing the amount of weight to stimulate further improvements. As you begin your weight lifting program, don’t let your excitement and enthusiasm get the better of you. If you are not ready to increase the amount of weight, don’t try and force it. Increasing the weight before you are ready for it will lead to poor form. Poor form leads to injuries. Trust me, you don’t want injuries. Avoid adding weight if you cannot perform the necessary repetitions in the proper form. Use weight that allows you to perform the exercise in proper form and in your target repetition range. If you set a target repetition range for 12 and you cannot complete 3, chances are that your are using too heavy a workload and you will have to lighten the load. Determining your target workload will take some trial and error. If your goal is to improve performance and strength, add the necessary weight to further stimulate growth. If for example, you have been weight training for 12 weeks and your form is established, make the necessary adjustments to improve your performance. Weight training is like anything else you want to get good at. You must be consistent and always challenging yourself when your ready for it. When should you increase the weight? After you have established the correct exercise techniques, evaluate your progress on a weekly basis. Use the above noted repetition ranges to help you determine when you are ready to increase the weight. The following notes will help you determine when to increase your weight: • Performing 12 repetitions in good form using the same workload; • Performing all of your sets for 12 repetitions in good form using the same workload. If for example, you can perform 2 sets of 12 repetitions in good form, you might want to increase the weight. Another option is to increase the number of sets to 3 sets of 12 repetitions if building endurance and stamina is your goal. However, if you’re goal is building muscle mass, and strength, consider increasing the weight. How much weight should you increase? Increase the weight by 5% to 10% of your current workload. For example, if you’re current workload is 100 pounds and you can perform 2 sets of 12 repetitions using good form, take 5% to 10% of 100 pounds and add it on. In this case, 105 to 110 pounds. With this new workload, your repetition range will decrease but strive to get the range back up to 12. Repeat this process of evaluation on a weekly basis using your training log. Training to failure In order to maximize your growth potential, you will have to train to complete failure. Training to complete failure means to train where it is physically impossible to perform one more repetition. Training at least one of your work sets to complete failure will produce optimal growth. Training to failure is a high intensity technique designed to stimulate optimal growth. The way I look at it, you should be nearing complete muscular failure for your last set on most of your compound movements. Keep in mind however, that you shouldn't be taking all of your sets to failure - Only the last set and only on those compound exercises. Beginners should not perform any failure sets for the first 3 months. If, after 3 months you have established correct training techniques and want to bring your progress to the next level, consider training to complete failure on at least on of your work sets. Training to failure requires a spotter. Never attempt a failure set without a spotter. Be sure to record these numbers in your training log. Intensity ranges Intensity ranges from high to low. For our purposes, high intensity training means to train with heavy workloads using low repetitions for your weight training purposes. Low to medium intensity training means to train with lower workloads using higher repetition ranges for your fitness purposes. Training to complete failure using all out effort requires high intensity ranges. Training to failure is required for maximum growth. High intensity effort triggers the body to produce more of the hormones that stimulate muscle recovery and growth. If you don’t feel “the burn” or discomfort in the muscle you are working, it either means you are not ready for the high intensity set yet or you are not working hard enough. On the other hand, if you feel a sharp stinging pain, stop all exercise at once. This kind of pain is the bodies way of telling you to stop before serious injuries occur. You can make modest improvements by “going through the motions” but if you want to take your performance to the next level, high intensity training will be needed. It’s important to note that your body needs sufficient time to recover and performing two high intensity training sessions in a row for a specific body part is too much. Staggering you intensity levels from one training session to the next is very important. For example, let’s say you hit chest super hard on Monday and your next chest workout is on Friday. Friday would be your medium intensity day or your “pumping day”. You would use lighter weight on Friday and try and flush the muscle with blood rather that loading on the weight. By doing this you relieve some of the stress on the joints, tendons, and muscles. Come next chest workout, your body is fully recovered and ready for a hard, heavy and high intensity workout.
