How to get BIG muscles? More or less reps?

[milan]

How do i get BIGGER muscles? By doing very heavy weights but less reps or less heavy weights and more reps?

[Rahf]

Eating alot of food and working out. Rep intervals in the sense you are thinking is not part of the main equation. You need to eat more calories than you expend in order to grow.

1-20 reps builds the best. Keep yourself around 6-12 and you should be fine.

[mr popular]

The amount of reps doesn't matter.

What matters is the progress you make at the dinner table and with the weights you are lifting.

In other words, dedicating 4-5 days every week to making your muscles STRONGER, and then also stretching the fascia with at least one extreme "pumping" exercise, and eating massive amounts of calories, protein, and water every day, will make your muscles bigger.

A person could do this by lifting a certain amount of weight for 4 sets of (10,8,8,6) repitions, and then next week he lifts that same amount of weight for 4 sets of (10,10,10,10) repitions, then he knows he has gotten stronger and he will add 20-50lbs to the bar and crank out another 4 sets of maybe (8,7,6,4). Every week he will try to get 10 reps on all sets so he can increase the weight.

Then you have another person who pyramids over 5 sets of maybe (12,10,8,6,*) repitions. The "*" representing his working weight, or the heaviest weight he can handle for a minimum of 2 repitions. Well, once he can do that weight for 6 reps, he increases the load and repeats this process.

Granted both of these people are eating a ton of calories every single day, and at the end of each workout they pump their target muscle groups full of blood to stretch them completely and force in nutrients. They will both gain muscle training this way.

However, the amount of reps, sets, and rest periods will be largely individual because each person has different physiology and fiber distribution in the muscle.

See what I'm saying?

[mr popular]

To simplify:

#1) Make your muscles adapt to heavy loads by consistantly training through a simple plan to force them to become stronger, using both big and small movements.
#2) Damage target muscle groups as thoroughly as possible a minimum of once every 7 days, by training specific exercises to fatigue them. These exercises are supplementary to the ones in point #1, and the focus is on reaching momentary muscular failure and achieving the "pump".
#3)Combine this with a rigorous diet that is very high in calories and protein, drinking at least a gallon of water every day, and avoiding sugar and trans fats.

[windowmaker]

To simplify:

#1) Make your muscles adapt to heavy loads by consistantly training through a simple plan to force them to become stronger, using both big and small movements.
#2) Damage target muscle groups as thoroughly as possible a minimum of once every 7 days, by training specific exercises to fatigue them. These exercises are supplementary to the ones in point #1, and the focus is on reaching momentary muscular failure and achieving the "pump".
#3)Combine this with a rigorous diet that is very high in calories and protein, drinking at least a gallon of water every day, and avoiding sugar and trans fats.

This pretty much sums up the whole topic

</thread>

[James Branleur]

Here (http://www.forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=3980303) is a perfect guide for bulking ^___^

[Steve]

Everyone knows that to get bigger muscles you have to do less work! If you do too much, you won't see any progress at all! So just curl a pen once a day and you'll be pushing 300 pounds in no time!

[Ernest]

Everyone knows that to get bigger muscles you have to do less work! If you do too much, you won't see any progress at all! So just curl a pen once a day and you'll be pushing 300 pounds in no time!

Don't do this!
This is potentially life threatening; i recommend you start out with a toothpick, and slowly work your way up to the pen. Don't forget to use a lifting belt for these movements!

[Ashtar]

You do more, both increasing the weight or the reps can cause hypertrophy. It also requires food.

[windowmaker]

Don't do this!
This is potentially life threatening; i recommend you start out with a toothpick, and slowly work your way up to the pen. Don't forget to use a lifting belt for these movements!

Whoa whoa whoa, slow down there.
You're better off starting with breathing. After 3 years of heavy breathing try and make you way up to walking, it's a large step but worth it... Just be careful.

[chicanerous]

MOAR FOOD
MOAR WEIGHT
MOAR REPS
MOAR FOOD
MOAR SLEEP
MOAR PATIENCE

[wira tempur]

If u r kind of skinny, take weight gain first. After finish a tin or two, well depends on how big u want to be, then take muscle builder. U can get those things at the pharmacy. Don't take it without proper workout. Go to the gym or use tradisional style workout.

Really, normal food just doesn't work on me, or maybe i'm too lazy to eat a lot i don't remember, but that thing works. No side effect i think, not sure.

[compleks]

If u r kind of skinny, take weight gain first. After finish a tin or two, well depends on how big u want to be, then take muscle builder. U can get those things at the pharmacy. Don't take it without proper workout. Go to the gym or use tradisional style workout.

Really, normal food just doesn't work on me, or maybe i'm too lazy to eat a lot i don't remember, but that thing works. No side effect i think, not sure.

