1ST PLACE - BITTERPLACEBO
WHAT IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE 4-WEEK MASS BUILDING WORKOUT?
Everyone would naturally want to get more done in less time. No one wants to feel like they're wasting precious time on any activity, especially the practice of building muscle mass, where the desire and efforts can be so extraordinary that failure is devastation. With proper planning, however, failure will not be an option.
Building significant new mass from nothing in just four weeks is an ambitious goal and amazing feat, and as such requires amazing efforts and planning in several different areas of one's lifestyle.
The greatest gains are facilitated by an optimal lifestyle -- creating an anabolic environment for muscle to thrive. This lifestyle is ultimately simplified if broken down into its basic components of nutrition, rest/recovery, and finally the workout regimen itself.
NUTRITION
In order to build new mass there needs to be a surplus of energy for the body to draw upon; you need to create more than there was before, so you need to eat more than you did before. If diet was constant before embarking on this four-week journey, simply eat at least 500 calories more than the previous diet.
If a consistent diet was not in place, use a metabolic rate calculator to find how many calories are necessary for sustaining mass, then eat 500 over that number.
Another important aspect of nutrition is the quality and type of calories eaten. Be sure to get enough complex carbohydrates throughout the day, with simple sugars reserved mostly post-workout.
Protein needs to be available at a quantity of about 1.5-2 grams per pound of body weight per day. Finally, eating fats, the most calorie-dense macronutrient, also has its benefits and might be eaten at a rate of about 20-30% of total calories consumed.
Eating consistently and constantly for a total of six or more times per day will allow for maximum availability of nutrients and energy for the body to use in the growth process.
Drinking water liberally and use throughout the four weeks is also advised for assisting with nutrient transportation and also for storage within muscle tissues, ultimately making them more massive. With the detrimental effects that alcohol has on protein synthesis, avoiding it altogether is recommended.
REST/RECOVERY
As we know, muscles are broken down under the stress of exercise. When we sleep, they are rebuilt, and if we have a lifestyle conducive of an anabolic state, they grow back bigger and stronger.
A simple and sound approach to recovery is to get at least eight hours of quality sleep every night. Another basic goal of recovery is to minimize stress outside of working out. Worrying and that kind of chronic mental stress takes a good deal of energy, the same energy we want to use for growing bigger.
With the high sleep, low stress lifestyle forming the basis of recovery, we can add additional activities to enhance recuperation. For those who have the means, buying and using supplements is a good idea to maximize the results of the four-week effort.
Recommended supplements include those of multi-vitamins, nitric oxide, proteins, branched-chain amino acids,creatine, and hormonal support varieties. Also, for those that have the time, techniques such as stretching,massages, and hot/cold contrast baths also aid recovery from intense training and should definitely be looked into.
WORKOUT
Good recovery and nutrition practices are usually not disputed. However, when it comes to organizing the most efficient workouts, there are many different opinions and preferences. There is no best workout that is guaranteed to always work while suiting everyone's needs.
The best we can do is analyze the mass-building question in more basic components and then design a convincing plan that meets our requirements.
What is the most effective 4-week mass building workout? Be specific. Include exercises, sets, reps, rest periods, etc.
WORKOUT GOAL
STIMULATE THE LARGEST QUANTITY OF DIFFERING MUSCLE FIBER TYPES AT A FREQUENCY STILL OPTIMAL FOR RECOVERY. THIS SIMPLE GOAL CLEARLY OUTLINES THE PATH TO TAKE FOR GREATEST GAINS. NOW ALL THAT'S LEFT IS TO DESIGN THE SPECIFICS TO REACH IT.
WORKOUT PROTOCOLS
- Use many compound exercises because they recruit the most effort from muscle tissue during execution.
- Do isolation exercises after compound movements localize blood flow, improving the amount of nutrients able to be drawn into muscle cells.
- Use combinations of dumbbell, barbell, and machine work to manipulate the use of stabilizing muscles. Dumbbells require the most stability, and are therefore more difficult. At the other end of the spectrum, machines do not require use of many stabilizing muscles, and can be easier.By using dumbbells and barbells first, then going to machines, one may be able to target muscles more intensely and efficiently.
- Warm-up before each workout by doing at least two sets of an exercise for each muscle group worked that day for 15-20 reps of 50% maximum weight.
- Start the 4-week routine only after a period of rest to eliminate and exhaustion from previous routines. This allows for a fresh body, primed for growth. A week is generally sufficient.
- Perform exercises using multiple angles and grips, ensuring full development of all the bodies that the whole muscle is comprised of.
- Keep workouts to approximately 45 minutes or less in length. If the duration goes much over that, the risk of the body producing more, undesirable catabolic hormones like cortisol increases.
- Rest 60-90 seconds between each set to ensure correct intensity and that protocol 3 is met. This will also help keep blood flowing to target muscles.
- Maintain proper post-workout recovery techniques-stretching, protein-carbohydrate shakes and contrast baths.
- Follow a 2-on-1-off, 2-on-1-off routine. This allows 6 days for full recovery. Some muscles will also benefit from indirect work in between as we'll see later in the actual routine layout. Ab work is minimized to one day to maintain core strength, otherwise it's not an area people desire to pack mass onto.
- Incorporate a technique called X-Rep. The basic principle is to extend a set of around 10 repetitions that went to failure by doing about 5 partial repetitions at the stretched point of the exercise. This is the point where muscle contraction can be the strongest.The first 10 repetitions recruits the fast-twitch muscle fibers, and then the last 5 partials cause the slow-twitch fibers to start firing, thus stimulating a wider range than doing a plain set. It turns out to be quite an intense and exhausting technique if done correctly. More information, and research support available at www.x-rep.com.
- Make use of antagonistic muscles to increase strength and blood flow while minimizing rest time.
- When not utilizing X-Reps, use 8-12 reps per set to help keep proper form, control and maximize pumps.