Resting between sets Rest periods between sets will depend on your training goals. If you are a beginner, take as much resting time necessary to fully recover from your sets without feeling dizzy or nauseated. It will take some time for your body to adjust to weight training. It will take anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks for your body to adjust to the new program. As this program is to build mass and strength, you'll be resting a little longer than with other programs. As you progress to the intermediate and advanced levels, keep track of resting periods. As a general rule, the following resting periods are recommended depending on your desired goals: • Low intensity workload sets require about one to two minutes resting periods between sets; • High intensity workload sets require about two to four minutes resting periods between sets; • If your goal is to increase endurance and stamina, your resting periods will be between 20 and 60 seconds. Resting between workouts I can’t overstate the importance of getting quality rest between workouts. It is very important that you get the proper amount of rest in order to allow your body to grow. The amount of rest necessary will depend on your age, genetics, age, and current state of health. If you are a beginner, you generally need anywhere from two to three days rest. Depending on your intensity levels, you may need more. If you are training at high intensity, you may need three to four days rest. If you feel any soreness in your body on your training day, your body is telling you to take another day off. You shouldn’t feel any soreness whatsoever on your training days. You should feel strong, rested and energized each and every workout. I have structured the building muscle101 program on ensuring that your body gets sufficient rest. If you feel tired, sore and drained of energy, you are either overtraining and under nourished, or under rested. Take the necessary time off to fully recuperate from your workouts. Training time How much time should you spend training? This will depend on your goals. Beginners should spend anywhere from 20 minutes to 45 minutes in the gym. Intermediate and advanced trainers should spend anywhere from 30 minutes to 60 minutes training. There is no hard and fast rule as to how much time you spend training. The important point to remember is deciding how much time is needed to get the job done. The key is to make your training sessions count.Be serious about your training and cut the chit chat out. Adjusting training duration is one method of controlling the level of intensity of your workouts. If day one of your training week calls for twenty total sets in the workout in seventy minutes, you can increase the intensity of the workout by reducing the total time to sixty minutes for the same number sets. Exercise order When you are designing your training program, always try to work the larger muscle groups first. The building muscle 101 program uses compound movements first. Exercises that involve more than one muscle group (compound exercises) should be worked at the beginning of the workout. Exercises that involve one muscle group (isolation exercises) should be follow the compound exercises. An example of a compound exercise is the squat which might be followed by leg extensions (isolation). Stretching Stretching is very important. I recommend that you get into the habit of stretching once or twice a day, before, during and after your training sessions and on non training days. Stretching improves flexibility and if the muscles become tight and inflexible, blood flow is impaired, thus reducing muscle contraction. When stretching, make sure that you start slowly and hold for 10 to 30 seconds while maintaining good breathing. Do not force yourself into stretching positions. It will take some time for you to develop good stretching techniques so be patient. Warming up and cooling down Try and get into the habit of warming up before your training sessions. Warming up can consist of an aerobic activity such as riding the stationary bike, stair climber, elliptical training, or any other multitude of aerobic activities. Follow this up with period of stretching. I usually ride the stationary bike for about 5 to 10 minutes before all workouts. This gets my body warmed up and helps with the knee joints before a heavy leg day.
The following sample mass building program is meant to give you an idea of to structure a mass building workout. The program uses the push/pull system and is based on a one day on/one day off split routine. The routine is designed to add strength and mass. The routine is based on the principles discussed above and will provide ample rest time between workouts for optimum rest periods. However, don’t be scared to add new elements to the routine that will fit your particular interests. For example, let’s say you are in your fifth week of using the program and you want to use a super set for arms, by all means, give it a shot. I also provided another sample workout after the main workout for your to check out. This way you can use a little variety in the program. The program is meant to “guide”. Please keep in mind the following points when you are beginning the programs: 1) Remember to warm up before each workout. You should always warm up for 5 to 10 minutes of light aerobic exercise such as the exercise bike to raise the bodies temperature. The purpose is to loosen the muscles and connective tissues
to help prevent injuries. Plus it feels a whole lot better to hit the weights when your body is warmed up as opposed to
being cold. Remember, It’s a light warm up so no need to do a marathon; 2) The workout should take you no longer than an hour to do - An hour and 15 minutes tops -. No need to do anymore.