All those supplements do is give you alot of calories.
The original poster simply needs to re-evaluate his current diet and figure out how he is going to consume enough calories to grow. I doubt he is in desperate need of weight gainers at this stage.

"normal food just doesn't work on me"
That is a really ignorant comment. You were in fact just too lazy to consume enough calories.

[James Branleur]

Whoa whoa whoa, slow down there.
You're better off starting with breathing. After 3 years of heavy breathing try and make you way up to walking, it's a large step but worth it... Just be careful.
MOAR FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mr popular]

For me personally I recommend simplifying the diet into a list of key things you want it to consist of that you can eat everyday and have easy access to. These foods should basically cover your calories and protein, and this also allows for the extra food you will be eating to be healthy food like vegetables, fruits, and lots of water.

For example, your typical american teenager looking to gain muscle mass would likely create a list similar to this one:

peanut butter.
high fiber wheat bread.
sugar free jelly.
Whole milk.
high fiber Spagetti.
High-fiber cereal.
Flank steak.
chicken breasts.
eggs.
olive oil.
Whey protein.
bananas.

Spreading that out over the course of 6 meals every day should make it relatively easy for a person to get 3000,3500,and even 4000 calories daily, while also maintaining high amounts of protein, and fiber in the diet.

Sample daily diet:

Bowl of cereal w/ whole milk and a banana for breakfast ~400cal, ~12gP
60g whey protein in 1 cup whole milk ~370cal, ~54gP
PB&J sandwich w/ cup of whole milk ~ 600cal, ~27gP
1lb pasta w/ 3 chicken breasts both cooked in olive oil ~ 1200cal, ~80gP
1/2lb flank steak cooked in olive oil with 3 eggs vegetables ~680cal,~88gP
PB&J sandwich w/ milk before bed ~600cal, ~27gP

total calories: 3850
total protein: 288 grams

The only food there that takes longer than 3 minutes to prepare, is the chicken/pasta dinner, and the steak/eggs dinner. And even then, those take no more than 15-20 minutes for me on average since it is all cooked in the same skillet.

My point is, laziness is never an excuse. Who here truly could not eat this every day?

Besides Bboy Jon who apparently has the stomach capacity of an infant kitten.

[anfeyd]

For me personally I recommend simplifying the diet into a list of key things you want it to consist of that you can eat everyday and have easy access to. These foods should basically cover your calories and protein, and this also allows for the extra food you will be eating to be healthy food like vegetables, fruits, and lots of water.

For example, your typical american teenager looking to gain muscle mass would likely create a list similar to this one:

peanut butter.
high fiber wheat bread.
sugar free jelly.
Whole milk.
high fiber Spagetti.
High-fiber cereal.
Flank steak.
chicken breasts.
eggs.
olive oil.
Whey protein.
bananas.

Spreading that out over the course of 6 meals every day should make it relatively easy for a person to get 3000,3500,and even 4000 calories daily, while also maintaining high amounts of protein, and fiber in the diet.

Sample daily diet:

Bowl of cereal w/ whole milk and a banana for breakfast ~400cal, ~12gP
60g whey protein in 1 cup whole milk ~370cal, ~54gP
PB&J sandwich w/ cup of whole milk ~ 600cal, ~27gP
1lb pasta w/ 3 chicken breasts both cooked in olive oil ~ 1200cal, ~80gP
1/2lb flank steak cooked in olive oil with 3 eggs vegetables ~680cal,~88gP
PB&J sandwich w/ milk before bed ~600cal, ~27gP

total calories: 3850
total protein: 288 grams

The only food there that takes longer than 3 minutes to prepare, is the chicken/pasta dinner, and the steak/eggs dinner. And even then, those take no more than 15-20 minutes for me on average since it is all cooked in the same skillet.

My point is, laziness is never an excuse. Who here truly could not eat this every day?

Besides Bboy Jon who apparently has the stomach capacity of an infant kitten.

I couldn't eat it because I cannot afford three chicken breasts and steak every day.

[mr popular]

Yeah neither could I. haha
But most here don't have to pay for their own food.

I always buy based on unit price. I was lucky today because at the store sirloin tips were something ridiculous like 0.7 pounds for 2 dollars, so I bought a massive amount of them, not that any of you europeans have any idea what those numbers really mean.

But chicken is pretty cheap for me if I buy it in bulk.

But alas... I long for beef....

[compleks]

You need to find a good market place. Some of the savings you can make are awesome.

[mr popular]

I try to search the sunday paper for coupons and things as well.

Also: buying in bulk seems to be the best deal USUALLY.

but yeah i still basically "just get by" especially now that subway fired me and i can't find another job.haha

[Ashtar]

In the old days, we didn't have to pay rent or buy meat, because the world was your oyster.