If you find your taking longer than this, cut out the chat or cut down on the amount of time you are resting in between
sets. 3) Try and really concentrate on the core movements. Most of your energy should be used for these exercises and
they should be performed at the start of your routine. Examples of core movements are the bench press, shoulder press,
barbell rows, and squats. 4) Working one body part per week may seem like a long time to wait in between workouts but give it some time - It
will work. Remember, your body grows while your resting, not when your in the gym so hit the weight hard and rest your
body up for the next workout. 5) Use the pyramiding principle for most of your movements. That is, work your way up in weight to your final two
sets where you should be using 80% to 85% of your max. This adds more depth to the progressive resistance principle
(See above). Simply put, you get stronger by pyramiding your sets. Therefore, you should always be striving to use
heavier weights. 6) Structure your program in a way that you build up the weight with each progressive week. That is, try and increase the weight for your movements- Especially your compound movements- every week or every other week. You should always be looking to add a few more pounds to your lifts every other week. For example, start with x amount of weight at week one
and increase the weight by 5% to 10% for week two or three. Always strive to add more weight. Set a goal at the end of
week six and try and attain that goal. However, you must be careful, do not sacrifice form for extra weight. 7) Always plan your goals. If you haven’t planned your goals, I suggest you sit down right now and get them down.
If you want to add 10 pounds to your bench press, get it down on paper and monitor your progress on a steady basis. 8) Monitor your progress on a weekly basis. Take your body measurements every week and try and take your body
weight as well as your body fat percentage. Try and keep a close eye on your measurements, this way you know if your
gaining in all the right places. 9) Get as much rest as you can on non training days. Try and keep the stress levels low and if you can, take 15
minute nap during the day. 10) After 6 to 8 weeks, try and change the workout. However, if you are getting strong and the results are very
positive after 8 weeks, keep with the program and strive to add more weight. No sense in changing something if it’s
working. 11) After 12 weeks of heavy training, take a break. You need to cut the training cycle and take two weeks off. I’m
not kidding. At this time, your body is under a lot of stress and it’s beaten up so take two weeks off. Your body will
actually do a lot of growing after you take this time to rest and you’ll come back stronger and bigger with a whole new
set of goals. 12) No need to be concerned with a lot of aerobic training when you are training to gain muscle mass and weight. I know, you don’t want too get fat but trust me, if you monitor your progress on a steady basis, you won’t get too fat. You’ll attain your goals a whole lot faster if you cut the aerobic exercise out. Once you reach your target goals, than
cut the calories out and add in more aerobics. 13) After each workout you should do some light stretching. If you are a complete beginner to weight trainer, I strongly suggest you start with building muscle 101's beginner routines located here. Let’s take a look at the programs: Day one: Chest, shoulders, triceps, and abs; Day two: Rest; Day three: Legs and calves; Day four: Rest; Day five: Back, biceps and abs; Day six: Rest; Day seven: Repeat program. Let’s look at the program in more detail and find out what exercises your going to be doing. Day one: Chest, shoulders, triceps, and abs; Chest exercises: Bench press; Shoulder exercises: Press behind the neck; Triceps exercises: Close grip bench presses; Ab exercises: Crunches Day two: Rest; Day three: Legs and calves; Quadriceps: Squats; Hamstrings: Stiff legged dead lifts; Calves: Standing calf raises Day four: Rest; Day five: Back, biceps, and abs; Back: Bent over rowing; Biceps: Standing barbell curls; Abs: Crunches Day six: Rest; Day seven: Repeat schedule; The following schedule will outline the number of sets you’ll be performing and the recommended weight increments. Day one: Chest, shoulder, and triceps; Chest Bench press Warm up: 1 x 20 repetitions 40% of your max; Let’s say your max bench press is 185 pounds. In this case you would first perform a set with 75 pounds for 20 repetitions. For your first set, you would be handling about 90 to 95 pounds. This set is more or less considered a warm up so perform these reps nice and slow. The second set, you should be using 60% of your max or 110 pounds. Perform 8 smooth repetitions. For the third set, you should be warm and ready to add more weight. Use about 70% of your max for this set or in this example, 130 pounds. For the final set, you should be using 80% to 85% of your max. In this example, you should be using 155 to 160 pounds. Rest for about 60 to 90 seconds in between each set. Incline press First set: 1 x 12 repetitions 50% of your max; Let’s say your max on the incline press is 160 pounds, than your weight increments would be as follows: First set: 80 pounds; Rest for about 60 to 90 seconds in between each set Flat bench fly First set: 1 x 12 repetitions 60% of your max; Try and use a slight increase in weight. You should slightly increase the amount of weight you used, if at all. The reason being is that this exercise is all about form. You want concentrate on the exercise and really feel the chest working. Really squeeze your pectoral muscles throughout the whole movement, especially at the top. What you want to start doing is “flushing” your chest and filling it with blood in order to really get the “pump” happening. Rest periods between sets: 45 seconds Shoulders Press behind the neck Warm up: 1 x 20 repetitions 40% of your max; Try and use a weight that allows you to perform the repetitions in good form. Try not to jerk the weight too much to get the weight up. Your first set should be 50% of your max. The weight for each set should increase by 10% to 20%. On set four, you should be at 80% to 85% of your max. So, let’s say your max press is 150 pounds, your weight progression would look as follows: Warm up: 60 pounds; Rest periods between sets: 60 seconds. Lateral raises First set: 1 x 12 repetitions 60% of your max; This exercise should be used with moderate weight since you want concentrate on the exercise and feel the deltoids working. This exercise is all about technique and form. Try and keep your arms level at all times. Don’t swing the weight. Your shoulders should be burning by the end of the third set. Rest periods between sets: 30 seconds Triceps Close grip bench press Warm up: 15 repetitions 40% of your max; This is a great mass building exercise for the triceps. For the first couple of workouts, choose a comfortable weight that allows you to perform the exercise in good form. Keep the weight constant for the first couple of workouts. After you have gotten used to the exercise, try and increase the weight by 5% to 10%. Remember not to bounce the weight off your chest. You want to keep all of the tension on the triceps. You should be at 80% to 85% of you max by set four. Rest periods between sets: 60 seconds Standing cable press downs First set: 1 x 12 repetitions 50% of your max; Try and increase the weight from sets on through sets one to three by 5% to 10%. Remember to squeeze at the bottom of the movement and keep those elbows in close to your body at all times. Start off with about 50% of your max and increase the weight by 5% to 10% for each successive set. If you want to get the most benefit out of this exercise, you need to really squeeze and the bottom of the movement. Rest periods between sets: 35 seconds Abs Crunches 4 sets of 20 repetitions. Rest about 25 to 35 seconds between each set. Day three: Legs and calves; Quadriceps Squats Warm up: 20 repetitions 40% of your max; You should choose a weight that allows you to perform the repetitions comfortably. If you have never done this exercise before, you might find your balance a little off. Just remember to concentrate on the movement. Keep your head level and back straight. After a couple of sessions, you should be able to find the right balance. For the first set you should be using 50% of your max. Increase the weight by 10% to 15% for each successive set. By the time you reach your fourth set, you should be at 80% to 85% of your max. Remember, always use a spotter when you are using 80% of your max. As soon as you complete the fourth set, rest for about 50 seconds and lighten the load to about 65% of your max and complete another 12 repetitions. Perform this set slowly and smoothly - really concentrate on your quadriceps. Rest periods between sets: 60 to 90 seconds except the fourth set. Leg press Set one: 1 x 12 repetitions 60% of your max; Increase the weight for set two that allows you to perform the prescribed repetitions in good form. You should be using about 60% to 70% of your max on set two. You should be increasing the weight by at least 10% for the third set or close to 80% of your max. Remember to breath on this exercise and always keep your head level. Don’t push your head back. Remember to drink some water in between sets. Rest periods between sets: 40 to 60 seconds Hamstrings Stiff legged dead lifts Warm up: 1 set of 15 repetitions 40% of your max; This exercise is all about form and if you do them right, your build some impressive hamstrings. If you have never done stiff legged dead lifts, I suggest you start with the bar. Remember, go far enough so that you feel a slight stretch in your hamstrings - Don’t force a stretch. Do this until you get used to the exercise (could be a couple of workouts) before you start adding weight. Rest periods between sets: 45 seconds Leg curls Set one: 1 x 12 repetitions 50% of your max; For each successive set, increase the weight by about 10% to 15%. By the fourth set, you should be at 80% to 85% of your max. Rest periods between sets: 50 seconds . Calves Standing calf raises Warm up: 25 repetitions 40% of your max; Keep on increasing the weight by 5% to 10% for each set. On your final set you should feel a burn in your calf muscles. Rest periods between sets: 45 seconds Day five: Back, biceps and abs; Back Barbell bent over rowing Warm up: 15 repetitions 40% of your max; You should use enough weight that allows you to perform the prescribed repetitions in good form. Remember to keep your legs slightly bent and your back straight. Once you start bending your back, your using too much weight. For the first couple of sessions, keep the weight relatively constant with no increases. Once you get the hang of the exercise, slightly increase the weight from sets one to three. That is, add about 5% to 10% more weight for set two and set three. For example, let’s say your max row is 150 pounds, your weight increments will be as follows: Warm up: 60 pounds; Really stretch your back out in between each set. Rest for about 60 seconds in between each set. Warm up: 15 repetitions 40% of your max; For the warm up, really stretch the back. For your first set, you should be aiming for 10 repetitions with 50% of your max. Aim for a 5% to 10% increase in weight for each successive set. Increase the weight for set two that allows you to perform the prescribed repetitions in good form. Try and aim for a 5% to 10% increase in weight for set two. For you second set, you use 5% to 10% more than your first set. If you can handle a little more, great! Just remember that as soon as you find yourself rocking, swinging or swaying, you using too much weight. Let’s say your max pull down is around 160 pounds. Your set progression will look as follows: Warm up: 65 pounds; Rest periods between sets: 50 seconds Biceps Standing barbell curls Warm up: 15 repetitions 40% or your max; You should be starting with about 50% of your max on the first set. Increase the weight by 10% to 15% for each successive set. By the time you reach set four, you should be using 80% to 85% of your max. The movement should be under control and fluid. Try and aim for a 5% to 10% increase in weight from set one to set two in this program. For your last set, you should be using weight that allows you to perform 6 to 8 reps but with some difficulty. You want to just barely complete 8 reps in good form. For example, let’s say your max curl is 110 pounds, your weight progression will be as follows: Warm up: 45 pounds; Rest periods between warm up and set one: 50 seconds Seated alternate dumbbell curls Set one: 1 x 8 repetitions 50% of your max; Rest for about 40 seconds in between each set. Abs Crunches 4 sets of 20 repetitions. Rest about 25 to 35 seconds between each set. This particular program should be followed for 6 to 12 weeks. After 12 weeks, it is recommended that you take a break for a couple of weeks to let your body recover. I’ve also set out another alternative program for you to follow below. Alternative Sample Mass Program II Day one: Chest and arms; Day two: Rest; Day three: Legs and calves; Day four: Rest; Day five: Back and shoulders; Day six: Rest Day seven: Rest
There you have it, a weight lifting routine that will help you build muscle from start to finish. Remember that more is not always necessarily better. I suggest you follow the routine for 3 months. Remember, if you need to see full descriptions and illustrations, go to: building muscle 101's weight lifting exercise page here. If you want to continue with this weight lifting routine, by all means continue. If on the other hand, you would like to add in some more advanced techniques or other exercises into your weight lifting routine, experiment and see what works. Once you have reached this stage of training, you've mastered the beginning and intermediate stages of weight lifting and are ready to explore other advanced techniques.
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